Omnivore Atlanta

It’s been a month since my regular Friday lunch bunch visited La Pietra Cucina. We did today and found chef Bruce Logue in an unusually upbeat mood. (Yes, he knows me.) He visited our table wielding this chunk of the highest-grade of Wagyu beef and insisted we each try a skewer of the meat.

I’ve eaten plenty of apparently lower-grade Wagyu over the years. This was completely unique to my taste. The beef, from the hanger cut, virutally had the texture of foie gras.

“This is the best piece of meat on Peachtree right now,” Logue said. “I’m telling the staff tonight they better sell this, because if they can’t sell this, they’re in the wrong place.”

If I were you, I’d get a reservation tonight or Saturday to sample it as a starter or entree.

The rest of our lunch included a round of soup with escarole, white beans and housemade fennel sausage, followed by speck panini for two of us and a chicken panino for another.

Another light lunch.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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EGGO: Listeria monocytogenes never looked so good

As if the ruined economy wasn’t enough, now poor Americans have to deal with a nationwide shortage of delicious (and cheap!) Eggo waffles afflicting our country. What could cause such suffering?

Eggo’s parent company, Kellogg Co., blamed the frozen waffle shortage on the floods that struck Atlanta this September, claiming the heavy rains shut down one of its main plants located in the city. But in actuality, the plant was closed during most of September and October after Listeria monocytogenes were found in a sample of Eggos. Listeria is a bacteria that is harmless for most people but can be dangerous for pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.

The company recalled nearly 4,500 cases of Eggos and ceased production at the plant for much of September and October. The flooding then delayed the plant’s re-opening, according to Kellogg.

Still sure you won’t leggo that Eggo?

(Picture courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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BURGER CLUB: The Artery Annihilator is an 8-ounce Angus patty on two Krispy Kreme doughnuts

It arrived like any other hamburger of its type, crowding the plate, oozing melted cheddar cheese from which lengths of crispy bacon jutted. Above all, it glowed with the nostalgia of every American kid’s favorite meal. The economy has tanked, the plutocrats bid the lawmakers to let us eat cake, the teabaggers exhort us literally to vote against our own interests. The world has gone mad, but we’ve still got hamburgers.

Sort of. I took a closer look, as did those sitting at nearby tables in the bar of the new Burger Club (4300 Paces Ferry Road, Vinings, 678-888-9036). There was a barely discernible gasp. A woman’s hand flew to her chest. “Yeah,” I said, “it’s the ‘Artery Annihilator.’”

The 8-ounce Angus patty’s bun wasn’t a bun at all – it was two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. As my gaze took in the concoction, childhood nostalgia melted – like the sugar glaze on the doughnuts, the globes of fat in the burger, the crystallized fat in the bacon and the drooping fat of the cheese – into an adult’s vision of slow suicide. Why wasn’t it served with Lipitor and beta-blockers?

Continue Reading “First Look: Burger Club and FuzeBurger”

(Photo by James Camp)

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I dined alone at Stella in Grant Park Thursday night. I had a Caesar salad and a white pizza featuring zucchini, bacon and mozzarella, streaked with balsamic vinegar. The restaurant is slated to close and be resurrected as a Doc Chey’s Noodle House within the next few months. (The same people own both restaurants.) Meanwhile, the chef has left the restaurant to open her own venue in Florida.

I asked a server why the owners think Doc Chey’s will do better than Stella and she told me that “foot traffic” is much higher at all locations of the noodle house. She said some limited remodeling will occur before the transition. …

In my quest for new burgers, I dined Monday night at Roxx Tavern and Diner on Cheshire Bridge Road. On Mondays, the restaurant offers a build-your-own-burger special.  You start with a $5.95 Angus beef, turkey or veggie burger and add toppings of your choice.

Weirdly, the restaurant doesn’t offer a list of ingredients and their cost. You just choose whatever you like that is mentioned in the regular menu of kitchen-designed burgers and you’ll have to ask what each ingredient costs. I chose this Angus patty with caramelized onions. feta cheese and bacon. I ended up saving a couple of bucks.  It was quite good, if a bit undercooked. …

Speaking of burgers, the Shed at Glenwood featured a slider at its regular Wednesday “slider night” that included duck confit and fresh cranberries that had been marinated in port wine, jalapeño peppers and cloves. I keep craving it. …

Entice, a “Caribbean tapas restaurant and lounge,” is soon to open on Ponce de Leon Avenue near the Spaghetti Factory. …

Marketing Ploy of the Week: Over the weekend, the Ansley Publix appeared to repackage its small cobb salad in the large container, lowered the price a dollar and claimed it was on sale. Ugh. …

It appears Vesuvius, the new pizzeria on Edgewood Avenue, will not open tomorrow night, Friday, as hoped. Maybe next week. …

So light, so airy, so incredibly fattening. …

So noisy, so airy, so inedible. …

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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Hurry and get you a pair.

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Tom Colicchio and Thomas Keller

It’s a gold, or rather or, medal finish.

In last night’s last “Top Chef” Las Vegas episode actually located in Las Vegas (ironically, the only episode that didn’t focus on the city), the remaining cheftestants competed in an olympian-sized challenge, a miniature Bocuse d’Or for a panel of crazy famous chefs, including the always intimidating Thomas Keller. Although the challenge called for fancy techniques and intricate presentation, it was hometown hero Kevin and his “day off food” that walked away with the gold, pocketing $30,000 and a shot at representing the US in the real version of the culinary games. Kevin left the bells and whistles in his beard and his more simplistic plate was the only well executed dish of the night, proving that good cooking, even prize-worthy cooking, doesn’t have to include showy techniques (yes, I’m talking to you, Michael Voltaggio). (more…)

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OK, there is significant oral fixation on display in this video, but mainly I’m using that meme as an excuse to share some great music by the Danish duo, the Raveonettes.

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Miller Union, new in the Westside and soon-to-be-reviewed-here, has made the Daily Beast’s list of “fall’s hot new restaurants”:

The Buzz: Miller Union is the latest Atlanta restaurant to focus on farm-to-table fare. Led by chef Steven Satterfield, formerly the executive sous chef of acclaimed Atlanta eatery Watershed, Miller Union boasts an upscale Southern menu (beer-braised pork shoulder) built around local produce and a wine list of biodynamic, organic wines. Its atmosphere is meant to feel homey, with leather stools, antique furniture and exposed beams. The favorite appetizer: Farm egg baked in celery cream.

Check it out.

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Crawford Moran with a city water beer

The nifty rainwater collection system that 5 Seasons Brewing Company installed at their Westside brewpub location in September attracted plenty of attention. Apparently CNN saw my Talking Head story on it and decided to run their own short feature.

Unfortunately, the story also got the attention of various local, state, and federal regulators, who whipped out their statute books to find that there are no guidelines for the use of rainwater in beer, so therefore it must be illegal.

“We weren’t thinking about hiding it, because we had no idea it would be a problem,” says brewer Crawford Moran. “The system produces ‘potable water,’ which is the standard for commercial applications, but that doesn’t necessarily translate [to a brewpub], because there’s no regulating authority.”

The system, installed by RainHarvest Systems of Cumming, Georgia, has been used in commercial operations before, and the 6-stage filtration system filters down to 0.5 microns, followed by a UV filter that kills bacteria. It produces water so pure that the University of Georgia Soil and Water Laboratory, the certified lab that tested the sample from 5 Seasons, fairly gushed about it in its normally staid scientific assessment. No matter. The brewery could have dug a well on the site of the former stockyard without even having the water tested. (more…)

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Breakfast in Sin City:

(Hat tip to Brad Lapin)

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Canoe Restaurant, located on the edge of the Chattahoochee River, will be opening its doors again on Mon., Nov. 23. The restaurant went through significant damages due to the September flooding. After embarking on a 10-week renovation process, the restaurant is ready to go for the holiday season. Chef Carvel Grant Gould will be offering a revamped menu, and the edible vegetable garden will be re-planted as well. During the first week Canoe will be open for dinner only and will offer a three-course prix-fixe menu at $55 per person on Thanksgiving Day.

Paces Ferry Road. 770-437-2663. 4199. www.canoe-atl.com.

(Photo courtesy of Canoe)

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WORTH A MINT: The mint tea at Westside Garden Market

Back in January, I wrote about an odd but quaint grocery that had opened on traffic-congested Howell Mill Road. At that time, Westside Garden Market’s (1954 Howell Mill Road, 404-609-9666, www.westsidegardenmarket.com) owner, Majid Elmaliki, planned to offer a handful of to-go items in addition to his assortment of locally made products and local produce. On a recent visit, I was surprised to find that the market is in fact no longer a market. The shelves have since been replaced by little tables covered in red-and-white-checkered tablecloths and the market is now a full-service restaurant serving Moroccan-inspired home cooking.

As soon as any customer walks in, Elmaliki springs into action. His mix of heartfelt hospitality and genuine enthusiasm to serve will make anyone feel immediately at home. The menu consists of a small collection of recognizable dishes — offered in affordable lunch and dinner options. A hot soup, made with fresh yellow tomatoes (one of the only items not made in house), has a smooth mouthfeel and surprisingly little acidity.

Continue Reading “Westside Garden Market”

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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I had my fifth hamburger meal in a row tonight and I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed. The flavors, with a few exceptions, all kind of run together in my memory. But that’s cool, because I’m educating my palate, right? Check out this interview with Richard Blais of Flip on BurgerBusiness.com. I especially liked this question and answer:

By offering so many nontraditional burgers, do you see yourself educating the tastebuds of burger lovers?

Looking at the future, I like to think I’m going to have a lot of restaurants that aren’t burgercentric, so I look at Flip as a sort of training ground for a lot of palates. Sort of disguised under this iconic All-American ingredient, the burger, it is a way to get young people to experience lamb or something else they’ve never had before. But they’re much more receptive to it because it’s a burger.

If I have two teens out on a Friday night date and they decide to order the lamb burger, I’m building clientele for the future. And they’re building their palates.

I don’t feel like what we do is that creative. We just try to look at things a little differently.

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Lambert Bridge Winery dinner at the Shed at Glenwood, Nov. 17, The winery will bring a five-course meal and wine pairings to the Shed at Glenwood. The main course will include wild boar ragout, winter vegetables and yukon gold potatoes. Cost $85 per person. 475 Bill Kennedy Way. 404-835-4363. www.theshedatglenwood.com.

Slow Food Atlanta presents a “slow taste of Tuscany,” Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 7 p.m. at Valenza and La Pietra Cucina. A celebration taking place across America of slow food and Douglas Gayeton’s new book Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. $120 all-inclusive.

Atlanta Wine School’s For Beginners Only, Nov. 19, For the wine novice who is looking to expand their knowledge. The course is meant to expand wine vocabulary, learning what goes best with what foods and what to choose at a restaurant. You will also learn about tasting as you sample several wines. The class cost $50 per person and begins at 7 pm. 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road. 770-668-0435. www.atlantawineschool.com.

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STUFF IT! Last year's turkey, almost ready to eat

A few weeks ago, my family and I were in a bad car accident. Driving down Ga. 400 at about 60 miles per hour, my back right tire blew and my brakes failed. After a few terrifying seconds fishtailing back and forth, all my weight on a useless brake pedal, the car spun around and hit the concrete divider. The airbags deployed, and the car filled with smoke. None of us was hurt, save a nasty bruise for me from the seat belt, but we were badly shaken.

After the police, the insurance and the ride home, we tried to regroup. What to do? How to convince our befuddled souls, which in those seconds had prepared for eternity, that we were still firmly grounded in this world?

We roasted a chicken.

Continue Reading “Comfort food”

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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It’s not as weird as the Krispy Kreme burger below, but here’s a novelty at FuzeBurger, another new burger joint. This one’s next to the Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon Avenue, but it isn’t featuring the iconic donuts in any of its burgers. (In fact, the restaurant doesn’t offer any desserts at all, weirdly enough.)

The dish above is a starter of fried tofu chips with Thai plum sauce. They’re kind of crispy but melt in the mouth instantly.

Fuze is owned by the same people who owned a Thai restaurant at the same location. Like its predecessor, Fuze has a terrific interior design. Its walls are red and a central focal detail is a long, serpentine, white paper lantern. Its shape is replicated in splashes of white paint on the red walls.

I assume the name, Fuze, is meant to imply “fusion,” and the burgers do indeed have elements of other cultures, from Malaysian to Korean.

More in Grazing later this week.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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Here it is — the “Artery Annihilator,” on the menu at the new Burger Club. This isn’t the first time a restaurant in our city has served a bacon-cheeseburger between two Krispy Kreme donuts, but it was my first experience. And despite what Paula Deen thinks of such a concoction (see video below), I found it pretty nightmarish and in need of emergency tweaking by Richard Blais.

I’ve tried a lot else on the menu and found most of it quite acceptable, including the fried Moon Pie, which is not a Moon Pie at all, but a bakery version of one. I’ll say more about the restaurant later this week in Grazing.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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ALPINE BAKERY & PIZZERIA: Long Island native Bill Clementi and his partners, Stephen Bishop and Anthony DeTommaso, have the north side market cornered on Italian sweets. Their cannoli stand tall among the bakery’s offerings. The shells are freshly made and stuffed with a mixture of premium ricotta impastata, sugar, vanilla and a few secret ingredients. The filling is then studded with tiny chocolate chips. They’re offered in either small or regular sizes. 295 Rucker Road, Alpharetta. 770-410-9883. www.alpinebakeryandpizzeria.com.

Continue Reading “Mouthful: Cannoli”

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THREE'S COMPANY: The shrimp, carne asada and fish tacos at Pure Taqueria

Isn’t assimilation a wonderful thing? America wouldn’t be America if we didn’t invite immigrants to jump into our melting pot (unless they happen to look like terrorists, have really dark skin, or expect to do anything but pick our lettuce).

More than half a million Hispanics have settled in Georgia. The state’s Hispanic population increased more than 200 percent between 1980 and 2000 – the third-largest increase in the nation. The 2010 census is likely to report the same kind of growth.

I mention this because a large percentage of the Hispanic population here is Mexican and that poses a perennial question to me: Why is so much Mexican food in our city repulsively malo? I’m not talking about the mami-y-papi taquerias on Buford Highway that cater mainly to Mexicans. I’m talking about the restaurants that attract mainly gringos. Why, no matter the ethnicity of their owners and cooks, do they almost all serve bad Tex-Mex border cuisine?

Continue Reading “First Look: Pure Taqueria and El Toro”

(Photo by James Camp)

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We had a great dinner at Noni’s (357 Edgewood Ave., 404-343-1808) last night. Owner-chef Matt Rupert has added a bowl of squid piccata to the starters and it’s a really refreshing alternative to the usual fried calamari.

Wayne ordered the squid before an entree of farfalle with an anchovy-lemon sauce. I had my usual: a Caesar salad followed by the chicken-eggplant parmesan.

Matt is among the owners of the new Pizzeria Vesuvius (327 Edgewood Ave., 404-343-4404), which is replacing the Bureau in the next block. Also involved are the owners of Grant Central and Thumbs Up, along with Chris Lopez, one of the Bureau’s owners.

They hope to open by next Friday. The restaurant features a wood-burning brick oven. The pizza will be thin-crusted but more mainstream than the pies at Antico Napoleatana, Varasano’s and Fritti, according to Matt. They are targeting students at nearby Georgia State University. Diners will be able to build their own pizzas or order one of the house pies, all of which are named after volcanoes.

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Eli Kirshtein

What happens in Vegas apparently lands on your plate — if you know what you’re doing. If not, you’ll be sent packing, knives and all, with one killer hangover.

In last night’s super-Vegas-themed elimination challenge, the six remaining cheftestants created dishes inspired by six flashy Vegas casinos, from the gaudy Mirage to the gaudier Excalibur. Instead of stopping by Whole Foods, the cheftestants shopped for ideas at their individual hotels, touring lobbies, drinking beer, and greeting dolphins (for a moment, I thought I was watching a bad Travel Channel special).

While the infamous knife block certainly implied the selection of the casinos was random, the chef-hotel pairings seemed a little too appropriate. Wacky Robin was dealt the quirky glass Chihuly sculptures of the Bellagio, Jen looked for her prince (or rather, her Bam, Bam) at Excalibur, Kevin ogled the dolphins at the Mirage, one Voltaggio (Bryan) ogled the sharks at Mandalay Bay, and the other (Michel) visited New York, New York — and immediately talked about how the city has the best food in the country, implying his interpretation of the challenge would be the best, too.

Perhaps the most appropriate pairing of all, however, was class clown Eli, who was coupled with the class clown of the strip, Circus Circus. The casino is literally over the top (the “big top,” that is), much like the Atlanta-based chef whose one-liners often come across as equally garish. Unfortunately, Eli didn’t grasp the comparison. He created a dish that was almost completely literal — and nearly inedible.

(more…)

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The Yale Daily News reports on some major stupidity in the academy:

When Darra Goldstein proposed writing a dissertation on food and Russian literature, her doctoral advisers were “aghast.” Food, they said, had no place in academia.

At a Pierson College Master’s Tea Tuesday, Goldstein, who is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, spoke to an audience of approximately 30 about her struggle to establish food as a legitimate academic pursuit.

Goldstein, who teaches Russian poetry, culture and art at Williams College, said fellow academics saw food as a visceral pursuit, not an intellectual one. But Goldstein said she couldn’t stop thinking about food.

“If it meant giving up food to be an academic, there was something wrong,” Goldstein said. “There [had] to be a place for people like me.”

Read the whole story...and subscribe to Gastronomica!

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Hanging with the Girls Next Door all night could definitely work up an appetite, probably leaving Hef with the hankering for some late-night eats. So Playboy.com searched the country for the top 10 diners and picked Atlanta’s own Majestic Diner as one of the stand-out establishments:

This Atlanta institution has been serving “food that pleases” under its Art Deco-style marquee’s blazing neon glow since 1929. The Majestic serves everything from cholesterol-threatening omelets and fist-thick burgers to blue plate specials and gyros. Red stools complement a red counter, while squeaky vinyl seats are well worn, providing cushy support for a multitude of derrières. The Majestic is located along a stretch of “Hot ‘Lanta” that’s resisted urban renewal, so the freaks do come out at night: college students, clubbers and other locals.

See the rest of the list here. And if you’re feeling a little stung by that “freak” comment, remember: there’s no one freakier than 83-year-old Hugh Hefner.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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I stopped by the new Painted Table Cafe (465 Boulevard) a few nights ago. The restaurant occupies the space that housed the much-missed Zocalo Taqueria. Unfortunately, a sign announced that “technical difficulties” had emerged during the restaurant’s soft opening, forcing it to close temporarily. It will reopen 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 16, according to the sign. But I’d call ahead (404-622-4353).

Daily Candy mentioned the restaurant recently:

Chef Omega Idolion Angell has taken up residence beneath the Fine Line Gallery, serving breakfast and lunch in a cozy, eclectic space.

A mix of wood, metal, stone, and orange Venetian faux finish make the interior a canvas in its own right. A big band soundtrack and rotating local art up the art house ante.

The far-ranging menu includes aromatic peanut butter and jelly soup, French toast rolled in caramelized Frosted Flakes and served with vanilla-orange anglaise, and pistachio-encrusted red snapper. The selections pay homage to Angell’s work in 92 countries (including stints as an Alaskan king crab fisherman and Flying Biscuit exec chef) and his willingness to play with his food.

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It’s that time again — time to subscribe to Knife and Fork. Christiane Lauterbach, one of the dining critics at Atlanta magazine, has published this monthly newsletter for 27 years and I still regard it as the best dining resource in town.

Unfortunately, Christiane is not interested in the Internet, so to read the newsletter you have no choice but to subscribe. Cost is $26 annually and you can order gift subscriptions for $24 or $22, depending on the number you buy. Call 404-378-2775 for more information.

The latest issue includes positive (2.5-star) reviews of Antico Pizza Napoleatana, Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Leon’s Full Service. There are also first impressions of Bocado (positive) and Iberian Pig (kinda positive). Her “find of the month” is Alosta Bakery and the “traveler’s corner” tours Minneapolis. There’s plenty of gossip and off-the-cuff comment too, like this:

TREND WATCH: Veal breast is the new pork belly. Unctuous, easily caramelized, and of special interest to chefs squeezed by the economy, this inexpensive cut showed up on our plate twice in one week, properly boned, trimmed, and served in a neat square.

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