Hot Dish Review

This gastro pub in the heart of L5P is owned by chef Nick Rutherford, who’s culinary pedigree has earned him and his establishment much praise.

Located in the long, narrow space that was once Bridgetown Grill, I can’t walk into The Porter without being transported back in time to the days when me and the boys in The Tombstones would take up residency in the big booth up front, ordering pitchers of cheap beer, Jamaican veggie patties, jerk chicken, and more beer.

Gone are the bright tropical walls and booths, replaced by warm hues of brown. It’s a cozy space condusive to sampling unusual brews and creative pub fare. And I love the little touches like serving water in Mason jars.

I’ve had stellar mac ‘n’ cheese and crazy good goat cheese fritters on previous visits. Although I’ve heard mostly positive reports on Rutherford’s entrees, I’ve yet to venture past the starters.

LC and I stopped in recently, choosing a secluded booth in the back. The Porter’s beer list can be daunting despite the fact that it is catergorized by type….430 choices from ales to stouts.

Unlike most pubs, however, The Porter’s other focus is the food. We started our visit with the obvious….goat cheese fritters which look unnervingly like cheese sticks of the frozen mozzarella variety, but are rather filled with soft, warm goat cheese. The fritters are finished with a sprinkling of black pepper and a generous drizzle of clover honey. Sweet, savory, and perfect with a beer like my Brooklyn Chocolate Stout.

Wanting to try at least one new dish, I ordered the mussels, in a simple broth made with Dogfish Head 60 Minute and tomato water. Too simple. They were delivered with a smattering of coarsely minced garlic which I found rather off-putting. The crusty bread was good but I didn’t like the broth enough to sop it up. No comparison to the amazing mussels at Top Flr.

LC tried The Porter’s take on the traditional pub meal of fish ‘n’ chips. He enjoyed the flaky fried cod but, again, I didn’t find anything above average in the flavor or presentation, although I thought it was fun that Rutherford uses Terrapin Golden Beer in the batter. Belgian fries seasoned with garlic oil were perfectly crispy, but LC didn’t care for them.

The Porter offers a few beer “flights”, inviting guests to sample beers they may not have tried before. Turns out, the flavor profiles and nuances of beer are much more complicated than wine.

And you thought beer was for dummies.

1156 Euclid Avenue 404-223-0393

There is no chance I would have ever come across this place on my own, but LC lives in Alpharetta and was at Montana’s almost every time we talked last Summer.

It’s the kind of place with something for everyone, including 27 big screen TV’s for sports fans, and live music on the weekends.

Despite a seemingly pedestrian menu, LC raved about their food. Where the menu lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in flavor, like the surprisingly awesome white bean chili.

He talked me into making the drive north with him a couple of weeks ago. I was craving a cigarette and Montana’s is one of the few places left that allows smoking inside, so I was all for it.

The place is huge, with a small bar in front, a dining area that was totally empty on the night of our visit, and the big enclosed “patio” where the bands set up, complete with neon signs, plastic palm trees, and American flags. This is also the smoking area so we settled into a booth. Nearby I spotted an old friend, EC, who is single-handedly responsible for my love of Braves baseball. I told LC the story as we sipped our beers and I lit a smoke from the pack I found at the Widespread Panic show a couple of days earlier.

We decided to share a few random items, tapas style. First, the white bean chili I mentioned before….a slow cooked specialty made with great Northern white beans, chicken, jalapenos, and cilantro. Damn if it wasn’t kickass! It could have used more cilantro on top, but I can hardly complain. A little heat and a ton of flavor.

Another surprise was the macaroni and cheese. The side dish was made with rigatoni drenched in a rich bechamel sauce, then individually baked to melt and brown the cheeses on top. It would give any trendy in-town restaurant some stiff competition.

LC wanted his favorite, hot wings, so we ordered a dozen extra hot. We were disappointed that they came out with carrots instead of celery as listed on the menu, but the crisp veggie did the trick to cool off our tongues, dipped in their chunky blue cheese dressing after each scorching bite of juicy chicken.

Among other predictable menu items, Montana’s serves burgers, quesadillas, nachos, crab cakes, and BBQ ribs. If our meal is any indication, my guess is that many of these items would be equally impressive.

Another beer, another cigarette, as the band was warming up. No wonder LC likes this place….it’s easy, laid-back. I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the burbs!

13695 Highway 9, Alpharetta 678-366-8928

The four of us rolled into Athens like a circus, B wearing a multicolored neon fur. How appropriate that we ended up at a pub called Trappeze for a bite to eat before Widespread Panic.

It also happened to be J’s birthday so we chose a couple of beers, Terrapin I believe, among the pub’s selection of fifty on draft to celebrate. Cheers to another year!

B and I wanted to eat light so we each ordered a mini burger topped with caramelized onions and beer cheese. She added a cup of beer cheese soup made with cheddar and onions. LC tried the roasted turkey and Swiss sandwich with house cut sweet potato fries on the side. Guess who ate most of them. J ordered a big fat bacon cheeseburger with more of those sweet potato fries….nutrition be damned on your birthday!

When the food came out B fixated on J’s scrumptious looking burger covered with bacon and melted cheese and decided she wanted that instead. Her soup was cheesy yet somehow not heavy. I added an extra spoonful to my mini burger which had great beef flavor, especially with the sweet caramelized onions.

LC’s sandwich was fantastic. Roasted turkey, Swiss cheese, housemade guacamole, sprouts, and bacon made a perfect combination on toasted sourdough bread. The sweet potato fries were hot and crispy with a light sprinkling of sea salt. Honey with mustard seeds was provided for dipping.

B ate half of her big burger, washing it down with a very generous pour of pinot noir. The woman’s got self-control, I would have eaten the whole f*ckin’ thing. Service at Trappeze was friendly and fast and the food was most impressive.

Then it was show time!

269 North Hull Street, Suite 6, Athens 706-543-8997

Last week at Trader Joe’s, LC spotted this awesome bottle in the alcoholic beverage department. It looks like a jug of moonshine but it’s really a beer called Mississippi Mud, a mix of porter and pilsner best known as black and tan. Clever marketing, but would how would it taste?

Rather than the traditional pairing of cheese with wine, I decided to try this beer with a couple of cheeses and accompaniments.

I had picked up some pickled okra after eating a bite of LC’s bloody Mary garnish at Diesel on New Year’s Day. I love okra. I also had some cherry tomatoes on hand and served both with a chunk of smoked gouda. I know, it’s pedestrian, but it reminds me of back in the day when me and WP couldn’t even afford such a luxury, swiping it on occassion as a special treat.

I also bought a wedge of taleggio, pairing it with roasted almonds, honey, and chopped dried figs. A fresh loaf of ciabatta and some sweet butter completed the snack.

The brew was dark in color, much like a Guinness. Its rich flavor was a perfect complement to the hearty cheeses I had chosen. I particularly liked the combination of pickled okra, smoked gouda, and the beer.

Dark beers are a great alternative to red wines in the Winter. I’m sure this won’t be our last jug of Mississippi Mud.

The weather on Sunday was perfect for golf, yet somehow I ended up drinking beer and eating at Meehan’s with LC, watching the Falcons lose. As my friend JC texted, “the birds failed to fly”. Indeed, beaten by our nemesis in every sport, Philadelphia. (It was the weekend of The Eagles in more ways than one).

I was cranky. A Corona with lime would solve that problem! My last visit to Meehan’s was pre-concert with the Coopers. Among our group both B and J ordered the Tex-Mex ahi tuna tostadas. I tried one and they were so good, I knew what I was ordering on Sunday before we even parked the car and I don’t even like tuna.

LC ordered jumbo Buffalo wings and a draft beer. My tuna tostada appetizer featured thick slices of seared tuna atop corn and avocado salsa on teeny-tiny chips, each with a dollop of sour cream and Sriracha, arranged around a mound of field greens. Problem is, the serving is very small, only six chips for $12. The bites were, however, as good as I remembered….a little spicy, a little tangy. I could eat four plates, easily. Another Corona as The Falcons tried to make a comeback.

Wings, in a hot vinegar-based sauce, set our lips on fire, cooled off by the chunky blue cheese and celery. The presentation and flavor were right on.

The Falcons lost and we headed out in the beautiful Fall weather, just perfect for golf.

Housed in the space that used to be Dish on N. Highland, Diesel has turned the neighborhood dinner spot into more of a casual hang-out and sports bar.

The big draw here is the patio, where LC and I caught one of the Braves’ final games of the season. The weather was absolutely perfect as we settled in with a pitcher of Miller Lite.

Tables of young people and their dogs (or kids) filled the covered patio that goes right up to the sidewalk as they fixed their gaze on the lone big screen TV.

Both of us were starving so we decided to split several items. An order of ten hot wings, sweet potato fries, and BBQ shrimp sounded like a good combination.

I’m not a big fan of BBQ but the shrimp dish was described as “tail-on shrimp swimming in a Creole sauce served with bread for dipping”. That’s what it says, honest to God. LC inquired about the tomatoeyness (is that a word?) of the sauce to which our server said it was not tomato based. And she was right. That sauce would be good over rice, or anything for that matter. A little spicy with lots of shrimp, it was a tasty snack. The only problem, and it’s a BIG one, is the bread. It was a toasted hot dog bun cut on the diagonal. Maybe folks can’t tell what it is if it’s cut on the diagonal? Uh, yes we can.

Wings were coated with a vinegar-based sauce. LC loved ‘em. Celery and carrots accompanied the wings and drumettes, but rather than the traditional blue cheese, ranch dressing was served for dipping. We requested blue cheese which seemed a bit watered down with no chunks of cheese. Both of these appetizers were $10 bucks.

We gobbled up the sweet potato fries….a whole plate, super crispy. Another pitcher of Miller Lite came as we scoped out a table closer to the TV.

A few more innings and we switched to Coronas with lime and ordered the empanadas, two meat pies drizzled with a “sweet and spicy sauce”. Served on a bed of lettuce, the two pies were rather large. Although not greasy, they just didn’t make a great impression.

Diesel does have comfort food entrees like chicken pot pie and meatloaf, as well as a small selection of sandwiches, and a $13 burger called the “Oh Deer God! Burger” made with venison, roasted tomato goat cheese, roasted red peppers, red onion, peach and cranberry chutney, cumin aioli, and mixed greens on ciabatta, served with pickled okra fries. Say that ten times fast! Better yet, eat it and let me know if it’s worthy of a visit.

870 N. Highland Avenue 404-815-1820

Here’s a post from almost a year ago….
Headed there now for some beer and brats!

I know, Oktoberfest is almost over now, but Helen, Georgia’s very own faux Bavarian village, is still worth a visit through November. Fall folliage in the north Georgia mountains is beautiful on a crisp Fall day and almost makes one forget that Summer is over and the dreaded Winter is coming.

Helen is fun any time of year. The only difference, in fact, is the Festhalle that is open during Oktoberfest which officially starts mid-September and runs through the end of October. The Festhalle is just that, a “party hall” with communal picnic tables, wurst and kraut, pitchers of beer, and lots of drunk folks, some wearing lederhosen, and some rowdy ones wearing Bulldawgs T-shirts. Yes, Helen is what you get when you cross a redneck with a German, then add beer. Charming.

I’ve visited several times recently as my family is there on weekends and it’s a quick and pleasant drive from Atlanta. ST met me there and we had lunch with my Mom at Hofer’s. I apologize for the semi-devoured state of the brats, sauerkraut, pretzel knodel, and goulash in the photo, forgot to get the camera out before the forks were flying. A couple of Warsteiners washed it all down.

Hofer’s is one of the oldest German bakeries in the south, opened by Horst and Gerda Hofer in the late ’50′s. Now owned by son Ralph, the bakery makes the most authentic German kuchen, pastries, and cakes, although never as good as my own Omi’s! I think the trick is in the ingredients so the real thing just can’t be duplicated here in the states.

As luck would have it, they had plum cake, or Zwetschen kuchen, last weekend. My recent experiment with puff pastry (see post Project Puff Pastry) was a take on this German cake, traditionally made on yeast dough. Their version’s dough was too thick, but the flavor was good, with sugar sprinkled on top and real whipped cream.

ST and I proceeded to The Troll Tavern. No photos here, but it is a picturesque locale down by the river. The best time to visit is during the summer when you can watch the current carry hundreds of chubby kids and their folks in colorful tubes down the river. The food used to be better. The beer, however, is always good.

Next stop was the Festhalle. Admission is free on Sundays, so we grabbed a pitcher and took a seat outdoors. It was a beautiful day, I was with a gorgeous man, and the oompah band was playing silly German tunes. Prost!

Walking back through the town on Main Street we ended up at The Black Dog for a final beer and watched the start of the Falcons game. In the mood for a stout, the darkest beer they offered was a doppelbock called Celebrator. It had a sweet aftertaste that I didn’t care for….should’ve stuck with the pilsners.

Our Oktoberfest experience was awesome! As much as I love brats, kraut, spaetzle, schweinebraten, and such, I visit Helen so often that my palette craves something else….anything else. There are numerous options, most of them bar food, one Mexican restaurant, a pizza joint, Paul’s steakhouse on the river. But there is one restaurant that is above the rest in a culinary sense and that is Nacoochee Grill. It deserves its own post so check it out tomorrow!

Talk about taking advantage of a situation. The Holiday Inn on Capital Avenue, which is walking distance from Turner Field, rakes ‘em in after Braves games.

Saturday’s mid-day matchup with the Phillies proved to be another dissappointment as the Braves continue their quest for the play-offs. Me and LC walked the full mile to the car only to find it gone. Towed.

The Holiday Inn was across the street so we thought we could walk over and catch a cab and deal with the vehicle situation in the morning. Great idea, except there were no cabs. I called my personal cabbie, K, who said it would be about 45 minutes, so we settled into a table at their nameless restaurant for a drink and a snack from their special menu designed for Braves fans.

It seemed so much later than 7:30. The place, with a dismal decor straight out of the ’80′s, was full of sullen Braves fans drowning their sorrows with big plates of fried chicken and mashed taters from the buffet. It was a sad scene. We ordered a couple of beers and a plate of hot wings from our server who had the personality of a dish rag.

Eight big wings and drumettes arrived with decent fries and three meager sticks of celery. Why are restaurants so stingy with celery lately? A small plastic to-go container held a serving of blue cheese dressing for dipping. Not bad as far as wings go.

Aside from their special Braves menu, the restaurant offers a dinner buffet. I don’t know if this is standard procedure or only on weekends or game nights. There was a salad only option and the other included entree items like the fried chicken I mentioned earlier.

I would hate to think that out-of-town visitors stay at this motel and eat at this restaurant and that is how they remember Atlanta….a cheap motel, a cheesy, nondescript restaurant. I didn’t even know shit like this existed in the city limits! Then again, from the looks of the diners they probably thought it was pretty classy.

Following my inaugural Widespread weekend with B, we were coerced into brunch at Hobnob (will post when I receive the photos) after arriving back into Atlanta from the remote state of Cumming.

A shower washed off the makeup and the mud, but instead of tucking into my ridiculously comfortable and enormous bed, I ended up hopping in the car with LC and T to check out some football at Taco Mac. We chose (OK….I chose) the Metropolis location due to its proximity to T’s hotel, the Palomar. Known for their huge selection of specialty beers and wings, the space is big enough to comfortably seat 5 or 6 NFL teams with flat screens in every direction. I’ve tried their “death wings” in the past which are, needless to say, deadly hot.

The fried green tomato benedict called the “hangover helper” at Hobnob, plus the three mimosas, had perked me up quite nicely. Now at Taco Mac, I was craving onion rings. The three of us ordered the NEW! queso poblano, a bowl of melted white cheese with ground beef, poblanos, jalapenos, and cilantro in the center, served with a basket of not-so-good corn chips. Their salsa had a nice kick.

A couple of Miller Lites later, LC decided on the NEW! Buffalo chicken tacos. Among the choices of sides he got the fresh veggies. Why? You’re at a sports bar not a salad bar. Anyway, a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and a side of onion rings sounded like the perfect cure for me. T made the wise decision to get a cheeseburger, cooked medium. Then he made the bad call of apples on the side. WTF?

Food arrived but there was a flag on the play. LC dove into his broccoli as I pounced on the onion rings. It is possible (although a long shot) that his broccoli was better than my onion rings. With an ultra-thick breading, they were the kind that the slice of onion pulls out of the breading when you take a bite. Obviously frozen. I sent them back and ordered fries instead. I hated to do it but had to send the soup back as well because it was barely luke warm.

My soup came back piping hot and hopefully not with any unsavory additives. Corn, chicken, and some peppers and tomatoes in a stew-like broth was soothing and satisfying. Fries were delivered sizzling, straight out of the fryer. They were certainly better than the half-ass onion rings.

I took a bite of one of LC’s Buffalo chicken tacos, a flour tortilla filled with fried chicken nuggets tossed in hot wing sauce, blue cheese, cole slaw, and tomatoes. The chicken tenders weren’t spicy and I didn’t care for the blue cheese. Overall, they scored low. T offered me a bite of his cheeseburger which was the real winner of the day.

Another beer for dessert and we headed out, only moments away from my soft and fluffy bed. Game over.

When the limo arrived B and I were still rushing around getting ready for the concert. It didn’t surprise me that LC was in it. Crap, no champagne. We took a few beers for the road and proceeded to the Cooper compound, chatting and laughing all the way!

A quick stroll around the grounds of the compound just made me want to hang out there all afternoon but we were on a tight schedule. Bad Company at Chastain at 8pm.

The three of us, the Coopers, and their friend W got in the limo and sped off for a quick dinner at Meehan’s in Sandy Springs. On my last visit I only had Guinness. This time we would eat a proper meal.

It was hot outside. B ordered a Corona with salt and lime…..sounded so good me and LC got on the same train. Refreshing! Our server brought out a big bag of salt and vinegar chips for snacking.

B followed JC’s lead as they each tried the tuna tostada appetizer. Personally, I never order tuna, but I found one of her chips on my plate. A thick slice of seared tuna and a generous layer of guacamole decorated a tortilla chip. Only about eight of the chips rested on a bed of lettuce, drizzled with sriracha cream sauce. I took a bite….so good! I would order this. Seriously.

I believe W had a reuben and DC ordered the fish ‘n’ chips, but I wouldn’t bet on that.

Me and LC split an order of fish tacos and a grilled chicken BLT. Grilled fish, lettuce, and some salsa and sour cream were folded into three flour tortillas. Tex-Mex just isn’t right without guacamole and jalapenos so I was left a tad bit disappointed, but he loved ‘em.

Much better was the sandwich. Several of my favorite words came together on its menu description….bacon, avocado, smoked gouda, chipotle mayo. With the option of sweet potato fries as a side, I was sold! We didn’t care for the submarine-type roll it came on, would have been better on toasted wheat.

Only complaint about the fries, there was no dipping sauce. This dilemma always reminds me of Heaping Bowl ‘n’ Brew, the ground-breaking restaurant that opened in East Atlanta probably eighteen years ago. Theirs was my first experience with sweet potato fries….crisp shoestrings, sprinkled with cayenne and black pepper, served with a sweet and spicy cranberry dipping sauce. The best!

Meehan’s food is not gourmet but it is definitely several notches above standard bar-fare. I would gladly return and try the tortilla soup or one of their specialty burgers like the Farmstead Burger made with bison or the turkey burger with smoked gouda (again!), and cranberry-Vidalia marmalade (maybe they should serve that as the dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries!).

No time for dessert, we jumped in the limo and headed to Chastain where JC put our a plate of plums, grapes, cheddar cheese and red and white wine.

B and I had a great evening thanks to all the Coopers!