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.
Relative to an earlier post in which I mentioned Nam, I got this e-mail today from owner Alex Kinjo, who also owns MF Buckhead:
It’s been an eventful year for the Kinjo brothers, as MF Buckhead’s grand
opening has demanded their full meticulousness. After ensuring the concept¹s
success and unveiling their final touch, the Omakase room, a luxurious
private dining area for an exclusive, culinary experience, owner Alex Kinjo
returns to his brainchild of the MF series: Nam.Located in the center of Midtown, Nam has captured the hearts of neighbors
and dining veterans alike with its authentic Vietnamese cuisine fused with
the modern zeitgeist of American fine dining. Deciding to further this
congenial concept by taking advantage of its bustling Midtown Promenade
location, Alex Kinjo extends both affordability and accessibility by adding
a new lunch menu and items such as traditional Vietnamese pho and
sandwiches.
(For the picky, I think Alex means “bánh mì” when he says “sandwiches.” Meow.)
You’re probably already familiar with Yelp.com. It’s a great source of Zagat-like foodie reviews of local restaurants. There are also occasional reviews of those of us who write about food.
I found this, by Laura W., on Yelp’s review page for Cakes and Ale:
I feel the need to do this one justice, because I’m 90% sure we were sitting next to Creative Loafing reviewer Cliff Bostock at Cakes and Ale on Saturday night. Either that or some other middle-aged guy with his middle-aged male partner taking pictures of every course. But I digress.
Sigh. This is what life comes to, people. As your youth swims down the toilet, you’re just another “middle-aged guy” with a camera.
Actually, I do remember Laura and her boyfriend. They looked very young. In fact, still being hungry after the rather light meal, I wanted to bite their sweet, young necks.
I continue to get mainly good reports about Cakes and Ale, by the way. If you haven’t tried it, go soon….
This, by Kit F, was on Yelp’s review page for Apres Diem:
Cliff Bostock from the Loaf consistently says it’s the best looking wait staff…huh? Maybe for a blind person who has an Oompa Loompa fetish. But what does Cliffy know, he plays for the other team! ;)
A European Vacation this is not…but you’ll still find Clark Griswold sucking down a cold one or nibbling on a pee pee sammie. I have supported Andy’s Apres/Carpe Diem for years. From the DJ’s to the dishwashers. But throughout the years, this European cafe has trickled down to Euro Trash central. Who knew there were that many of them in Atlanta?! I think they’re coming here to steal our wimmen and me Lucky Charms!
Hey, I have played for both teams, which puts me ahead of you, experience-wise, Kit. (In another post, Kit alleges that the new MF Buckhead has the hottest staff in town.)…
Ivan S. has a very funny review of Popeyes Fried Chicken on Yelp. The Boulevard/Ponce location closed recently after a fire. Among Ivan’s notations:
Back in the olden days when I lived off of Ponce, I frequented the Ponce Popeye’s, surrounded as I was by crackheads, shemale prostitutes, and masochistic chicken addicts. I’d stop by for my weekly helping of spicy chicken served up with a generous side of abuse. But now that Ponce is no longer a daily journey for me (and the Ponce Popeye’s most likely set aflame by a deranged Cliff Bostock), I satisfy my craving at the Windy Hill location.
Hurrah! I’m a deranged, middle-aged, gay arsonist! Hurrah!
(Image of middle-aged vampire after dining at Cakes and Ale from Harbor Haunt.)
Not to quibble, but to clarify (I do love the opportunity to clarify), I wanted to explain our process in light of a comment made on my recent MF Buckhead review. A reader commented, in response to my complaints about some service issues, “You also forget to mention that this restaurant has only been open a couple of months and I have no doubt that your review was done in its very early days.”
We do have a policy regarding how long we wait before a review can be done. Often, my colleague Cliff Bostock will do a first look at a restaurant right after it opens, but we always make sure to say that it is a first look, not a formal review. For the formal review, I wait a month before I even set foot in the place. I visit multiple times, spread out over the course of a couple of weeks. It is not a perfect system, but we strive to find a balance between fairness to the new restaurant and getting our review out there in a timely manner. However, I would never write a review based on experiences had in the first few weeks of operation.
I wrote pretty much a rave review of MF Buckhead this week but I’ve been reading complaints here and there about the new sushi restaurant. Many of the complaints focus on the breathtaking prices. Honestly, to eat your fill here and knock back some sake, you can expect to spend $100 a person.
Among the complainers is Christiane Lauterbach of Atlanta magazine and publisher of Knife and Fork, where she wrote in the November issue:
It isn’t our style to complain about the price in a sushi restaurant and we usually blast people who are unaware of how expensive sashimi-grade fish is, but do we really want to pay $18 for three thin rounds of ankimo (monkfish liver) or three miniscule cubes of tuna in a fancy marmalade?
She also had some not-so-good food. This wouldn’t be the first time I had a good meal at a restaurant that ended up displeasing many others. Keep in mind that most of my Grazing reports are first impressions. But try it for yourself and let me hear your opinions …
Loca Luna is closing in its present location on Sixth Street and Juniper and moving to the site of the former Red Light Cafe on Amsterdam Avenue. This is good news for those who like convenient parking …
The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the first such organization in the United States, is holding its 10th annual community awards dinner at the Georgia Aquarium at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, 2008. Log onto its site for full details …
Othe Kendrick writes: “In the early ’90s, there existed a stand in the food court of Greenbriar Mall named Puffin Muffin. They were known for stuffed/filled cornbread muffins, particularly the signature concoction filled with collard greens and country ham. Does anyone know what happened to the cook or, more importantly, the recipes?”
Wow, I haven’t thought about Puffin Muffin in years. As I vaguely recall, you could buy them in Emory Village, too. I think they were around well before the ’90s, though. If anyone can help Othe out, reply in the comments section, please …
Question: Speaking of collards, why are they suddenly showing up on every menu in town? I ate them recently at the Vinings Inn and Agave. I’m not complaining. I love them and I enjoy seeing what different restaurants do with the iconic Southern greens. But why have they become a fad? Who started it?
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.
