Hot Dish Review

My parents were adamant, both warning “it’s just a hole in the wall, nothin’ fancy”, like that would offend me or something. They were talking about The Freezer in Homosassa, Florida, where they dine often alongside drunk locals, boisterous bikers, and the occasional canine.

Handwritten posterboards serve at menus, but the regulars already know what to order…..fresh steamed peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, crab legs, blue crab, and stone crab claws. Served piping hot in carbboard box tops and styrofoam to-go containers, most everything on the menu requires guests to peel, hammer, or otherwise work for their reward.

And it’s apparently worth it. The place is packed most nights. Steamed tilapia and smoked mullet are also on offer, as are a few sides like cole slaw, clam chowder, and chips with salsa. We wanted to try the mullet but they were out when we visited. No worries, there were plenty of the hair variety seated at the bar!

Bottled domestic beer like my beloved Miller Lite is only $2. Me and my Dad ordered a couple and waited for our steamed shrimp. We got a full order for the three of us, 2 1/2 lbs. for $20. My Mom tried the cole slaw which was refreshing with the steamy shrimp (the photo looks blurry but it’s steam, I swear!) that are liberally sprinkled with a secret blend of seasonings.

As for the reference about canines, see if you can spot the doggy diner in the photo to the left. Gotta love a place where you can bring the whole family!

5590 South Blvd. Dr. Homosassa, FL 352-628-2452

As I mentioned in my Bhojanic post, Ethnic Gourmet makes several Indian entrees that I enjoy. The restaurant’s chicken tikka masala was very similar, however, I prefer the flavor of the rice in the frozen dinner. Although I don’t care for caraway seeds in bread, it is their addition to the rice that sets it apart.

After nuking the frozen entree, I spice it up with some red pepper flakes and a handful of cilantro (and I do mean a handful!). With only 260 calories, it is a healthy alternative when I’m craving Indian food.

Another Ethnic Gourmet favorite is Palak Paneer, creamy spinach with cubes of Indian cheese and rice. It is just as good as any I’ve had in restaurants….give ‘em both a try and let me know what you think!

When I learned that David Sweeney would be closing his wonderful cafe, I was shocked and saddened. On my last visit with my Mom a couple of months ago, Sweeney was upbeat, having recently completed renovations including more bar space in anticipation of finally getting his liquor license.

What happened, you ask? The exhorbitant cost, government red-tape, and ultimately the legal bullshit involved in getting, or rather not getting, his liquor license.

Thankfully, I found out about the eminent closing in time to have one last lunch. Sweeney’s final service will be on Thanksgiving day, a gracious way to thank the neighborhood that has supported him throughout his 3 1/2 years in business.

The small space was full when I arrived at 1:30pm on Saturday. I chose a seat at the bar and started snapping pictures. Seated next to me was a chick who was also taking pictures. Turns out she is a personal chef and big fan of Dynamic Dish too.

Menu selections didn’t disappoint, in fact, with only six or seven choices, it’s amazing how difficult it always is to decide. Each of Sweeney’s dishes exemplifies his idealism. Flavors are clean and vibrant, each ingredient in perfect harmony with the others on the plate.

There was a creamy carrot and sweet pepper soup, a sandwich of taleggio, Bartlett pear, almond butter, scallions, and cranberries on fresh bread baked locally at Magnolia Bakery. A bowl of coconut chickpeas with quinoa, sweet peppers, scallions, and cilantro was offered as well as a brunch dish of farm eggs with roasted potatoes….vegan, vegetarian, just plain good.

I was having a hard time deciding between the two salads on the menu….one with endive, chicory, and almonds, topped with an individual round of Bucheron Chevre, broiled until it just starts to melt. I’ve had variations on this salad with the chevre in the past and they were kickass. But Saturday I chose to try something new, the salad composed of mizuna, avocado, sweet sesame, daikon radish, cilantro and grilled meaty oyster mushrooms. Sweeney is a master of texture and flavor combinations that please every sense….crunchy, sweet, bitter, creamy, all in one amazing bite.

As predictable as I can be with food, Dynamic Dish is (was) the sort of place that forced me to be spontaneous. You just never knew what Sweeney had in store when you walked through the door.

David and I chatted briefly about his future plans. He said he would most likely return to catering, staying here in Atlanta. He brought me a sweet treat, an almond stuffed date, with my check.

It is the only restaurant on my Top Ten list that is mostly lunch and vegetarian. I will sorely miss the welcoming staff, the sunny little space, and most of all Sweeney’s dynamic dishes.

The last time I ate at a Ted’s, I was sitting with Ted. It was only the chain’s third location, in Norcross, and I was there for the media dinner. He and his business partner, George McKerrow, were doing interviews. So there we were, the three of us in a booth with a big bison steak on the table. Surreal. Later, Ted described this new venture by saying “We’re like a juggernaut….nobody can stop us now!” Man, he was hot. But who the hell says juggernaut?

Fast forward to Friday night. B wanted to grab a bite to eat downtown before the Black Crowe’s show at the Tabernacle so we stopped in at Ted’s. It was packed. We got lucky and found one bar stool, basically in front of the kitchen. The guy next to us gave his seat to B upon his departure.

We quickly ordered two Coronas with lime and salted glasses. Having checked out the menu online earlier in the day, we didn’t need to consult a menu to place our order. B trusted my judgment so we decided to split a “green and hot” bison burger, the “green” being guacamole, and the “hot” sliced jalapenos. Monterey Jack was melted over our thick burger that was cooked through, although I had requested it medium. Shredded lettuce, pickles, and a slice of tomato came on the side, along with crispy skin-on fries. The burger was seriously juicy, but the guacamole could use some work. It was more like cubes of avocado. I did appreciate that the jalapenos were fresh, not pickled.

B ordered a small Caeser salad on the side. Seated next to the bowls of hot fries and onion rings at the pass, we coerced one of the line cooks to snag a couple of the big fat onion rings for us to snack on.

In our haste I forgot to photograph our food. But I did manage to get some shots of their popular sliders and steaks as they were coming up. Now that Winter is upon us I hope to visit Ted’s to warm up with a bowl of the bison chili soon (like within the year).

Some years have passed and those three Georgia locations have grown to forty-seven in sixteen states. Seems Ted’s prediction has come true. The old boy’s still got it.

133 Luckie Street NW 404-521-9796

Three (OK, maybe 5) little words that equal big deliciousness! This recipe comes courtesy of BB, or more precisely his little girl, who spotted the lobster at Costco and suggested making lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. She grabbed the white truffle oil as an afterthought. Oh, and by the way, she is five!

He brought me a casserole dish with a big serving that I reheated in the oven….just didn’t seem right to put lobster in the microwave. Rich, decadent, just plain awesome.

Although he cooks by heart, as trained chefs generally do, I asked him to write down the recipe for me (and you!). Here it is, only slightly edited:

LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE

1 box of medium pasta shells, cooked
1.5 lbs cooked lobster meat (tails and claws)
3 cups of milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick of butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz. shredded gruyere
9 oz. shredded extra sharp white cheddar
2 oz. shredded extra sharp yellow cheddar
2 oz. shredded fontina
White truffle oil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/4″ slice of pancetta, diced
1 whole nutmeg
Fresh black pepper
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, drain and drizzle with truffle oil to prevent sticking.

In a large saute’ pan, cook the pancetta until brown. Set aside and reserve the fat. Cut the lobster meat into bite-size pieces and squeeze excess water from it.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and heavy cream, not allowing it to boil. In a large heavy pot, melt butter along with 2 tablespoons of the truffle oil. Whisk in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (Chef’s note: “In the past, I’ve made the roux with true truffle butter, but time constraints forced us to improvise with the butter/oil mixture”). Still whisking, add the hot milk and cream and cook for another minute or two until it’s smooth and thickened. Fold in the gruyere and white cheddar, mixing well, until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

Grate in about 3/4 of the nutmeg and about a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, mixing well. Add the pasta, stirring well, then fold in the lobster. Lightly coat the inside of a 9 X 13 casserole dish with oil and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle the top with the shredded yellow cheddar and fontina.

In a small bowl mix the panko with the cooked pancetta and its cooking fat. Top the casserole with the bread crumb mixture and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

On a recent Friday I chatted with Hector Santiago at his sandwich shop, Super Pan Latino before devouring a decadent pork bun. Less than a week later I found myself at Pura Vida with LC for a late dinner. Santiago was in the kitchen, expediting orders.

Pura Vida is one of my longtime favorites. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the food is flavorful and interesting, and their sangria is consistently the best in Atlanta. It is the perfect place for a birthday party or an intimate date.

Santiago can go for long periods with no menu changes, then Bam! Suddenly, all your regular dishes are gone, replaced with seemingly experimental plates with foams and “caviar”. This used to be really disappointing when I would go expecting the duck maduros and it would be gone.

These days I’ve come to expect the changes, even welcome them. This was LC’s first visit, my 50th, so I was at a distinct advantage. We started with two glasses of sangria, one red and one white, each full of rum-soaked fruit.

Some old familiar dishes remained like the hanger steak pinchos, tender smoky grilled skewers of beef covered with an herbaciously green chimichurri. Always a good choice.

I chose a new veggie dish called “fall over chayote” to pair with the steak. It reminded me of Hugh Acheson’s “super-food” at Empire State South, a crazy hodge-podge of individual components that, when put together, are still a crazy hodge-podge. The description should have clued me in….chayote squash, enoki, smoked tofu, calabaza puree, wok seared jalapenos, pepita oil and umeboshi sauce. That last ingredient explains the saltiness we encountered in some bites. Umeboshi is made from pickled Japanese plums….an odd addition on a Latin menu.

Moving on, we tried the mofongo con “carne frita”, pork carnitas served over mashed green bananas with pork cracklings. I’ve ordered this dish several times, however, this time Hector added a pork jus espuma. That is the foamy stuff in the photo. I don’t know if it added anything to the dish, but remembering too late that it was usually somewhat bland, I asked for his fiery hot habanero sauce, a clear liquid in a squeeze bottle that makes everything better.

Hector used to do a great dish with goat. There is a new incarnation of it on this menu, slow cooked with plantain dumplings, curry sauteed cabbage and calaloo greens. I would have ordered it instead of the pork had I not had goat the night before…..how often can one say that!

My love of avocados prompted me to try the aguacate criollo, described as avocado, lime “caviar”, piquillo agridulce jelly, chorizo chips, cilantro and avocado oil. Chunks of avocado were topped with bits of lime pulp (the “caviar”), and crispy slivers of chorizo. Little cubes of sweet and sour “agridulce” jelly added another odd component to an already unusual looking plate. The end result was like deconstructed guacamole and it’s pretty hard to complain about that.

We ordered another small plate, the tamales nejos, but sadly I didn’t remember it until I looked at the photos the next day. Like mole, I continue to order tamales, believing that someday I will discover what other’s love so much about these dishes. Santiago’s tamales had a good texture, with robust flavor from the fresh masa and charred scallions which paired nicely with the black beans alongside. If you like tamales, you will probably enjoy these. If you are like me, they won’t knock your socks off.

More sangria and, of course, dessert. Two, actually….a sinful chocolate and ancho chili flan brulee’ that lacked much chili kick and a baby banana ice cream sandwich made with chipotle chocolate chip cookies that LC really liked. I vaguely remember eating it despite my mild dislike for banana. My memory is a bit foggy on the specifics….I’m gonna have to blame that on the sangria!

656 N. Highland Avenue 404-870-9797

Zebulon and Jeremiah….almost sounds biblical, right? Well, they’re not exactly choir boys at the Baptist church, these dudes cook up one of the meanest menus in town at Livingston.

Following Gary Mennie’s recent departure, his sous chef Zeb Stevenson was promoted to Executive Chef. B and I are big fans of Zeb so we were excited to hear the news! With Fall upon us, we were invited to a media dinner where he debuted his new menu featuring the seasons best vegetables and fruits like Brussels sprouts and apples from Ellijay. Jeremiah, by the way, is the new sous.

Is it fair to do a review based upon one dinner, and a complimentary one at that? Sure, what the hell. Zeb served the table of a dozen or so food writers a selection of appetizers and salads, family style, so we all had the opportunity to sample a bit of everything.

Well-known foodie, writer, and television personality Carolyn O’Neil was among the guests and quipped about the blurry black and white photomural behind the adjacent booth. (Yes, it was intentionally blurry!) Later, one of the diners at my table remarked that Kwanza Hall was seated there. Me? Namedropping? Never.

The space is very dramatic in a rich, luxurious way, fitting for the renovated Georgian Terrace Hotel where it is located.

Our server, Wyatt, started us off with a little bubbly, then brought out an amuse bouche of tuna crudo topped with pistachio and candied mustard paired with a sliver of yellow beet with a champagne-vanilla vinaigrette…..an interesting nibble. The bread service was excellent, with an assortment of breads including the crispy sourdough roll I devoured, slavered in softened sweet cream butter.

An array of appetizers began to arrive….salads, crab cakes, bratwurst. Zeb came by to talk about the dishes. He pointed out that the crab cakes were more crab than cake. They were served on waffle potato chips and gone in a flash! I tried a taste of the sauvignon blanc that was pouring as well as a full glass of the red….can’t remember what varietal but I do know it was a 2008. CO’s friend M had inquired.

A simple spinach salad was dressed up with a smoky and sweet cippolini and candied bacon vinaigrette and topped with chunks of gorgonzola. Don’t let anyone tell you bacon is out of fashion, honey. Even better, however, was the smoked trout and apple salad. Like the Waldorf salad’s stylish cousin, this dish was a favorite of the table. I scraped the last bit out of the bowl to eat along with a slice of chicken bratwurst. Zeb makes the bratwurst in-house and serves it on a bed of shredded Brussels sprouts. Very German flavors, I was lovin’ it.

Then came my bodacious lobster. I probably should have prefaced that with the statement that our table was given the full menu of entrees, eleven in all, from which to choose. (Then back to family style for dessert.)

Back to the butter poached lobster. Once again Zeb was there to explain the intricacies of poaching a lobster in butter and water….a precise science and well worth the effort. It was supposed to be served with chive gnocchi and garlic broth. When Wyatt detected my lukewarm attitude towards the potato dumplings, he suggested a substitution (gasp!) of the truffle mac ‘n’ cheese. Yessir!

I was hoping the mac would be baked, served in its own little ramekin but it was beneath the lobster instead. Can’t complain about creamy, truffley goodness and buttery tender lobster.

After much debate B decided upon the grilled skirt steak with hand cut fries and smoked hollandaise. She commented that the tender steak really flipped her skirt and we all laughed. Zeb’s hollandaise was made with cold-smoked butter. Mad scientist! Rather than being heavy and rich, the sauce was lightly whipped. I found myself dipping bites of lobster in it, as well as stealing her skin-on fries.

Across from me KL had the juicy filet mignon with creamed spinach, and M had the lamb chop. I tasted his spaetzle, forgetting that it was flavored with mint. Although herbaciously green, I didn’t detect mint specifically. Creative side. Four or five of us ordered the lobster. I would have had a hard time choosing between the two smoked meats, duck and pork, had I not been enthralled by the lobster.

Each week Livingston hosts Millionaire Mondays, offering a three course dinner with a choice of lobster or filet mignon for only $16. And there is a nightly theatre menu with four entree selections, that includes a glass of wine, for just $29.

A platter of flourless chocolate tart, a chocolate mousse, and espresso ice cream was presented, complimented by another glass of red wine. Beignets with coconut dipping sauce were crispy and irresistible.

We bid our acquaintances farewell and made our way to the bar, having a chat and a smoke with the two chefs, across from the fabulous Fox Theatre, it’s grandeur and history intertwined in Atlanta’s story. And I thought how grand it was all of us making new history here. Makin’ it happen.

659 Peachtree Street NE 404-897-5000

Often named among the best Indian restaurants in Atlanta, Bhojanic has been on my list of places to try for years. I finally had an opportunity to dine there with B. It was her first restaurant review so we were prepared to sample a bit of everything.

The space was warm and inviting with burgundy crushed velvet curtains and soft lighting.

We started with a glass of malbec and an order of naan with raita and chutneys, plus two dishes from the tapas menu, Bhojanic shrimp and eggplant makki ki roti.

Despite my disdain for cucumber, I really like raita. B and I tore off pieces of the naan and dipped it in the cool yogurt sauce. The jumbo shrimp sauteed in a tomato and onion masala were tasty but we were hoping it would be spicier. Likewise, the eggplant dip was somewhat bland, but I loved the traditional Indian flat cornbread that was served with it for dipping.

Chat is described on the menu as a popular Indian street food, consisting of crispy chips or noodles combined with savory toppings and chutneys. It sounded really weird so we had to try it. We chose the chat papri made with crispy flour chips, potato, garbanzo beans, yogurt and mint chutney. I hate mint and requested the chutney on the side. However, as is often the case with Indian food, mint and cilantro are interchangeable, so there was a chance I would, in fact, love it.

The chat arrived, just as weird as we thought. A hodge-podge of crispy chips, cold yogurt, garbanzos…..it was like nachos gone horribly wrong. Turns out I was right about the mint chutney, though. It tasted more like cilantro, loved it!

There is no vindaloo on the menu at Bhojanic. Our server explained the cooking is from a region where the food is not so spicy. So our repeated requests for hot and spicy were met with tepid results.

Not enthralled by the chat, we had saved sufficient room for a thali, a cafeteria style metal tray, each compartment with a different veggie or meat dish. B and I couldn’t decide so we ended up getting two thalis, each with one meat and two veggies.

Each thali comes with rice, chapati (whole wheat flat bread), papadam (crispy lentil cracker), salad, and raita. For our meats we chose the goat curry and the chicken tikka masala. Among the four veggie selections was saag paneer, creamed spinach with cubes of Indian cheese. I often buy the same dish as a frozen entree called palaak paneer by Ethnic Gourmet. It’s delicious. B wanted to try the black lentils called daal makhini and the potatoes and cauliflower, alu gobhi. Our final vegetable was the bhindi masala, sauteed okra with caramelized onions.

We finally got our wish! The goat was pretty spicy, in a yogurt based curry sauce. Unfortunately, goat is always more bones than meat. Another Indian entree I purchase in the health food department at Kroger is Ethnic Gourmet’s chicken tikka masala, boneless tandoori chicken in a tomato cream sauce. Bhojanic’s version was very similar, and therefore very tasty. A couple of beers cooled off our palates.

Of the vegetable sides on our thalis I liked the saag paneer and the okra best, although I don’t remember any caramelized onions with the okra. Both B and I were running out of room, filling up on chapati and chutneys, but ordered one dessert anyway.

We opted for a traditional Indian dessert called rus malai, two small cheese dumplings in a saffron cream sauce. Yes, it was weird. The saffron flavor was nice but the spongey, cheeselike texture was unpleasant.

There aren’t too many things B and I haven’t tried so our intention was to venture out of our comfort zones a bit. Mint chutney, chat, cheese dumplings for dessert….I’d say mission accomplished!

1363 Clairmont Road, Decatur 404-633-9233

Few restaurants, other than those in hotels, serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That degree of service seems daunting if not a tad overly ambitious. Some restaurants, like Serpas for instance, add brunch after a successful year of dinner service.

Not so for Hugh Acheson of Empire State South. Having gained notoriety in Athens for his farm fresh menus at Five and Ten and The National, his much anticipated Atlanta debut kicked off with three squares a day. I joined BB there for lunch on Friday to discuss his upcoming project and share a bit of industry gossip.

Located on the ground floor of the 999 Peachtree building, the space includes a quaint courtyard with bocce ball. Inside, the space is painted a deep shade of blue with wood floors, accented with brown leather banquettes and rustic country-style light fixtures….modern Southern, like the food.

I wasn’t planning to drink at lunch but very little arm-twisting was required before I was inquiring about the character of each red wine offered by the glass. We settled on a glass of the Branham cab and another of the Le Paradou grenache/syrah blend.

A little jar of pork rillette was a good match with the wine, however I found the toast too greasy. All three of the people seated at the table adjacent to ours had ordered “Super-food”, a silly name for a weird combination of hanger steak, beets, pistachios, wheatberries with feta, roasted Winter squash, mixed local beans and peas, and dressed radishes, all served on a bed of local lettuces. My bet was that BB would follow suit.

Initially he was leaning toward the arugula salad but in the end, I won the bet. Predictably, I ordered the crisp duck leg confit under the heading “Meat and Three”. Next to the heading the menu directs diners to pick two sides and a daily bread. The sides of the day were not thrilling. I was hoping for some preparation of sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts but none were offered. I chose the collards with ham hock and wheatberries with feta-cranberry.

My duck confit and sides arrived with an enormous slab of Texas toast. I had neglected to choose a “daily bread” because there wasn’t a list of breads on the menu, but I assure you I wouldn’t have chosen this one, so dense it was closer to pound cake than bread.

I was quite pleased with my duck leg, its exceedingly tender meat falling off the bone beneath the mostly crispy skin. I love the toothsome quality of wheatberries. These were served warm, dotted with semi-sweet cranberries. Feta was MIA on my plate, but BB’s wheatberries were topped with a good bit of it.

Then there were the collards, perhaps the best I’ve ever had. Having grown up in the South, that is quite a statement. Rich with chunks of ham, there was a subtle smokiness and a distinct tang of vinegar. Just damn perfect.

BB enjoyed his hanger steak, cooked medium, and the accompanying beets in particular. The steak was nice but my favorite thing on his plate were the dressed watermelon radishes, much like the paper-thin sliced assortment at Miller Union.

Other meats on offer were an airline chicken breast, grilled pork loin, and a pan roasted Carolina trout. Fingerling potatoes, field peas with rice and fennel-apple slaw rounded out the selection of sides.

We ordered two more glasses of wine, intentially confusing which was which, sipping each in turn. I requested a dessert menu, despite seeing an unappetizing slice of red velvet cake on a table nearby. You may already know how I feel about cake so suffice it to say I would not order anything who’s flavor is a color. Sure, red velvet cake is as Southern as fried pie but one would think Acheson’s love of natural and organic produce might discourage his pastry chef Chris Marconi from putting a dessert on the menu that relies on unnatural food coloring. Other sweets included bourbon pecan pie and a buttermilk chess tart that might have been good if we had more time.

Empire State South joins Atlanta’s new breed of restaurants who’s menus evolve with the seasons. If you like that trend, you’re gonna like ESS.

Apple, cherry, pecan, and especially key lime….I simply hate pie. Not tarts, mind you, like Babette’s kickass dried cherry tart. Or the rustic pear tarts I’ve devoured at Top Flr and Miller Union.

No, I’m talking straight-up white trash pie. The kind you might pick up at Publix if you are intoxicated and grew up thinking Red Lobster was fine dining.

Maybe it’s the pedestrian nature of pie that turns me off….the you-gotta-like-it-because-you-are-American expectation that surrounds pie. Yeah, apple pie is all-American and so is Chevrolet but you’re not gonna catch me driving a Cobalt.

Pumpkin or sweet potato pie filling is not so bad. I like the Fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s the flaky crust made with lard, filled with fruit in a sugar-laden gloppy goo that makes me gag. Like the cherry pie in the photo above….a fat bomb that weighed almost 3 lbs. I can’t even imagine who would buy this atrocity.

And I just don’t understand the appeal of key lime pie. Makes about as much sense putting sugar on scrambled eggs.

So go ahead and buy that supermarket pie. Have it for dessert after your big, juicy Knuckle Sandwich!