Omnivore Atlanta

I lunched with three friends at Star Provisions today. The place was packed inside and out and we had quite a wait in line. I ordered this bánh mì, the popular Vietnamese sandwich of a crunchy baguette stuffed with pickled vegetables, cilantro and meat — braised pork in this case.

The sandwich was utterly delicious but the cost, $12, was  bit of a shock, considering that you can buy these on Buford Highway for a couple of bucks (though not usually made with meat of this quality). With a side of pickled beets and a bottled soft drink, my tab was about $18.

I tried to spend more by purchasing a few cookies before we left. However, the slowest sales clerk I have encountered in a long time was working the cash register alone. I finally bailed, figuring it would be better not to eat cookies, anyway.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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Every few months, my sister and I inevitably find ourselves debating which three cuisines we could eat for the rest of our lives if we had to choose. Typing it makes the whole thing seem ridiculous since I can’t fathom a scenario where we would need to do so. But the debate is always interesting because our choices evolve as we broaden our food horizons. Yeah, we are food-obsessed weirdos.

Although my sister and I tend to have wildly different tastes and appetites (I am always snacking while she is more regimented in her meal times), we both, without fail, rank Japanese in the highest position. Japanese food has everything you could want. Raw. Fried. Stewed. Steamed. Grilled. Sautéed. The list goes on and on. The ingredients are handled with reverence. Precision is of the utmost importance. And the flavors and presentation are simple, but stunning.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but Atlanta has accumulated quite the assortment of Japanese restaurants. People think San Francisco is rife with Japanese cuisine. But let me tell you something: I lived in San Francisco and it has nothing on Atlanta. My mind actually races with indecision when I have to choose a spot because there are so many options–Sushi House Hayakawa, Yakitori Jinbei, Shoya Izakaya, Taka, Tomo, Hashiguchi Junior and Nakato just to name a few of my favorites. We. Are. Lucky. And now, I found another Japanese spot to add to my rotation, Ege Sushi and Japanese Cuisine.

Continue reading about Ege at Blissfulglutton.com

(Photo of Ege’s special menu by Jennifer Zyman)

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LUNCH CRUNCH: Should Georgia's prisoners get lunch every day?

Georgia prisons are getting national attention this morning for their initiative to save money by not giving prisoners lunch three days a week. According to an Associated Press article running in some major newspapers today, prisoners in Georgia will still get the same amount of calories every day (2,800 for men and 2,300 for women), but now won’t get lunch on Fridays – in addition to Saturdays and Sundays, when state prisoners have been lunch-less for years now. Instead, they’ll get bigger portions at breakfast and dinner on those days.

As the fifth-largest prison system in the nation, the Georgia Department of Corrections has seen some major budget cuts within the last fiscal year, and they have to make up for the difference any way they can. And at a time when Georgia has a child food insecurity rate of almost 20 percent, it’s hard to decide just who deserves a free and healthy lunch every day.

Opponents of the prison lunch cut back say it increases violence in prisons because inmates become disgruntled as food becomes a hot commodity. The AP pulled up reports of inmate assaults through an open records request for their story and found that reports of inmate assaults have increased “substantially” in Georgia prisons for fiscal year 2009 over the previous year. However, it is unclear if there is any connection between the assaults and the lack of lunch.

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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I got a text this afternoon from Jennifer Zyman that a new sandwich place had opened behind Octane called Tiny Bistro (1039 Marietta St. 404-745-9561). So I went to check it out. It’s owned by the folks who run Figs & Honey catering, and serves sandwiches, sides and to-go entrees. Jen (who also passes on the helpful tip that Octane has 15% off coupons for Tiny Bistro) will bring us more info in an upcoming Cheap Eats column.

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I’m sure I’m the last foodie in Atlanta to make it to Trois (1180 Peachtree St., 404-815-3337). It’s one of those cases where everybody else reviewed it so thoroughly and positively that I kept putting off going. But I finally made it there for lunch Monday with my friend Jeff.

There’s no doubt about it: The restaurant deserves description as one of the city’s best. It’s not often that I rave about a salad, but this watercress salad (top photo) was amazing, made with roasted piquillos and socca (little rectangles of fried chickpea flour you find everywhere in Provence), served with a light, herbal dressing. Like much good food, it immediately set me to daydreaming, remembering my aunt, who used to grow watercress on the banks of the stream that ran through her yard outside Philadelphia. Yep, we used to eat little watercress sandwiches on white bread with the crust removed — just like Mr. Drysdale’s wife on the “Beverly Hillbillies.”

Jeff had French onion soup and, for an entree, perfect roasted chicken (left). My own entree was beef bourguignon — small chunks of beef with bacon and noodles (above right). The diet plate. Not. I couldn’t eat but half of it, since I was determined to have dessert — cheesecake sorbet with mango chutney, pineapple gelee and coconut crumble (above left). Jeff had a lemon tart with a blueberry creme fraiche sorbet.

I could hardly move after eating so much. It ain’t cheap, about $57 for two with no alcohol. Of course, you don’t have to eat three courses in the middle of the day. The menu here changes daily, by the way.

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