Omnivore Atlanta

I’m sorry to report the bad news that Geneva Francais died Sunday. I have no details, but received an email from a family member, who was short on details himself. He did say that she had suffered two earlier strokes.

Geneva was one of our city’s true culinary characters. Her restaurant, the African Brown Bag, was among my top favorites during the ’90s. She started business in Little Five Points, preparing a blend of African-French cooking that attracted foodies from all over the city. Later, she moved the restaurant to Ford Factory Square, but it did not last long. I can’t think of another restaurant as eccentrically appealing as the Brown Bag was.

I’ll furnish more details as I receive them. In the meantime, I extend my condolences to her family, especially her daughter Hillary, who usually helped Geneva at the restaurant.

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Illy, maker of what many regard as the world’s best coffee, is going after the Starbucks crowd, according to the Wall Street Journal:

For more than 20 years the closely held company, based in Trieste, Italy, has sold its coffee in high-end grocers such as Whole Foods and in coffee shops, hotels and restaurants in the U.S. Now it’s expanding its reach by signing contracts with cafes in the U.S. that agree to serve Illy exclusively and allow Illy a hand in quality control.

There are only 28 such stores in the US now and one of them is our own Cafe Nineteen in the Westside:

Cafe Nineteen in Atlanta, which closed temporarily last year, reopened in June, having added an outdoor patio with red Illy umbrellas. Owner Sean Lupton-Smith said he began serving Illy coffee “so we could offer a consistent experience to our customers and be strong enough to stand up to the Starbucks around the corner.”

A 12-ounce Illy drip coffee in a white ceramic cup with the red Illy logo sells for $3 instead of $1.60 for his previously no-name cups of joe. Coffee sales have tripled to $750 a day. “We’re open until 2 a.m. and believe it or not, we sell coffee at midnight,” Mr. Lupton-Smith says.

Personally, I prefer Lavazza over Illy, and I mean the taste — not just the lower price.

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The Social House in West Midtown has decided to take the Atlanta mayoral election into its own hands. Beginning today at 7 a.m. and ending tomorrow at noon, the breakfast eatery is assigning each of the six candidates a special pancake or waffle. For each item ordered, a vote will be cast into the poll for the next mayor. The results will be declared tomorrow afternoon. So far Jesse Spikes and Peter Brownlowe have confirmed, and the reps for Kasim Reed and Lisa Borders are attending. You may think this is nonsense, but I think it’s an informative and delicious way to decide the new mayor.  Take our poll below to vote for your favorite pancake … I mean mayor.

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(Photo by Broderick Smylie)

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To all who are interested in showing off their awesome culinary skills, “Top Chef”will  hold auditions here in Atlanta for season seven. This open casting call will be at Craft Restaurant, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., on Nov. 8. Be sure to bring a filled out application, video submission and all other required materials, which can be found on the Bravo TV website.

Also, be sure to brush-up on you pastries and cakes, as a new “Top Chef” spin-off, titled “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” will also be casting at the same audition. The newest version of the show was just recently announced on Oct., 26 and auditions are already underway. The spin-off is said to premiere in 2010.

Craft is located at 3376 Peachtree Road. 404-995-7580. www.craftrestaurant.com.

(Photo courtesy Bravo TV)

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The newest location of Pure Taqueria — 300 North Highland Ave. — will open Oct. 31. Inman Park residents will be treated to an open house this Thursday night. The new taqueria is in the old Grape location, across from Sotto Sotto and Fritti. …

Check out photographer Mark Petko’s blog Spoonfed Atlanta to see some beautiful shots of dishes at Serpas True Food. Other restaurants he’s featured recently include Top Flr and 4th and Swift. …

In case you missed it, Tom Maicon of Atlanta Cuisine published a great interview with Jeff Varasano, owner of the controversial Varasano’s Pizzeria. Among his comments which have caused further controversy:

The biggest unexpected challenge was the fact that guests eat their pizza with a knife and fork. Coming from NY it’s just a reflex to pick up a slice and fold it. I really want everyone to try pizza at it’s best and a huge part of any food experience is the way it feels in your mouth. A great piece of fresh fried chicken has a nice crunch on the outside that gives way to a juicy interior. Similarly, folding a fresh slice allows you to bite the crust which gives way to the juicy sauce.

This style of pizza has a light crust that is too delicate to retain any crunch after it’s been cut with a knife or if it’s sat too long. We got a lot of early criticism about the texture of the crust and we spent the first two months altering the dough formula to compensate. This was probably our biggest mistake. I know of no pizza with this kind of thin, charred, light airy style that holds up to a knife and fork….

The Cabbagetown Chomp and Stomp is the weekend of Nov. 7. The annual event’s highlight is a chili cookoff. This year’s judges are Shaun Doty, Kevin Gillespie, Linton Hopkins, Kevin Rathbun, Joe Truex and Scott Serpas. …

The Anis and Carpe Diem folks have opened their new restaurant, Amuse, in the old Allegro space on Dutch Valley Road in Midtown. It’s been open a week now. …

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Unbelievable.

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Whoa! Subway is about to overtake McDonald’s. OK, we’re not talking sales; we’re talking number of locations, but still..:

Restaurant upstart Subway, riding high on the marketing message of healthy fast food, will overtake its titanic competitor McDonald’s in American store locations by the end of 2009, with a shocking total of more than 32,300 outlets.

That’s something few consumers could imagine before the sandwich chain piggybacked on huge weight loss of morbidly obese Jared Fogle — who lost 245 pounds by exercising and eating only its sandwiches, in contrast to Super Size Me’s Morgan Spurlock, who got fat and sick eating McDonald’s grub.

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Ugh. Another Atlanta restaurant bites the dust. This time it’s Fishmonger in Sandy Springs. (Hat tip: Patricia Tinsley)

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I just received this photo from a friend of mine who waits tables at the restaurant:

When I spoke to her yesterday, she told me that the clean up was moving along quickly — all the interior wood had been replaced (although it still needs to be stained), among other things — and that the restaurant was anticipating an early November re-opening. This could change a few things…

(H/T to Lindsay Saripkin; Photo by Kelly Smith)

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CL's 2008 Food Issue

Congratulations (!) to Besha Rodell whose 2008 Food Issue, My week on an all-Georgia diet, took home first place for Newspaper Food Feature under 250,000 circulation at the Association of Food Journalists conference in New Orleans. (We also hear that some guy named Obama was honored today too, although not for his food writing …) For the issue, Besha challenged herself to do that which so many preach yet so few seem to accomplish — survive on a purely local diet. She allowed herself a few basic cheats (salt, oil and yeast), but otherwise maintained a strict Georgia-grown dictum: no sugar, no pepper, not even any beer!

The result was a funny, honest, down-to-earth diary documenting her experience and experiment. She also spotlighted some of the faces behind the food on her table, such as Mike Buckner of Fielder’s Flour and beekeepers Donna and Ray Lopes. Since she came on as Creative Loafing’s restaurant critic and food editor in early 2006, Besha’s won two other AFJ awards and was nominated for a James Beard award in 2007 for her 2006 Food Issue. Congratulations Besha!

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File this under “news that totally sucks.” Elisa Gambino (right) has announced the closing of her store, Via Elisa. Although she will continue marketing her sauces under the same name, she will no longer be making her pasta, by far the best available in the city. She writes:

Via Elisa’s store – but not our sauces — will end what has been a glorious seven-year run in Atlanta at the close of business on Saturday, October 17, the latest victim of an unforgiving economy.

Though that will mark the last day we will make our award-winning pasta and the last day our store will be open, I want you to know that we will continue to make our sauces, whose sales have grown despite the economic climate.

Since the line of Via Elisa sauces sold at Whole Foods Markets throughout six states in the South does very well, I will focus on developing Via Elisa as a sauce company. All three of our sauces – Passionately Perfect Tomato, Diavoletta and Sofia’s Sicilian Caper – are available in 16-oz. and 32-oz. jars.

Between the flooding and the economy, there has been much sad news here in Atlanta, and when I think of the loss that so many people have suffered, this bit of news seems trivial in comparison. I am thankful to all of you who have supported Via Elisa since we opened our doors in 2002. I have been overwhelmed by your kindness and dedication to the success of Via Elisa and I hope you will continue to support the sauces as I streamline our business. I have always enjoyed delivering pasta to the people in the neighborhoods, markets and our store. I am confident I will enjoy promoting and selling our sauces as well.

A supply of Via Elisa pasta and ravioli is available at Whole Foods Markets here in Atlanta (as we have just shipped out a fresh batch). You know where to find it! We will also continue to accept your orders until October 16 and I hope you will stock up. Everything we make freezes well.

On a closing note I want to thank the incredible and dedicated staff of professionals who work here at Via Elisa. Without Dave, Tina, Bess, Noe, Maryland, Darnell and Dahlia, Via Elisa would not have been possible. Their dedication to Via Elisa has inspired me daily and has kept me going over the years. Their contribution to the business has been immeasurable. Please thank them when you come to the shop.

And please do come by, say hello and pick up your pasta, ravioli, sauces, meats, cheeses, vinegars and oils at least one last time. The store will be open and we will be here making pasta through Saturday, October 17, and we would love to see you.

As I have always said, a two-pasta day is a good day! And if you are looking for sauce, all of our 16-oz. sizes are still on sale at Whole Foods Markets in the South for only $3.49 until October 13th.

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Gourmet magazine ceases publication. The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton closes.

And now French culture completely collapses.

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In case you missed this: I suppose it’s coincidence, but I can’t help but remember that Cracker Barrel is the same restaurant chain that fired all known gay employees around 1991 and provoked a years-long boycott. I wonder why they won’t release the video tape of the race-motivated beating that occurred there last month. In any case, it’s astonishing to see something like this happen now.

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PAY UP: In theory, there should be no such thing as a drink special in Atlanta.

Chalk it up to a city that seems hell-bent on stymieing the flow of booze: Along with rolled-back bar hours, blue Sundays and Kafkaesque liquor license applications, it’s totally illegal for bars and restaurants to serve discounted drinks.

Happy hour? Nope, not unless the prices are the same during every other hour. Half-price bottles of wine? Technically, not allowed. A bottomless glass of wine for a set price? Not even close.

“To offer a special, you basically have to offer it every day,” attorney Hakim Hilliard says. “So it can’t be a special.”

What about a place that offers a particular type of liquor only on a certain day — say, a pizzeria that sells $2 margaritas on Tuesdays? Because margaritas aren’t sold any other day, that’s not a discount, right?

“I think that’s a stretch,” says Hilliard, who’s familiar with the law both as a former city attorney and as a lawyer who’s represented bars and restaurants charged with violations of Atlanta’s liquor code.

The specific law Hilliard cites has been on the books since at least the late ’70s. The law makes it illegal to sell “any alcoholic beverage at a price less than the price regularly charged for such alcoholic beverage during the same calendar week.” It also outlaws “using coupons or other special promotional items as an inducement to purchase alcoholic beverages.”

Continue reading “Feature: Unhappy hour”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Another landmark closes, according to Repeat Atlanta:

Following the recent closures of ESPN Zone, Wolfgang Puck Express, Roy’s Hawaiian and the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, T.G.I. Friday’s on Peachtree has closed too. Located just north of Piedmont Hospital on Peachtree Road, their Buckhead location was one of only a few locations left locally when they ceased operations as of 9/28.

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At a recent lunch, a friend was complaining that it’s hard to find a hamburger cooked rare in our city, despite the epidemic of new burger joints. According to the New York Times, there is very good reason for that. Today’s paper includes a lengthy story in which the writer, Michael Moss, traces Upton-Sinclair-like, the hamburger whose E. coli contamination left Stephanie Smith paralyzed:

Meat companies and grocers have been barred from selling ground beef tainted by the virulent strain of E. coli known as O157:H7 since 1994, after an outbreak at Jack in the Box restaurants left four children dead. Yet tens of thousands of people are still sickened annually by this pathogen, federal health officials estimate, with hamburger being the biggest culprit. Ground beef has been blamed for 16 outbreaks in the last three years alone, including the one that left Ms. Smith paralyzed from the waist down. This summer, contamination led to the recall of beef from nearly 3,000 grocers in 41 states.

Read the entire article, with its account of slaughterhouses that refuse to sell meat to companies that insist on rigorous testing,  and you’ll never complain again about your hamburger being overcooked.

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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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We dined at Sotto Sotto this evening and got a mouth full of wonderful food and an ear full of news.

First, the meal: It was the last night of Inman Park Restaurant Week and the restaurant was packed with diners taking advantage of the restaurant’s $25 three-course meal. I actually skipped that but I did take the server’s suggestion that we “say goodbye to this year’s Heirloom tomatoes” by ordering dishes that featured them, like the Caprese salad above.

The salad included a very good bufala mozzarella and yellow, purple and red Heirlooms. The yellow, which I don’t recall encountering anywhere else this year, was especially good, with a slightly sweet flavor that Wayne called “watermelony.” For my entree I chose the restaurant’s classic dish of tortellini stuffed with ricotta flavored with fresh mint under a tart sauce of red Heirlooms and basil.

Wayne ordered the three-course meal, starting with the cantaloupe and prosciutto shown here, followed by a risotto topped with chopped tomatoes and basil. He spooned down a bowl of chocolate soup for dessert.

Now the news. We ran into Riccardo Ullio, owner of the restaurant, along with Fritti next door and Beleza in Midtown.

(more…)

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Condolences to Hector Santiago, “Top Chef” contestant and chef-owner of Pura Vida, whose grandmother died this morning. Wife Leslie Santiago posted this on Facebook:

Hector’s Grandma, Abuelita Ana Santiago Oritz, died early this morning, at the age of 97. She lived a long life, had five children, lots of grandchildren and several great grandchildren. She lived to see a lot, including her grandson appear on television. I’m sure she was proud of him. Hector adored her, and will miss her. She meant the world to him.

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Thillist reports that Eros Tapas Bar, which replaced Piebar, is now Ixtlan Ultra Lounge:

Just arrived in the former space of Eros Tapas Bar, Ixtlan retains the interior design of its predecessor (glass tent ceiling, stone floors, rooftop filled w/ rounded white backless couches), while boasting an all-new menu including “tapa-tizers” like Ixtlan Hot Fish (fried tilapia bites tossed in sweet chili sauce) and fire-grilled Filet Kabobs marinated in garlic, herbs, and the chef’s signature tzatziki. Also worthy’re char-grilled Sirloin and Turkey Burgers, Chopped Beef, Pulled Pork, and Chicken Breast BBQ Sandwiches, plus BBQ entrees like the Smoked Turkey Drumsticks and the 10oz Boston Pork Steak, aka the Rich Garces….

Cafe Sage Hill has taken over the Dusty’s Barbecue location at 1815 Briarcliff Road. It’s all about breakfast and lunch, Southern-style. …

A new restaurant, Croaker’s Spot, is opening at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Boulevard, across from Danneman’s Coffee. It will feature seafood and soul food. …

The Iberian Pig (121 Sycamore St.) opens Monday night in Decatur. …

Abattoir is now open for lunch. …

Regina Charboneau, author of the Southern cooking blog for Atlantic Monthly’s food site, recently posted an article entitled, “Seven Lessons in Southern Hospitality.” Here is my fave “lesson”:

Decide a night or day that is the easiest night for you to entertain. Maybe you have a housekeeper that comes on Thursdays so entertain on Wednesdays so you will have help cleaning up, or entertain on a Friday because your house is already clean.

Right. The secret to Southern hospitality is a servant. Miss Scarlett knew it and so should you.

I find this bit of Southern hospitality advice kind of strange too:

Never apologize even if dinner is overcooked or undercooked. Make light of it, we are all human–just have plenty of bread (and wine won’t hurt). Whether you live in the North, South, East, or West, hospitality is hospitality–it is always a gift.

Well, fiddle-dee-dee, it seems the fried chicken is nearly raw. Y’all just have another couple of biscuits and I’ll get the peach cobbler warmed up as soon as I scrape the mold off it.

(Photo of Vivian Leigh and Butterfly McQueen, from Gone with the Wind, courtesy of Live Auctioneers.)

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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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The Georgia Dome is featuring some new pig-out food. PR rep Lauren Fibres writes about the oddity at right:

One of the most notable new additions is the Victory Knot (photo attached), a two-pound, giant, gourmet soft pretzel.  The Victory Knot is topped with sea salt and served with three dipping sauces – beer cheese, spicy mustard and a sweet vanilla cream. Meant to be shared between 3-4 fans, the Victory Knot is so huge, it is served in a full-sized pizza box. …

The Iberian Pig will open next Mon., Sept. 28.  Can’t hardly wait to try Cabrito Carbonara, slow-roasted goat with chittara pasta tossed in a carbonara sauce with applewood smoked bacon, fresh cream and a poached egg. …

The Top Floor (or TOP FLR) people, including Chef Shane Devereux, are hosting private dinner parties at secret locations around the city every other Friday night. You can check out the most recent menu on the Dinner Party website. Your $55 buys five courses paired with wines. Unfortunately, the next dinner is already sold out. So get on their list now. …

I lunched at the new Grindhouse Killer Burgers at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market.  Run. Seriously.  Even in the middle of the current epidemic of burger joints, former real estate attorney Alex Brounsteein is serving some of the best burgers I’ve encountered. The Apache, featuring roasted green New Mexico chiles, is dangerously addictive, I’m afraid. Thank God they aren’t open after 4 p.m. …

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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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Check out Mark Petko’s new photo food  blog, Spoonfed Atlanta. His first entry documents a meal at 4th and Swift. He also operates a food blog in Raleigh, N.C., Spoonfed Raleigh. On his general site, you’ll also find a photo of a pig carcass in a restaurant kitchen. I have a lot of mixed feelings when I see a picture like this. But this one made me laugh. …

Canoe is now doing some extensive gardening on the premises and Chef Carvel Grant Gould  is planning an Edible Garden Dining Series where she will cook for guests at a table in the garden:

The first Edible Garden Dinner Series will be held on Thursday, Sept. 24,  and costs $125 per person. Dinner includes wine pairings by California’s elite Chalk Hill Winery. Thursday, Oct. 8,  brings the second dinner in the edible garden and will be paired with Cliff Lede Winery’s wines out of Napa, California.  Seating is limited and reservations are required. Call  770-436-9292. …

I seem to be hearing more and more complaints from restaurateurs about declining business. I’m not sure if things are actually getting worse or restaurateurs are becoming more open about their drop in sales. Still, new venues keep opening and, outside hotel restaurants, most seem to be targeting the low-to- mid-price range.

One of the newest, opening today at latest report, is Grind House Killer Burgers at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. It’s open for lunch only, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Satuday. You get your choice of (inexpensive) beef, turkey or veggie burgers. My favorite name is the “Hypocrite Style” burger featuring a veggie patty with beef chili, chipotle-ranch dressing and pepper-jack cheese. …

A few years ago, I was stopped in my car by police because they saw me drinking from a brown bottle they presumed was beer. Actually, it was ginger beer — one of my addictions, but hard to satisfy unless I can find the Stewart brand that isn’t sickeningly sweet. Now there’s a new one, principally designed as a mixer, from Fever-Tree. It’s not in a brown bottle and it’s some strong stuff.

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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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