Hot Dish Review

How do hotel restaurants do it? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service…..they constantly crank it out. Getting it done and doing it right, however, are two different things.

It is rare that I get the opportunity to have breakfast at a hotel in Atlanta. More often than not, hotel breakfasts find me in a foreign country like Spain, Mexico, or Brazil. However, after L and P’s wedding, the party continued until the wee hours at AltoRex, the rooftop lounge at the Palomar, after which everyone stumbled to their rooms. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the modern decor since most of my time there was spent asleep, wrapped up in the cloudlike duvet.

But not for long. My lucky ass had to get up early to go to work. But before I took off, LC joined me at Pacci for breakfast. It was 9:00am on a Sunday. Only two other tables were occupied. Handsome young servers greeted us with smiles. The coffee was smooth, and so was the service.

Pacci has a fun “Flip For Your Breakfast” menu. Guests that order off this only slightly abbreviated list get to call a coin toss after their meal by none other than Keira Moritz’ sous chef Aaron Love. Not only that, a portion of the cost of your meal goes to charity, regardless who pays. Classy.

One of my all-time favorite brunch items is eggs benedict. Pacci’s version is made with proscuitto, spinach, tomato slices, with the traditional Hollandaise on top of toasted English muffins. It didn’t come with anything on the side, which is fine with me. I’m not a fan of breakfast potatoes.

LC ordered two fried eggs with wheat toast. His meal did come with potatoes, but no bacon. We ordered a side to split….thick and chewy just the way I like it. If you are not lucky enough to be staying at the Palomar overnight, the bacon alone is worth the short drive for brunch!

My benedict was a solid rendition of the popular classic. I liked the slightly Italian touch with the substitution of prosciutto for the standard Canadian bacon.

It was time to try our luck with the toss of the coin. LC’s a gambler by nature so it was all or nothing. He called heads and our breakfast entrees were free! By this time several other members of the wedding party had made it downstairs to Pacci, just in time to witness LC’s lucky streak continue.

We both cleaned our plates before I sped off in the HotDish mobile. Pacci is in my Top Ten for a reason…..whatever time of day or night, they do it right!

866 W. Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402

Having already had entirely too many margaritas at a wedding party, LC and I ended up at Goin’ Coastal, lured back by their addictive watermelon jalapeno margaritas. This time we sat at the bar for drinks and a snack.

My first impressions of Goin’ Coastal were mixed at best. Neither of our favorite dishes, the cheese grits or the cornbread pudding, contained seafood….an odd fact at a seafood restaurant.

So on our follow up visit, we decided to try one thing that we missed the first time, the crab cakes. Two fat cakes came on a bed of red pepper sauce and corn. They appeared to be slightly charred, but the flavor was anything but burnt. Lots of big chunks of crab meat and little filler made them a winner.

I couldn’t pass up a repeat visit with their stellar cornbread pudding. Baked in its own ramekin, it was delivered smoldering hot, straight out of the oven. I told LC it was too hot to eat but did he listen? No, he has a burnt tongue to prove it. The savory pudding manages to be dense and light at the same time with a touch of sweetness from the corn. Love it.

There are plenty of items on the menu I haven’t tried that may further redeem Goin’ Coastal. If nothing else, you can be sure I’ll be back for the watermelon jalapeno margaritas!

1021 Virginia Avenue 404-941-9117

As a follow-up to my post of Thomas’ sorry excuse for mini wheat bagels, I purchased a bag of Kroger’s mini cinnamon raisin bagels, one of the brands that I passed up the first time.

These bagels felt like bagels, promising the dense texture one expects. Plus, I love a hot toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with lots of butter….yum!

Each mini bagel has 100 calories. But I noticed that the size of the bagels varied quite a bit among the dozen bagels within the bag. The serving size states that it is 42 grams. Curious, I got out my scale and weighed a few of them.
Some were as small as 22 grams, but most were in the mid thirties.

I was surprised to read they have no fat. But there are a slew of preservatives and “dough conditioners”.

The conclusion? The texture and flavor are far superior to Thomas’ bagels. And I like the itty-bitty size, perfect for an (almost) guilt-free snack.

When anyone asks my opinion on the best new restaurant in Atlanta, I invariably say Miller Union. Not only for its cool yet comfortable atmosphere but for its fresher than fresh local produce and chef Satterfield’s creative takes on simple Southern dishes.

I fell in love with Miller Union on my first visit with B, seduced by the fragrant broth that surrounded clams in a big white bowl, lured in by the richness of an egg baked in celery cream, comforted by the warm embrace of a rustic pear tart. Yes, every dish we had was truly stellar.

That was in the Winter. In fact, it was snowing the night we dined there. I mention this for two reasons: my folly in judging any restaurant based upon one visit is becoming evident, and I simply don’t like Summer menus nearly as much as Fall ones.

With a first meeting like that, disillusionment was sure to follow. Common sense would tell you that multiple visits to a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter, affords a more rounded experience, and therefore allows one to make a qualified assessment of the food, the wine, the service, the scene. But me, I’m the idiot that falls in love on the first date. Then I find out he is unemployed, married, stupid, or all of the above.

My second date with MU didn’t go quite as well as our first. It started off promising with an exceptional blueberry cocktail called Tangled up in Blue. Wanting to introduce my friend BB to my new love, I had high hopes that they, too, would find affection for one another.

Seasonal menus like MU’s feature local produce so naturally one finds awesomeness like apples, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts in the Fall and Winter. Likewise, Summer menus are ripe with tomatoes, corn, and okra.

There is a special place in my heart for okra. I grew up eating fried okra just picked from the garden. My grandma, who was as Southern as poke salad, taught my Mom how to make it properly. Just like fried green tomatoes, I have a real disdain for improperly cooked fried okra.

But first things first. Seated at the bar, BB and I started off with a pork terrine served with pickled okra and their fantastic toasted bread. Not terrible although BB thinks he can find a comparable terrine at Publix.

The magical farm egg baked in celery cream also awaited my lips. I took a knife and pierced its soft yellow yolk, spreading the sublime mixture on the crispy sourdough. Pure heaven.

BB and I decided to split an entree. This is where things went downhill as we noted practically every dish featured corn and/or tomatoes. Fish and tomatoes don’t work for me so that automatically eliminated all the fish dishes. As we made our way down the list, we decided upon the chicken. And God help me if it didn’t come with tomatoes too, disguised as eggplant caponata! The dish was simply prepared. Too simple.

Our side of okra literally took me aback. Chefs deserve plenty of room for creativity. I don’t expect every Southern dish to be like my Grandma’s in Tennessee, as long as it’s good. Miller Union’s okra was not good. Whole okra with a thick beige coating (only flour, no cornmeal?) was neither delicious nor authentic. As BB and I nibbled on the deep fried vegetable, he noted how the batter “skin” could be pulled off. Unfortunately I had consumed several of them prior to this discovery.

Another cocktail was ordered and consumed. BB was on his second Pimm’s Cup.

Note: check out my method for making authentic fried okra by clicking here.

Southern desserts. For me, generally unappealling like the hideous traditional banana pudding or sugar bombs like pecan pie. Miller Union offers similar atrocities: coconut cream pie, lemon layer cake. Before eyeing the dessert list I bet my left forearm (yeah, I know that’s weird) that there would be at least one peach dessert on the menu, after all, what could be more seasonal than Georgia peaches?

There was just one, peach shortcake. If I could have chosen anything made with peaches, that would not have been it. So we opted for the two homemade ice creams of the day, ginger and caramel. I found the caramel so cloyingly sweet that I could barely eat it. BB liked it, however, I preferred the ginger. Neither compared to the ingenuity of the thyme, sage, and rosemary ice creams B and I sampled in the Winter.

I’m not going to break up with you MU. But I think we need some time apart, like maybe three or four months.

999 Brady Avenue NW 678-733-8550

Friday was my first TV appearance for Hot Dish Review! Having just celebrated a year of blogging, I was thrilled to be asked to do a segment on CBS Atlanta’s 4:00 news hour about inexpensive girls’ night out ideas.

Still in my studio make-up, B met me at Abattoir for a toast to my on-air interview. Arriving first, I was offered a seat at the bar by a kind gentleman. BS poured a glass of red while I waited. It was a hot day so I was thinking champagne or a refreshing white. Everyone’s talking about vinho verde these days so I asked for a taste. Light, clear, boring. BS was right, of course. I stuck with the red.

Seated beneath the famous bulb with the slaughterhouse hook, I snapped a couple of photos. Take a closer look and you’ll see a pair of rubber chickens in the rafters…..hilarious!

B arrived and we proceeded to chat and drink. Cheers! Yes, the hours leading up to the interview with Kim Fettig were nerve-jangling but once I was on set I had about two minutes to clip on my microphone and figure out how to weave the contraption between my blouse and cardigan to hide the wire.

A light dinner was in order. We ordered two cheeses, a goat and a blue, served with the perfect accompaniments of nuts and jams. Regretably, I can’t remember the fruits….fig perhaps? Maybe the other was apricot? As always, the baguette was crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a dish of unsalted butter. So simple. It’s amazing how most restaurants can’t even get this right. Quatrano always does.

B insisted on getting the fried chicken livers. I hate liver. When I was a kid I would cry when my Mom made liver. Regardless, they looked pretty and photographed well so I took a bite. At first the crispy coating had me fooled. I thought they were good, then I realized they tasted like….chicken livers. Funny how I love foie gras!

I ordered the babaganoush. It came with wafer thin toasted flatbread, a tiny jar of chutney, and another jar of pickled vegetables. The babaganoush was smooth and sublime, but not as smoky as I like, although the sweet chutney and vinegary veggies added another dimension to the dish that made it memorable.

As we finished off the bottle of wine I contemplated dessert options. There is always temptation at Abattoir.

1170 Howell Mill Road 404-892-3335

Ladies! Save the big bucks for Botox! Atlanta offers a variety of fun and inexpensive activities, here are a few of my favorites coming up:

Foodies & Fashionistas on Wednesday August 25th at Market at the W Hotel in Buckhead features some of Atlanta’s best boutiques showcasing the hottest Fall fashion trends while guests nibble on tasty morsels provided by Market. RSVP at rsvp@thereynoldsgroupinc.com by August 24th to receive a complimentary bellini when you arrive!

Piola in Midtown offers an on-going “apertivo” at their bar Monday through Friday from 6-9, with delicious Italian appetizers to get your evening off to a great (and free!) start. On Wednesdays only, starting at 7pm, ladies receive a bottomless glass of house red or white wine or sangria included in the purchase price of an entree or pizza.

Bluepointe’s Tuesday martini specials are practically an Atlanta tradition, but now they have stepped it up a notch with their new Half-Price Happy Hour Monday through Friday 4:30-7:30. Enjoy half-price appetizers and select wines and specialty cocktails for only $5.

If you can’t wait until next week, jump in your car right now and head over to Fontaine’s in the Virginia Highlands for half-price oysters, crab legs, and shrimp until 7pm tonight (Friday August 20th).

Back to work Monday got you stressed out? Grab a friend and go to Noche for all-u-can-eat tapas, only $10 and chill out with their dangerously inexpensive margaritas for just $3 each. Then call in sick on Tuesday!

Some complain that it’s difficult to find good food late at night in Atlanta. True, but it’s getting easier. Restaurants like Top Flr cater to those of us who sometimes eat dinner at midnight.

But after a night of drinking I often find I’m in the mood for something less refined than Top Flr, but more refined than Krystals. That’s where The Highlander comes in. Behind its low-brow rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere lurks a talented kitchen staff, making more than competent sandwiches, entrees, and bar food.

Me, B, and LC ended up there not long ago. Inside the cavernous yet smokey space, we chose a corner table. A few regular looking dudes were stationed at the bar, although it is more common to see tattoos and leather at this place. I would have been right at home back in the day.

It was late and a school night too, so we got on with the task of mindless late night eating. Calories do not count after midnight, right?I think B ordered a Reuben. LC got a Cuban with a side of mac ‘n’ cheese, and I tried the classic BLT with fries.

Once the food arrived there was utter silence. B and LC were clearly winding down as I sipped my last Miller Lite of the night. My BLT was devine, built upon two thick slices of toasted sourdough. Lots of thick, chewy applewood smoked bacon, ripe tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and pesto mayo. Seriously, the quality of each ingredient was stellar. The Highlander has fabulous fries, cut thin and perfectly crispy. Although not the best in town, LC’s mac ‘n’ cheese was pretty good.

This was certainly not my first visit to The Highlander. AD and I used to go there often to play Nudie Mega-Touch. I had an awesome gyro on one of those visits. And my friends SP and AA eat there frequently, as does SS, due to the fact that they still allow smoking (although last I heard AA quit). I barely recall some sliders that were just OK….not all of the food is awesome all of the time.

With an extensive menu ranging from Caesar salad to beef stroganoff and everything in between, they do a pretty damn good job.

931 Monroe Drive 404-872-0060

When is a bagel not a bagel? When it is bread in the shape of a bagel like Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagels.

I knew better when I was buying them. Bagels are hard but these were spongy like regular bread. Nevertheless, I bought them because they contained more fiber and less carbs and calories than the other brands that make mini bagels.

With only 110 calories, each mini bagel contains 22 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat, they don’t sound half bad. However, despite the decent amount of fiber, they really aren’t as healthy as Thomas’ would have you believe. Sure, whole wheat is the first ingredient, but sugar is the fourth, followed by suspicious ingredients like guar gum, maltodextrin, datem (what?), and algin (what what?).

I thought I could satisfy my bagel craving with a schmear of light cream cheese for a total of only 160 calories. Not so much. Bagels should be chewy and dense, not light and fluffy. Put a sugar glaze on ‘em and they would be doughnuts!

At least they are made in the USA, in Horsham, PA but Thomas’ Bagels still deserves a Knuckle Sandwich, which a schmear.

All of the restaurants in my Top Ten are dinner spots where I order fatty pork, decadent foie gras, and anything wrapped with bacon, stuffed with butter, or covered in hollandaise. Except one.

Dynamic Dish is an organic, mostly vegetarian restaurant on Edgewood that I have only visited for lunch, although they do serve dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. I love it.

Saturday I picked up my Mom to take her to the airport. We got back into Atlanta right at lunch time so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take her to Dynamic Dish.

Thanks to her passion for healthy eating, I grew up with an understanding of nutrition and vitamins that very few people are lucky enough to have. Making healthier versions of Southern classics as well as experimenting with trendy health foods like wheat germ (that’s right, it was the ’70′s!), tofu, and soy milk made my childhood rather unique and ultimately, food became my passion as well. My parents look much younger than their 60 plus years which I directly attribute to their emphasis on a healthy diet and supplements, rather than relying on pharmaceuticals to “cure” them.

So I knew my Mom would appreciate the fresh, clean, organic food at Dynamic Dish. Chef and owner David Sweeney was behind the counter when we arrived. I introduced them, mentioned her imminent flight to Germany, whereupon he began speaking German! I had completely forgotten his background, having spent years in Germany making and delivering vegetarian meals to a select clientelle. Funny how the universe works.

Perhaps my first visit to Dynamic Dish this year, the sunny space has undergone a recent facelift, adding a dark gray tile backsplash and more barstools for what will soon be a full service bar. David informed me he would finally have his liquor license in a matter of weeks! He plans to extend the hours, serving lunch and dinner six days a week. Great news, but I miss the big blackboard menu.

The day’s offerings were written instead on three pieces of brown paper attached to the side wall. Now guests enjoy table service rather than ordering at the counter, however, the once-complimentary bread and butter will now cost you $3.

Mom and I chose to split a bowl of chilled Haas avocado soup, a cool puree with yogurt and ginger. Topped with chopped tomatoes and cilantro, I thought it might remind me of guacamole, but the sharp zing of ginger gave the soup a bright, zippy character. A sprinkling of sunflower seeds provided textural interest.

We also split a roasted tofu sandwich with carrots, onions, and basil pesto on thick slices of fresh organic bread. Pesto is my favorite Italian sauce but it often contains copious amounts of garlic so we got it on the side. Somewhat small, our sandwich was piled high with sweet roasted carrots and onions. We both spread a generous amount of pesto on our portions….so much for taking it easy on the garlic! Sweeney’s pesto was made with lots of it, but it was so good I was eating it out of the side dish with my fork.

Although most of the menu remains vegetarian, I was surprised to see a turkey sandwich with bacon (what what?) offered. Sweeney’s brief menu changes daily based upon his creative whims and what is available at market.

From his innovative cuisine to his quirky location, David Sweeney’s passion for his craft has made Dynamic Dish a success.

427 Edgewood Ave. 404-688-4344

Driving through my neighborhood a few months ago, I noticed a new restaurant had quickly taken over Figo’s old location. It would have been hard to miss, with its red awning sporting a catchy name and tagline, Goin’ Coastal….a sustainable seafood joint.

My curiousity piqued, I googled it. The original location is in Canton. Happily, I do not know exactly where that is. I’m a city chick and easily develop amnesia regarding suburbs, not to mention my direction dyslexia.

I love seafood, primarily shellfish. And the promise of super-fresh seafood fished from environmentally sound waters is certainly appealing! LC accompanied me, ready to do some serious seafood sampling.

Black and white photos of fishermen adorn the pale turquoise walls. Reddish wooden chairs with black leather seats and solid black wood tables sit upon concrete floors. The open kitchen and bar sit a few steps above the main dining room in the multi-level space. Pendant lights emit a soft glow, illuminating the blackboards with daily specials. Brown paper table-dressings add a casual flair to the fishy theme but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a chain. Almost too clean, it felt like it was a concept being groomed for franchising.

Starting in on the specials before taking our drink order, our server was clearly nervous. Perhaps it was her first day but as the evening wore on she proved to be quite competent. Water please.

She brought out a basket of what can best be described as corn muffins. Too cakelike in texture, straight-up cornbread would have been better. I needed a drink. For a seafood joint their cocktail list was quite intriguing. I ordered the coconut lime rickey and LC tried the watermelon jalapeno margarita.

We started off with sweet potato chips with a blue cheese dip, a bowl of she crab soup and a baked oyster sampler. I don’t know what I was expecting but the chips were just like the ones you can buy in a bag in the health food section at the supermarket. I guess I was hoping they would be very thickly sliced, or perhaps spiced with cayenne or black pepper or something. On the plus side, they were not at all greasy, just nothing special.

Our cocktails, however, were special! I enjoyed my rickey but it was LC’s watermelon jalapeno margarita that stole the show. Only mildly sweet with the fruit juice and slightly tart from a dash of fresh lime, it finished with a swift kick in the pants from the jalapeno. A salted rim was icing on the cake.

My only experience with she crab soup is, again, from a can at the supermarket. Called she crab because it is made using cream and the roe from the female crab (obviously), it has a distinct, rich flavor. LC and I agreed, Goin’ Coastal’s rendition of this seafood classic did have good flavor but there was something off about the texture.

I’m not an oyster lover but if I must partake, at least I’d rather have them cooked. So we ordered the baked sampler with two Rockefeller, two crab stuffed, and two parmasean garlic. On our order of six, some were huge, some were tiny. Of the three, the crab stuffed were my favorite.

Chef and co-owner Zach Kell brought out a plate of steamed side-striped shrimp from Alaska. Especially sweet, they required no seasoning at all, not even a dip in the drawn butter was necessary.

Along with the peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, our server placed a white ceramic dish on our table with three little white dots inside. Then, from a tiny metal pitcher, she poured water onto the dots, making them expand right before our eyes. They were like freeze-dried towelettes! I was very impressed.

By this time we were on our third watermelon jalapeno margarita each. They packed some heat but clearly not much alcohol. For an entree LC chose the freshly caught swordfish with cheese grits and collards on the side. Despite having tomatoes in it, I ordered the low country boil with scallops, shrimp, crab legs, and mussels plus a side of the jalapeno corn bread pudding.

Simply grilled, I thought the swordfish looked overcooked when it came to the table, but LC loved it. His grits were fantastic. He liked the collards because they weren’t cooked to mush, but they would have benefitted from a liberal dose of vinegar.

My low country boil was good, but not stellar. Fish stews are challenging due to the varying cooking times of different shellfish. The scallops were perfectly cooked leaving the shrimp a tad tough. Crusty bread that came with it was awesome. Although submerged in a tomatoey broth , the crab legs had to be cracked by hand. Thank goodness for the magic towelettes!

The savory and spicy jalapeno corn bread pudding, baked in its own ramekin, turned out to be my favorite dish.

There are many dishes on the menu we didn’t get to taste. I was interested in the fried Creole salad but our server would not endorse it. Lobster and peekytoe crab cakes sound delicious. And I wouldn’t turn down a duo of roasted and fried shrimp served on grits with andouille sausage gravy.

A couple more watermelon jalapeno margaritas went down as we chatted, finishing it all off with a mini chocolate cake with blueberry sauce.

I wanted to love it, I was hoping it would wow me. I think they take great care in their sourcing and I appreciate that but in the end, what works in a small town might not fly smack in the middle of the trendy Virginia Highlands. After all, we are food snobs.

1021 Virginia Avenue 404-941-9117