Hot Dish Review

Last night, a group of food bloggers descended on four Midtown restaurants that will be dishing up samples at the 10th annual Taste of Atlanta, October 22nd and 23rd.

When I was contacted by event founder, Dale DeSena, I was excited, not only to be invited to participate, but also because my company, Cooper Global Transportation, was chosen to provide the luxurious chauffeured transportation to drive us eaters around town!

Our group of 25 bloggers, Brave PR staffers and Dale herself, started at JCT Kitchen, welcomed with a couple of signature cocktails that captured the essence of Autumn. The scarecrow was made with pumpkin ale, spiced rum, brown sugar chai and orange. Myself, and a few others, found it heavy on the cloves. But everyone seemed to enjoy their signature martini the JCTea, a mix of tea infused gin, Grand Marnier, lemon, Fee Brothers orange bitters.

Two big platters of delectable morsels were placed on the communal tables, photographed like starlets by the hungry (literally) blogger paparazzi, as Chef de Cuisine Brian Horn described the selections. Then we each grabbed a plate and a bite of each….the pork belly appetizer I was hoping to try and a taste of pasta from their entree selections. Crispy chunks of pork belly sat upon fried slices of banana and frissee, dressed with peanut sauce. Amazing! Even better was the sweet onion and fontina agnolotti, dressed with crumbles of Humboldt Fog and shitake mushrooms, wittily described as “expensive” on the menu. A great start to the TOA Tweet-Up!

On to our second restaurant, Ri Ra, an Irish pub in Midtown. The enormous space is striking, constructed with pub salvage from County Wicklow near Dublin, including ornate crystal chandeliers and intricate woodwork.

Our server took drink orders, so I tried a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Platters of beer battered fish with two dipping sauces were placed on each table. After a few photos we were ready to dig in but the platters were inexplicably taken away to another table for serving. It was curious that they served us fish without the chips. One of the bloggers’ companions….not even a food writer, mind you….noted that there was no seasoning on the fish. Indeed, it was apparent in the first bite that salt was omitted. The sauces did little to perk up the flavor.

We boarded the Cooper minibus and made our way to Tuk Tuk Thai Loft, owned by Dee Dee Niyomkul, who’s family owns Nan Thai and Tamarind Seed. The space is gorgeous. Inspired by the street food her grandmother used to sell in Bangkok, Dee Dee recreates these dishes with great success. Our group was served lychee mojitos, which I skipped but heard was great.

Servers appeared with platters of tastes, many of them disappearing before we could get our cameras out. Chicken satay and Thai vegetable samosas to start, then a platter of miniature spinach leaf wraps filled with minced chicken, peanuts, onions, and ginger. My personal favorite was the Thai beef jerky with sticky rice and cilantro. Chef DeeDee came out to chat with us after we had sampled many delectable dishes, making for a memorable visit.

Everyone was feelin’ good, and having a great time getting to know each other! Our last stop was The Barrelhouse, a new gastropub on 5th street. Tennessee barn wood covered the walls, making for a warm and casual atmosphere. A cocktail called fruit cup was offered, made with vodka, simple syrup, cherries, pineapple, mint, and soda.

A tiny hot dog bun was delivered, filled with meltingly tender beef short ribs. It was a little dry, but the flavor was fantastic. I gave my little cup of banana pudding to a fellow blogger, anticipating a sweeter dessert as I texted LC, who was arriving from Texas via the Marta station nearby. Perfect timing!

Don’t miss this year’s Taste of Atlanta on the streets around Tech Square….with more than 80 restaurants participating you won’t leave hungry!

Hard to believe my only visit to ESS was for lunch shortly after it opened. Having gained notoriety in Athens, Georgia, Hugh Acheson’s Atlanta baby was born about the same time as a multitude of similarly styled restaurants, all boasting their locally inspired, organic, farm to table philosophy…blahblahblah.

Yes, we love Miller Union, and 4th & Swift, and all the little cousins with a Southern drawl, but after a while, the mere mention of a farm sent me squealing like a stuck pig. However, good food is…well, it’s just good!

So when AD said we were meeting friends there for dinner, I was excited to return. After nineteen months of travelling the world, she is back in the states, visiting friends and generally causing mayhem.

BG and his wife AR, AD’s former colleague BK, me and LC were all late, finally being seated around 8:45pm, each of us ravenous. But first, we needed something to calm our frazzled nerves….a bottle of Cote du Rhone perhaps? Vodka martinis for the guys were in miniature glasses that looked more appropriate for after dinner cordials….I guess that’s why they ended up having five each by the end of the night!

Not as evident in Executive Chef Ryan Smith’s lunch menu, what sets ESS apart from its Southern counterparts is the intensely creative, if not somewhat bizarre pairings. Shrimp with Benton’s ham, okra, crowder peas, and bourbon sour cherries?

BG suggested we start with the steak tartare, a perfect choice since it is AD’s favorite. Not usually a fan of raw beef, I chimed in with the pork belly starter to share. A plate of bread and rolls were served with fig butter that was grainy and utterly flavorless, a sad condiment for the fantastic crusty artisan bread.

The two appetizers arrived, promptly attacked by twelve hungry hands. Crisp pork belly was served atop a generous helping of creamed kimchi rice grits. A sprinkling of peanuts and pickled daikon completed the unexpected, yet perfectly balanced composition. And it was awesome, but not nearly as awesome as the steak tartare.

With an equally weird description containing preserved lemon-caper emulsion, crisp egg (what is that?) and cheese puffs (Frito Lay?), I found myself wishing we had ordered six of these and nothing else. Turns out the “cheese puff” was a white crispy thing that resembled chiccarones. The “crisp egg” was a breaded and deep fried quail egg that oozed its lovely golden goodness over the creamy, sensuous steak. Raw meat is kinda sexy.

In a remarkable twist of fate, (almost) each of us ordered a different entree….trout for AD and BG, chicken and dumplings for AR, prime New York strip for LC. It was a difficult choice for me….duck or pork? Since BK chose the duck and promised to let me try it, I went for the Riverview Farms pork loin.

We coerced the last drop of wine out of its bottle and proceeded to reds by the glass, carefully selected by award winning sommelier Steven Grubbs, which could have contributed to the blurriness of the entree photos, but I can’t be certain.

All meat dishes were presented thinly sliced, like my pork loin with its eggplant puree. I didn’t notice any butterbeans or maitake mushrooms….perhaps they added heft and flavor to the puree, which I don’t remember at all. I do recall the pork’s smoky flavor, paired perfectly with a sweet chow chow made with burgundy wine.

I sampled two other entrees. LC’s steak was underwhelming, mainly due to the flavorless parslied farroto that was served with it. However, the pickled ramp jam that reminded me of delicious caramelized onions redeemed the dish. The best plate of the evening was BK’s duck, wisely paired with apricot mostarda, celery root puree, pak choi, and the unusual hominy….again, cooking outside the box.

We went to Vanquish for liquid dessert, drama and debauchery.

999 Peachtree 404-541-1105

A long overdue visit to Serpas immediately reminded me of what sets apart a good restaurant from a great one.

There are only a couple of foods that I would categorize as disgusting….chicken livers and cucumbers. Then there are a few that I can eat, but generally choose not to, such as tuna, broccoli, and beets.

It is a rare restaurant that can make me want to eat tuna. Top Flr is one, Serpas is the other.

My first experience with Scott Serpas’ tuna tartar was at the opening media dinner. I would not have ordered it, however, our big table of food writers received a chef’s tasting of practically half the menu.

Many of the tastes were fantastic, but I was particularly enthralled with the chef’s tuna tartar, its tiny cubes of fresh ahi tossed with diced onion and green apple in a sweet and spicy sesame dressing. He served housemade potato chips alongside for scooping up the tartar, providing a slightly salty crunch that complimented the silky sweet tuna.

On a subsequent visit with B and our sad excuse for boyfriends at the time, we ordered several appetizers to share before our entrees. That is when I met the Serpas house salad. Butter lettuce, candied pecans, goat cheese, and his signature blistered grape vinaigrette. It’s just a salad, right? Not quite. Like the dressing on his tuna tartar, Serpas has a knack for sauces and such that is unrivaled. This salad makes me salivate.

A few other appetizers remain on the menu from those opening months like the delicious eggplant hushpuppies and savory crispy duck rolls. The chef’s Louisiana heritage is evident in dishes like chicken-andouille gumbo and flash fried oysters, both dishes he introduced during his long stint at Two Urban Licks. It is easy to make a meal of starters at Serpas.

After being snowed in for days, LC and I ventured out for a meal of modern comfort food. Chef Serpas’ approach remains unpretentious, stearing clear of silly trends, although I did see he added an appetizer of pork rillette.

The space is industrial chic with a dose of Southern charm. A mural that looks like billowing orange clouds at first glance is actually a photo of cotton. An open kitchen allows diners to see Serpas in action. There is a marked lack of chaos as he expedites orders.

Both of us were having a hard time deciding on drinks so we ended up trying a specialty cocktail made with tequila, pear compote and bitters. I considered a temperanillo or pinot noir but ended up ordering a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout. Well, they were out of the beer so my next choice was another specialty cocktail with gin and fig jam, a better choice than his. LC tried a Dixie ale later that he really enjoyed.

Thankfully, LC likes to share so we started out with the tried and true tuna tartar and the fried green tomato and crab stack. The tuna was as amazing as ever with just a hint of sweetness and a dose of heat that creeps up on your palate.

My history with fried green tomatoes is lengthy, having grown up in the South eating my Grandma’s, sliced thin with a scant cornmeal and flour coating. I often have issues with fried green tomatoes being served as an appetizer since they are really just like any other vegetable side, to be eaten with your protein. No matter, here they were, as an appetizer, all gussied up with crab and avocado, both of which I love. I had to have it.

The stack was comprised of two slices of fried green tomatoes layered with crab salad. One of the tomato slices was perfectly thin and tender, although a bit heavy on the breading, while the other was sliced too thick and therefore hard to cut. I didn’t find the avocado until the end, when a bit of it made an appearance, perhaps going unnoticed due to its hue being identical to that of the tomatoes, or it could be that the kitchen accidently went light on it. That’s a shame because I love avocado and it might have swayed my overall opinion of the dish. It was good, not great.

We decided to split the duck breast for our main course, along with the house salad. Again, I can’t even explain how perfect that salad is. The duck, cooked to medium, was stuffed with pecans and cranberries, then rolled and wrapped in bacon. Good Lord! Three pieces were placed on a creamy bed of pureed sweet potatoes with a hint of chili. I swear, there couldn’t be a dish with more bells and whistles for me than this one. It didn’t just sound or look pretty, it tasted gorgeous. And that’s coming from a chick that likes a crispy skin on her duck breast. I didn’t miss it.

Despite the duck being an obvious choice for me, I still had difficulty not ordering the jumbo sea scallops with Serpas’ rich and fragrant panang curry. LC considered the braised beef short ribs before I trumped him with the duck. A diner seated next to us had the gigantic veal porterhouse….I swear it must have weighed five pounds!

In an unexpected turn of events, we skipped dessert. On our way out I said hello to Scott. He’s such a genuinely great guy and knows by best friend B quite well. My next visit will undoubtedly be with her for brunch.

Three out of four dishes were stellar. Days later, I am still reliving the salad, the duck, the tuna. So, if I didn’t mention it before, that is what sets the good apart from the great and why Serpas is in my Top Ten list of Atlanta restaurants!

659 Auburn Avenue, suite 501 404-688-0040

The end of Summer makes me depressed….and desperate. I’ll do anything to eat, drink, and otherwise fornicate outdoors while the weather permits! Last weekend I was determined to get my ass on a patio somewhere, drinking something.

But plans tend to change at a moment’s notice when LC is involved. He had invited his buddy JH to join us for a drink and a bite to eat, which would inevitably turn into a late night out.

JH was in charge of the PGA Championship last month at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, so he got to know everyone in the neighborhood, including the owner of Grace 17.20 located at the Forum in Norcross. So he suggested we give their patio a whirl.

Great idea! Patios in the burbs are spacious. This one sported a fireplace, decorative plants and strings of lights. Everyone there was seated outside, where the tables were covered with white linens and service was gracious.

The elegant yet casual atmosphere had me thinking wine, but the guys ordered vodka martinis, so I joined in but got the real thing made with Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up.

Perfect weather provided an excellent backdrop for dinner. We started with two appetizers, the bleu cheese and caramelized onion melt and spicy chopped chicken and sweet slaw spring rolls. The latter were chock full of chicken, but it wasn’t spicy and I couldn’t detect any of the jalapeno jack cheese listed among the ingredients. I would not have been disappointed had I not read the description, but I did, and that led to expectations. And I know full well the taste of dashed expectations.

But it was the luscious combination of sweet caramelized onions and browned bleu cheese that had me and LC swooning. We cleaned the dish with the toasted pita triangles provided.

Meanwhile, round two of martinis were ordered. Our entrees were a seafood smorgasbord; scallops with corn risotto for LC, the seafood cobb salad for me, and the lobster special served with fettucini marinara for JH.

The three enormous scallops were perfectly cooked, but I didn’t love the risotto. Lobster was evidently delicious as JH cleaned his plate, but I didn’t give it a try. I would have ordered it but the combination of fish of any kind and tomatoes makes me cringe.

Although the colors were vibrant, I was somewhat disappointed with the blandness of my cobb salad. The seafood that was described as “lightly seared” seemed to be boiled with no seasoning. My sweet and spicy chili vinaigrette was neither sweet nor spicy, tasting only of the seasoning used in chili. Bacon and avocado were likewise inexplicably flavorless. I made do with fresh black pepper for some zing. However, the more gin I drank, the better the salad got.

The boys licked their plates and ordered a third martini. I took in a deep breath of the waning Summer air for dessert. Sweet. Amen.

5155 Peachtree Parkway #320 678-421-1720

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

This should be the standard for all air travel….after enjoying a snack and drinks in the Sky Lounge, take a leisurely stroll to the jet where you can casually slip on your comfy socks and sip a little champagne.

First Class, now called Business Elite, on Delta is the ultimate in comfort on overnight flights, providing noise cancelling headsets and fully reclining seats. And then there’s the food. You know all the clinking of silverware you hear when you are in coach? Yeah, that’s First Class getting real food while you are removing the plastic wrappers and foil from your TV-dinner-like meal (more on those later).

Flight attendants in First Class take your order before you leave the ground. It’s cute that the options are in English and German….my first taste of my native language in quite some time. Celeb chef Michelle Bernstein designed some of the swanky dishes.

There is a choice for the first course, however, generally you get both. We had rosemary duck breast and couscous salad with dried fruit and almonds….indeed! Of course the duck was well-done, but the flavor of the dish was nice and I always love dried fruit with duck. Pumpkin bisque soup, “Kuerbiscremesuppe” auf Deutsch, the other appetizer choice, paired nicely with the duck and couscous.

Having already had two glasses of champagne, I chose the 2006 Chateau Beaumont bordeaux to have with my meal. Mom tried a South African chenin blanc that was similar to a good sauvignon blanc.

The second course was a large salad of mixed greens with yellow peppers, pecans, and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and fresh.

Given the choice of grilled beef tenderloin with shrimp scampi or crab cakes, both me and my Mom chose the latter. For me, it was the fact that all meat is cooked well-done and I prefer beef medium-rare. Plus, the crab cakes came with baked spaghetti squash and braised leeks. Braised leeks!

The entree was very well-executed, with two meaty crab cakes and those meltingly delicious leeks. There was a bit too much nutmeg in the spaghetti squash though. And Mom complained about the copious mound of lemon aioli that sat between the two cakes.

Next was the cheese course or dessert. Actually, I have been known to have both, but this time Mom got the cheese and I got the ice cream sundae made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, chopped nuts, and whipped cream….very traditional.

After a second glass of red wine, I watched the Oscar winning movie The King’s Speech. It was awesome, but left only a couple of hours to try to sleep.

The next thing I knew the smell of coffee filled the cabin and we were awakened from our slumber to be served yet another meal of scrambled eggs on English muffins topped with melted cheese, spinach, served with Canadian bacon and a croissant. No doubt they feed you well in First Class!

Arriving in Frankfurt, the city of my birth, always causes me to reflect on the years that have passed since my last visit. So much has changed! Am I on the right path? I can see myself in one or two years, landing in Frankfurt once more. Then I will know the answers to all the questions I have now, but there’s always a list of new ones.

The expectations that come with a name like Tantra are hard to ignore….dining there would be a sensual experience. But just how sexy can food be? Sure, there would be raw oysters and cocktails with tantilizing names like the Forbidden Fruit. The space was dimly lit, as expected. Red velvet banquettes and chairs….check. Kama Sutra-esque artwork….check. The atmosphere was adequately sultry.

LC joined me, seated at a table in the main dining room. I was hoping for a secluded booth, perhaps with curtains, so we could feed each other succulent morsels in privacy. Starting off with specialty cocktails, I tried the Gigi, a bubbly drink made of prosecco, Gran Marnier, and blood orange juice, while he ordered a drink called Exuding, Stoli Vanilla mixed with almond milk and cinnamon. Both were yummy.

The internationally inspired menu by chef Terry Dwyer features middle Eastern flavors and spiced up American classics. LC and I started with three appetizers. Paneer and mushy pea samosas with a cilantro yogurt sauce were tasty but not quite as good as the delish chicken version at Spice Market.

He also got the short smoked salmon rolls with basil, mint, cilantro, and arugula. Their phallic shape was the sexiest part of the dish. LC enjoyed them but I thought the salmon was a little fishy.

More foreplay came in the form of foie gras. I’m in love with it. Seared and served with pear and quince chutney, brioche, and sauterne-saffron gelee, the piece was large enough to be duck rather than goose. That’s OK. I revisited my old habit of requesting a handful of undressed field greens with it to balance the richness of the foie gras. Noticing that many of their dishes contained mint, I specified only greens, no mint. However, the dreaded herb was mixed in among the greens. Nonetheless, it was my favorite dish of the evening, every rich bite matched with a sweet bit of chutney. I was particularly impressed that the brioche was dry and crisp, not greasy like it so often can be. The removal of the mint leaves was an easy task that hardly detracted from my enjoyment.

I switched up my drink to red wine as we awaited our two entrees. Basil caramelized scallops came with golden potato puree as did the strip steak, so we substituted mushroom-herb polenta with the scallops to avoid being redundant. The scallops were nicely seared but overly salty. They also came with ginger braised collard greens. Although slightly undercooked, their flavor was awesome.

The steak was cooked to the correct temperature but didn’t melt in my mouth. It required more chewing than I would have liked. Asparagus and potato puree alongside were not noteworthy.

Other entrees include chili seared Hawaiian tuna and pan roasted seabass. There isn’t anything inherently sexy about either of these dishes, but maybe if a hot guy is buying it for you it’ll turn you on.

We chose another side, the sauteed okra, to share. It would have been more sensual to feed them to each other by hand but that may have drawn unwanted attention so we ate them with our forks. We both loved this dish.

Ending on a sweet note, we sampled the ice cream sandwich…. orange honey and rosemary ice cream nestled between two chewy molasses spiced cookies. Unfortunately, the nutmeg and cloves in the cookies overpowered the subtle flavors of the ice cream.

2285 Peachtree Road 404-228-7963

Open just over a month, Joey Riley’s new bistro in Brookhaven has quickly become the neighborhood hotspot, with its casual atmosphere and fusion menu. The warm golden walls are virtually naked but one hardly notices beyond the well-heeled crowd.

My dining companion was BB, the obvious choice given his history with the chef owner. BB will be opening his own restaurant and bar nearby in a few months so it certainly doesn’t hurt to know the competition, friendly or otherwise.

The place was packed as we waited for a couple of seats at the kitchen counter. I love eating at the bar, but I really love eating at a counter where the line cooks’ performance is the entertainment.

A few moments later, Joey brought out a small bowl of house roasted cashews and peanuts, spiced up with Thai chili and scallions. They went well with BB’s beer. He also gave us a bowl of spicy Berkshire pork rinds, a.k.a chiccarones, that were greaseless and crisp….an ironic but weirdly good pairing with my glass of Laurent Perrier champagne.

The third small plate we sampled was the pub fries served with duck fat mayonnaise. I’ve long preferred mayo over ketchup, and Riley’s housemade mayo was particularly tasty for dipping his crunchy fries which were not at all greasy.

Riley also sent out a bamboo steamer with two Chinese steamed buns, a starter listed under “First Impressions”. It made a good one. Pork belly, pickles, and hoisin sauce on soft, piping hot buns could have only been improved by adding cilantro.

Both of us enjoy a good glass of red wine so we decided to get a bottle of Syrah called 6th Sense. This is one of the best wines I’ve tried in recent memory….vanilla and nutmeg on the nose and smooth despite a peppery kick. I’ll be looking for it at retail, should be affordably priced around $15.

As we sipped our awesome wine we watched as the line cooks put up dozens of burgers, many of them doubles. You may remember chef Riley won the Battle of the Burgers a few months back before the restaurant’s doors were even open with a pimento cheese, slaw, and green tomato chow chow topped burger, now available all the time at Kaleidoscope.

We could have stopped there but decided to continue through the menu, ordering the Thai style beef jerky, pieces of lean dried beef enhanced by a zingy dressing made with fish sauce and lime juice.

There’s a good bit of Asian influence on Riley’s menu. Rumor has it he studied in Asia prior to landing at The Buckhead Diner. There is also a strong dose of good ol’ Southern cooking. Start with the ahi tuna tartare and follow it with shrimp ‘n’ grits. Why not?

Following our array of appetizers, BB and I decided on two entrees, the sage roasted pork porterhouse and the skillet fried chicken breast, mainly because I wanted to try all the sides that came with them.

The pork porterhouse, an enormous slab of swine, was cooked to medium at the chef’s recommendation. Some folks might be squeamish about undercooked pork but it doesn’t really phase me, as long as it is a quality sourced meat such as Berkshire pork used by Kaleidoscope. It was served with fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

There’s an ongoing drama with Brussels sprouts dating back to an experience we had at Bocado. Prepared with pine nuts, parmesan, tiny croutons, and a good dose of vinegar, the flavor of their Brussels is fantastic. They are, unfortunately, al dente, and I prefer most of my veggies cooked until soft. I’m from the South after all. BB, on the other hand, is a Yankee and likes them al dente. And that is how they are at Kaleidoscope. I didn’t care for them.

I rarely order fried chicken. By rarely I mean never. However, chef Riley serves his with local collards and baked mac ‘n’ cheese, both of which I insisted on trying. The airline breast had a good amount of breading but it needed a bit more seasoning. Some portions had become slightly soggy, others slightly greasy, but the chicken beneath the crust was seriously tender.

I may not be an expert on fried chicken but I damn sure know my collards. You might even say I’m a collards sommelier! The collards at Empire State South were perhaps the best I have ever tasted, but these were a close second, simmered in chicken stock (according to BB) and flavored with pancetta.

The mac ‘n’ cheese was not quite as stellar. Although it is finished in the oven with some crisped breadcrumbs on top, the sauce that coats the corkscrew pasta is rather thin.

Dessert? Of course. Our server rattled off at least ten options. It’s hard for me to remember a verbal listing, but luckily we both fixated on the same one….the s’mores brownie. Toasted marshmallows are good on just about anything.

I’ll be back for the burger.

1410 Dresden Drive 404-474-9600

B and I went on a roadtrip to Florida last weekend. It was more like a drive-by, arriving Saturday for a show featuring JB from Widespread Panic, then heading back to Atlanta on Sunday, but we did manage to eat at a seafood restaurant in Orlando called Landry’s.

On the main drag where most of the buildings take on the cartoonish nature of the theme parks nearby, Landry’s is no exception, boasting a kitschy marquis like an old movie theater. The decor inside, however, is best described as “regular”. B and I chose a table in the bar area since we were in a hurry.

Landry’s is the kind of place that has every kind of seafood prepared in every possible way…..grilled, fried, broiled, steamed, stuffed, and covered in special sauces. There are a few trendy dishes like the blackened sashimi, which we ordered, but the menu is mostly old standards like fried shrimp and stuffed flounder.

B ordered a Corona with salt and limes. Every time she does that I follow suit….just sounds too good to resist. Perusing the extensive menu we fixated on the appetizers. She had a hankerin’ for oysters and ordered a half dozen.

The blackened sashimi was a pretty display of rare ahi tuna with wasabi and ginger, the plate dotted with a mystery sauce that tasted oddly of petroleum. Looking at the menu now I see that it was mango sauce. Really? Otherwise, the fish had little flavor except the heat of the wasabi.

We also tried the shrimp stingers, an appetizer of jumbo jalapenos stuffed with whole shrimp and pepper jack cheese, then fried and served on a bed of onion strings. So much for eating light. Like fried balls with tails, these things were spicy, cheesy decadence. I devoured most of the onion strings as B was savoring her raw oysters.

Our fourth item was called oyster bar trash. Blackened shrimp and jumbo lump crab meat with a helping of white rice. Tasty, but certainly not worth the $13.99 price tag.

I ordered a second Corona. The tally for our seafood snack, before tip, was $60. No worries. We had purchased lottery tickets in a small town called Cecil, so we were assured of a windfall!

Landry’s appeared to be an old-fashioned family-owned restaurant so I was disappointed to discover that it is a chain, with 22 locations across the Southern U.S, from Vegas to Myrtle Beach.

We bummed cigarettes for dessert and headed to our hotel to pretty up which didn’t take long. One Dixie cup of cheap red wine and we were lookin’ sharp!

8800 Vineland Avenue, Orlando

Still somewhat disappointed about the sold-out smoked mullet at The Freezer, we decided to hit Neon Leon’s for another drink and perhaps a snack.

My Mom had mentioned this place several times, its walls covered with guitars from Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band’s bass guitarist, and the restaurant’s namesake, Leon Wilkeson, had always wanted to open a place where guests would be entertained while they dined. Several family members pitched in to make that dream a reality.

Located in Homosassa, Florida, the food and atmosphere are straight out of Louisiana, featuring zydeco music, cajun specialties, and tons of Mardi Gras beads. The place was packed so we took a few stools near the bar and ordered some drinks. Mom has been obsessed with mint juleps as of late so she ordered one and I got an Abita Turbodog which is brewed just north of New Orleans. Dad got his regular boring Bud Light.

The menu is mostly cajun and creole. There’s the ubiquitous gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee. Unfortunately, we didn’t try any of them. Instead, we opted for the smoked mullet dip….just had to. It was served with crackers inserted….cute, in a 1950′s housewife sort of way but it made them mushy. The flavor was pretty good and smoky.

We also got an order of crab stuffed mushrooms…..a little bit like deja vu 1980. Big mushroom caps with crabmeat stuffing were baked in a little casserole dish. They were actually very tasty. But who serves stuffed mushrooms any more? Sorry, I know I’m a food snob with my foie gras and flatbreads. It’s just funny to see things like mozzarella sticks and shrimp cocktail on a menu in 2010. I do wish we had ordered the fried green tomatoes, they probably know how to do ‘em right!

Neon Leon’s is open for lunch, too. Maybe next year we’ll stop by for some gumbo and fried green tomatoes!

10350 W. Yulee Dr. Homosassa, FL 352-621-3663