Hot Dish Review

Opening a fine dining restaurant during the worst of economic times doesn’t sound like a smart business move, but somehow Pacci has survived and thrived. Perhaps it’s chef Keira Moritz who has gained notoriety and respect among her mostly male peers. Maybe its location in one of several new, trendy midtown hotels brings it the automatic business that hotel restaurants rely on, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to guests.

Or, it could be that it simply kicks ass. It is fairly common knowledge that I rarely eat Italian food. But I acquiesed on this assignment for AFD because I liked that a successful female chef was running the show.

ST and I valeted the HotDishmobile last Friday and walked in to Pacci. There was Geno! How fabulous, I hadn’t seen him since his days at Spice Market. We sat newlywed style on a banquette with a view of the expansive and dark dining room, lit by sets of enormous globes that hung from the high ceiling, shaded by long black fringe. The burgundy velvet and wood tones of the decor are puncuated by light blue and cream jacquard armchairs, one per table. Elegant.

Geno started us out with a couple of specialty bellinis, one with vanilla liqueur and the other with passion fruit. Then he brought out an amuse bouche of butter lettuce with seafood salad, light and fun.

After some discussion, Geno recommended a wine flight for me….a trio of 2007 pinot noirs from Sequana Vineyard, each with a distinct character. I ended up ordering another glass or two of the spicy Dutton Ranch.

The kobe beef carpacio was our first course, dressed with capers, tapenade, and baby arugula. Their bread service was an assortment of crispy wafers, focaccia, and cracker-like bread sticks. Problem with that is, I love authentic Italian bread and would prefer to have that at an Italian restaurant, with sweet butter please.

For our second course ST chose the lobster and butternut squash bisque with creme fraiche. Smooth and creamy, I don’t recall any chunks of lobster but the flavor was rich, reminiscent of she crab soup.

Naturally, I ordered the duck confit. A perfect example of this cooking method, the meat was succulent, falling of the bones, while the skin was super crispy. Served over soft polenta with bits of gorgonzola and blackberry marmalade, it sounds like a foolproof combination. But somehow, the four main components were not integrated. I found the gorgonzola unnecessary and while I do love a sweet accompaniment to duck, perhaps the dish would have been even better with mascerated blackberries. Nevertheless, it was damn awesome.

Eating our way down the menu, next came pastas. ST tried the shrimp fettucini with creamy pancetta sauce, Spring peas, and a soft fried egg on top, a.k.a carbonara. Rich, rich, and delicious. I ordered the sweet potato ravioli (how predictable!). Four raviolis came topped with gorgonzola and speck with brown butter. Rich, rich, and delicious.

More? Yes. The pork chop with fennel, roasted yam, and pomegranate-basil pesto had my name written all over it. One of the best chops I have had in recent memory, very tender. Pesto provided a little Italian flavor, but it was the roasted yams, sliced into thin disks with crispy caramelized edges that were amazing!

ST got the dry aged New York strip, medium, with a side of cannellini beans. Big steak. Good steak. Guess what we had for breakfast….steak and eggs.

Desserts include the quintessential Italian tiramisu and panna cotta, but we opted for the straightforward sweets, chocolate strata and rum bread pudding. I cannot say no to bread pudding! Pastry chef Elizabeth Matheson’s version is baked in its own small casserole dish topped with caramel and a little dollop of vanilla gelato. Personally, I would drizzle the caramel on the hot pudding so it would remain gooey rather than on the cold ice cream, but no matter, it was fabulous. ST’s chocolate strata was a huge slice of chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse, served with vanilla gelato. Pretty presentation, pretty chocolately.

We were stuffed! Despite a couple of minor complaints, Pacci made a great impression on both of us.

866 West Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402

Have you noticed the new section of British foods at Publix? Kroger at Ansley has had these items for a while, hidden away amongst the Mexican and Thai shelves on the international aisle. Publix, however, in a stroke of marketing genius, has them featured on an end cap, making it virtually impossible to pass up!

I was looking for dessert for me and ST’s low-key St. Patrick’s Day celebration when I saw it. Spotted Dick. How could I say no?

Leave it to the Brits to put dessert in a can. The directions say to open one end, then the other and slide the product onto a plate. Cover with a bowl and microwave. It is basically bread pudding. The spots are raisins.

Served with whipped cream in a can (why mess with a good thing?), we both really liked it!

My birthday dinner at Woodfire Grill was Thursday night, rescheduled from last week since B was out of town. Sexy Argentinian artist MS and his partner S joined us.

(Sensitive readers beware, this post will be full of cursewords and italics!)

This was my first visit to the restaurant since the interior re-do. We didn’t like it. A place called Woodfire Grill should be warm and cozy.

Our evening got off to a frenetic start as B and I were running late to our already late reservation. Who cares, I looked fabulous in my outfit, entirely from Target! Earrings, necklace, scarf, and dress (OK, it was Anna Sui for Target).

It was my birthday dinner and I wanted a drink! Our server greeted us and explained the menu options available….3 course, 5 course, chef’s choice, vegetarian, pescitarian, with or without wine pairings, or a la carte. TMI. S was allergic to him. He recommended a half bottle of Veuve then ran off. When he finally returned we ordered the champagne to toast my birthday.

Did I mention it was my birthday? Yes, I am the bitch that made a special request for my birthday. I wanted foie gras, damn it! They often have it on the menu at Woodfire, just never when I’m there, so it wasn’t an insane request. It wasn’t like I was asking for filet mignon at McDonald’s.

Also, I was excited to meet Kevin Gillespie. His performance on last season’s Top Chef won him many fans and (I believe) saved the restaurant’s life. I had confirmed with the staff that he would be there, although I knew he was possibly flying out for a special event. He was not there.

But B did confirm they would have foie gras! Fabulous. I didn’t think it was necessary to explain that it should have a sweet accompaniment, like fig and pear compote. Or mascerated berries. Or candied kumquats. Everyone knows that. Everyone! Unfortunately, it was served simply on top of the standard (and might I say inexplicable) grease soaked toast. I’ve never understood why a rich meat like foie gras would be served with greasy toast but it happens more often than not. I would have loved some watercress or frissee, maybe a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a sweet component. I usually toss aside the toast but had nothing else to eat with the foie gras this time (the flavorless smudge of something on the plate was dried so it doesn’t count). On the bright side, it was seared perfectly (although MS prefers his cool in the center).

Quail or duck? I asked our server which had the cripier skin. Neither, they were skinless. What the f*ck, why skin a d*ck? Or grill a quail without skin? Maybe he was trying to deter me from ordering either as it was late and they could have just run out. He recommended the sturgeon to B rather than the quail. I ordered the pork tenderloin. The menu description said it came with roasted root vegetables, Coca-Cola glazed country ham, and sweet potato sauce. This was all true, but the veggies and ham were microscopic. Why mention a dish is served with something if one has to search for it on the plate? The meat was dry dry dry.

B liked her fish. I tried it. No complaints. MS ordered the Maine peekytoe crab salad appetizer as his main. S had it as a starter and it too was microscopic. Big plate, small food. S ordered the black trumpet mushroom risotto as his second course, a really tasty dish. His beef strip loin, however, was the best dish of the trio of entrees at our table. Again, I didn’t see anything on the plate except the meat.

Thankfully, B ordered the brussels sprouts as a side. Roasted with sweet herbs and tossed with a smoked onion vinaigrette. They were amazing! The best in town.

B and I followed our champagne with a glass of red. The boys were having margaritas. We talked about art, we talked about Rio. MS entertained us with his riveting tale of working out on the beach at Ipanema, stumbling upon a tarp that concealed a dead body!

Ah, mortality. Birthday cake. Or, rather, birthday chocolate bread pudding. It should have been orgasmic, like the pork and the foie gras should have been, but again, just didn’t wow me. The best part was the chocolate chip cherry ice cream on top, the scoop no bigger than a walnut. I blew out my candle and made a wish (for more f*cking ice cream!)

I know Kevin Gillespie is kickass. So why am I always disappointed with Woodfire Grill?

1782 Cheshire Bridge Road 404-347-9055

Generally, I travel with a companion. However, meeting AD in Brazil last week, I was flying solo out of Terminal T. In search of an open currency exchange at Hartsfield-Jackson, I ended up at Terminal E (you know, E as in Edward. I think it would be so much better if it was E as in euphemism, but I also think Terminal T should be T as in tsunami).

Anyway, there I was….one chick, flying South. There was indeed a currency exchange on Terminal E, but they were out of Brazilian Reals. Directly across from the exchange was One Flew South, our airport’s new fine dining restaurant. I was supposed to review it for AFD when it opened last year but I had, ironically, flown South to Spain.

I love irony so I was compelled to dine there, taking a seat at the bar where Norm the bartender took care of me. The cocktail list was as creative as any chic spot in Atlanta, old-fashioned and travel oriented drinks. Jets to Brazil? Oh my God, how could I not order it! Made with cachaca, lime, parfait amour, and rhubarb bitters, I expected it to be a bit sweeter, like a caipirinha. But it was strong, a little funky tasting (the bitters perhaps).

One Flew South also has a sushi bar with a selection of rolls, nigiri, sashimi, and sakes to pair with the fish. Perhaps if I was going to Tokyo….

An impressive wine list includes Turley zin and Heitz cab. The space is sleek, modern, and decidedly unairportish.

Like a mind-reader, Norm recommended the very dishes I had my eye on. The theme? Pork. I started with the Benton’s bacon and Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese salad that featured the herbie cheese spread beneath frisee (my favorite!) dressed with pink peppercorn vinaigrette. Thick, chewy slices of the bacon were divine. Basil poached pears added a sweet note to the salad.

I placed my salad and entree order at the same time, in awe at the speed at which the kitchen expedited orders for their customers, each one a stressed-out traveler with a plane to catch. Thyme roasted pork belly was crispy, fatty, and awesome, lightened up with a black-eyed pea and arugula salad, a smear of parsnip puree, and a touch of blackberry-onion marmalade. Norm suggested an Anchor Steam to follow my cocktail. Smart move.

The whole menu was intrigueing, from the pecan dusted scallops with sweet potato and cranberry hash appetizer (how did I resist that?) to the 1/2 pound Kobe burger with five spice fries. Both not a bargain at $16. The guy next to me didn’t eat his fries. They looked perfect….I almost reached over and grabbed them before they hit the bin, what a waste.

Breast of duck and portabella ravioli is just $22, while my pork belly came in at a reasonable $18.

Naturally, I could not resist the bread pudding. The drinks, and Norm, convinced me I had plenty of time! How about a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout to go with dessert? Yes, please! Alas, I didn’t love it. Made as a loaf, then sliced, I prefer my bread pudding baked with crunchy bits of bread here and there. Some creme fraiche would have helped.

Little did I know what was in store for me in the coming days, or even the coming hours. Find out what happens in the next installment of “Romancing Rio”.

What could be better on a snowy winter’s night than rustic, organic comfort food? Miller Union delivers as the Westside’s newest darling. The much-anticipated project from Neal McCarthy, former Sotto Sotto manager, and Steven Satterfield, former sous chef at Watershed, serves up locally sourced veggies and proteins, giving the dishes an automatic Southern appeal, with a modern twist.

Of course, I had already checked out the menu in advance. Several magic words appeared…..rabbit, brussel sprouts, bread pudding. B agreed to join me despite the slick driving conditions. We each warmed up with a spicy glass of Maurodos Prima Tinto de Toro from Spain.

The restaurant is divided into several sections, each with a farmhouse decor and simple seating. Our table was one of four in a secluded alcove, with minimal embellishment and dark walls. Even on this wintery night, the place was packed.

Neal himself brought out a snack of feta cheese and three different varieties of radish to dip. B and I settled on three appetizers. Funny how we always agree on what to order! We both wanted to try the melted cabbage and mushroom toast and the Sapelo Island clams with bacon, fennel and parsley. I insisted, mostly due to the rave reviews, on ordering the farm egg baked in celery cream. Our server finally delivered some bread which we demolished while casually chatting about sex and plastic surgery.

Along came the melted cabbage and mushroom toast, which became unfortunately mushy due to its toppings. Nice flavor but no contest next to the clams. Bacon and fennel created a memorable combination. But damn! The egg baked in celery cream was some serious culinary genius. Served with crunchy toasted rustic bread for dipping, the yolk was soft and creamy, not runny. Don’t even think about not ordering it.

Rabbit. Need I say more? Slow braised and served atop wild mushrooms and grits. Slightly stringy and a bit gamey, B and I loved the braised bunny. I can’t imagine how much cream and butter were in the grits but suffice it to say, they were rich.

We also shared the White Oak beef ribeye, medium rare, which was juicy and tender. The creamed turnips provided a pleasantly bitter compliment paired with the sweet grilled vidalias. Plus a side of, you guessed it, brussels sprouts, which I believe were sauteed in bacon drippings.

More wine. Time for desserts. Yes, plural, because we had three! A rustic pear tart was simple and good, served with sugar and spice ice cream. But the aforementioned rum raisin bread pudding stole the show! Dense and rich. B wanted to try the trio of herb ice creams….thyme, rosemary, and sage. Interesting. I liked the sage the best but thought the other two were overpowering.

B and I made our ways home on the treacherous icy streets, stuffed with Satterfield’s comfort food, ready for a long winter’s nap.

So I’ve got all this leftover bread from Bakeshop. Time to whip up some more comfort food! Bread pudding is one of my favorite decadent desserts. There are lots of variations so I’m loosely basing mine on Ed Brown’s recipe from his recent Today Show segment.

I froze the date walnut maple loaf for just this reason! Checking out several other recipes I decided to combine them and came up with this:

RUSTIC BREAD PUDDING

4 thick slices of any crusty loaf, cut into 1″ cubes
2 C. 2% milk
2 whole Omega 3 eggs plus one white, beaten
1/2 C. golden raisins
1/3 C. turbinado sugar
1 packet no-calorie sweetener
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Combine milk, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and whisk until frothy. Add bread cubes, allowing them to soak up the milk mixture for about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 5″ individual ramekins or 1 8″X8″ casserole dish and evenly distribute bread and custard mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip!

Damn, that’s good.

It has been a while since I’ve dined at Serpas, so I was thrilled to get a chance to go with AD, on her last night in Atlanta, accompanied by her injured dude NC.

The restaurant was packed at 8:45 on a Friday night. Modern industrial chic describes the space, with a huge mural of cotton on one wall, exposed brick on another, all cozied up with soft lighting. Chef Serpas can be seen expediting orders and chatting with customers in a non-frenzied manner.

Tuna is not my thing. However, AD loves it. Contrary to all logic, I love it at Serpas too, having tried it at the media dinner. Diced ahi, green apple, and onion are dressed with a chile sesame dressing, the perfect marriage of sweet and spicy, served with huge homemade potato chips, and a big serving of gratuitous cleavage.

A bottle of cava was well-priced so we started off with a sparkling toast to AD’s upcoming worldwide travel adventure. I will be meeting her, perhaps in Chile, so we decided to follow up the cava with a bottle of pinot noir from Cono Sur.

We also agreed on the crispy duck rolls. I’ve had them on every visit and always love them, filled with rich and flavorful pulled duck, each piece resting in a sweet and spicy chili syrup. I wish we could have had the eggplant hushpuppies and Scott’s signature oysters too, but I had to save room for the house salad and entrees, who’s descriptions define comfort food.

Chef Serpas has a knack for sauces and dressings. The Serpas house salad is a perfect example, just simple fresh field greens, candied pecans, and goat cheese, dressed with a blistered grape vinaigrette….a little sweet, a little tangy, just plain awesome!

Although chef Serpas is from Louisiana, he includes a few Asian inspired dishes, like the duck spring rolls, that are extremely successful. I’ve had the jumbo sea scallops served with bok choy on a perfectly executed panang curry.

On this visit the three of us decided to split two entrees. The duck breast, stuffed with Andouille sausage was served with an “open faced vegetable relleno”. I’m still confused about that, but I can tell you it was made with Brussels sprout leaves, chilis, mushrooms, and raisins. All sat upon a slightly sweet and savory sauce that complimented the crispy skinned duck and vegetables.

The short ribs with pappardelle reminded me and AD of the amazing dish we used to get at The Globe (R.I.P), but its presentation was entirely different. The beef was not pulled but served as a chunk atop the large paste squares with a scrumptious sauce with roasted shallots, asparagus, and sunchokes. The meat was so tender it easily fell apart as we dug in with forks, making “yum” sounds as we cleaned both plates.

Bread pudding you say? Hell yeah! I like mine not drenched in sugary sauce so I requested the bourbon cream sauce on the side. Not too sweet….just right!

I just love Serpas. Scott Serpas is a genuinely nice guy and, in my opinion, ranks among the top five chefs in Atlanta (possibly even the best?). There’s no pretense with the food, the chef, or the location. Perhaps it’s his play on sweet and spice that I love so much. Or his masterful sauces and dressings. It certainly lives up to his “True Food” name.

659 Auburn Avenue at Studioplex 404-688-0040