Hot Dish Review

These rotten looking things actually contain a sweet treasure. I wish I had taken a photo of my parents’ persimmon tree, barren of leaves but loaded with the ripe fruit.

If you’ve ever eaten a persimmon that was not ripe, you know how vital it is that they are ready to eat. In fact, they need to be quite soft to avoid the dreaded “pucker effect”.

Unlike the gigantic orange Fuyu persimmons available at most grocers, these persimmons are small, spotted, and wrinkled. Me and my Dad ate a dozen right off the tree as we were picking the ones low enough to grab, spitting out the huge seeds.

What they lack in beauty, however, they make up in sweet flavor. You can’t always judge a book (or a fruit) by its cover!

You know how much I love the burbs. Working on the weekend in Kennesaw? Double the fun.

After a few hours of setting up a trade show display at a school on a recent Sunday, LC and I stopped by Keegan’s Public House for a bite and a brew before heading to (I kid you not) the office for more work.

Pubs are usually also sports bars, so LC’s alterior motive was to watch the end of the Falcons game. But their TV’s were placed where they were hard to see from the booths, and the bar was full of patrons.

We sat in a booth anyway and ordered two Irish car bombs, shots of Baileys and Jameson’s that are dropped into half pints of Guinness draft, then quickly consumed. My unfortunate introduction to this concoction (5 of them) resulted in my car keys being locked in my office on Christmas Eve some years ago, but that’s another story.

Today, just one car bomb would erase the last few hours and smooth out our jangled nerves. But our break time was short and food was in order. LC and I often share things, so we tried the appetizer sampler, heart disease on a platter, including 2 beef sliders, 5 hot wings, and 2 Irish Spring rolls. I tried to counteract the cholesterol with their spinach salad topped with Granny Smith apples, candied walnuts, and blue cheese, but the dressing was pure bacon grease.

Wings and blue cheese were not extraordinary….we would have liked them spicier, but it was the meager serving of celery that baffled me. Isn’t celery cheap? Can I have more than 2 tiny slivers? The fatty beef sliders were topped with melted cheese and grilled onions….delicious. I thought the Irish Spring rolls were clever, made with corned beef, cabbage, and Swiss cheese wrapped in wontons and fried, of course. Thousand island dipping sauce added to the caloric nightmare.

Other selections were standard Irish fare….shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish ‘n’ chips. Another Guinness for me before we hit the road, our bellies full.

1625 Ridenhour Blvd, Kennesaw 678-213-2461

I have an aversion to meetings….sales meetings, strategy meetings, meetings to decide when to have more meetings. But I love lunch meetings. Food opens the door to discussion, to finding common ground. Lunch meetings are productive, and sometimes downright delicious.

Although I live nearby, I’m guilty of avoiding downtown Atlanta due to my fear of parking drama, which is often unfounded. Most restaurants have valet parking, like we discovered at Peasant Bistro. LC and I met two execs from the Georgia Aquarium there recently.

It was my first visit and I was immediately dazzled by the stunning space, with its sweeping staircase and delicate light fixtures suspended from the high ceiling. An abundance of windows lent a sunny atmosphere to the elegantly appointed space.

The lunch menu displays a smart selection of salads, sandwiches, and entrees, all priced at $16 or less. Fried green tomatoes make an appearance as an appetizer as well as the “T” in a gussied up BLT. Plenty of my favorite ingredients dotted the menu….bacon, avocado, caramelized onions, duck confit. Perhaps chef Michael Patria reads my blog!

Despite the array of potential deliciousness, my choice was easy: duck confit salad with goat cheese and roasted grapes, the latter calling to mind Scott Serpas’ house salad with his amazing blistered grape dressing. I chuckled as LC ordered the shrimp and grits, his cousin PC’s favorite dish. Must be a genetic thang.

The Aquarium folks both ordered…(gasp!) fish. The salmon salad, to be precise. Decorated with shoestring carrots and cucumbers and dressed with lime/ginger dressing, it likely had an Asian accent.

LC’s dish was comprised of creamy, cheesy grits with a spiced tomato cream sauce flavored with andouille sausage, topped with four enormous prawns. He allowed me one delectable bite.

Meanwhile, my salad was even better than I had envisioned. Ultra-fresh baby greens included fluffy tufts of frisee, my favorite. Chunks of confit displayed the subtle gaminess that sets duck apart from its poultry cousins. Roasted grapes popped in my mouth and provided the necessary sweet accompaniment to the rich meat. The menu didn’t specify what kind of dressing would be served but I was pleased with the citrusy vinaigrette….perhaps the same orange vinaigrette served with the roasted beet salad? It was a very impressive dish, although I would have liked a bit more of the goat cheese.

As we were leaving, a painting caught my eye. It looked like the work of Tony Hernandez. A server said the restaurant’s owner, Maureen, would know who painted it, but I certainly didn’t expect her to be there. Unaware I had inquired about the painting, and unaware I was a food writer, she was not only there, but made sure to say goodbye as we were leaving. Very impressive.

And yes, the painting was indeed by Tony Hernandez. From what’s on the walls to what’s on the plate, Maureen has great taste!

250 Park Avenue West NW 404-230-1724

A serious lack of sophistication coupled with a serious lack of education describes my hometown. Adventurous dining is ordering anything not fried. Some might call it quaint, but having lived in the city for many years now, I simply find it sad.

So, on my recent (and sad) visit for a funeral, I was surprised when my Mom suggested we go to a Japanese restaurant for an early dinner. She said my Dad loved it. Huh? Tako Yaki is in a strip shopping center 5 minutes from my parents’ house, serving hibachi grilled steaks and seafood, and sushi, of course.

Booths lined the wall on the left opposite a beautifully appointed sushi bar. Inexpensive meal specials are a big draw for locals like my Dad. He likes the grilled shrimp teriyaki, a simple combo of fried rice, stir fried carrots, zucchini, onions and cabbage and a pile of small shrimp….a healthy alternative to most massive restaurant meals. We ordered two, one for him and one for me and Mom to share.

Bowls of salty miso soup and crispy iceberg salads with standard, yet delicious miso dressing started us off.

Mom was excited to have me there as her sushi menu interpreter. She’s always afraid to order it, not sure if the fish is raw or cooked. On American sushi menus there are many steamed or smoked options like smoked salmon, eel, shrimp (ebi), and crab. Although I didn’t think she would be thrilled with the fatty skin of the eel, I ordered a dragon roll for us to split. Crab stick and cucumber on the inside, topped with avocado and eel, the roll was playfully presented. To demonstrate the difference between nigiri and sushi, I added on one order (2 pieces) of smoked salmon nigiri. All was satisfactory. But having dined at MF Buckhead with its robata grill and Chris Kinjo’s fancy finger work, I’m completely spoiled. Mom felt adventurous.

We paid and drove to the funeral home where my extended family was in the dining area eating fried chicken, mashed taters, baked beans, and yellow cake.

Maybe John Cougar Mellencamp wants to die in a small town, but I’ll take the big city any day, where I can get sashimi flown in daily from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo….and people know what the f*ck sashimi is.

5910 Reagan Lane, Collegedale, TN

I don’t get out much….out of the city, that is. But recently, LC and I had the pleasure of dining out with his cousin and his wife in their neck of the woods.

It’s not that I think restaurants in the suburbs are inferior, it’s simply a matter of convenience, or inconvenience. When there are an abundance of intown restaurants that fulfill my culinary cravings, why drive thirty miles? Especially when one might have a drink….or two.

Nevertheless, there we were, in Marietta, going to one of their neighborhood favorites, The Paper Mill Grill. The space was warm and inviting, with soft lighting and wood furnishings. Seated in a cozy booth, we started off with a round of various martinis, from peach to good old fashioned gin. We were particularly fond of the fish bowl placed on the shelf that separated us from the booth next door, but the colorful beta didn’t move….until we tapped the glass. He’s alive!

All of us were starving, so we ordered two flatbread appetizers and zucchini fries. The latter were especially greasy and didn’t warrant more than one bite. Of the two flatbreads, one was the special with smoked salmon, capers, and onions. Not so special. The other, however, was super delicious, topped with fig preserves, blue cheese, bacon and grapes. It’s a combination that could have been cloyingly sweet if poorly executed, but instead, was perfectly balanced.

LC’s cousin is as predictable as sunburns in Summer. He always, and I mean always, orders shrimp and grits if it is on the menu. He cleaned his plate. Despite having salmon on one of our appetizers, LC wanted more of the pink fish, this time grilled and served on a pool of creamed corn risotto. He too cleaned his plate.

Us chicks chose salads. L ordered the blackened grouper baby blue salad, an enourmous dinner portion of chopped veggies, strawberries, walnuts and blue cheese, with balsamic vinaigrette. I tried the warm spinach salad with grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, avocado, chopped egg, and mushrooms with a warm apple bacon vinaigrette. All you have to say is bacon and avocado and I’m in….talk about predictable. Chewy bacon, fresh avocado, tender chicken and….(surprise!) blue cheese….yes, it was awesome.

No room for dessert other than the liquid variety. We sipped our last martinis while listening to the guy playing acoustic guitar in the bar area. Too bad Paper Mill Grill is in the burbs.

305 Village Parkway NE 678-766-1500

LC likes martinis, or shall I say, he likes vodka shaken with olive juice served in a martini glass, because we all know a real martini is made with gin.

I like real martinis. Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up, with 3 olives. Either way, the only place in town that serves a martini properly is The Highland Tap, a subterranean man-cave in the Virginia Highlands. They chill the glass with ice, fill a cognac glass with ice and seltzer, then shake up a double and pour a small amount into the chilled glass, the rest of it into a tiny carafe, which is then placed into the icy seltzer so it remains ice cold while you sip it. Classy.

A martini craving is what generally draws me to The Highland Tap. I wanted to introduce LC to the perfect martini, but we were hungry too, so we decided to snag a booth and share some appetizers and a thick, juicy steak.

We started off with an appetizer of two roasted scallops served over candied collards….just enough to whet our appetites.

Fried calamari or spinach artichoke dip? Both are menu staples throughout the U.S. since the early ’90′s, neither intrigues me. When presented with the choice, however, I went with the calamari. Flash fried with onions and peppers and drizzled with a generic “spicy” Asian glaze, Highland Tap’s plate of squid was neither greasy nor chewy despite its ubiquitous appeal.

LC and I chose a petite filet, medium-rare, with a side of truffled mac ‘n’ cheese. Lately, we’ve been addicted to mac ‘n’ cheese, including the childishly pedestrian microwaveable Kraft variety. But the homemade kind is always preferable, baked until the cheese is slightly browned with crispy breadcrumbs on top. Highland Tap serves a solid rendition, I’m assuming with a drizzle of truffle oil…good stuff.

But first our server delivered a side salad and bread. The Highland Tap has served the same dark brown mini loaves of bread since I can remember. Warm and soft…sounds better than it tastes. I’d prefer crusty white ciabatta any day. Salad was fresh and lively, jazzed up with a citrusy vinaigrette.

Our steak was well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. Sections of sweet caramelized onion accompanied the meat. A second martini was the perfect dessert….straight up.

1026 N. Highland Avenue 404-875-3673

Football season always makes me crave ‘em!
Oh yeah, baby. It’s sausage balls…..almost like the ones I loved back in the day, when my diet was mostly beer, popcorn, and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

My first experience with sausage balls was at WP’s Mom’s house in Dora, AL during a Thanksgiving visit. She was a master of Southern style cholesterol-laden goodies like pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and sausage balls.

Perfect sausage balls have only three ingredients: pork sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, and Bisquick. You can alter the flavor by choosing either hot or mild sausage, sharp or mild cheddar, and you can alter the texture by adding more or less of the Bisquick. That’s all the tinkering one can do, legally.

Despite the obvious simplicity of this recipe I still found it necessary to call his sister SP every time I made them. It’s a mixture that must be kneaded by hand….a nasty task to be sure. There’s nothing like trying to get raw pork from under your nails! (Here’s a recipe I found online with great photos, including the mixing-by-hand part, although 2 cups sounds like too much Bisquick).

That was twenty years ago. A few years back I was elated to discover Jimmy Dean now sells pre-made sausage balls, in the freezer section of the supermarket. You know I snatched ‘em up, excited to see if they were sorta like the homemade ones. Although smaller in diameter, the flavor was the same. Then they introduced jalapeno flavor….awesome.

Things have certainly changed since my first taste of sausage balls. WP is gone. Now I’m a food writer, not a fashion designer. I’ve traded in the macaroni and cheese for sensible things like fish and salad. I workout five days a week and take vitamins. Recently I found the original flavor made with turkey sausage, lower in fat, so naturally I had to give them a try.

The turkey variety is drier and doesn’t brown quite as nicely as the fattier pork balls. But something was missing other than the fat. They lacked heart.

In fact, they made me a little sad. How I wish I could have the original homemade kind again, back in Dora, AL with WP. Those were the best balls ever.

Yesterday I was shopping at the Ansley Kroger when I walked by the bakery department and was subjected to this garish display….yellow cake and cupcakes decorated with day-glo frosting.

What is the flavor of yellow cake? Yellow is not a flavor. The flavor of red velvet cake is red, I suppose. At least brown cake is chocolate. Why would anyone want to eat a flavorless sponge covered with bright green goopy frosting? Why?

Cake is so low-brow. Whenever I eat something that’s gonna add to my girth, it better be worth it. Like Babette’s dried cherry tart, for instance. Or authentic gelato in Europe.

Perhaps cake is the perfect dessert after a nice fat Knuckle Sandwich!

Is it time for soup yet? I think it is….

This recipe is courtesy of The Rachael Ray Show. I love the toothsome quality of barley, and paired with pancetta….well, I just had to give it a try! You can access the original recipe video that offers some variations via the link above or follow mine below:

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 quart low sodium chicken stock
3 cups water
1/4 C. EVOO
1/3 lb. thick cut pancetta, diced
3/4 lb. cremini mushroom caps, cleaned and sliced
1 bay leaf
2 leeks, washed, trimmed, sliced
4 cloves garlic, grated
3 tblsp. fresh sage, very thinly sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 bunch kale, leaves thinly chopped
salt & pepper

Simmer dried porcini mushrooms in the water and stock. Meanwhile crisp the pancetta in the olive oil over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and bay leaf and cook 10-12 minutes. Next, add the leeks and garlic and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add sage, rosemary and tomatoes.

Remove the softened porcini mushrooms from the stock and chop. Add them along with their cooking liquids to the soup pot taking care to leave behind any grit from the mushrooms. Stir in the barley and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the barley is tender. Add the kale, allowing it to wilt.

Makes 4 servings.

LG joined me for this impromptu hearty soup dinner, perfect for a winter evening! I served it with some toasted country sourdough from Bakeshop.