Hot Dish Review

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