Omnivore Atlanta

THE BIG CHEESE: Margherita pizza at Varasano

At the beginning of the year, I was on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, in a sleepy beach community. When my sister’s birthday rolled around, we asked our neighbors where we should go to celebrate. They pointed us to a pizza place in a small town about 20 minutes inland. We drove out into the rural rolling hills until we came upon a tiny town called Mullumbimby. In the center of that town was a tiny pizzeria with sidewalk seating and a wood-burning oven.

We ordered a pizza for each of us. A ridiculous amount of food as it turned out, but when the pizzas arrived my mood changed from pleasant vacation stupor to delight. And then quickly to fury.

These pizzas were perfect. Thin, crispy, bubbly crust, fantastic flavor, sauce tangy but not too watery or thick, toppings super fresh, bold, balanced. “Why?” I sputtered to my amused family. “WHY? Why, if they can do it in the middle of nowhere in rural New South Wales, why can’t we have pizza like this in Atlanta?”

Continue reading “Review: Varasano’s Pizzeria”

(Photo by James Camp)

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The Cafe At Pharr (316 Pharr Road. 404-238-9288, and other metro Atlanta locations) was started in back 1992 by Shirley and Mike Liu, who retired in 1998 and handed the business over to their enthusiastic son, Johnny. You can’t miss him when you arrive; just look for the guy with the permanent smile on his face.

What sets this tiny lunch spot apart is its simplicity, consistency and commitment to healthy eating. Almost everything on the menu is made from scratch daily and surprisingly low in fat. The Café bakes its own bread every morning and uses no preservatives. Ask any regular and they’ll tell you they come for the assortment of chicken salads, available as a sandwich ($7.50) on your choice of white, wheat, multigrain, baguette and croissant or as a salad plate ($9) with romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, sliced tomatoes, two pieces of soft baguette and the café’s special ginger dressing that has no oil or fat. Both the sandwich and the salad plate come with a handful of chilled seedless red grapes and the café’s signature and strangely addictive “Yogurt rolls,” a fluke turned staple using leftover croissant scraps that are baked off, filled with a semi-sweet German gelatin mixed with yogurt and sliced.

One of the most popular salads is the celery chicken, a minimalist approach to chicken salad with chicken, celery, spices and mayo. I always go for the curry chicken salad made with a secret curry sauce, a touch of mayo and chopped chicken. The celery-laced tuna salad is another simply made favorite that actually tastes like old-fashioned tuna salad—not an abundance of overcomplicated ingredients for show. Liu says he only adds enough to hold the base together because health is paramount. One diner actually lost 40 pounds by eating every meal at the Café except for breakfast on what they called the “Café Pharr diet.” Who needs Subway?

(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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CASUAL CHARACTER: Craftbar — the more casual little brother of Tom Colicchio’s Craft located on the building’s first floor — is a nice alternative for something low-key and less expensive. The restaurant’s decor has an organic yet refined feel: Wood walls meet industrial accents such as dangling lightbulb clusters and dark metal. The open kitchen placed near the entrance of the restaurant makes for an entrancing dinner show.

CRAFTY COCKTAILS: A drink binder houses a wide selection of wines from around the world, an impressive list of spirits such as grappa, eau-de-vie, scotch, rum, tequila, and a handful of original cocktails. Favorite drinks included the Sunshine Squeeze #1 — fresh ginger, Ketel One vodka, Depaz cane syrup and lemon and lime juice — and the herbaceous and playfully named Tom’s Collins made with Hendrick’s gin, Fever Tree Bitter Lemon and a fresh slice of cucumber.

COMFORT CUISINE: A tiny cast-iron pot filled with perfectly diced steak tartare crowned with a raw egg comes with golden brown gaufrette potato chips. Large ricotta meatballs are packed into a cozy bowl alongside wide ribbons of fresh pappardelle enrobed in a deep red tomato sauce and topped with snowflakes of Parmesan cheese. S’mores made with homemade salted graham crackers, marshmallows and dark chocolate are almost too pretty to eat.

Craftbar, the Mansion on Peachtree, 3376 Peachtree Road. 404-995-7580. Sun.-Thurs., 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m. www.craftrestaurant.com/craftbar.html.

(Photo courtesy Photos.com)

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PIE TASTERS: The Grande Max

Returning holiday gifts at the mall is my own version of hell. But there I was at Lenox and, to make matters worse, my stomach was violently growling. The food court wasn’t an option, so I texted my friends for ideas. One person reminded me Pizzeria Venti (2770 Lenox Road. 404-228-2013. www.pizzeriaventi.com) had recently opened down the road.

The restaurant’s a franchise, with locations scattered throughout the country. The staff here was genuinely enthusiastic about the menu and the food coming out of the kitchen looked tasty. Pizzeria Venti’s specialty is pizza al taglio, roughly translated to “pizza by the cut.” The handmade pizza ($3-$4.50/slice and $15-$22.50/pan) is cut into squares, heated in a special oven and served on a nifty metal dish. The sauce didn’t taste overly processed and the cheese had a nice roundness to it, but I just couldn’t get past the Pizza Hut-like thick crust. The Timpanini ($6.50), however, showed promise. It resembled a round, deflated calzone and came with a side of marinara for dipping. The pillowy crust was slightly sweet and the provolone, mozzarella, pecorino and herbs filling was creamy, yet light.

Lasagna al forno ($7.75) — which a staff member couldn’t stop raving about — had the perfect amount of cheese and a tasty meat sauce. My favorite item was a side of tender and well-seasoned meatballs ($4 for three). Bocce Balls ($7 for three) are a fun and decadent take on the same meatballs: They’re wrapped in pizza dough with marinara and cheese and baked until the crust is golden brown. My one bite of Dutch fudge cookies and cream gelato from the large assortment showed promise; it was thick, creamy and without one ice crystal to be found.

In short, the restaurant’s no culinary revelation, but it’s a great option for harried folks looking for a hearty bite at a good price.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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GAME ON: Most sports bars have a strong “no women allowed” vibe and truthfully aren’t the kind of place that women would want to set foot in anyway. This Buckhead hangout, however, is not your ordinary sports bar. Calling itself an “upscale sports restaurant,” the tasteful décor includes a lot of wood and televisions, as well as a see-through screen near the waitress stand that looks like something out of the Jetsons. Cigar aficionados will love the independently owned Buckhead Cigar Lounge featuring a 300ft Walk-in humidor, large flat-screen TV’s, leather sofas and dining area where you can enjoy Dantanna’s full menu.

DRINKING GAMES: Unlike other sports-centric establishments, Dantanna’s takes its wine seriously and has a 100 bottle list with 50 by the glass. If you opt for a mixed drink, go with something made with one of the freshly squeezed orange, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon and lime juices.

SURF AND “TURF”: Seafood and meat reign supreme. The menu showcases fresh seafood, organic and aged beef from Creekstone Farms, naturally raised Springer Mountain chicken and free-range Niman Ranch pork. The quality of the seafood could be better, so play it safe and order a beautiful filet with mashed potatoes, a bacon cheeseburger on a nice egg-based bun or an order of crispy buffalo wings served with blue cheese crumbles and dressing.

Dantanna’s, 3400 Around Lenox Road. 404-760-8873. Mon.-Sat., 11:30a.m.-2:30a.m.; Sun 12p.m.-2:30a.m. www.dantannas.com.

(Photo courtesy Dantanna’s)

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Mediterraneans know how to live the good life. Everything is done at a pace that welcomes and relaxes. And that’s why I adore Café Agora (262 East Paces Ferry Road. 404-949-0900. www.cafeagora.com). No matter how much you have ordered, congenial owner Al Ozelci will insist you sit at the counter and feed you little bites of this and that until your food is ready. He says his hospitality is for “feedback,” but it’s really just his way.

Agora’s gyros are serious contenders for best in Atlanta. The aromatic mix of marinated and spit-roasted beef and lamb is cut into perfectly sized slices, nestled into seasoned shredded lettuce, drizzled with tangy tzatziki sauce and wrapped in dense pita bread charred and puffed from a short spell on the grill ($7.01). If the other meat choices are too tempting to bare, go for the mixed grill ($14.95)—an assortment of gyro meat, charbroiled chicken, kofta kabob (broiled seasoned ground lamb with Turkish spices & herbs), lamb shish kabob (grilled marinated and grilled lamb) and adana kabob (seasoned and grilled ground lamb) set atop basmati rice and served with a house salad and that delicious pita.

While Café Agora is a carnivore’s paradise, the salads and vegetarian appetizers are uniformly superb. Your best bet is to grab the “Mixed Maza Platter,” ($7.99) which comes with of variety of appetizers including smoky baba ghanoush, creamy hummus, chunks of grilled eggplant and a salad made with shredded carrots, creamy yogurt and bright notes of dill.

A final word of advice: resisting the Ozelci’s humorously persistent insistence that you have one of his filo-based pastries dripping in honey and crumbled pistachios is futile.

(photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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Who hasn’t felt the urge to be picked up in a Mercedes Benz, taken to an upscale restaurant of your choice, have appetizers and drinks pre-ordered and arranged at your table upon arrival, and all the while assured the trusty Benz will retrieve your drunk ass at the end of the night? Sounds like a Cinderella story with a DD, no?

The Buckhead Restaurant Chauffeur Service (BRCS) brings the fairytale to life; large, in charge, and luxurious, right outside your front door for $75 Tues.-Sun., round-trip. No glass slippers required, unless that’s your thing. And with BRCS, there’s no midnight curfew (ahem, 2 a.m., actually) and your car won’t de-Benz into a gourd, guaranteed.

BRCS has already formed partnerships with the Here to Serve Restaurant Group, owned by Tom Catherall, and Mercedes Benz of Buckhead.

Read about the A-list celebs riding around town with BRCS.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

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Emeril’s restaurant in Buckhead, is closing its doors at the end of this month after five years. The restaurant is one of six in a chain named after the owner and celebrity chef, Emeril Lagasse.

But it might take him a while to realize that he is down one. The Emeril empire is massive and he seems to have his hand in just about everything: From a new “Emerilware” line, including the “BAM! Machine”, a 3-in-1 Food Processor available in May, to another show called “Emeril Green,” which begins airing this summer on Planet Green. Maybe there’s a point when you have to choose quality over quantity.

Needless to say the Atlanta Emeril’s didn’t live up to the hype from the very beginning. Food critics didn’t exactly give the place a warm welcome.

Check out the review from former CL Food & Drink Editor, Bill Addison, shortly after its opening in 2004.

There is some serious foreshadowing.

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Are you on the Atkins diet? Are you a power lifter who refuses to eat anything but red meat? Then you’ll be happy to hear that another churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse, is opening in our town. It’s named Chima Brazilian Steakhouse. This is from a news release, with the more gratuitous adjectives removed:

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse (pronounced “She-ma”) will open February 25 at 3215 Peachtree Rd. An extension of the family-owned Chima Churrascaria in Uberlandia, Brazil, the Atlanta restaurant will seat 350 and feature two private rooms that accommodate 40 and 60 diners respectively. The restaurant will be open for dinner seven days a week.

Among its 16 meat choices will be filet mignon, pork loin, lamb chops, chicken and salmon, all served by “gauchos.” The gauchos dress in traditional attire and roam from table to table with skewers of roasted meat, ready to slice. Gauchos continue to serve each table – until the diner finally signals that he’s had enough.

Diners can choose between “rodizio,” which includes all the meats and salad bar, or the salad bar option only. A full bar will provide standard and specialty drinks, along with a wide selection of wines.

Basically, churrascarias are upscale all-you-can-eat buffets. Personally, I find them overwhelming and a bit anxiety-provoking. I’ve seen a few near-stabbings as servers rushed through dining rooms, brandishing skewers of sizzling meat.

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I lunched last week at Soleil in Buckhead for the first time in a couple of years. The restaurant’s quality took a dive after owner/chef Jacques Hourtal sold it. I received an e-mail last week that announced revision of the lunch and dinner menus.

So my friend Brad and I checked out lunch last Friday. Our first shock was the garish, orange-trimmed plastic that wrapped the patio. Our second shock was the food. The salade niçoise featured foul-tasting green beans — we’re talking inedible, folks — and a bad brand of canned tuna.

My own dish, ravioli stuffed with lamb, was much better-tasting, but its presentation was … well, let’s just say it was the color of the exterior plastic trim topped with supergreen broccoli.

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I made it to MF Buckhead (3280 Peachtree Road, 404-841-1192) at the Terminus tower this week. The restaurant was opened by Alex and Chris Kinjo, who also operate MF Sushi and Nam in Midtown.

MF Buckhead has the same combination of glamour and comfort that Alex has pulled off in his design of the other two restaurants, but this is 8,000 square feet hidden speakeasy-style behind a door with no conspicuous signs.

The menu is all sushi, except for grilled items (like the eel shown above). Chris, the head chef, assisted by a mere 12 chefs behind the sushi counter, is using a Robata grill that sears fish and meat at 1000 degrees. It’s the first of its kind in Atlanta.

All fish is flown in from a market in Tokyo and the quality is totally obvious, especially in the simple nigiri. There are also maki rolls, of course, and creative options like the snow crab topped with uni mousse (shown above at left).

Service is stellar, as it is in the Kinjos’ other restaurants. I have one caution: Take a wheelbarrow of cash with you.

I’ll have more to say in next week’s paper.

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Joel is slated to reopen tonight after a total renovation that has transformed the restaurant. When the renovation was announced, the word was that the restaurant would host two dining rooms, one serving the same upscale cuisine Joel is known for, and the other serving more casual brasserie fare.

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Few Atlanta restaurants have the following that Jalisco (2337 Peachtree Road, 404-233-9244) does. The chairs and walls there are covered with little gold plaques commemorating customers’ special occasions.

I used to eat there with friends in the early ’80s, and at the time it was the best Tex-Mex food in the city — and the closest thing to authentic Mexican, too, for that matter. A couple of friends still eat there regularly and have urged me repeatedly to join them. I’ve declined. Something told me I wouldn’t care for it after all these years, and there’s little I like less than dissing a meal everyone else is enjoying.

But being in the area today, I decided to drop in for lunch alone. Oy. The man at the table in front of me prayed aloud for what seemed like an eternity when his food arrived. When my own lunch special — a taco, a chile relleno and refried beans — hit the table, I felt like praying, too.

I haven’t eaten a hard-shell taco in years, so that was a shock itself to see. And I can’t stand lettuce on tacos. But under the lettuce was ground beef. When I was asked if I wanted chicken or beef, it didn’t cross my mind I would be getting a taco that replicated the Old El Paso style. The chile relleno wasn’t too bad, though miniature, and the refried beans, which occupied most of the plate, were slathered with more cheese. In fact, the whole plate seemed to be bubbling with lava-hot cheese. I could feel the calories mounting exponentially with each bite.

Oh well, as a nostalgia trip to remember some old friends, it was worth the surreally anachronistic taco. And the service was great.

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