Hot Dish Review

Lately, I haven’t been experimenting with food. There’s no time for questionable quinoa or pathetic pastry. I do, however, continue to prepare lunches for work, like my Winter Salad (recipe here), or a big chef salad with Swiss, ham, turkey, chickpeas, mushrooms, and celery.

This morning as I made my edamame salad, I realized it had flown under my culinary radar for years. A recipe originally from my Mom, I’ve adapted it over time.

Two unusual things about this side dish….it does not contain cilantro, but it does call for red or orange peppers, which I do not love.

Here’s how I do it:

1/2 cup frozen organic non-GMO shelled soybeans
1 tbsp finely diced red or orange pepper
1 scallion
1/3 stalk celery, diced
2 tbsp chopped celery leaves, from the heart
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Light salt
Nature’s Seasons seasoning blend

Boil the soybeans for about 4 minutes or until slightly tender, drain and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, finely dice the pepper and celery. Remove the inner leaves from the celery and chop. Snip the green portion of the scallion into the bowl.

Add the cooled soybeans, toss with remaining ingredients and season to taste.

I serve it with salmon for a light and healthy lunch!

Margaritas and patios just go together. When any new taqueria opens I am excited to give it a try, sipping margaritas outside while enjoying the heat of the Summer, and hopefully, some kickass tacos. So when I got the press release for Bad Dog Taqueria in May, that image came to mind. However, I was informed that they did not have their liquor license yet, so I gave ‘em a couple of months to work out that all-important kink.

Fast forward three months. Surely, they’d have tequila by now! But alas, government red tape had delayed the liquor license but we were welcome to bring our own beer or wine. I checked out the menu online and was sufficiently intrigued, so LC and I headed to Emory Village in Decatur, a solid six minutes from my place, with a cooler full of Corona Lights and salted lime wedges.

We scored rockstar parking on the street right in front. I was surprised that there were only two tables on the patio, so we stepped inside and said hello to owner Tracy who was working behind the counter of her brightly modern space. White plastic chairs provided a fresh contrast to the exposed brick walls and long bar made out of a thick slab of tree, bark and all.

I already knew I had to try We’ve got Seoul, a flour tortilla filled with Korean BBQ pork belly, kimchee slaw and salsa verde. I also had my eye on Evita, with grilled flank steak, crispy yucca, and chimichurri sauce, but the special, called Campenchano, quickly took its place. A corn tortilla filled with flank steak, chorizo, jalapeno-tomatillo sauce, red onion, and cilantro….could it be the taco of my dreams?

LC would predictably get their fish taco made with plantain encrusted (a.k.a. fried) tilapia, cilantro sauce, and slaw, while I tried the plantain encrusted chicken topped with lettuce, tomato, and jalapenos. LC also chose Yo Mama’s Taco, an old school hard corn shell with the traditional fillings of ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. No argument here.

And then there was the mac ‘n’ cheese taco, an off-menu creation of penne, cream sauce, and herbs. But first we had to start with chips, the trio of salsas, and guacamole. Sounds basic, but every component was an innovative take on the usual. Chips are made fresh daily from a variety of vegetables. Fire roasted tomato salsa was smoky hot, plantain pineapple serrano salsa was sweet with some heat, while the chunky salsa fresca had the biggest kick of the three.

Guacamole is made from grilled avocados, adding a smoky dimension to the appropriately chunky dip. Super thin chips made of yucca, plantain, and boniato were similar to potato chips and outshone the ones made of corn. I didn’t even realize there was queso available until I got home and took a closer look at the printed menu….apparently a new addition to the offerings.

Then the baskets of tacos arrived. There is little that can be done to make tacos look pretty in photos. We began sampling them, taking turns with chicken, fish, pork, and beef. I was expecting chunks of fatty pork belly with BBQ sauce in the We’ve got Seoul, but instead found tender, juicy shredded pork. It could have used more of the kimchee slaw, and for me and LC, preferably fiery hot kimchee.

Likewise, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer perfection of Yo Mama’s Taco. All of the tortillas are made locally, which was evident in the thin and crispy corn shell. It didn’t get soggy because the ground beef was not at all greasy.

Continuing our tasting, LC and I agreed the fish taco was too fishy…our least favorite.

A knife and fork were required to conquer the pasta taco, a thin bread-like shell which I believe Tracy said was made with bread crumbs like one would sprinkle on top of a baked pasta dish…..at least that’s what LC understood. It was a great gimmick, one that I had already read about on another blog, but not something I would order again.

But the best was yet to come. The special was double wrapped in soft corn tortillas that were yellow, meaning made with yellow corn. I added a little guacamole and took a bite….OMG. The steak was fall-apart tender, and the tortillas tasted like corn!

Bad Dog Taqueria has come the closest to recreating the authentic tacos I fell in love with in Playa del Carmen….not a small accomplishment!

With a selection of tacos with quirky names and multi-cultural flavors, I was afraid the restaurant could suffer from an identity crisis. And, yes, I was initially disappointed by the lack of a real patio. However, Bad Dog won us over with its tasty tacos that manage to be creative without being contrived.

So fetch yourself some beers and go to Bad Dog. Sit. Stay. Enjoy!

1579 North Decatur Road 404-370-8822

(Not to be confused with Oceanaire, Prime, or NY Prime.)

Ocean Prime to Open Late October under Executive Chef Jason Shelley

Award-winning supper club restaurant to open on Piedmont Road in Buckhead

ATLANTA (August 23, 2011) – Renowned restaurateur Cameron Mitchell is proud to announce that his award-winning modern American supper club concept Ocean Prime will open in late October 2011 occupying the former location of Sambuca Jazz Café on Piedmont Road in Buckhead. Under the leadership of executive chef Jason Shelley, Ocean Prime Atlanta will serve the highest quality seafood, steaks, handcrafted cocktails and world-class wines in an exquisite supper club atmosphere.

An associate of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants since 2004, Shelley has worked at Ocean Prime locations in Florida and also Mitchell’s Ocean Club in Columbus, Ohio. “Atlanta is an international restaurant market, with an incredible array of dining options,” said Shelley. “My goal is to help Ocean Prime put its mark on Atlanta by delivering great food and genuine hospitality.”

Ocean Prime’s menu pairs the finest steaks with the freshest seafood and features the highest quality ingredients available. Made from scratch, dishes showcase simple, pure and regional flavors. Guests can choose from an array of outstanding side dishes and desserts to accompany classic steaks like the bone-in filet mignon or Kansas City strip and fresh seafood selections like blue tilapia, Scottish salmon and Florida snapper.

The restaurant’s atmosphere evokes the timeless elegance of the supper club with warm woods, captivating lighting and a unique wine tower featuring wines from the Wine Spectator-honored wine list at the core of the dining room. An outside terrace and lounge, fireplaces and a piano bar further enhance the ambiance for guests.

There are seven Ocean Prime locations currently open across the country, with a restaurant in Indianapolis, Ind., scheduled to open in spring 2012 and a restaurant in Houston, Texas, scheduled to open in spring 2013. The concept has been praised across the restaurant industry for its extraordinary cuisine, hospitality and dining environment.

3102 Piedmont Road

My third dessert last night….These are scrumptious! I think LG introduced me to the little schoolboys (petit ecolier in French). Little schoolboys? Not surprising that I would find them irresistible. They go great with red wines and make a perfect dessert with an impromptu cheese and baguette dinner that I’ve become so fond of. Everyone loves them, even ST.

Petit Ecolier are chic little European biscuits topped with chocolate embossed with a schoolboy in his uniform. The box states, “Our signature design invites admiring glances: deep, dark European chocolate, paired with an oh-so-French butter biscuit. A luxurious cookie and chocolate experience like no other.”

It is true. As the crisp cookie snaps between your teeth, the chocolate begins to melt in your mouth. The textural contrast is brilliant.

Initially I bought the dark chocolate but soon discovered the extra-dark (extra noir), which I took to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ place in Florida a couple of years back. They only eat dark chocolate for health reasons, but I’m finding I prefer the flavor of dark to milk these days.

Petit Ecolier are still made in France….how charming! Kroger and Publix carry them so bring some home to your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day (along with some wine, roses, card, and romantic dinner plans that you’ve surely already made. What, no plans? Dude.)

Alright then, just buy ‘em and eat ‘em in the car on the way home. Whatever.

Many of my posts praise cilantro, from my guacamole recipe to restaurant dishes flavored with cilantro, it is a recurring theme. I’ve gone so far as to say it is my favorite vegetable!

But I’ve never dedicated a whole post to the pungeont herb and thought it was overdue. I bought a particularly beautiful bunch at Whole Foods the other day, after finding the shelves at Publix and Kroger inexplicably bare.

It is probably no coincidence that Vietnamese and Mexican cuisines are my favorites as they both rely heavily of cilantro.

My Southwestern scramble this morning was studded with diced avocado, tomato, and caramelized onion, topped with a generous smattering of torn cilantro leaves. Melted pepper jack made it a gooey, spicy jumble, perfected with bacon chewy.

Heaven.

After another day in the sweltering heat at the PGA Championships, LC and I landed at a strip mall in Norcross. It was about 9:30pm and we were tired, hungry and desperate. IHOP loomed ahead. Why not?

Then I saw it. El Torero! One of my favorite old styley Mexican restaurants at Loehmann’s Plaza on Briarcliff Road. I had no idea there were multiple locations. Upon googling it, however, I discovered there are a total of six in the metro Atlanta area and two in Nashville.

When we walked in, I was amused that the decor of the original restaurant was duplicated here, right down to the stuffed marlin on the wall. Slick booths are made of faux wood-grain laminate, matching the light wood paneling. Every dish has their logo on it…classy.

El Torero makes great chips, thin and little greasy, straight out of the fryer. Their cheese dip is a gringo’s dream. We ordered a couple of Corona Lights and unwound for a moment, snacking on their nicely spicy salsa and chips.

Although the steak is not nearly as tender, they do have a taco dish on their menu, the Carne Azada Tacos, topped with onion and cilantro, wrapped in soft corn tortillas, that are reminiscent of the amazing tacos I had in Playa del Carmen. They are listed in the “El Torero Special Orders” section of the menu, not to be confused with the Taco de Carne Asada (yes, it is spelled 2 different ways on the menu) in the “Lunch or Dinner Specials” section. Those are the ones I ordered on this visit. They are topped with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. I did substitute the flour tortillas with corn, of course.

LC ordered a shrimp and chicken fajita quesadilla. El Torero’s quesadillas are offered in the appetizer section and are smaller than the gigantic ones found at Elmyr, for example. Served with shredded lettuce and sour cream, it was loaded with meats and cheese and looked pretty greasy. He didn’t complain….did I mention we were desperate?

My tacos were good but I am always disappointed with the flavorless white corn tortillas. Our order of guacamole on the side was your typical smooth variety, lacking any definitive ingredient other than avocados. Both of our dishes came with guacamole so there was actually a surplus….something that never happens with my guacamole!

If El Torero is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, why don’t I dine there more often? There is no patio. I crave Mexican food in the heat of Summer, casually sipping margaritas outdoors. So I choose atmosphere over flavor 90% of the time.

6135 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross 770-246-0613

As usual, LC had the hookup on all access passes to the PGA Championships last week. He had coordinated much of the transportation for the event and I had worked with several groups as well, so it was both business than pleasure.

The Atlanta Athletic Club hosted the event and I spent a solid nine hours there on Friday, entertaining clients and hanging out with friends and colleagues. There was so much going on that I completely forgot it was August 12th….the second anniversary of this blog!

I arrived with friend BG, the searing heat prompting us to head straight for the clubhouse where we ordered a couple of Corona Lights. It was a beautiful day so we strolled the course for a bit, taking in a few choice shots, but the stagnant heat soon overtook us and we made our way to the next venue, the Wanamaker Club, a vast super air-conditioned space with a centrally located bar, tons of flat-screen TV’s, and a variety of fast food for purchase in the back. It’s hard to fathom how many striped polos I saw in that place!

Having a shiny, all access laminate is nice. For instance, they didn’t search my bag and make me check my camera. Photos were not allowed during the tournament, but I did manage to snap a few of the course, and most importantly, the cheeseburger that BG and I split. It was your typical food stall burger, slapped together with little care. Cold cheese didn’t melt, especially against the cold lettuce and tomato. The bun, however, was expertly removed from the bag. I squirted some mayo from the institutional bucket on the bottom and used lettuce for the top, as always (apres photo).

Shortly after we finished our cheeseburger, BG had to go, but CF was not far behind. She is our marketing guru, and as I found out, can really put away some pulled pork BBQ nachos, made with the sterotypical institutional corn chips and bright orange “cheese” sauce. At least they had jalapenos on them. I ordered a Blue Moon with a slice of orange and a hot dog, simply dressed with mustard. The bun was stale so I used it primarily as a holder for the dog.

By the time LC showed up I was ready to go. One more Blue Moon at the Wanamaker club and a bag of jalapeno kettle chips to complete my day of dietary disaster.

This is my Summer for roadtrips. From Orlando to Louisville to Pigeon Forge, we’ve put some serious miles on the Hotdishmobile, making several interesting stops along the way. One such stop was in Knoxville, driving back from Dollywood.

LC had lived there briefly and was familiar with the city, especially the area around the University of Tennessee, who’s campus is near the river. Although he had not been there in years, he still recalled a great restaurant along the boardwalk called Calhoun’s, so we exited the highway and made our way toward the water.

Finding the restaurant on the Tennessee River only took about 15 minutes. We made our way to the spacious patio and ordered margaritas made with fresh lime (no sour), and a few appetizers to share. Time was tight since we had to get back on the road to Atlanta. Luckily, service was swift so we had a smorgasbord of snacks lickity split. And I do mean lickity. Calhoun’s specialty is ribs, so LC ordered their hickory smoked “ribatizer” with crispy fries, all finger-lickin’ good.

Our weird combo also included a skewer of decent char-grilled shrimp, a gooey side of mac ‘n’ cheese, a rich dish called spinach Maria, and a bowl of Calhoun’s signature white chili made with chicken, white beans, cilantro, and topped with crispy tortilla strips. The chili was good but I would have loved it if it had some heat.

We cleaned our plates and hit the road for a few more hours of driving bliss.

400 Neyland Drive, Knoxville 865-673-3355

Reservations for lunch on a Tuesday? Who knew! A business associate and I had made plans to meet at Seasons 52 for lunch but there was a 45 minute wait, so we walked next door to Wildfire. LC joined us as we chatted and caught up on a variety of topics, both business and personal.

It was our trio’s first visit to Wildfire, not to be confused with Woodfire. Upon entering, the smell of fish was overwhelming, prompting me to comment that LC’s daughter would not be able to tolerate lunch at this restaurant.

No matter, we were seated immediately in a comfy booth. The menu offers an array of grilled items, including the obvious fish, plus burgers and salads.

LC ordered the fish special, parmasan crusted tilapia. DD tried the Mediterranian shrimp salad while I went with the house specialty, the chopped salad with chicken. As a rule I don’t order chopped salads since they are often made with inferior lettuce but I couldn’t resist this one due to its list of mouthwatering ingredients: bacon, avocado, blue cheese, scallions, tomatoes, and tortilla strips, dressed with citrus vinaigrette. It also comes with corn but I requested it left off.

My chopped salad was big ‘n’ tasty but there was a serious lack of avocado, and the lettuce was likely iceberg and romaine, as expected. DD’s skewers of grilled shrimp served on a bed of spinach looked better and she commented that it was great, but I thought it would have been unprofessional to steal a shrimp from her plate.

Meanwhile, LC enjoyed his fish, although I thought it was odd that it came a la carte (or is that a spear of zucchini beneath the filet?). I snagged a bite of the mild, flaky fish and found it tolerable, although a bit greasy.

Upon investigation for this post, I discovered that Wildfire is a small chain, apparently born in Illinois. Its somewhat bland, corporate design should have given it away. On a positive note, the service was fantastic. If you are in the Perimeter Mall area, I would recommend it for a business lunch any day of the week….especially on Tuesdays.

94 Perimeter Center West 770-730-9080

Last weekend was little T’s last in town before going back to school in Texas, so a herd of us went to Zoo Atlanta for some good, smelly fun.

It was lunchtime and some of our group had already eaten while the rest of us were at the mercy of what the zoo had to offer. You can’t expect much from any theme park when it comes to food. There are always burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, pizza, and quite often turkey legs.

Unfortunately, Zoo Atlanta doesn’t have turkey legs, unless you’re counting the ones walking around in their habitats. The choices were meager, at best. LC popped into a tiny to-go place, getting a droopy, greasy slice of pepperoni pizza. I was hungry, but not enough to take the bite he offered.

I waited. After the reptile house, the gorillas, and the pandas, we finally found a free-standing cafe. We were ecstatic, mainly because it offered a break from the ridiculous humidity outside.

Most of us chose the cheeseburger basket, while LC got another slice of pepperoni pizza, with pickles of course. Although not pretty, once decorated with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles from the toppings bar, and slathered with mayo, my cheeseburger was actually pretty good, served with relatively crispy shoestring fries.

Meanwhile, the animals that live at the zoo are thriving on gourmet cuisine prepared behind the scenes specifically for their species. And that’s a good thing. I don’t think those hairy orangutans would be too pleased if they were served that pizza.

Now I know why they say “don’t feed the animals!”