Omnivore Atlanta

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” our server yelled. She had just dumped a glass of water on our table and it was trickling into my lap to produce that unmistakable look of adult incontinence.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wayne said as about five men attacked our table with their rags.

“She told me she was going to do that,” one of them said.

We laughed. Ha ha. The server was still pleading for forgiveness. We told her not to worry. Mistakes happen. “We are amused.” I asked for some tonic water. She left to fetch it.

We were seated on the patio of the new RA Sushi (1080 Peachtree St., 404-267-0114). Open about three weeks, the restaurant already seems to be something of a hit. The vibe is youthful, the look is Disney-meets-Vegas-in-Tokyo. This is part of a chain out of Arizona and it seems to be quite popular in all nine states where it’s opened.

Continue reading “Grazing: First Look at RA Sushi”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Well, here’s something cool. Ezra Klein has begun a new bi-weekly column, Gut Check, in the Washington Post. It’s about food and politics.

In preparation for his first column, Klein interviewed Robert Kenner, the director of Food, Inc., and Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and a consultant on the film.

Klein’s first column looks at the film. A snippet:

Amid all the concern over global warming, we are beginning to reckon with the fact that meat production accounts for more carbon emissions than cars. As we labor to reform the country’s health-care system, we now realize that the skyrocketing costs are in no small part due to the way our diets make us obese and sick. An IBM poll released last week found that 77 percent of Americans want more information about the food they buy. That’s no surprise. As food writer Michael Pollan says at the start of the film, “the way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than the previous 10,000.” The way we think about the way we eat hasn’t kept up.

Quite the opposite, in fact. We know rather less about our food than our grandparents did. In part, that’s because the process of creating food in a lab is less familiar than the process of growing it in a garden. Food producers might have to print ingredient lists, but no one ever passed a law saying we had to understand them. (How do you hydrogenate an oil, anyway?)

But there also has been a concerted effort to pull a curtain across the food production system. You see that twice in “Food, Inc.” Once, when a farmer who raises chickens for Tyson agrees to allow cameras onto his farm, only to have Tyson quickly call and persuade him to rescind his offer. And again, when Monsanto refuses to comment on, well, anything. It’s one thing to be kept out of Dick Cheney’s underground lair(s?). But we’re eating this stuff.

Klein is also the author of a blog on domestic policy and economics for the Post.

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Hurrah for marketing.

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What a grim photograph. The soldiers are protecting the presidential house in Honduras, following the recent coup. But the background probably says quite a bit about America’s actual interest in preserving democracy in the beleaguered nation.

(Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters, courtesy of BAGNewsNotes, a terrific site that analyzes images related to current events.)

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Top Flr, one of the city’s best chef-driven restaurants, is offering special three-course menus for $15 every Monday night. You do not want to miss it.

This week, I ordered a parnsip-and-celery-root soup afloat with sizable chunks of lobster, followed by slices of pimento-marinated, grilled beef (from the coulotte). Dessert was a serving of panna cotta topped with apricot jelly.

The special menus are the work of chef Shane Devereux, who recently took over Top Flr’s kitchen.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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It’s sweet, lowers blood pressure and gives us erections:

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don’t necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long.

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body’s blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation’s top producers of the seedless variety.

(Photo courtesy of Drinks 2 Drink)

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Bon Appétit magazine has named Rolling Bones on Edgewood Avenue one of the 10 best barbecue restaurants in America.

Of course, this was on the basis of the former menu. The restaurant was recently sold and I was told a new, more diverese menu was on the way when I visited a few weeks ago. I presume the meats will remain the same.

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We visited three-week-old RA Sushi (1080 Peachtree St., 404-267-0114) last week. The instantly popular spot is part of a chain out of Arizona. It serves some Asian specialties, like the pork gyoza above, besides sushi. In fact, these dumplings were better than most of the sushi we sampled.

I have to say that the salmon skin in this hand roll was much better prepared than you find at most sushi bars, probably because it was made to order. It was exceedingly crispy and flavorful. Personally, I like this dish made with some Japanese mayo, but only soy sauce was offered to moisten the roll.

The decor of the two-level RA is kind of kitschy, but mainly pleasing. This painting of a naked woman using a dangerously pointy phallic symbol to scratch her back is in the private dining room.

I’ll have a full report in Grazing later this week.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Enraged man calls 911 after being allegedly short-changed by McDonald’s.

(Hat tip, Michael Saunders)

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Oh look, it’s a big painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Or is it by Elmyr de Hory, the famous forger of the last century whose story was famously told in Clifford Irving’s book, Fake? Whatever, Elmyr (1091 Euclid Ave., 404-588-0250) is a burrito joint with a clever theme.

We ate here recently and had a pretty good meal. I suggest you pass on the nachos with several varieties of chili peppers, including countless jalapeños (right), unless you have a cast-iron stomach. They taste good going down and then. …

Wayne ordered a burrito stuffed with grilled fish. I got one that wrapped fajitas — steak and more peppers — and red pinto beans. If you have choice, go for the pintos rather than the alternative black beans. The beans made me nostalgic for the old Tortillas.

Prices are low here and the vibe is very alternative-20s. I’m sure you won’t mind being twice the age of the rest of the customers. If you do mind, remember that it’s a restaurant that celebrates a forger. Go ahead and pretend you’re 22.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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The latest entry in the city’s pizza war is Nonna Mia (980 Piedmont Ave., 404-532-2815), a Sicilian-inspired café that’s part of a new chain out of New Orleans.

The restaurant has taken over the space last occupied by Sweet Devil Moon and many others before that. In the 1970s, when I lived a few blocks from there, it was the original location of Proof of the Pudding, now a huge catering company, which at the time also served unique sandwiches and salads.

In my recollection, the longest-lived restaurant here after Proof moved was the Big Red Tomato, a New York-style Italian café with an entertaining vibe and fairly good food. Nobody has succeeded with the location since.

I might as well say at the outset that the pizza here simply does not measure up to the standard prevailing in the city now, thanks to Varasano’s and Fritti. We ordered one of the signature pies, the Siciliana, which is topped with roasted red peppers, prosciutto, kalamata olives, mozzarella and tomato sauce. Sounds great, eh?

Continue reading “Grazing: First Look at Nonna Mia”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Pizza Hut may be changing its name to … The Hut, according to Marketplace, American Public Radio’s business program that airs on WABE (90.1 FM) weekdays at 6:30 p.m. You can read or listen to the piece about the change on its website. Here’s a teaser:

Kai Ryssdal: Marketing is more important than ever in a down economy. We ran across the latest example in the trade magazine Brandweek this morning. Pizza Hut seems to think that’s just one word too many to be really catchy. The Hut, they say, would be better. Marketplace’s Rico Gagliano reports it’s yet another fast-food chain trying to change with the times.

RICO GAGLIANO: Outside a pizza hut in downtown L.A. this morning, I asked passerby a pretty obvious question.

GAGLIANO: So when you think of Pizza Hut, what food item comes to mind?

GUY 1: I think of very spongy pizza, barely edible.

GUY 2: Um, greasy pizza.

Setting aside these guys’ unsolicited editorializing, you’d think this would make the folks running Pizza Hut happy, because at least customers know what they sell, right? But problem is, more and more consumers aren’t buying pizza from chains.

Meanwhile, however, Pizza Hut told Reuter’s it’s not changing its name and reported the same decision on its website a few days ago. So whatever. The important thing is that the chain’s sales are down significantly.

(Photo courtesy of fabulous, battered Perez Hilton.)

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We checked out La Tavola Trattoria a few nights ago, since they are celebrating their 10th anniversary and were offering a $29 prix-fixe menu. It’s a three-course selection of the restaurant’s all-time favorites. But ended up ordering my favorites from the regular menu — this beet salad and seafood stew.

Wayne did order from the special menu — carpaccio, fregola with Littleneck clams and bread pudding for dessert.

We sat in a corner of the restaurant so dark we couldn’t read the menu or see what we were eating in detail, much less snap decent pics. But the meal was great.

The special lasts a couple days more, ending June 27. In fairness, you should do the math on the special menu because, unless you’re dying for dessert, you’ll likely spend less ordering a la carte.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Have you driven all over Atlanta in a desperate attempt to find the raw foods you crave? Chef Jenya simplifies your search in the video above.

Do you cook? Then you’ll like this new website, Good Bite.

Do you love the recession? Perhaps you need to open a pizzeria.

Didn’t anyone tell Indigo Girl Emily Saliers that meat is murder? Check out her favorite Atlanta restaurant (after Watershed, of which she is part owner).

Popeyes’ sales are up (even though I haven’t eaten there in many months). But overall profits are down. Meanwhile, Arby’s and and Wendy’s are invading the Middle East.

Who’s (finally) taking over the Clubhouse location at Lenox Square?

La Tavola is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a prix fixe menu of all-time favorites. Hurry. It’s only available for a few more days.

Optimism is epidemic in Midtown!

Teens go wild in Johns Creek!

Do some yoga and eat something organic at the Go Green Expo this weekend.

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We visited the new Nonna Mia (960 Piedmont Ave., 404-532-2815) recently. This restaurant, part of a new chain started in New Orleans, is located in a building that has not had a good track record since the Big Red Tomato left it years ago.

Nonna Mia is something of a return to the Tomato’s style with a menu that’s heavy on New York-style Italian. By far the best thing we ordered was the appetizer, “Divine Portobello” (above), with grilled chicken breast, spinach and a red-pepper sauce complementing sliced portobellos.

We also ordered this red pizza, topped with kalamata olives, sardine-sized slices of prosciutto and mozzarella. But, look, Ma! No char!

More in Grazing later this week.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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After my ultra-healthy burger and fries at Evos last week, we walked a few doors down to the new Fuego Mundo (5590 Roswell Rd., 404-256-4330). This is a “fast-casual” restaurant specializing in the flavors of South America, including wood-grilled steaks, chicken and fish, along with tapas and vegetables.

Since we’d already filled up at Evos, we didn’t try any of the entrees, but I did score this “dulce-de-leche cheesecake” for dessert. It’s homemade with thick caramel and a dense filling. I want more.

The place is inexpensive — entrees range from $8 to $15 — and it’s great looking. It also has an interesting story, recounted last month in the Atlanta Business Chronicle and, judging from the You Tube video below, the owners have quite a sense of humor.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Vegetable crunch sandwich with chicken

The recession poses particular problems for the restaurant trade. Before it arrived, many of us were eating dinner out several times a week. At the same time, we’d become sensitive to the health effects of what we eat and come to appreciate a “green” perspective in a restaurant’s management.

The problem, as anyone who’s seen McDonald’s sales figures knows, is that eating healthy and worrying about the environmental impact of a restaurant’s takeout containers is a lot easier when you’ve got plenty of disposable income. It isn’t lack of willpower that so often makes poor people obese. The simple fact is that the unhealthier food is, as a general rule, the more affordable it is.

So it’s no surprise that we’re seeing a sudden spurt of fast-food restaurants offering healthier choices. These restaurants frequently offer vegetarian alternatives, along with the chemical-free meat of humanely raised animals. They also operate as green businesses, mindful of their effect on the environment.

Continue reading “Grazing: Evos and Sprouts Green Café”

(Photo by James Camp)

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We paid a visit to Evos (5590 Roswell Rd., 404-252-4022) at the Prado in Sandy Springs last week. The restaurant, part of a popular chain headquartered in Florida, provides healthy alternatives to the usual fast food.

Fries, for example, aren’t fried at all. They are “air-baked” and quite tasty, especially with one of the flavored ketchups (right). We liked the mesquite best.

Burgers are low-fat and made with beef free of chemicals. Other alternatives include crispy fish sandwiches and wraps that are also prepared with the air-baking process.

More in this week’s Grazing.

(Photos, including the best magazine in America these days, by Cliff Bostock)

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The latest exhibit at the Ansley Starbucks features the photography of Jim Henderson. I sent him some questions:

How long have you been taking photographs?
I have been taking pictures for many years. With my travels in the Navy all over the place, I took a lot of pictures, but only realized recently that my pictures might really be “photography” and have artistic value.

What precipitated your interest?
I have always loved the composition of nature and the landscape. Recently, a friend looked at one of my pictures and said, ‘That is really good. I would love a copy of that.’ That was when I realized that I might have a bit of talent.

What do you like about photography?
I love the natural composition of background/foreground and how things tend to “frame” themselves. I love old historic buildings and find their texture amazing. I have several friends who are photographers and they prefer black and white. I tend to be more visually attracted to color. I think I might start trying to do some of my work in black and white.

(more…)

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We dined recently at Midtown Mediterranean Diner (404-228-7401), which has taken over the space at 112 10th St., long occupied by Jocks N Jills.

The new diner is open 24 hours and serves breakfast around the clock. The rest of the menu is devoted to Middle Eastern dishes like these two (mediocre) skewers of lamb kabobs (the menu’s most expensive dish at $16). A skewer of chicken kabobs was better and the babaganouj was quite good.

While the interior space seems bizarrely huge, the covered patio is very pleasant. It borders the tiny bit of parkland at Peachtree and 10th streets, but also offers a view of the big city and the parade of Midtown pedestrians.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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NEW 'CUE: The combo plate at D.B.A. Barbecue

Let’s go ahead. Let’s commit foodie suicide, Southern-style. Let’s express opinions about barbecue, the stuff that provokes more manly passions than guns and breasts. And let’s talk about effete intown barbecue!

Everyone knows that the once-popular Dusty’s on Briarcliff Road has closed. When it opened, 27 years ago, it was a complete novelty in Atlanta because it served ‘cue in the style of eastern North Carolina. That means the sauce was untainted by ketchup, featuring mainly vinegar and varying degrees of hot pepper. Since I spent a good bit of my childhood in Charlotte, I loved the place.

But I quit going to Dusty’s when its flavors made a decided turn toward the sweeter Georgia-style. I wasn’t alone in my observation and complaints about this, and I’m not sure if the restaurant ever returned to its roots.

Continue reading “Grazing: First Look: D.B.A. Barbecue”

(Photo by James Camp)

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I stopped in the relatively new Chocolate Coffee (1159 LaVista Rd., 404-327-6060) today. Actually, I have no idea if it’s actually spelled Chocolate Coffee, ChocoLaté Coffee or Chocolatte Coffee. Literally all three spellings are used on the shop’s website. (This is a local chain of three cafes.)

In any case, I skipped the numerous chocolate-and-coffee concoctions and had a good espresso macchiato. Pastries looked better than average.

One sort-of complaint: The shop offers free Wi-Fi and in fact is an advocate of free wireless everywhere for everyone, according to its website. Why, then, are you limited to an hour of service at the shop and why do you have to enter a code to log on? It took me some time to get my iTouch to work and the barista told me she had given up on getting her own iPhone to work there.

This isn’t unique to Chocolate Coffee. It costs practically nothing for businesses to provide free Wi-Fi. Why the time limits, the codes and the log-on pages full of advertising?. …

We ate at — you know where — the Shed on Glenwood Wednesday night, having become totally addicted to the $3 sliders. Last night’s delicious newbie was one of ratatouille topped with goat cheese. We also ordered this plate of onion rings. The damn things were as big as the sliders, tasted sweet and almost tempura-crispy.

The Shed began a Thursday-night special this week too — a plate of four fresh vegetables for $10. This week’s choices were sunchokes, organic tomatoes, Swiss chard, arugula and sweet corn. I hope to get there next week. …

We indulged our addiction to Spoon in East Atlanta Thursday night. The restaurant now has its pouring license, so you can dull the fiery curries by numbing your entire head with liquor. As usual, I trotted across the parking lot to Morelli’s for ice cream — one scoop of ginger-lavender and one of goat cheese swirled with figs.

Morelli’s is featured in the current issue of the Porch Press, by the way. That’s the monthly newspaper for Grant Park and East Atlanta Village. The article’s not online — none of the paper is, incredibly — so you’ll have to find a copy to read it. Writer Darin Glass reports that business has been crazy at the shop since Bon Appetit cited it as one of America’s top 10 ice cream shops. …

Name Change: Food 101 Morningside becomes Rosebud on July 6. This follows purchase of the restaurant by Executive Chef Ron Eyester, who has been with the restaurant as a co-owner and chef since it opened. So, there won’t be any significant changes in the menu. A press release explains the new name:

So, why Rosebud? Well, as any “regular” will tell you, Chef Eyester’s second love (aside from food) is music. An avid fan of bands such as The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, and The Allman Brothers, Eyester has built a reputation for offering unique music tribute dinners throughout the year. Fittingly, Rosebud is the name of one of Jerry Garcia’s custom made guitars.

Newbies on my list: RA Sushi, Evos, Nonna Mia, Midtown Mediterranean Diner, Teela Taqueria, Nectar, Noon Midtown and Bistro in a Box. I also hear stuff’s happening at Saba. Any reports on any of these?

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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Steve Harper of Alpharetta writes to report on a meal at one of the city’s best gastro-pubs:

Thought I’d drop a quick line about the excellent meal I had at the Porter Beer Bar in Lil Five Points last night…a meal as unhealthy as it was delicious.

I started with the duck rillette special appetizer…rich, toothsome shredded duck topped with a crust of strawberry preserves and served with toast points…absolutely wonderful!

I tried the entree hamburger from the regular menu. What struck me was that each element was clearly made with great care: the pickles tasted homemade; the delicious soft red onion had been marinated in something slightly sweet; the red pepper and garlic roll actually held together; the burger itself cooked to perfection. The garlic fries were not half bad, either. (A lady at the table next to mine kept exclaiming that fact with her mouth full.)

I finished with the carrot cake dessert special — a deconstruction of the typical, with the thick, nearly sour, cream cheese icing served beside the cake. Sprinkled atop the (ubiquitous) oblong of vanilla ice cream were a few tasty flakes of fried carrot, and diced pecans added a nice crunch. A lot of fun to eat.

I shouldn’t review my meal at the Porter without mentioning the beer. If you’re into that sort of thing, this place is heaven. I had a sampling of the Golden Belgians on draft, and chose the LaChouffe to drink. (They have an overwhelming list to ponder.)

Service was excellent and attentive.

Not an inexpensive place to eat, depending on what you order, but, last night, actually worth the money.

I’ve had nothing but great food here myself. Check out its website for regular weekly specials. …

Say it isn’t so: I’ve received my first complaint from a devoted foodie about the expansion of La Pietra Cucina. I’ve only been once since the change and although I preferred the smaller, virtually makeshift dining room, I did not find the food changed at all. This reader writes:

Renovation not to my liking but I can get past that. But food was not as good. Oily, flavors muted, bread old. I was a big supporter and hoped for consistent results after expansion but was disappointed tonight. Have you any other feedback-did we just hit an off night?

I’m hoping it was an off-night. Anyone else found changes there? (You can, by the way, see pictures of the new space on Foodie Buddha’s website.). …

A bit of a rant: A reader recently inquired about a rather obscure ethnic restaurant. It was recommended to her by a friend who grew up eating the restaurant’s particular type of food. I always appreciate these tips, but I’ve been recommended this restaurant before. I visited it several years ago and thought it was dreadful.

A lot of people seem to presume that if, say, a Mexican or Indian native likes a restaurant specializing in his heritage’s cooking, it must be “authentic” and “good.” The fact is that ethnicity may confer knowledge about a culture’s food but it doesn’t automatically confer good taste (or talent in the kitchen).

Obviously, too, factors beside the food itself attract everyone to their favorite restaurant. An Indian friend insisted I accompany him to his favorite restaurant a few years back and I could not believe how awful the food was. Toward the end of the meal, the owner of the restaurant came to our table and, of course, he turned out to be a pal of my friend. Also, the place was patronized by some of his co-workers.

“So you really like the food here?” I asked my friend.

“No,” he said. “It’s my favorite restaurant, but not my favorite food.”

That actually makes complete sense, especially where neighborhood restaurants are concerned. /end of rant.

(Photo courtesy of the Porter Beer Bar website)

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Attention, restaurant owners! Do you want to increase your sales? Then you should leave the dollar marks off your menu prices, according to a new study from Cornell University.

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Phil Mutz gets the Food Snark of the Day award for this Facebook comment:

Phil Mutz thinks Five Guys is the most over-priced made-to-order fast food ever. If it weren’t for French fries dusted with crack, I’d never eat here.

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