Omnivore Atlanta

Hurrah for marketing.

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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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Cakes & Ale, the Decatur spot run by chef Billy Allin, will be hosting its second monthly Sunday supper this Sun., July 5. The theme this month will be “dueling BBQ.” Price is $26 per person and children under 12 eat for half price. See the menu below, and call the restaurant at 404-377-7994 to reserve.

Sunday, July 5
Dueling BBQ

Pimento cheese, celery, crackers

Northern Alabama white chicken BBQ

& Western North Carolina Pulled Pork

Yeast rolls

Succotash

Slaw

Sliced tomatoes

Onion rings

Star pops

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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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Although it’s less than a week after the start of summer, it seems like we’re deep into the heart of it now. No need to take off the party hats, except to wipe the sweat from your brow.

Taco Mac continues celebrating its 30th anniversary, as well as the beginning of summer, with the release last week of Red Brick Solstice Roggenbock from Atlanta Brewing Company. According to Taco Mac beverage manager Fred Crudder, it’s similar to the Helles Bock but with the addition of rye malt, which should add some spiciness and a grainy bite. Check your local outlet to see if it has Solstice on tap.

The Brick Store Pub’s 12th anniversary celebration continues this week, with special kegs each night, leading up to Saturday’s shindig featuring a new beer every hour and probably some silly behavior in the final hours. Be sure to ask your server for tap list updates if you go this week, since there are a number of excellent choices beyond the featured beer, including New Belgium La Folie and De Ranke Noir.

(more…)

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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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From the PR folks:

RAW: “The Untold Sake Stories” at MF Buckhead on Thursday, June 25th, 2009. Complimentary sushi appetizers from 8 to 9 p.m. followed by a sake tasting and presentation by world famous sake sommelier, Toshi Kojima. Beats by DJ Heather B and Japanese video montage by Bean Summer. RSVP to: raw@mfbuckhead.com.

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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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RUFFLED FEATHERS: See more photos like this one at clatl.com/photos

We know you’ve been thinking to yourself, “CL should create a space for all the awesome photos they shoot.” And if you weren’t thinking that, then all the visual desires you never even knew you had have just been fulfilled.

We now have a spot where you can access all the latest galleries shot each week, a new Photo of the Day posted (you guessed it!) every day, and new videos going up every week. You can also check out the thousands of images uploaded by your fellow Atlantans to the CL Flickr feed or read up on what the deal was with each week’s Time and Place photo.

There’s international photo and video news, tidbits and gear updates, along with info on upcoming Atlanta photo community meet-ups and shoot-outs.

Missed the No Doubt concert? We’ve got the photos to make you feel just a little better about it.

Wondering how the hell they get all that sand out of the Decatur Square after the Decatur Beach Party? We’ve got the lowdown on that through video interviews.

Check it out at clatl.com/photos_video.

Of course, we want to hear your feedback. So give us your joys, your grievances, your Atlanta photo knowledge! Send it all our way to photos@cln.com.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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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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Well before the sushi craze, Atlantans were mad for Thai food. But our interest seemed to wane as Buford Highway grew to include an abundance of options from other countries. Sickly sweet options and a handful of fancier Thai eateries stuck around, but places serving authentically prepared dishes were harder to find. In recent years, however, Thai food has been slowly creeping back into our bellies, and restaurateurs are focusing on more authentic preparations. KoKai Thai Bistro (5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, 770-409-9219, www.kokaithaibistro.com) is one such restaurant that specializes in bringing “the streets of Bangkok to you.”

Continue reading Cheap Eats.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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My husband and I had our two-day honeymoon in Charleston 4 years ago. We spent the whole time eating, and fell in love with the city’s restaurants. Every year since, we’ve tried to get back there at least once, always in the heat of summer, and always with an appetite. This past Friday night we hit the town to see what the city’s chefs are up to.

We only made it to three places this year, but two of them have to be two of the coolest restaurants in the country right now. We started at Fig, who’s chef Mike Lata just won the James Beard award for Best Chef in the Southeast. I have to admit that I was a little surprised at the award — I’ve eaten at Fig’s bar many times, and have always loved it but never had anything much more memorable than a deftly executed chicken liver pate. But this visit put my surprise to rest — Lata is turning out some incredible food, including what may be my favorite dish of the year so far. It takes a leap of faith to order pig’s trotters, but what a payoff — Lata takes the meat from the trotters and forms them into a cake, which is lightly pan-fried. The meat is so moist and flavorful, it’s like the best barbecue you’ve ever had, but without needing any sauce at all. Pure piggy piggyness. The accompanying salad, a jumble of field peas, lima beans, fresh corn, frissee, chives, tarragon and smoky bacon lardons, was beautifully composed and balanced, with just the right acid tang.

We stopped by the Charleston Grill for a glass of wine and a sweetbread appetizer. What impressed me the most here was the wine list and the server’s enthusiastic knowledge of it. On the glass pour list we were able to chose from incredibly cool wines such as a marsanne from Victoria, Australia and a 100% pinot noir vin gris. The server even let us do half glasses so we could taste more of the list.

We ended up at McCrady’s, where chef Sean Brock has transformed the historic restaurant into a temple of amazingly creative food, and is re-defining the idea of farm-to-table (check out John Kessler’s story about Brock in this month’s issue of Food Arts). Brock and his cooks grow much of the produce and raise much of the meat used on McCrady’s menu themselves, and the freshness of the product, as well as Brock’s handling of it, makes for some of the most exciting food in the country. The standout had to be Brock’s creamed kimchee, which appeared under a hugely fat scallop and a hunk of pork belly sourced from the restaurant’s hog farm. The kimchee had whispers of chow chow in its nature, a cultural hybrid of Southern and Asian that would never work in a less deft chef’s hands (say that three times fast). It’s a dish I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Other highlights included handmade ramp pasta (the most outrageous color green) with crab, chanterelles and nasturtium butter, and warm asparagus with a farm egg, Benton’s bacon, and bonito. Best surf and turf EVER.

(photo by Besha Rodell’s crappy cell phone)

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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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OLD GLORY: The dining room at Livingston

It’s 6:30 on an early summer evening, and Livingston’s patio is throbbing with activity. Women dressed in spangles and silk sip cocktails under canvas umbrellas while seated in luxurious cushioned chairs. The newly renovated Georgian Terrace Hotel’s blond brick façade exudes moneyed charm. Across the street, the fabulous Fox Theatre’s marquee twinkles. There’s something about this scene that’s apt to fill your heart with Atlanta pride. It’s like the fantasy of what this city could be: a bustling Midtown nightlife; a future that dips into our storied past; a brand of glamour that feels just right.

The revamping of the Georgian Terrace and the opening of Livingston represents something important for our city. For the past year, many of Atlanta’s exciting new restaurants have sprung up in hotels, specifically in big-name chains such as W. Helmed by out of town celebrity chefs such as Tom Colicchio and Laurent Tourondel, these restaurants gave us reason to feel that we’re becoming a nationally recognized dining city, but the homegrown element was obviously missing.

The Georgian Terrace couldn’t be more homegrown, from its location at the corner of Peachtree and Ponce de Leon, to its history as the place where Gone With the Wind stars partied after the movie’s premier at the Loew’s Grand Theatre. When a city starts to revive the treasures it already holds rather than simply building on top of them, it’s an exciting prospect.

Continue reading “Review: Livingston”

(Photo by James Camp)

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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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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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A dozen years, hundreds of beers: The Brick Store Pub

As might be expected, the Brick Store Pub is giving you a present on their anniversary. Twenty-seven presents, in fact. In an attempt to outshine its 11th Anniversary celebration from last year that featured 11 special kegs over 11 days, this year the Brick Store will tap 14 kegs over the first 11 days (one a night, plus 2 on Fridays and Saturdays) starting with today’s 2006 Lagavulin barrel-aged J.W. Lees, and including limited, rare, and oak-aged beers from America’s best breweries (and a couple from Belgium, as well). But that’s only the warm up for Day 12, on Saturday, June 27, when a special treat will be tapped every hour from noon until midnight. That’s 13 kegs in all; sort of beer cake with 12 keg candles and one to grow on.

Among the offerings during the lead up are a 2006 Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster barrel-aged in a Jack Daniels cask for 9 months, aka Big Sloppy Monster (6/18); one of the first kegs of the new Duck-Rabbitor Doppelbock (6/21); Sweetwater Double IPA aged on first-run Bordeaux oak (6/23); a wooden cask of t’Smisje Kerst Belgian strong dark ale (6/20); and a firkin of Avery Maharaja (6/25). The run on the 27th includes no less than 5 kegs of Allagash Brewing Company’s top-notch Belgian-style ales (Interlude, Victor, Victoria, Hugh Malone, and the new Confluence), interspersed with three different Oskar Blues beers (Dale’s Pale Ale, Gordon, and 10 Fidy) aged in whiskey barrels from Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey distillers. Start toughening up your liver. (more…)

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The culinary industry is full of career changers. But how often do you hear about someone going back into the kitchen after becoming an attorney? Meet Katie Birmingham, chef/owner of Noon Midtown (1080 Peachtree St., 404-496-4891, www.noonmidtown.com). After seven years in the kitchens of high-profile Atlanta restaurants such as Bacchanalia and Seeger’s, Birmingham started practicing law. But her passion to return to the industry was rekindled when she and her husband encountered restaurants selling simple sandwiches made with premium ingredients during their honeymoon in Italy. Birmingham recognized the lack of such spots in Midtown and set out to build a place of her own inspired by her trip. Two years later, Noon Midtown opened its doors.

Continue reading the Cheap Eats on Noon Midtown.

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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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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I heard a rumor this morning that Trois, Concentrics’ glittering French restaurant in Midtown, will be closing within the week.  Calls to the restaurant and the restaurant’s PR rep garnered a lot of “no comment”s (although PR rep Jill Caramella at the Reynolds Group promised more information by the end of the day). But we were able to find three separate sources who told us, off the record, that the downstairs bar will stay open, probably serving food, while the upstairs dining room is “re-branded”. We’re told that concept, price point and decor will all be changed. It will no longer be Trois.

We’ll keep you posted as the official word comes down.

(Thanks to intern Robyn Baitcher for her intrepid reporting, which contributed to this post)

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Great Divide Belgica

Belgian-style India Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
7.2% ABV

Inspired by American experiments with hops, Belgian breweries have been turning out highly hopped versions of thier classic pale ales. U.S. brewers have returned the compliment with homages to Belgian styles. Belgica pours a crystal clear, golden yellow with a modest head that leaves sheets of Belgian lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma is full of sweet clove from the Belgian yeasts and floral hops, along with some melon and sour fruit. Sweet-tart white grape character leads the flavor profile, with biscuity, almost crackery, pilsner malts in the center, and a slowly-building hop bitterness in the finish. The hops are a blend of American and European varieties, but unlike some domestic takes on the style, the American hops are not intrusive. Instead, Great Divide relies on traditional German hop qualities that provide a crisp, dry palate with a hint of lemony tartness and peppery spice. This is not an IPA with some Belgian candi sugar and yeast added to pump up its pedigree, but an authentic Belgian pale ale that is aggressively hopped. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of bitterness to balance the sweetness, but wine drinkers might find this to be a beer that makes them say, “This is beer? I thought I didn’t like beer.” Eminently drinkable, Belgica would pair beautifully with seafood, pungent cheeses, and creamy salads.

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