Hot Dish Review

Talk about memories. Pura Vida is one of those restaurants that has stood the test of time for me. The scene of many dates, meeting of friends, and countless pitchers of sangria. It was where me and AD used to hang out with a pack of cigarettes back in the day when you could still smoke in public.

Chef and owner Hector Santiago was one of three Atlanta chefs competing on last season’s Top Chef, and although he went home relatively early, it surely garnered him and the restaurant some appreciated publicity.

The menu has undergone many changes over the years. Originally, Puerto Rican tapas dominated, now it is an amalgam of Latin flavors. Some dishes, like the garlicky mushrooms, the malanga root chips, and the chicken empanadas, are mainstays. The hanger steak pinchos is another, although Santiago has revised the presentation. I always order it and it was among the few tapas ST and I shared for a late night dinner Saturday. Chunks of tender steak are skewered and grilled, then drizzled with a punchy cilantro chimichurri.

Another staple is the sangria. Pura Vida serves both white and red, the best in town! The white sangria is full of fruits like pear, grapefruit, and apple while the red has grapes, orange, and apple, all liquor soaked. I always request lots of fruit and eat it out of my glass with a spoon. Our server, Nathan (or was it Andrew?) was efficient and cute.

Since it was ST’s first visit to Pura Vida and, like, my 50th, I wanted him to try some of my favorites. It had been a while since I had the coctel de camerones. The updated version is called diablo shrimp coctel….same basic ingredients of butternut squash, a creamy sauce and a hot sauce. Still awesome.

My all-time favorite dish is the duck maduros, plantains layered with duck meat. Santiago took it off the menu for quite some time, much to my dismay. Then it was back. Now it has evolved into the duck confit with caramelized plantains. OK, can’t complain! It is basically the same flavor as the duck maduros, a lusty combination of gamey duck and sweet plantains.

For a while, chef explored Latino variations on foie gras, creative, expensive, pretty damn good. These days he is back to basics. the little pork and ham sandwiches called mi media noche (midnight snack) and the burrito are prime examples. A few years ago he began offering goat, slow cooked in coconut milk with green banana mash. It is delicious, although the mash could use more flavor.

The atmosphere is festive. I usually enjoy sitting at the bar but it was late so ST and I snuggled in a booth which usually require a reservation, or at least a wait. Thanks Pura Vida for yet another great memory.

656 N. Highland Ave. 404-870-9797 www.puravidatapas.com

For me, the true test at any Mediterranean restaurant is the babaganoush, a traditional dip made with roasted eggplant, tahini, and garlic. It should be smooth with an intense smoky flavor. Naturally, babaganoush was the first thing I ordered for ST and I to share at Truva recently.

Rather than standard pita, Truva makes their own “pida” which was served with the babaganoush. Although texturally pleasing, there just wasn’t quite enough smokiness in the dip for my taste.

The new Turkish restaurant is located in the downtown spot vacated by Steak and Ale. There is a cheap parking lot right next door, so it’s convenient for dinner as well as lunch for local office workers.

A modern Mediterranean decor is made cozy with warm red accents, fireplaces, and plush booths perfect for sneaking a kiss from your date in between sips of wine. Owner Muzo Saritas assisted us in selecting a bottle of wine from their mostly Greek and Turkish list. ST and I ordered a bottle of spicy red although I think we ended up with a Napa cab. Sip, kiss, sip, kiss….delish.

Truva promises to “seduce your senses” with their sexy ambiance and even sexier entertainment. We nibbled on meze as the belly dancer swirled through the dining room in her gold costume to authentic music.

I know Mediterranean food is healthy. No creamy, buttery sauces to mask the robust flavors. Yet somehow, I find it a bit boring. It’s always a combo of the same ingredients…..olives, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Lamb, which can often be tough, dominates the meats. So I usually order something with ground lamb. Here, we tried the hot meze of minced lamb, beef, and herbs wrapped in phyllo dough and flash fried. A fresh salad with all the standard components, including feta cheese, provided a nice accompaniment to the heavy appetizer. So far, not thrilling.

But Truva’s shrimp casserole was awesome! Huge, perfectly cooked shrimp were baked with peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes beneath a bubbly mozzarella topping. Honestly, I would not have ordered it had the menu mentioned the tomatoes since I have an aversion to seafood with tomatoes (otherwise I love them, weird huh?), but that would have been a shame….we loved it!

Truva offers the standard selection of meze like grape leaves and falafel plus flatbread pizzas, kebabs, and entrees. Me and ST tried the lamb kebab, similar to kefta I’ve had many times, made with chopped lamb, peppers, onions, and paprika, skewered and grilled. Their version was enormous! Almost a loaf and served atop plain rice, the flavor was good although I wish it would have been a bit spicier. We also got the tender and flavorful beef tenderloin kebabs, cooked medium rare.

Our server, Joseph, was full of Turkish trivia, dispensed with a thick accent. He ran down the list of desserts. We chose the Kazandibi, a dense custard, reminiscent of flan, sprinkled liberally with cinnamon.

ST ordered a Turkish coffee. Potent stuff, it was served in a tiny espresso cup. Joseph explained that one’s future can be read from the pattern left by the grinds by turning the cup over onto its saucer. Unfortunately, the psychic that is usually there was absent the evening of our visit. Too bad, I’m sure it would have been a dramatic reading for ST!

Truva is located at 60 Andrew Young International Blvd. 404-577-8788 www.truvaatlanta.com

The promise of drunken comraderie is as much of a draw at ginormous sports bars as are the games. Taco Mac leads the way, with their extensive beer list, better than average bar food, plus tacos (naturally), and other Southwestern fare.

But the name belies the origin of this chain which originally began as a pub in the Virginia Highlands. A couple of guys from Buffalo, NY wanted to bring authentic Buffalo wings to Atlanta. Lacking funds, they chose a run-down taco stand, kept it’s original name, and soon customers were coming from all over town to try their famous wings.

Last Sunday me and ST met a couple of his buddies at the Taco Mac at The Prado for the Saints and Vikings playoff game. MT, the ladies man, and RC, the happily married nice guy.

After a treacherous drive in a torrential downpour, we were ready for a beer or three. Me and ST started off with Guinness. I always like to try something less pedestrian when there is an impressive selection like Taco Mac’s, so I ordered a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout. Served in a special glass, it was thick and rich with notes of coffee and chocolate.

And I was also ready for some food. Men love wings. Not sure why but they all do. Taco Mac serves seven flavors, from the mild Lemon Pepper to one simply called Death. MT, clearly a pussy, got some Lemon Pepper with his steak and onion rings, while the rest of us shared twenty pieces of the Three Mile Island, the fifth level of heat intensity. And hot they were! Cooled down with celery sticks dipped in chunky blue cheese dressing, these wings flew out of their basket, along with the thick and crispy onion rings.

It would simply be wrong to not get a couple of tacos at Taco Mac, right? I couldn’t resist the Los Cabos Fish Tacos since me and ST will be going there in July. Blackened tilapia with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo were wrapped in soft flour tortillas. They were fishy. But the fries served with them were decent.

We washed it all down with multiple Miller Lites, Sierra Nevadas, and Heinekens as New Orleans continually matched Minnesota’s score, making for an exciting game. We left during the fourth quarter and I was sure we’d miss the end but when we got home, the score was 28 all in overtime. A 40 yard field goal decided the game, sending the Saints to the Superbowl.

There is something for everyone at Taco Mac including salads, burgers, burritos, wraps, and a kid’s menu. But you gotta get some wings! Next time, I’ll try Death.

Winter is a great time to hibernate with your honey. Although it wasn’t very cold, me and ST decided to stay in and snuggle up to a couple of bottles of red wine, an organic rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, and some homemade mac & cheese.

In honor of the Australian Open, we picked up a bottle of 2006 Australian red called Yard Dog. It’s a blend of petit verdot, cab, and merlot with a really cool label and a screw top. Pretty tasty. We ended up opening the bottle of 2007 Volver tempranillo I already had purchased, despite its unattractive label, at Ansley Kroger (the best wine store in Atlanta, by the way).

I had pulled a couple of mac ‘n’ cheese recipes out of magazines over the last few months, some with three cheeses, others with cream cheese, ham and spices. There were so many variations it was hard to come up with a solid recipe. I ended up loosely basing mine on a three-cheese pasta bake from Southern Living.

Thankfully, there are no photos of the process….not a pretty sight. It was quite a fiasco. The cheese sauce was absolutely delicious, prior to baking. However, once baked, the dish was rather dry. Maybe more sauce, less pasta? (I only used 3/4 of the pasta that I cooked). Maybe eat it without baking it? Here’s the recipe. let me know if you have a solution to the dry outcome!

SMOKY HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE

4 oz. macaroni
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup grated fontina
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated smoked gouda
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
pinch of cayenne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions, al dente. Grease two 6″ individual casserole dishes with cooking spray or butter.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cooking for one minute. Gradually whisk in milk and continue cooking 3-5 minutes. Stir in the three cheeses, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Add cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat, then pour into the individual casserole dishes. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes.

That’s it! I wanted to put bacon in it but didn’t have any (what the fuck, no bacon?). Anyway, the flavor was great. Also, I wanted to use an interesting pasta like cellentani but ended up with regular elbows….I’m sure penne or shells would be a good choice too.

Maybe the mac & cheese didn’t turn out exactly like I expected but I was with ST and that’s always delicious.

A worthy cause, news from Molly at The Reynolds Group:

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Haiti, restaurateurs Andy Alibaksh and Arnaud Michel of Amuse!, Anis and the Café Diem family of restaurants (Après Diem, Carpe Diem, Village Pizza and Carroll Street Café) are hosting a special dine out to aid in the Haiti relief effort. Atlantans are encouraged to dine at any of these restaurants on Tuesday, January 26, during which the restaurants will donate 20 percent of each guest’s bill to the relief agency Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization which provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect or catastrophe. Reservations for Tuesday, January 26 to benefit Haiti relief can be made by contacting the restaurants directly:

Amuse!
560 Dutch Valley Road
Atlanta, GA 30324
404.888.4890

Anis Café and Bistro
2974 Grandview Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30305
404.233.9889

Apres Diem
931 Monroe Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30308
404.872.3333

Carpe Diem
105 Sycamore Place
Decatur, GA 30030
404.687.9696

Carroll Street Café
208 Carroll Street SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
404.577.2700

Village Pizza
186 Carroll Street SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
404.586.0040

What could be better on a snowy winter’s night than rustic, organic comfort food? Miller Union delivers as the Westside’s newest darling. The much-anticipated project from Neal McCarthy, former Sotto Sotto manager, and Steven Satterfield, former sous chef at Watershed, serves up locally sourced veggies and proteins, giving the dishes an automatic Southern appeal, with a modern twist.

Of course, I had already checked out the menu in advance. Several magic words appeared…..rabbit, brussel sprouts, bread pudding. B agreed to join me despite the slick driving conditions. We each warmed up with a spicy glass of Maurodos Prima Tinto de Toro from Spain.

The restaurant is divided into several sections, each with a farmhouse decor and simple seating. Our table was one of four in a secluded alcove, with minimal embellishment and dark walls. Even on this wintery night, the place was packed.

Neal himself brought out a snack of feta cheese and three different varieties of radish to dip. B and I settled on three appetizers. Funny how we always agree on what to order! We both wanted to try the melted cabbage and mushroom toast and the Sapelo Island clams with bacon, fennel and parsley. I insisted, mostly due to the rave reviews, on ordering the farm egg baked in celery cream. Our server finally delivered some bread which we demolished while casually chatting about sex and plastic surgery.

Along came the melted cabbage and mushroom toast, which became unfortunately mushy due to its toppings. Nice flavor but no contest next to the clams. Bacon and fennel created a memorable combination. But damn! The egg baked in celery cream was some serious culinary genius. Served with crunchy toasted rustic bread for dipping, the yolk was soft and creamy, not runny. Don’t even think about not ordering it.

Rabbit. Need I say more? Slow braised and served atop wild mushrooms and grits. Slightly stringy and a bit gamey, B and I loved the braised bunny. I can’t imagine how much cream and butter were in the grits but suffice it to say, they were rich.

We also shared the White Oak beef ribeye, medium rare, which was juicy and tender. The creamed turnips provided a pleasantly bitter compliment paired with the sweet grilled vidalias. Plus a side of, you guessed it, brussels sprouts, which I believe were sauteed in bacon drippings.

More wine. Time for desserts. Yes, plural, because we had three! A rustic pear tart was simple and good, served with sugar and spice ice cream. But the aforementioned rum raisin bread pudding stole the show! Dense and rich. B wanted to try the trio of herb ice creams….thyme, rosemary, and sage. Interesting. I liked the sage the best but thought the other two were overpowering.

B and I made our ways home on the treacherous icy streets, stuffed with Satterfield’s comfort food, ready for a long winter’s nap.

So I’ve got all this leftover bread from Bakeshop. Time to whip up some more comfort food! Bread pudding is one of my favorite decadent desserts. There are lots of variations so I’m loosely basing mine on Ed Brown’s recipe from his recent Today Show segment.

I froze the date walnut maple loaf for just this reason! Checking out several other recipes I decided to combine them and came up with this:

RUSTIC BREAD PUDDING

4 thick slices of any crusty loaf, cut into 1″ cubes
2 C. 2% milk
2 whole Omega 3 eggs plus one white, beaten
1/2 C. golden raisins
1/3 C. turbinado sugar
1 packet no-calorie sweetener
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Combine milk, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and whisk until frothy. Add bread cubes, allowing them to soak up the milk mixture for about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 5″ individual ramekins or 1 8″X8″ casserole dish and evenly distribute bread and custard mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip!

Damn, that’s good.

While writing about Jonathan St. Hilaire’s newest venture, Bakeshop, I was drooling over the menu. One of the breakfast dishes is Eggs Al Forno. Although there was a description, I was unfamiliar with it so I googled it. Turns out it is an egg (or two) baked in an individual casserole dish on top of bread and cheese….how could it go wrong?

With so much bread leftover from my weekend visit to Bakeshop, the ciabatta was begging to be used for a savory breakfast. I found a recipe online, made a few minor revisions based upon what was in the fridge, and voila! Eggs al Forno. It was scrumptious and simple, here’s how:

EGGS AL FORNO

2 eggs (1 omega 3, 1 regular)
1 thick slice ciabatta (or other bread)
1 oz. gruyere, sliced and diced
1/4 C. grated parmesan
1 scallion, chopped, to taste
olive oil
ground pepper and salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly oil individual casserole dish with spray. Place bread at the bottom and drizzle with a little olive oil. Scatter the gruyere, most of the parmesan, and the scallions on top of the bread. break the eggs in a bowl. I used the whole Omega 3 egg and just the white from the “regular” one, but you can use two whole eggs if you prefer. Pour the eggs onto the bread and cheese and top with the remaining parmesan, freshly ground pepper and a dash of salt. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes.

Be careful, it will come out sizzling! The yolk will be soft but set. Serve with bacon, berries, and coffee. Enjoy!

Exclusive, invitation only dinner parties held in off-the-wall locations like artist’s lofts, fashionable penthouses, and on farms (local and sustainable are chic!), all announced at the last minute to attendees that have prepaid for a five course dinner with wine pairings.

Sounds exciting, no? A few groups are doing this hot concept including The FourCoursemen in Athens with a cult culinary following among foodies. Dinner Party is the latest bloom on this flower, the brainchild of Darren Carr and Patrick La Bouff of Top Flr. Chef Shane Devereux creates the menu for these secret suppers.

Just like the location, the menu is always a surprise, revealed at the last minute as diners arrive. I finally checked out their website, then ran into Patrick the very next day at Bakeshop. There were hints of some pretty exhilarating meals ahead.

Sample menus have included ponzu marinated cobia, and chestnut and foie gras stuffed poissin with mushroom ragu and apple. Hopefully my next report will be first hand. Sounds orgasmic. But what do I know? I had chocolate chip cookies (and dough) for dinner!

While Jonathan was packaging up 50 loaves of bread and Brodie was putting multiple pastries and tarts in a box for me to take home my Mom called. She was watching a show on the seven deadly sins, the current segment was on Gluttony. Thanks Mom. Gluttony is my job, hell it’s even on my business card!

After a terrific lunch at Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s brick and mortar venture with the folks at Concentrics, I headed home with a haul of breads, pastries, and a mini quiche to sample. I needed back-up so I called my neighbor/roommate LG.

Once again, I put out some cheeses and unwrapped the breads….country sourdough, date walnut maple, a bacon baguette, a French baguette, and ciabatta. OK, so I exaggerated a little bit, it was only 5 not 50. We tried each one with some butter, cheese, and traditional accompaniments like dried figs, honey, almonds, and olives, and a bottle of Marquis Philips shiraz.

I liked the bacon baguette but the overwhelming favorite was the ciabatta. It was crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside. I melted some gruyere on toasted slices this morning with my fried egg and bacon breakfast.

To be honest, the dominent flavor of the date walnut loaf was orange, which was a little baffling. I was expecting some chunks of dates and walnuts but could not find any. I think it will make a good bread pudding, however, and will post that experimental recipe when I get the urge to make it.

The quiche had a lot of an herb that I still am unsure of…..dried basil? It over-powered the delicate egg and cheese but was not a total failure. We devoured the flaky croissant with a smudge of almond paste inside. The chocolate graham tart had a thick pudding-like consistency topped with crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, but I didn’t detect any graham.

Our favorite sweet? The pistachio apricot tart, with a flavor and texture reminiscent of marzipan, it was a real winner. And it was cute too…..green with the candied apricot on top, it looked like a sunny side-up egg.

My Mom’s call got me thinking about the seven deadly sins. What are the other six? With the New Year upon us I thought it would be wise to see if I was guilty of any so I googled them. The other six deadly sins are Vanity (check), Envy (check), Wrath (check), Greed (check), Sloth, and Lust (double check). I don’t know about you but I’m obviously going to hell.

So I took down my pagan Christmas tree and rewarded my effort with the remaining chocolate croissant. It was flaky and full of melted chocolate. Maybe I’ll make a BLT on the ciabatta for dinner. Honey, I’ve got bread for days, for weeks even….come on over and make yourself a samich!

Bakeshop 903 Peachtree Street 404-892-9322 www.bakeshopatl.com