Omnivore Atlanta

POPEYES CRUSADER: No, really. I look exactly like that.

A few weeks back, Hardy Wallace (AKA Dirty South Wine) asked me to participate in his Popeyes challenge. The task? Find a wine to pair with Popeye’s spicy fried chicken. On November 18, around the country, folks will get together to try all five wines along with the chicken, and tweet, blog and smack-talk their way to deciding which wine chosen pairs best with the spicy bird.

This was NOT an easy pairing. The spice on Popeye’s spicy chicken is such that it decimates most wines, leaving nothing but alcohol or off-notes on the palate. But with the help of some friends, I burned through over 30 bottles to find the wine. (Special thanks to Aria’s Andres Loaiza who lent his palate and a bunch of bottles to the final tasting. Unfortunately Cliff doesn’t drink, so I couldn’t put his Popeyes expertize to use.) My pick?

Kiralyudvar Tokaji Sec 2005-  Dry Hungarian Furmint

Check out the other picks and rules to the game on Hardy’s blog, and join in on November 18!

(Photo courtesy of CapedWonder.com)

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LIVIN ON THE EGE: Ege Sushi's uni tofu

On a bright fall day around 2 p.m., Ege Sushi only has two tables occupied in its modest dining room. One by me, huddled over a bowl of steaming udon, slurping comforting broth and fat noodles muddled with scallion and nori and the occasional wisp of egg. A young black woman and an older, Eastern European-looking man occupy the other table. They’re speaking a language that sounds like a cross between Russian, German and Portuguese. Perhaps they’re speaking Russian but she has a Spanish accent. I imagine they’re spies, or doomed lovers, their affections thwarted by grand tribulations and vast distances.

The waitress appears at the table, answering requests with a short nod and an enthusiastic “Hai!” As I look around the room at the slightly shabby but comfortable brown décor — sushi bar stretching down one side of the room, a lone beer tap standing over a keg refrigerator at the back of the room (pouring Sapporo), signs handwritten in Japanese — I realize I could be almost anywhere in the world. The authenticity of the food and the Japanese staff suggest we could be in Anytown, Japan. But the international clientele and the place’s almost transitory feel indicate that we could be in any city large enough to support small pockets of intercontinental authenticity.

In fact, we’re in a strip mall in Marietta.

Continue Reading “Review: Ege Sushi”

(Photos by Jennifer Zyman)

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YOU'RE TOAST: Rosebud's chicken liver spread appetizer

It’s the dream of so many young chefs: a neighborhood sidewalk, a random weeknight — Wednesday perhaps — warm light spilling from large restaurant windows, the sound of people laughing. A full bar, the game playing silently on the TVs above. The dining room beyond bustling. A 20-minute wait for a table at 8:30 p.m.

Brick walls. Specials and cocktails written stylishly on chalkboards. An atmosphere that feels neighborly and personal.

But what to call such a restaurant? Something comforting but evocative of individuality. Something that speaks to the young chef’s other loves, possibly something that nods to his taste in music.

Such is the dream-turned-reality of Rosebud, owned by chef Ron Eyester and named after Jerry Garcia’s guitar.

Continue Reading “Review: Rosebud”

(Photo by James Camp)

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THREE'S COMPANY: The dining room at 5 Seasons Westside

When I first became a restaurant critic, someone asked me, “What’s more important? Great technique or great ingredients?” My answer was, of course, that the best food results as a combination of the two. Crappy ingredients in the hands of a fantastic chef can still become something enjoyable to eat. And the best ingredients in the wrong hands can easily go to waste.

David Larkworthy, chef at the three locations of 5 Seasons Brewing, has long been an advocate for great ingredients. Back when locavorism was still a term and movement unused by anyone but the most rarified foodie, Larkworthy was quietly buying up huge amounts of local veggies for 5 Seasons’ original location in Sandy Springs. In our 2006 Food Issue, I wrote, “By volume, David Larkworthy uses more locally grown produce than any other chef in Atlanta.” This is likely still the case, with 5 Seasons expanding to include an Alpharetta location in late 2006, and in the spring of this year, the first intown location opened on the Westside.

Continue reading “Review: 5 Seasons Westside”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Next week, our annual Food Issue will be hitting the streets, packed with advice from our critics on where to eat in Atlanta right now. As part of that guide, for the first time ever, Cliff Bostock will be counting down his Top 10 favorite restaurants in our city along with his favorite dishes from those restaurants. Over the next 10 days here on Omnivore, we’ll be counting down Cliff’s favorites, starting later today with Number 10. So watch for that today and every day for the next 10 days. And watch for the Food Issue next week, which will also have my Top 5 special occasion restaurants, Jennifer Zyman’s Top 10 ethnic picks, and much more!

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Editor’s note: Last night, Thursday October 1st, was the last night of service for the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. Long considered one of Atlanta’s best (if not the best) restaurant, the closing marks the end of an era for a certain style of fine dining in our city. It’s hard to know how to cover an event such as this – our friends over at the AJC have done a great job of covering the story from a news and dining angle, and I wanted to look at the event from a different perspective. So I asked Eli Kirshtein, chef at Eno and contestant on the current season of “Top Chef,” to give me some impressions of his meal there last night. He was kind enough to oblige.

-Besha Rodell

The end of an era, for better or worse

By Eli Kirshtein

After sitting in the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton and seeing the restaurant take its last few breaths, I felt a weight come off my shoulders.  In the bittersweet moments that the restaurant’s final night of operation entailed, I realized that for so long, Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs have been held down by the philosophies of restaurants like the Ritz and Seeger’s.

The chef at the Dining Room was never American, and only in one instance was he not French.  While the Ritz in other markets has sometimes tapped local talent pools to source their top level chefs (most notably Ron Siegel in San Francisco), the Atlanta Ritz has always gone on a massive global search to find replacements for its departing chefs, somehow implying there were no chefs in Atlanta with big enough feet to fill the shoes. We’re now in a position where we can proudly say that the best chefs in Atlanta are from Atlanta. Look at Linton Hopkins or Anne Quatrano, the remaining gold standard for Atlanta dining.  While Günter and Joel headed for the hills, these homegrown chefs remained steadfast and committed, not only to their vision but the growth of the city. While conversing about the evening, one of my dining companions mentioned how it will be hard to go to more “serious” food cities because for so long we’ve had the ammunition to say, “Hey we have the Ritz!” Now we should proudly put our chin up and say, “Hey we have Eugene!”
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Pho in East Atlanta! Could it be??? Yes, it appears it’s true. The owners of Wasabi in Castleberry Hill have bought the building that used to house Cantina La Casita and are planning to open a Vietnamese noodle joint in the spot within the next two months. Pho, late night, and … wait for it … weekend dim sum are planned for the restaurant, which will be called So Ba (not for the Japanese noodle soba, but I’m told the name means “my third” in Vietnamese, for the owner’s third restaurant and also the upcoming birth of his third child).

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MEAT OF THE MATTER: The beef carpaccio at Pricci

Do you remember why you fell in love with restaurants in the first place? I’d like to say that for me, it was the philosophy behind the care and respect for organic vegetables, or the realization that an inspired dish of food could nourish the soul. But I’d be lying. In reality, my love affair started at my best friend’s 10th birthday. Her father took us to a fancy restaurant — it was the first one I’d ever been to. I remember my awe at the dining room’s mirrors and soft lighting, the waiters in tuxedos, the sound of glasses clinking and people talking and laughing. It was like magic, a fantasy, a place where the entire purpose of its existence was to create relaxation and joy.

The first time I entered Pricci I was reminded of that original experience. After devoting so much time to thinking and writing about the new breed of restaurant, where casual hipsterdom and the ethics of produce are the main selling points, Pricci seemed like a welcome reminder of upscale dining’s original intent.

Waiters in white tuxedos glide around a room that’s almost comically clichéd, the Disney version of an Italian restaurant, with mirrors on the walls, Art Deco-inspired decorative touches, and clubby, circular booths. If it’s a bit silly, it’s in equal measure pure fun, an unabashed homage to the idea that dining out is (and should be) a form of entertainment.

Continue reading “Review: Pricci”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Check out this photo of the restaurant from yesterday:

Not only was the entire restaurant flooded, but the edible garden which they have just put so much work into has been totally wiped out. We’ll keep you up to date as we hear more.

(Photo by Evan Richardson)

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NUMBNUTS: The Asian meatballs at 30 Tables

It’s easy to see why restaurants are becoming safer and less eccentric. When times are tight, the reflex is to return to simple, nonthreatening food that appeals to the masses. 30 Tables, in the Glenn Hotel, reflects that tendency, both on the part of the hotel and on the part of Concentrics, the group brought in to run the restaurant.

Let’s start with the Glenn, and the space 30 Tables inhabits. The restaurant is the third establishment in this space in three years. The hotel’s tried one outlandish concept after another, starting with the ludicrous and preposterously bad B.E.D., and then Maxim Prime, a collaboration between Jeffrey Chodorow and the men’s magazine of the same name. Maxim Prime was only slightly less garish than B.E.D. in its design and concept, and the food was far more successful. But ultimately, the ’80s-themed den-of-iniquity decor, eggs topped with gold leaf, and Russian waitresses dressed up like “Simply Irresistible” dancers didn’t hold sway over enough diners to make Maxim Prime a success. So what next?

Continue reading “Review: 30 Tables”

(Photo by James Camp)

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With the recent decision to abandon the space formerly occupied by Trois, Concentrics had some re-arranging to do. Drew Van Leuvan (whose cooking I loved at SAGA), who was to be the chef at whatever re-concepted concept Trois turned out to be, was left without a position. So a shuffle has taken place. As of this week, Van Leuvan will take over the kitchen at One Midtown Kitchen, and the chef there, Tom Harvey, will be moving to the executive chef spot at Murphy’s.

“Tom is known for his comfort food, so he’ll be infusing some of that at Murphy’s” says Concetrics’ Hannah Huffines. “Although we will be keeping a lot of the menu favorites. And at One, Drew will be doing more small plates and there will be some Meditteranean influence as well.”

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TORTA REFORM: The pork belly torta at Holy Taco

When Holy Taco opened in February 2008, it’s likely that I groaned and moaned about it to a few people. It might have been possible to overhear me saying, some tipsy evening at the Earl, “Can we get something other than bars and tacos in East Atlanta? I mean, seriously. How many gringo Mexican joints can one neighborhood bear?”

Despite my misgivings, I grudgingly ate at Holy Taco in its first weeks, and found no real reason to return. Until a couple of Sundays ago.

My family and I woke up with a hankering for Mexican food. Mi Barrio (the one authentic Mexican restaurant in the Grant Park/East Atlanta area) was closed, and Cantina La Casita, the longtime fallback for cheap tacos and margaritas in East Atlanta Village, closed permanently two weeks ago. “Holy Taco?” my husband asked me. “I guess,” I acquiesced grumpily.

Continue reading “Review: Holy Taco”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Last week the news came that chef Arnaud Berthelier would be leaving the Ritz at the beginning of October. Today, we learned that the Dining Room will not continue to operate after Berthelier leaves. Its last day of operation will be October 1.

I’m truly sad to see one of Atlanta’s great restaurants and institutions go away. But I have to say, I ate at the Dining Room about a month ago and found the experience frustrating. While some of the food was without a doubt some of the most exciting and inventive I’ve had in town, the price tag and setting seemed so out of touch with reality, I wondered about the restaurant’s ongoing relevence. I’m just not sure there’s a need for this style of dining at this price point right now, when the cheaper options (and by cheaper, I mean under $150 per person) are coming closer and closer in terms of quality.

In other news, both Cenci and (more surprisingly) Cantina La Casita in East Atlanta Village have closed.

And, contrary to past reports, Trois will not be re-opening as a new concept.

However, Riccardo Ullio is planning on opening a new concept, La Lupe taqueria, in the old Cuerno location.

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Today, all around the country, folks are gathering for picnics to support better food choices in schools. Slow Food has organized the picnics, with much help from friends, in Atlanta including Georgia Organics and rogueApron. Atlanta’s picnic will take place from noon-3 p.m. in Piedmont Park on Oak Hill (near 10th Street & Piedmont Avenue). Here’s the latest e-mail from rogueApron:

Food loving Atlantans are gathering to show their support for Real Food in Schools. Over 300 picnics are happening nationwide – but ours is rumored to be among the biggest and most grand – with Slow Food President Josh Viertel choosing Atlanta as the place to deliver his national address. (Neat, huh?)

The affair is BYO-Picnic, picnic gear, and a sign illustrating your support for Real Food in Schools.

rogueApron will be setting up Tent City, with shade and water for participants. So come say hi, and enjoy a spontaneous urban gathering!

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Your influence on pop culture is virtually boundless.

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SUBURBAN CHIC: The dining room at Kozmo Gastropub

I miss the Globe. I miss its sleek, understated design and its modern American menu. I miss its Technology Square location, convenient to Midtown, the Westside and downtown. I miss going there for drinks after work, or as a fallback for brunch or a business lunch. Parking was a pain, but apart from that, I miss almost everything about it.

So I was happy to hear that Oswald Morgan, one of the partners at the Globe, opened a spot in Johns Creek this past January. Of course, it being in Johns Creek, it took me eight months to get out there to try it.

You can see the Globe’s aesthetic the moment you walk into Kozmo Gastropub. Sparse without being the slightest bit austere, it features the same streamlined, polished angles and surfaces. Black leather booths and blond wood tables form rows, large blackboards denoting weekly specials adorn the the light walls, and huge vases filled with apples and limes provide vibrant decoration.

Continue reading “Review: Kozmo Gastropub”

(Photo by James Camp)

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IN THE SOUP: The artichoke bisque at Paces 88

It’s hard to call the proliferation of swanky new hotel restaurants in Atlanta these days a trend. It’s more like a side effect. Three years ago, when the economy was booming, upscale hotels were planned all over town. Millions of dollars went into construction. But these weren’t projects that could be abandoned simply because the economy tanked. So while smaller restaurant projects were put on hold or abandoned, and large and small eateries alike closed all over town, a generation of gleaming, expensive hotel restaurants arose.

Paces 88, in Buckhead’s new St. Regis, epitomizes almost everything that’s both commendable and frustrating with this new crop of restaurants. Extreme care has been taken with the décor and food. The place has a meticulously upscale and conservative feel (think muted wood tones, large cream archways, oil paintings and windows overlooking a manicured courtyard), and the menu consists of dish after dish of perfectly cooked and presented luxe ingredients. Everything is $5-$10 more expensive than you probably want to pay, and nothing about the place is the least bit surprising. If that sounds good to you, you’ll probably love Paces 88. If it sounds a tad boring, well, it is.

Continue reading “Review: Paces 88″

(Photo by James Camp)

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Anyone who has spent significant time struggling with weight will tell you how pervasive and frustrating that internal voice can be. The voice that tells you you’re ugly. The voice that chastises you for enjoying food. The voice that congratulates you for abstaining, that picks apart every culinary decision, that fixates on clothing sizes, that wears you down until you hate yourself for being so predictably sado-masochistic.

It’s this voice we become privy to in Frank Bruni’s new memoir, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full Time Eater. Bruni, who has spent the last four years as restaurant critic for the New York Times, has written a book that chronicles in detail his lifelong tussle with his weight. Bruni recounts every self-doubting thought, every fluctuation in pants size, and the tortured conflict of emotions surrounding every mouthful of food.

In many ways, it’s a powerful story, highly relatable and familiar to many of us. But the book belabors in 368 pages what we know in the first few chapters – this man has a fraught relationship with food and self-image. The meticulous detailing of that relationship seems self-indulgent at best, at worst an unhealthy excuse to feed his neuroses.
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There have been a lot of restaurant closings in recent months. The economy has taken its toll on everything from high-end powerhouses to tiny ethnic spots. But for me, losing Son’s Place is the most heartbreaking yet.

The soul food restaurant closed on July 31.

Son’s Place is the first restaurant I visited in the city that made me fall in love with Atlanta. The food, the feel, the people, the warmth, all spoke of a kind of hospitality you just don’t find outside of the South. I’ve had many arguments in the years since about whether the fried chicken lived up to its hype, or whether the cobbler was too sweet. Through it all, I’ve remained devoted. On days when I needed comfort and sustenance, Son’s Place is where I headed.

On the phone this morning, owner Lenn Storey said the economy is to blame. Customer traffic has dwindled so much in past months that he just couldn’t keep the restaurant open.

“Hopefully, we can reopen,” said Storey. “I don’t know. It’s a sad time for son.”

(Photo by Mara Shalhoup. Additional reporting by Robyn Baitcher)

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Hector Santiago

When Richard Blais made his now legendary run on “Top Chef” Season Four, it captivated Atlanta audiences in a way basic cable rarely does: We became enthralled as a community.

This season, we have even more reason to tune in. Three Atlanta chefs, all of them fairly prominent, compete in the sixth season premiering Wed., Aug. 19: Pura Vida’s Hector Santiago, Woodfire Grill’s Kevin Gillespie and Eno’s Eli Kirshtein. Anyone who cares about food and restaurants in Atlanta has most likely eaten in at least one of these guys’ restaurants. And while none of them may be as well-known as Blais (who riled up the passions of foodies long before he was on “Top Chef”), they each bring a set of strengths and challenges to Las Vegas that will be fascinating to watch.

I spoke to all three chefs last week, and while they aren’t allowed to talk about what happened on the show in any detail, I was able to find out a little about how they went into the competition and what their strategies were once they arrived.

Continue reading “Atlanta’s Top Chefs”

(Photo by Trae Patton)

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Outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni gives Eleven Madison Park four stars. He philosophises a bit more losely about the descision on his blog as well.

Read the transcript or listen to the podcast of yesterday’s “Talk of the Nation” from NPR, where Phil Vittel, the Chicago Tribune’s dining critic talks about irritating menu phrases.

The AJC’s John Kessler reports on a conference call with “Top Chef” judges Toby Young and Gail Simmons.

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PEACHY KEEN: The Vidalia and peach salad at Restaurant Eugene

The beginning of the end for many chefs is the moment their success convinces them to expand. A second location or a secondary concept often marks the point at which attention becomes divided, profit becomes the focus, and expansion for the sake of expansion kidnaps the good sense of otherwise great restaurateurs.

It seems just the opposite occurred when chef Linton Hopkins branched out from his original eatery, Restaurant Eugene. Last year, he partnered with some of his longtime employees and friends to open Holeman & Finch Public House, and shortly after (the now wholesale-only) H&F Bread Co. But rather than distracting him from his original restaurant, it appears that his new ventures have only served to inspire Hopkins.

It’s possible that the passion and energy it takes to open a new restaurant seeped across the breezeway at the Armour building and imbued Restaurant Eugene with some of the freshness exhibited by Holeman & Finch. (And a ton of passion and energy must have gone into Holeman & Finch, because it continues to be one of the city’s most exciting eating and drinking experiences, exhibiting a boyish exuberance that’s damn near impossible to resist.) Whatever the reason, the food at Restaurant Eugene over the past year has become brighter, bolder and more accessible. Hopkins is now cooking on par with the absolute best chefs in the Southeast.

Continue reading “Review: Restaurant Eugene”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Fail blog is by far my favorite mindless means of distraction these days. So I was happy to see our own Nuevo Laredo represented this morning. Although, I think Fail Blog may have … uh … failed to get the joke?

(Thanks to Jim for the heads up)

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EAT LIKE A JAPANESE BUSINESSMAN: The squid with Japanese mayonnaise at Shoya

Ever since the early ’80s, when raw fish was still a culinary dare for many Americans, Japanese food has tickled the desires of Western foodies. We fetishize Japanese food for its weirdness, its otherness. More than any other cuisine that’s found popularity in America, Japanese cooking has the potential for taste experiences that push us to the edge of our comfort zone. It delivers taste revelations in places we’d never expect, and has us walking out the door feeling smug that we’ve traversed new territory. Sea urchin, monkfish liver, wobbly fat fish roe — few of us would have eaten this stuff 10 years ago, and almost none of us would be eating it today if it weren’t for Japanese restaurants.

And now that we have the sushi restaurants, the noodle houses and the robata grills, the next frontier in Japanese culture we’re clamoring for is the izakaya. We’ve had a few establishments in Atlanta that get close to the nature of a true Japanese pub, but none as authentic or ambitious as Shoya.

Continue reading “Review: Shoya Izakaya”

(Photo by James Camp)

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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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