Omnivore Atlanta

Here’s my friend David Sandler photographing his chocolate cake at Varasano’s Pizzeria earlier this week. Dessert is free if you use your mobile device to post something “nice” about your meal on Twitter or Facebook.

It wasn’t hard to say something nice. I ordered the margherita pizza with bufala mozzarella and David ordered the Nana, a similar pie that features more complex herbs than the straight up fresh basil on the margherita.

I noticed that the restaurant now has instructions on the right way to eat pizza (right) on every table. It’s true that eating it this way makes the sometimes gooey texture less problematic. But we got no goo with our pizzas. They were just about perfect.

(Top photo by Cliff Bostock; right photo by David Sandler)

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I had a great lunch at Anis today with my friends Brad and Frank. We learned from owner Arnaud Michel that he and his business partners have leased the space vacated by Allegro on Dutch Valley Road. He plans to open a new restaurant, Amuse, there by the end of September.

The chef will be Lenny Robinson, who was chef at Anis for several years. Arnaud said the menu is still in planning but, of course, diners can expect it to have a French accent.

Arnaud said he is “shrinking” the dining room a bit to make the space more intimate.

Today I lunched on a special of sauteed skate wing (above) under a warm salad of fresh corn, potatoes and octopus. Skate doesn’t seem to be very popular in our city. Many people seem to find Its texture and sweetness displeasing, but it always reminds me of scallops.

We finished lunch with dessert samplers that included a profiterole filled with coconut ice cream, flan, a scoop of apricot sorbet and some cherries and strawberries. A light lunch.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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FILTHY RICH: Vote today!

Best of Atlanta voting ends tonight at 12 a.m. for our 2009 “Filthy Rich” ballot. You can also submit your picks through facebook. Online voters have to enter at least 10 categories. We already have a record of over 5,400 votes!

For more Best of Atlanta action, Fresh Loaf has a new poll up where you can vote if you’d rather see more fine dining or more cheap eats restaurants in Atlanta.

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VEGGIE TALES: The vegetable plate at Atkins Park

It wasn’t that long ago in the urban South that you heard can openers whirring in the summer heat.  My assumption is that people became so accustomed to the convenience and taste of canned vegetables, they weren’t really attracted to garden-grown produce.

When fresh produce did show up on urban tables, it usually came from the grocery store and was typically cooked beyond recognition — often to the degree that it was indistinguishable from canned food. I’m thinking about green beans in particular. Yellow summer squash was boiled and mashed with butter and bacon fat. Tomatoes, thanks to the miracle of hydroponic greenhouses, were mealy and flavorless year round. It was not until I was in my 20s, living in Elberton, that I tasted a garden-grown tomato.

Happily, restaurants have turned local produce into a virtual fad during the last few years. One of those is Atkins Park Restaurant (794 N. Highland Ave., 404-876-7249), well-known as the longest continually licensed bar in the city. The chef is Andrew Smith, who earlier worked for Scott Peacock of Watershed and Shaun Doty of Shaun’s.

Continue reading “Grazing: Get fresh at Atkins Park”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Here’s a good opportunity to try a new restaurant and help support the Atlanta Community Food Bank:

Abattoir Chophouse, the sixth venture from celebrated Chefs and Restaurateurs Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, will host Supper Club to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s Atlanta’s Table on Tuesday, August 11. Quatrano and Harrison, along with Chef and Partner Joshua Hopkins, invite Atlantans to experience this “meatcentric” concept with a menu that is based around “whole animal cuisine,” a term referring to Quatrano’s use of every functional piece of the animal.

Supper Club is a monthly event that allows diners the convenience of enjoying a meal at some of Atlanta’s hottest restaurants while supporting their community.  Each month, a different restaurant serves as host, and 20 percent of the evening’s proceeds benefit Atlanta’s Table, the prepared food rescue project of the Food Bank.

A more casual dining experience than Quatrano and Harrison’s other culinary destinations, Bacchanalia and Floataway Café, Abattoir is located at 1170 Howell Mill Road within the White Provision building that was originally a meat packing plant in the 1940s and ‘50s. Read Besha Rodell’s review to learn more about the restaurant.

Supper Club was created in the late 1990s to celebrate the partnership between Atlanta’s Table and Atlanta’s hospitality community.  Atlanta’s Table, a project of the Food Bank, provides approximately 40,000 pounds of prepared food for Atlanta’s hungry each month.  With sponsorship from Ethic Inc., Jezebel magazine, TrendCRM and 92.9 dave fm, Atlanta’s Table Supper Club generates funds to ensure continued operations of the project.  For more information about Supper Club, visit www.ACFB.org, or contact Daphne Hill at 678.553.5996 or daphne.hill@ACFB.org.

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Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
10.0% ABV

Great Divide celebrates its 15th year in business with a potent Double India Pale Ale aged on French and American oak to “round off the edges.” Indeed, it’s a very drinkable DIPA, with tons of malt complexity and vanilla essence to balance the aggressive hop bill.

Unlike typical over-the-top hop bombs, the initial nose carries significant fruity esters, along with brandy-like alcohol and vanilla. Floral hops, pineapple, and fresh wet pine needles round out the subtle (for a DIPA), inviting aroma. Toffee sweetness hits first in the taste, followed by a solid, resinous smack of hops. The malts, oak and citric bite of hops combine to create a whiskey sour-like quality, right down to the smoky, boozy warmth and cherry sweetness. Oaky dryness and vanilla hold onto the middle, with a pine and grapefruit rind hop bitterness rising in the finish. An alcohol burn lingers in the sinuses on the long fade.

Considering the strong elements contributed by the wood aging, the mouthfeel is somewhat raw and grainy and could be a bit softer and creamier. No doubt some further aging will help with that, as well as mellowing the burn. Medium-full and sticky, this is definitely a sipper, but balanced and enjoyable. I had no problem finishing a 22-oz bomber, leaving me warm and happy.

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Today’s New York Times website includes a video about patrons of a food bank in California. The reporter, Monica Almeida, spent a year tracking people who use the facility, a faith-based organization. Click here and look for the video piece entitled “A Year of Struggle at a Food Bank”…

Richard Blais is featured in a Businessweek article about the hamburger renaissance:

A finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef last season, Blais is a student of molecular gastronomy, cooking with nitrogen and the like. One of his beef burgers is cooked sous-vide, which is French for “under vacuum,” and describes food that is cooked inside an airtight plastic bag over a long period at low temperatures. What Blaise brokers in is not so much hamburgers as proteins of any ilk stuck between two buns….

Joel Antunes is cooking in Bali.

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I got some great news today. Dan Krinsky, who co-owns Tierra with wife Ticha, will undergo kidney transplant surgery on Aug. 28 at Piedmont Hospital. Dan found a suitable live donor a few months ago, after seven disappointments. He has been on dialysis three times weekly since last December.

Tierra will be closed for a week following his surgery.

Dan says the donor turned up after reading mention of his need in my Grazing column. Many thanks to that reader and others who contacted him offering help.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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SOUL FOOD: The Southern Foodways Alliance produces films, does research and just generally celebrates regional food culture.

The Southern Foodways Alliance, a food society that studies, documents, and celebrates food from the American South, is holding their Potlikker Film Fest in Athens on August 22nd. The 6 to 9 p.m. evening of movies, mingling and performance will be held at Cine Athens and kicks of with “potlikker shots” for guests as they walk in the door. There will be bite-sized samples of old and new southern cuisine and live music and poetry by Coleman Barks. The event also includes a set of four short films on food in the South directed and produced by the SFA. The 21 and over evening is $45. Beer will be provided by Athens’ Terrapin Beer Company. Register here.

(Photo by Southern Foodways Alliance)

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A few upcoming Atlanta food events:

FREE TONIGHT?: 5 Seasons Westside is holding a Farm 2 Beer dinner that includes local and organic dishes with beer pairings.

5 Seasons Westside Farm 2 Beer dinner, tonight. This 5 Seasons Westside prix-fixe dinner includes five farms, five courses and five handcrafted beers for $55. The food comes from local, organic farms and the menu includes lobster stuffed squash, braised short ribs and whole hog. Each course comes paired with the farmer’s favorite 5 Seasons beer. This afternoon there were 14 seats still open for the event. $55. 7 p.m.-10 p.m. 1000 Marietta St. 404-875-3232. www.5seasonsbrewing.com.

Eno Alaskan Salmon Dinner with Louis Roederer Champagnes, Aug. 6th. This two-part evening is the work of Chef Eli Kirshtein and Owner-Wine Director Doug Strickland. The night starts at 6:30 p.m. with a $20 Louis Roederer Champagne tasting featuring four California sparkling wines. Dinner will begin at 8 p.m. and includes four courses showcasing different species of Alaskan Salmon. Each course is paired with a new Louis Roederer Champagne, so those who participate in the entire event will sample eight different varieties of bubbly. Reservations are required. $20 for tasting, $75 for dinner with pairings. 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m. 800 Peachtree St. 404-685-3191. www.enorestaurant.com.

The Cheesecake Factory Any Slice Is Half Price, July 30th. All cheesecake slices will be 50 percent off tomorrow for those who dine in at The Cheesecake Factory in celebration of National Cheesecake Day. The restaurant is also debuting their new Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velved Cake Cheesecake™. For every slice of the red velvet cheesecake sold over the next year, The Cheesecake Factory will donate 25 cents to Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization. Price varies. All day. 310-453-2539. www.thecheesecakefactory.com.

(Photo: With permission via 5seasonsbrewing.com)

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Salon has published a fascinating interview with Richard Wrangham, author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Wrangham, a Harvard anthropologist, argues that the signal event in the evolution of apes into men was learning to use fire to cook — not the development of tools, as is usually said.

Wrangham observes that cooked food is more efficiently digestible and nutritious than raw food (and he thus criticizes the so-called “raw food movement”). He also argues that cooking shaped our households and notions about gender.

It’s a great read, but I was surprised that neither the author of the interview or Wrangham himself credited Claude Lévi-Strauss for his seminal book, The Raw and the Cooked (1964), which argues (by looking at mythological themes) that the axis of the raw and the cooked signifies the binary opposition of nature and culture. It’s arguably a rather small step from Lévi-Strauss’ argument to Wrangham’s.

Maybe Wrangham takes up Lévi-Strauss in the book’s text….

Economy got you down? Home in foreclosure? Don’t worry. Bake cakes….

Atlanta did not make Huffington Post’s list of the 10 Best US Cities for Local Food. But you can still nominate us….

Hollywood organizes to help save the sushi favorite, bluefin tuna, from extinction.

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This morning on the Village Voice’s Fork in the Road blog, Voice critic Robert Sietsema asks whether “Top Chef” is ruining cooking in America. His post suggests that flashy cooking is what’s rewarded on the show – and the photo chosen to run alongside the post is one of Richard Blais. Sietsema doesn’t call Blais’ cooking out in the text, but the context would have us believe that the kind of “garish” cooking he’s talking about is represented by Blais.

I’m not sure I agree with the basic premise of Sietsema’s post – inventiveness has certainly been rewarded on the show, but so has straightforward, unpretentious presentations. Both styles represent major movements in American cooking. Last season’s Stephan nearly won with totally straightforward European cooking. And Hosea…what did he cook again? I can’t remember. Not tofu marinated in beef fat, that’s for sure. So, yeah, maybe Blais-ian nuttiness is what we remember from the show. But it’s not always what wins.

As to Sietsema’s point, that we can’t actually taste what’s on the plate, well yes, that is the major flaw of all food TV. But we watch for the same reason we read great food writing. Good food TV should be evocative, descriptive. Can we trust the judges? As much as we decide we can or can’t trust a critic like Robert Seitsema (or me, for that matter).

And in Atlanta this season, we are in the very lucky position of being able to go out and taste three of the contestant’s cooking, if we want to.

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H&F Bread Company, the outstanding bakery from the Restaurant Eugene/Holeman and Finch folks, has closed its doors to the public. According to part-owner Regan Smith, the bakery just wasn’t generating enough foot traffic to justify keeping the retail operation open. The bakery will continue to function as a wholesale operation, and Smith says that in the future they hope to offer call-ahead bread ordering for individual customers.

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How did we go from two-martini business lunches to harried fast-food excursions, sandwiches and nuked leftovers while toiling at our desks? Some would argue it’s a budgetary concern. But you deserve the occasional pause, even if it is on the cheap. And there happens to be just the place smack dab in the middle of downtown Atlanta. It offers not only a major deal at $10.95 per person, but also a civilized sit-down meal on an enclosed “terrace” set inside the bustling grand lobby of Peachtree Tower.

You may have heard about Il Mulino (191 Peachtree St., 404-524-5777, www.ilmulino.com/visit_us2.html), the extremely overpriced Italian restaurant from New York, when it opened. The original location in New York is spectacular, but I’ve found that the offshoots — such as the Miami location — just don’t live up to the coziness or immense personality of the smaller Manhattan home base. My curiosity about the Atlanta location was quashed by my reluctance to drop a stack of bills on something I knew didn’t travel well. And I really need a good excuse to switch out my flats for a pair of heels. But rumors of a shockingly cheap lunch buffet enticed me — no torturous footwear required.

Continue reading “Cheap Eats: Il Mulino’s lunch buffet”

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Jonathan Baker (foreground) and Joel Iverson (right) tend to the kettle at a recent session of Monday Night Brewery

On a balmy Monday evening in a cozy neighborhood not far from the industrial-sized tanks of the Atlanta Brewing Company, three intrepid entrepreneurs are cooking a 10-gallon batch of Belgian Pale Ale using a pot atop a propane burner. Juggling hoses, fittings and timers, they trade barbs, avert crises and entertain guests, who mill about casually, asking questions and sipping previous nights’ brewings.

This is Monday Night Brewery, and it wouldn’t be all that different from any other homebrewing party, except that Jeff Heck, Joel Iverson, and Jonathan Baker have bigger ambitions that brewing backyard suds for their friends. The three partners are actually working toward brewing commercially, and the weekly brewing parties are just part of their master marketing plan. They have a striking logo, a slogan inspired by their brewing and beer-drinking philosophy (”Weekends Are Overrated”), and an honest-to-God business plan that has them on track to start selling their beer in 2010.

“I think every homebrewer thinks at some point, ‘What if I could do this commercially?’” says Baker, who serves as the company’s Marketing Guy and Director of Mind Control. “We were throwing the idea around, not taking it that seriously, but we figured, at least let’s explore it, so we started a blog, kind of put a stake in the ground. I think it became more real for us as time went on, and we started improving our beers and getting positive feedback from people. And we’ve gained a lot of experience brewing every week. Not many homebrewers brew that often.” (more…)

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We had a terrific meal at Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia-Highland recently. Chef Andrew Smith offers a mainly Southern menu with a heavy accent on seasonal produce, like this dish of sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted Vidalia onions, fried eggplant, pickled okra and succotash of Silver Queen corn and field peas.

I also liked an entree special (right) of Virginia striped bass over creamed corn with zipper-pea pancakes.

Look for more in Grazing later this week.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Here’s a shot of my current obsession — the fig and prosciutto pizza at Stella in Grant Park. It will be on the menu as long as the supply of figs, from a nearby back yard, holds up. The pizza — a white, crispy one streaked with balsamic — is served with a salad. Choose the arugula salad and feel free to pile it on the pizza for a slightly bitter contrast to the sweet figs.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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HAVE A BALL: The watermelon and feta salad at the Shed at Glenwood

When the Shed at Glenwood opened in April of last year, it had aspirations to bring a true neighborhood restaurant to an area that’s always struggled to resemble a true neighborhood. Tacked on to the back end of North Ormewood Park, Glenwood Park is a deftly designed and appealing example of a new urban development. But the timing of its completion, right before the housing bubble burst and the economy tanked, has left many of its wide, windowed storefronts empty. The result is kind of eerie, like an adorable ghost town.

Set up in a large corner space, the Shed seemed poised to bring new life to Glenwood Park. Here was a restaurant where you might drop in for a fresh fruit cocktail if you lived nearby, or wander over to for brunch on the weekend. Not a destination restaurant perhaps, but certainly a spot exhibiting higher aspirations than most of what’s available in the Grant Park/Ormewood/East Atlanta area.

Continue reading “Review: The Shed at Glenwood”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Agave: Is it any wonder that a restaurant named for the plant from which tequila is made serves excellent margaritas? Agave’s bar stocks an impressive list of obscure tequila brands you can enjoy in your margarita for an upcharge. The restaurant also offers a short menu of house-designed margaritas. Your best bets are the Agave Don Eduardo Anejo — Don Eduardo Anejo, Triple Sec, fresh lime and sour mix on the rocks — or the Corzo Perfecto, a mix of Corzo Super Premium Reposado, fresh lime juice and agave nectar (a syrup resembling honey in texture). 242 Boulevard. 404-588-0006. www.agaverestaurant.com.

Continue reading “Mouthful: Margaritas”

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Tom Maicon, the owner of Atlanta Cuisine, announced earlier this week that he was eliminating the site’s  forums. He has now changed his mind:

Earlier this week I announced my plans to shutdown the discussion board.  I had every intention to do so for several reasons I won’t get into here.  However, due to the plea and heartfelt response from our members I’ve decided to keep the forums, but a much abbreviated more focused version.  And for those concerned, we do plan to keep the board running as long as this website is alive.

So, despite what you read on Urban Spoon and CL and where ever else, the AC discussion board will return Tuesday, July 28

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CULINARY COMPETITION: Top chefs from Atlanta will compete next month at the Killer Tomato Festival.

Dine out for a cause or hit a local festival for some food-themed fun this summer in Atlanta. Some notable upcoming foodie events are:

Inman Park Dine Out, July 29th. Participating restaurants in Inman Park will donate a portion of the day’s sales to fund the Inman Park Security Patrol. The list of supporters also includes the Float Spa and Dad’s Garage. Price varies. All day. Inman Park. www.inmanparkdineout.com.

Graveyard Tavern Unibroue Beer Dinner & Swing Night, July 29th. The monthly affair includes passed hours d’oeuvres and three seated courses paired with Belgian-style beers for a fixed price. The food features local and sustainable ingredients. Swing dancing to follow. Reservations are required by email to info@graveyardtavern.com. $35. 7 p.m. 1245 Glenwood Ave. 404-622-8686. www.graveyardtavern.com.

Corks & Forks: A Fine Food & Wine Event, Aug. 29th and 30th. Taste dishes from Atlanta’s top chefs and sample wines and craft beers and ales. There will also be sit-down workshops on tasting and selection. Corks & Forks is held as part of the free Summer Shade Festival in historic Grant Park. $35 in advance, $45 at the gate (the festival is free). Both days 1 p.m.-5 p.m. 499 Broyles Street. 404-521-0938. www.summershade.org.

Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, Aug. 9th. Prominent Atlanta chefs will be paired with a local farmer to face off in an “Iron Chef”-style competition using tomatoes. Benefits will go to Georgia Organics. Judges will be Bon Appetit Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton, Food + Wine freelance writer Danny Bonvissuto, and Southern Living senior food writer Donna Florio. The 18+ event will be held at JCT Kitchen and will feature live music and beer from 5 Seasons Brewing. $50, $45 for Georgia Organics Members, or $90 for VIP pass that includes an open bar. 1 p.m.-6 p.m. 1198 Howell Mill Rd. 678-702-0400. www.georgiaorganics.org.

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Well, almost. Chef Paul Luna is returning to Atlanta. I had a voicemail from him a few weeks ago but haven’t reconnected with him. However, Henry, a longtime server at Eclipse di Luna, told me during lunch today that he is returning. Apparently, he plans to work as a consultant, not as a chef. I repeat: I have not confirmed this with Luna himself.

Newcomers to Atlanta may not know Luna, to whom words like “legendary” and “bad boy” have been routinely applied. He first arrived here as chef of Bice in the early ’90s, as I recollect, then opened Luna Si, Cafe Mystique, Eclipse di Luna and Loca Luna. A year ago we reported that he was writing a bilingual children’s book, Luna Needs a Miracle, which will be available next month.

Known for rather temperamental behavior in his restaurants — ejecting diners who asked for salt, for example — he also became infamous for dancing on table tops in very few clothes. Diners tolerated the behavior because his food was so extraordinary.

We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.

(Photo courtesy of ChefLuna.com)

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This, from Meryl Arnett at Rosebud, sounds like fun, although the idea of 160 people in tie-dye is kinda frightening.

Rosebud (formerly Food 101 Morningside) is once again bringing together delicious food and great music, two things Chef and Owner Ron Eyester feels very passionate about, with the third annual Jerry Garcia Tribute Dinner.  Due to its tremendous popularity, Rosebud is hosting a two-night run on both August 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. to accommodate the demand.  The restaurant will only be seating reservations for the tribute dinner on these two nights.

The dinner was first held in 2006 and brought in more than 160 people to the restaurant (maximum capacity).   The success of this dinner encouraged Chef Ron to continue finding ways to combine his two passions with additional tribute dinners for artists, such as Johnny Cash and James Brown.  Each dinner takes a relaxed approach to pairing food with music.  “I try to be playful about the food.  I think some people take it all too seriously.  Now, I take the ingredients seriously, but it’s got to be fun” says Ron.

This year’s five-course pre-fixe menu will feature a selection of dishes inspired by the lyrics of Chef Ron’s favorite Grateful Dead songs.  Each dish will focus on utilizing fresh, local foods to compliment Garcia’s creative tunes.  The dinner will also continue its tradition of offering live music during and after the meal.  This year, however, Chef Ron is taking his local mantra a step further by featuring two bands local to the Morningside community.  Webster Humpage is playing on August 5 and Parker Smith on August 6.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the show in their best tie-dye; Birkenstocks are optional.  Although a different band plays each night, the same menu will be offered on both August 5 and 6.  Showtime is at 7 p.m.  The five course menu is $49 per person plus tax and gratuity (alcohol not included).  This dinner has sold out each year so reservations are required and can be made by calling 404-347-9747.

(Photo courtesy of ehow.com)

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Your favorite summer pizza: Stella reprises its fig and proscuitto pie tonight. …

The futility of existence: Man cracks the KFC code. …

The Thoughtful Bread Company: Merry olde England gets its first sustainable bakery. …

Are you a lousy writer? Maybe you need to drink more. …

An alternative to heavy drinking: Morelli’s is serving two new (to me) ice cream flavors, champagne-peach and Grand Marnier-pineapple.

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DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: The bar area at Rí Rá Irish Pub

Remember when Vickery’s was the only restaurant on Crescent Avenue in Midtown? It was considered an edgy location — the kind of place that magnetized urban hipsters, resplendent in black and redolent of cannabis. It was a great scene. Later, South City Kitchen opened on Crescent and attracted a more serious foodie crowd.

Now, more than 25 years since Vickery’s opened, the street has become the backside of the explosive high-rise development along Peachtree Street that real estate people call the Midtown Mile. It starts with the mixed use 1010 Midtown building, whose rear is home to three restaurants: Noon, RA Sushi and Rí Rá Irish Pub (1080 Peachtree St., 404-477-1700).

Rí Rá  is catty-corner to the new Joia (1100 Crescent Ave., 404-537-5000), which occupies one of the older buildings on Vickery’s side of the street. It has been opened by Marco Betti, owner of Antica Posta in Buckhead. Rí Rá is part of a large national chain. The two restaurants are, naturally, vastly different.

Continue reading Grazing

(Photo by James Camp)

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