Omnivore Atlanta

What is it? It’s a roasted-pork bánh mì from Nam. I reported recently that these sandwiches had shown up, along with pho, on the lunch menu there. I picked one up today and found the restaurant fairly crowded at 1:15 p.m. with only one person working the door and tables. She was clearly flustered, running from table to table.

The sandwich was tasty. While it’s a bit more substantial and definitely fresher than most of the Vietnamese sandwiches you find on Buford Highway, it does cost significantly more — $6.50, compared to under $3 at many places in the burbs. There’s also one made with chicken. I’ll return to sample the pho, of which there are four varieties available.

Some weirdness: Prices of other lunch dishes are very confusing. On the menu flier I picked up, more than a few of the lunch dishes are more expensive than the same dishes on the dinner menu. I have no idea. …

Thursday was a good-eating day. My friend Christopher Howe and I went to Star Provisions. He had a baguette with prosciutto and butter and I had the day’s special, roasted chicken with beet greens and rice. While the chicken leg and thigh had good flavor, they frankly weren’t pretty with their shriveled skin (served over quite tepid rice). Since the Girl Scouts have been pounding the pavement with armfuls of cookies everywhere, I had to have a smores cupcake with marshmallow icing. You’ll want two. …

After writing a post about the forthcoming Varasano’s Pizza, I was craving pizza all day yesterday, so Wayne and I dined at Fritti. We had our usual starter of fried mushrooms with truffle oil, plus a dish of fried goat cheese with arugula salad.

Wayne ordered the pizza with cotto ham and mushrooms, while I ordered the “Toscana,” featuring bufala mozzarella, peppered salami, cherry tomatoes and rosemary.

Our server warned us that the restaurant’s new  chef, Enrico Liberato (from Naples), was using a new bufala with a quite salty edge. He wasn’t kidding. I quickly adapted but the initial bite stung. Enrico, who is young and very friendly, has made other subtle changes in the ingredients.

Fritti’s remains the best pizza in town to my palate. Moreover, it doesn’t cost much more than most others. We both marveled at the intensity of flavors — from toppings to the dough itself. I can’t wait for the pizza wars to begin when Varasano’s opens.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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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.)

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I was on my own last night and, on the way home from the gym, I decided to stop at MetroFresh. I mentioned a few weeks back that I was seated next to owner Mitchell Anderson at the first of Shaun’s Sunday night pasta dinners. Mitchell mentioned that his menu had taken some interesting turns and that he was selling bread from Eli Kikove now.

I was pretty much blown away by this dish of sliced flat iron steak over roasted asparagus with a mushroom-cream sauce. I’m talking intense flavors. It was about $17 and came with a cup of corn-sausage chowder. Naturally, I had to eat a lemon cupcake from the Atlanta Cupcake Factory for dessert.

I did have a few complaints. The counter people were all nice but totally uneducated in the menu. Every time I asked a question, they had to pop into the kitchen for an answer. Also, I bought a bread stick and a square of ciabatta. I am assuming that the three days of rain were responsible for the unpleasant chewiness.

But the rest of my food was really good. The MetroFresh website credits Executive Chef Bryan Kraatz for the menu innovations. There is mention, too, that Kraatz makes a cassoulet. I want.

After dinner I took a walk next door to Nam. I was shocked to see how completely obscured it is by the new Starbucks. You can’t see it unless you happen to walk down that way. I was happy to see a sign on the window that the restaurant is now offering pho and Vietnamese sandwiches to go.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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We joined the crowd Sunday night for the launch of Shaun’s “Family Pasta Night.” For $12, we received a chopped salad, a big plate of pasta and a small cup of vanilla gelato. It really is a spectacular bargain and it’s available 5-9 p.m. every Sunday. I’ll say more in my next “Grazing” column.

As it happens we were seated next to Mitchell Anderson, the actor turned owner of MetroFresh, and his partner, Richie Arpino, owner of the city’s premier hair salon and a gifted photographer. (He declined my invitation to photograph the spaghetti and meatballs for me.)

Mitchell told me that his restaurant in Midtown Promenade is now serving and selling the bread from Holeman and Finch’s former baker. I found this on his website:

Eli Kikove Bread Company
Retail Bread Items at MetroFresh
(All items not available each day.  Call 404-724-0151 for more information on daily retail selection)
French Baguette $4
Special Baguette $6
Bone Bread $6
Special Bone Bread $8
Challah $6 (Friday Only)
Ciabatta Rolls $3/half doz
Special Rolls  $3.00/ half doz.
Pitas $1.00
Crostini $4-$6 (Special Order)
Items change daily
Special Orders accepted
Allow 48 hours

Mitchell also told me he is expanding his patio and planting an “edible garden.”

I asked Mitchell how the neighboring Nam is doing, now that a new Starbucks has been built basically in front of it, blocking the view from the street. He declined to confirm the rumor I’ve heard that the restaurant’s owners are trying to break their lease. I don’t want them to close but I don’t blame them for being pissed.

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An inquiry from a reader:

Do you remember the name of the Vietnamese place on Piedmont near Rock Springs?  Must have been 15 years ago?  What place in town now do you think has the best Vietnamese?

Does anyone remember the name of the restaurant? Frankly, I don’t even remember one there. I do remember one at the corner of Cheshire Bridge and Lenox Road that I loved. I can’t recall its name either.

The best Vietnamese is at Com, Nam and Chateau de Saigon.

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