Omnivore Atlanta

AMUSE: The charred octopus with seaweed

Certain restaurants evoke sweet memories. One is Anis in Buckhead. I lunched there every Friday for years with friends and still often do. Another evocative one no longer exists — at least not in its original form. I’m referring to Café Diem, which was replaced by Après Diem.

Café Diem was a favorite for light French food and an evening of listening to poetry back in the early ’90s. Created by Andy Alibaksh, it was the city’s most boho setting, and it seems that people enjoyed working there as much as hanging out there. There’s even a Facebook page titled “I worked at Café Diem Atlanta, GA, and still remember some of it.”

Among those who worked there was Arnaud Michel, who went on to open the aforementioned Anis (and several other restaurants) with business partners. Now, he has teamed up with Alibaksh, to open Amuse (560 Dutch Valley Road, 404-888-1890), an Anis-style bistro in the space vacated by Allegro.

Continue Reading “First Look: Amuse”

(Photo by James Camp)

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We dined Thursday evening at Amuse (404-888-1890), the new restaurant in the short-lived Allegro’s space at 560 Dutch Valley Road in Midtown. The owners have improved the interior significantly, turning what was a rather chilly space into a warm, intimate bistro, replete with an instrumental jazz duo. We’d expect nothing less of the owners of Anis (Arnaud Michel) and Apres Diem (Andy Alibaksh) who have teamed up to create Amuse.

The menu by longtime Anis chef Lenny Robinson includes a number of novelties like the appetizer of sliced, charred octopus with pickled seaweed and cucumbers (above). My entree was a chunk of roasted, orange-glazed piglet (right) with shredded, pickled brussel sprouts and a paprika brodo.

Both dishes were terrific, although I thought the pickle flavors tended to overwhelm the octopus, which was sliced from a grilled tentacle. Wayne ordered an interesting appetizer of roasted cauliflower with a cauliflower puree. A bit of chili oil added zing to both forms of my favorite cruciferous vegetable. His entree was crispy mackerel over chickpeas with mint and sultanas.

Dessert: a butterscotch creme brulee with a roasted marshmallow topping for me and two scoops of housemade ice cream for Wayne — one lavender and the other violet.

The restaurant is also open for lunch weekdays and brunch on weekends. Did I mention that portions are huge? Some of the appetizers I saw go by our table looked like entrees, especially one of crispy pork belly over napa cabbage, plum, avocado and yuzu.

I’ll have more to say in an upcoming Grazing column.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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La Pietra Cucina is my favorite restaurant, and my default when I’m in the mood for fine dining. Bruce Logue’s thoughtfully conceived “progressive Italian cooking” makes the restaurant chef-driven — what I find most appealing — but with a distinctive edge.

Favorite Dishes: Mainly, I lunch here and the dish that most often draws my attention is the crispy fish with caponata and salsa passato. (But I never ignore the specials…or the porchetta salad.) 1545 Peachtree St. 404-888-8709. www.lapietracucina.com.

See the rest of Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites and don’t miss our Food Issue 2009, out today.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Dynamic Dish is a restaurant where I would happily eat daily. Unfortunately, it’s also a restaurant that is booked most evenings, so lunch is usually the most convenient option. David Sweeney’s brilliant, mainly organic, mainly vegetarian cuisine has gained national kudos.

Favorite Dishes: Anything Sweeny does with collards instantly attracts me, but Saturday night’s organic pizzas are amazingly playful, healthy riffs on everyone’s favorite unhealthy food. 427 Edgewood Ave. 404-688-4344. www.dynamicdish.net.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 1.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Top Flr is the default choice when I’m able to dine out Monday night. The restaurant’s special of three courses for $15 is a bargain nobody in town can beat.

Favorite Dishes: Among the best on the regular menu of uncomplicated eats are the tarragon-spiked pan-roasted chicken and the crispy duck with fennel salt and vermouth honey. 674 Myrtle St. 404-685-3110. www.topflr.com.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 2.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Cakes and Ale crosses my mind whenever I head to Decatur. I don’t get to dine here as often as I’d like, but to me it’s everything a restaurant should be: chef-driven to the point of eccentric, highlighting seasonal ingredients and giving foremost attention to flavor.

Favorite Dishes: The gnocchi is always reliable – a great dish for showing off those seasonal ingredients. 254 W Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-377-7994. www.cakesandalerestaurant.com.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 3.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Cóm is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. While there are a couple of fancier spots in town, Cóm is inexpensive, informal and mainly quite healthy. Don’t go without trying the house salad, made with green mango, green papaya, Fuji apples, fried onions, roasted peanuts, mint, basil and cilantro. You add the grilled seafood, meat or tofu of your choice.

Favorite dish: My default entrée is usually a bun (rice vermicelli) bowl with la lot leaves stuffed with lamb. 4005-E Buford Hwy. 404-320-0405. www.comgrill.com.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 4.

(Photo by James Camp)

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The Shed at Glenwood is where I land every Wednesday night. That’s when Chef Lance Gummere prepares an ever-changing menu of fat, delicious sliders that cost all of $3 each. The regular menu includes the delicious novelty of pan-fried chicken hearts and a foie gras torchon with warm fig jam. Go Sunday and you get three courses for $20.

Favorite dishes: Recent favorite sliders have been wild boar with caramelized onions, and one showcasing a thick slice of fried green tomato with goat cheese.   475 Bill Kennedy Way. 404-835-4363 www.theshedatglenwood.com.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 5.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Spoon has blown all other Thai restaurants in Atlanta out of the water. Although its menu is a bit limited compared to others, the curry sauces have no equal for their complexity and fiery heat (unless you specify “mild”). I go to the East Atlanta location, but the original is in the Westside.

Favorite dishes: The Massaman curry, to which I add mixed seafood or chicken. The tofu steak is my favorite special. 749 Moreland Ave., 404-624-4713. 768 Marietta Street., 404-522-5655. www.spoonatlanta.com.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 6.

(Photo by James Camp)

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Au Rendez Vous is probably the least expensive French restaurant in town. Kiet Jean-Claude Changivy is its Vietnamese, Paris-trained owner/chef. He serves simple, country-French fare in a dining room that feels makeshift but charms the hell out of you, anyway.

Favorite dishes: I love the cassoulet. Classics like boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin are also quite satisfying.  1328 Windsor Pkwy. 404-303-1968.

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 7.

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Fritti remains my favorite pizzeria in town despite much hoopla over a few newcomers. Part of its appeal is the starters. The one I order most is the mushrooms fried in rice-flour batter with white truffle oil. (It may be the only place I like to smell truffle oil anymore.)

Favorite dishes: My favorite pizzas are the margherita, the speck and arugula and the Napoli with bufala, anchovies and capers.  309 N. Highland Ave. 404-880-9559. www.frittirestaurant.com

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 8!

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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I ate lunch and dinner at the new Bocado last Friday. Located in the Westside, across from Octane at the corner of Howell Mill and Marietta Street, this restaurant has a spare, modern look reminiscent of the Globe. The owner is Brian Lewis.

“Bocado” means “mouthful” in Spanish. The accent here is on inexpensive small plates for sharing and sandwiches. However, a few entrees are available at dinner, like this flounder with braised beans, green olives, almonds and capers.

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Pura Vida is the stage for recent “Top Chef” contestant Hector Santiago to perform his avant-garde magic with tapas. No other chef in the city gets quite as successfully crazy with the form. Faves have included the duck confit with caramelized plantains and steamed coconut buns filled with pork belly, cabbage and pickled chilies.

Favorite dish: Santiago’s mofongo, a Puerto Rican specialty, was my absolute favorite here for years. 656 N. Highland Ave. 404-870-9797. www.puravidatapas.com

We will be counting down Cliff’s Top 10 Favorites every day between now and Oct. 21, the day our Food Issue 2009 launches. Check back tomorrow for Number 9!

(Photo by James Camp)

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HAMMING IT UP: The jamón Ibérico at the Iberian Pig

I’ve spent a lot of time in Spain, mainly in Sevilla. My favorite restaurant there is Casa Salva, a hole-in-the-wall near the Museo de Bellas Artes. It’s been a few years since I visited, but it was open only 1-6 p.m. and the menu was mainly a list of specials that changed daily.

The Spanish love of ham becomes clear as soon as you gaze through restaurant windows anywhere in Spain and see hams festooning the ceilings. But it was at Casa Salva that I began to see the true dimensions of that love. The owner often came to my table and — no joke — recited the pedigree of the ham he was featuring that day. He told me where the pig was raised, on which side of a certain mountain, what it ate and how the ham had been cured.

So, it’s no surprise that I was excited to visit the Iberian Pig (121 Sycamore St., 404-371-8800) in Decatur. It takes its name from the famous black Iberian pig that is the source of arguably Spain’s finest ham. The restaurant has been opened by Federico and Stephanie Castellucci, the husband-wife team who also own the three popular Sugo restaurants that specialize in mainly Italian and Greek food. The restaurant’s managing partner and chef is Chad Crete.

Continue reading “Grazing: A first look at the Iberian Pig”

(Photo by James Camp)

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THE DAILY GRIND: The Apache burger at Grindhouse Killer Burgers

The adult renaissance of the hamburger isn’t difficult to explain. Nothing (besides maybe pizza) comes close to fulfilling an aging population’s insatiable appetite for nostalgia. And God knows baby boomers are nothing if not nostalgic.

Then, too, there’s the recession. (I’m referring to the little depression that we keep reading is over.) Hamburgers are typically inexpensive, which is why McDonald’s is prospering in a wretched economy. Still, it’s a bit mysterious that if you scan the average menu of a full-service restaurant, the burger will usually cost less than dishes that have cheaper ingredients and require less time to prepare. I suppose the burger has simply retained its rep as cheap, no matter the quality of the contents.

The latest in the absolute epidemic of burger joints to open here is Grindhouse Killer Burgers (209 Edgewood Ave., 404-522-3444) at Sweet Auburn Curb Market.

Continue reading “Grazing: First Look: Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Wonderful World of Burgers”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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I recently re-read Satyricon, often regarded as the western world’s first novel, written by Petronius, a member of the court of Nero, toward the end of the 1st century CE. The longest chapter of the satirical book is a description of a banquet hosted by Trimalchio, a freed slave who has become immensely wealthy.

Although Petronius’ motives are controversial, it’s impossible to read the banquet description without thinking of  life in our own culture during the last few years. Generally, the banquet satirizes the excesses of the nouveau riche. Eerily, like dining trends in our own time, Trimalchio is interested in changing the form of food, dressing up offal and turning dining into theater. He’s even into local food – it’s all from his own estates – and he psychologizes dining by pairing his guests with dishes appropriate to their astrological sign.

It is a measure of our time that we observe most of these same phenomena and, with rare exception, regard them only as completely positive, undeserving of even mild critical scrutiny. But I’m taking my cue from Petronius for citing some of the most dubious dining trends of late.

Continue reading Grazing: The Satyricon and modern dining.

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MULTICULTURAL: The eclectic menu at Skewerz Pizza K

I’ve long maintained that a review, no matter how many times a critic visits a restaurant, is a snapshot in time. Things can change overnight. There are exceptions, of course. Fine-dining restaurants often maintain quality despite changes in ownership and kitchen staff.

An example of the latter is the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, where Guenter Seeger began his career in Atlanta, then moved on to open Seeger’s. Woodfire Grill, opened by owner/chef Michael Tuohy, has maintained the same quality since Tuohy’s departure for California. Ditto, or largely so, for Joël after the departure of Joël Antunes for New York.

But smaller restaurants can easily be derailed by the same kinds of changes that big-monied venues take in stride. Then, too, there’s the problem of getting a thorough experience of a restaurant’s menu. This is especially difficult for me, since I’m usually writing first impressions or investigating a particular classification of food.

Continue reading “Grazing: Skewerz, take two”

(Photo by James Camp)

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RAGUN CAJUN: The crispy fried catfish at Crawfish Shack Seafood

One morning, we are all going to wake up and find that we have turned the same color. A post-racial world will eliminate a significant portion of Americans’ conflicts. Until then, there is Buford Highway.

For at least 25 years, the road has been transitioning to an intense multicultural enclave best known for its ethnically diverse restaurants. Stop a moment to ponder the role of dining in the diminishment of ethnocentrism. Every visit to Buford Highway is an opportunity to cross a cultural boundary. Dining on delicious, unfamiliar ethnic food is a serious step toward the realization that ethnocentrism and racism not only oppress other people, they also limit our experience of much of the world’s beauty.

During the decades of Buford Highway’s transition, I’ve watched the cultural diversity blend ever more. It’s not just a matter of an authentic Chinese restaurant now. A few years ago, for example, I went to a Mexican restaurant that specializes in Chinese cooking. (A fist fight erupted while I was there.) My understanding is that there’s a restaurant in another area of town that features Indian-style Italian cooking.

Continue reading “Grazing: Cajun spice at Crawfish Shack Seafood”

(Photo by James Camp)

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ATMOSPHERIC: The rack of lamb at Atmosphere

“Have you seen Julie & Julia?” our server asked us as we took our seat at Atmosphere (1620 Piedmont Ave., 678-702-1620).

We explained that we had seen the film about Julia Child the day before and that it was, in fact, our inspiration to dine there. Atmosphere has consistently ranked among the best French restaurants in our city.

“You’re not alone,” the server, Andrew, replied. He explained that business had been booming since the film opened. I looked around the dining room and noted to Wayne that it wasn’t exactly a young crowd. It was more like … our age.

Like most Baby Boomers, I grew up with a mother who watched Julia Child’s cooking program on public TV. Michael Pollan recently argued in a New York Times magazine essay that Child, unlike TV’s current celebrity chefs, distinguished herself by actually teaching people how to cook. The Food Network’s chefs, Pollan wrote, mainly serve as performers. They cater to people’s love of eating, whereas Child catered to what Pollan identifies as the natural but disappearing love of cooking itself.

Continue reading “Grazing: The French connection”

(Photo by James Camp)

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DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: The bar area at Rí Rá Irish Pub

Remember when Vickery’s was the only restaurant on Crescent Avenue in Midtown? It was considered an edgy location — the kind of place that magnetized urban hipsters, resplendent in black and redolent of cannabis. It was a great scene. Later, South City Kitchen opened on Crescent and attracted a more serious foodie crowd.

Now, more than 25 years since Vickery’s opened, the street has become the backside of the explosive high-rise development along Peachtree Street that real estate people call the Midtown Mile. It starts with the mixed use 1010 Midtown building, whose rear is home to three restaurants: Noon, RA Sushi and Rí Rá Irish Pub (1080 Peachtree St., 404-477-1700).

Rí Rá  is catty-corner to the new Joia (1100 Crescent Ave., 404-537-5000), which occupies one of the older buildings on Vickery’s side of the street. It has been opened by Marco Betti, owner of Antica Posta in Buckhead. Rí Rá is part of a large national chain. The two restaurants are, naturally, vastly different.

Continue reading Grazing

(Photo by James Camp)

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ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER PIZZA: The margherita at Max's Coal Oven Pizzeria

As soon as we walked through the door at Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria (300 Marietta St., 404-974-2941), several staff members shouted “Hi, guys! Welcome!”

I’m not sure if it was my response — looking around to see who they were yelling at — or their own discomfort with apparently being trained to impersonate Moe’s employees, but the bubbly enthusiasm quickly diminished. I was relieved. Contrived effervescence makes me hostile.

Max’s is yet another project of the gigantic Concentrics Restaurants group. In fact, it’s located next to Stats, the company’s sports bar. Wayne, being a statistical analyst, prefers to call it “the flagship of Atlanta’s burgeoning statistics community.” It’s located in a turn-of-the-last-century building with lots of brick and warehouse ambiance. It was doing quite a brisk business when we visited on a Sunday night, especially with large family groups.

Our server, John H., let us know that the restaurant features Georgia’s first coal-burning pizza oven. This actually is kind of a big deal. Coal ovens are popular in New York City where many regard them as essential since they reach a temperature of 1,000 degrees. John explained that the super-hot oven produces the blistery, charred crust that pizza aficionados crave. Or perhaps not everyone craves that. “I like to warn people that the crust is going to be kind of black,” John said.

Continue reading “Grazing: First look at Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria”

(Photo by James Camp)

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Both Cliff and I have given in and are Twittering. You can find us at @CliffBostock and @BeshaRodell respectively.

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COMFORT ZONE: The boneless beef shortrib with horseradish cottage cheese at Serpas

“May I see your ID?” our server, Jason, asked.

Wayne and I looked at one another, incredulous. “Are you kidding?” I asked. We were paying for our meal — not buying alcohol — and in more than 20 years of reviewing restaurants and paying with a credit card, I’ve never been asked for my ID.

Jason grimaced and said, no, he wasn’t kidding. We handed him our IDs and he studied them closely, comparing them to our credit cards. Then he announced that all was well. Yay! We got to pay for our meals and we didn’t have to go to jail!

We were at the newly opened Serpas (659 Auburn Ave., 404-688-0040) in the mixed-use Studioplex in the Old Fourth Ward, which has become a favorite location for new restaurants. This may be the most ambitious undertaking in the neighborhood so far. (more…)

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Now it can be told – the true story of my feelings about Shaun Doty’s cooking.

Don’t worry, there’s nothing really negative about it. I have enjoyed Doty’s work ever since he was chef at Mumbo Jumbo. That restaurant, you’ll recall, had Guenter Seeger on board as consulting chef. Doty had worked for Seeger when he was chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.

After Doty left the Dining Room, he landed at restaurants in France and Belgium, then returned to the States. After two gigs elsewhere, he returned to run the kitchen at Mumbo Jumbo at Seeger’s behest. He then went on to open MidCity Cuisine, then Table 1280, and in 2006, Shaun’s (1029 Edgewood Ave., 404-577-4358) in Inman Park. I believe he has shared ownership in all of these restaurants except Table 1280.

So, Doty has a resume nearly as giddy as Richard Blais’, and I used to make the same complaint about him as others currently lodge against Blais — that he never stayed anywhere long enough to get really focused. Doty has a rep as something of a society dude, often showing up in pictures of convocations of the beautiful people. His restaurants have always seemed to attract that crowd and, knowing their insatiable taste for the nouveau, I’ve wondered if Doty’s peripatetic resume is a reflection of that.

Read the rest of this article here.

(Photo by James Camp)

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It was Wayne’s idea. After eating veal recently, I had my usual attack of guilt. As I told him, I didn’t eat veal for ethical reasons for more than 10 years. He said he doesn’t feel right about eating meat of any type much of the time.

“Why don’t we experiment and not eat meat for a week?” he said.

“Well,” I said, “I have decided to stop eating pasta and bread, so that would be difficult.”

Boy howdy. We could have eaten every meal at Dynamic Dish and been quite happy. But part of the initial plan, besides staying within our usual intown dining zones, was to go to our regular haunts that serve meat. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, nearly every restaurant these days offers “vegetarian options.” I never order these, unless it’s a straightforward salad, so I thought this would be an opportunity to experiment.

Read the rest of this article here.

(Photo by James Camp)

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