Hot Dish Review

As promised, here are a few words about my recent business lunch at Ted’s Montana Grill….with the same group of eight that dined at Marlow’s Tavern the next day. I was surprised at how many of them had never tried bison, but several of them did at my suggestion (hello! I am a food critic, right?).

I, on the other hand, had just returned from Memorial Day weekend festivities at Lake Lanier, where burgers and hot dogs dominated every dining experience, so I was ready for something else….anything else.

Bison burgers at Ted’s are delicious. I like to top the low-fat bison patty, cooked medium, with cheese, bacon, and avocado, effectively making it more caloric than a sack full of Big Macs. But I only eat half the bun, so that should count for something.

The first one I ever had was at this very restaurant, the third to open in Turner and McKerrow’s empire. I crashed the media opening, interviewing both owners seated at one of the booths along the wall. I’ll never forget when a server brought out a big slab of medium-rare buffalo and the three of us stabbed it with our sleely knives. I went on to eat a juicy, sloppy bison burger topped with gobs of melted pepper-jack cheese, guacamole and caramelized onions….a magical combination. Later, Ted commented that, and I quote, “we’re like a juggernaut, no one can stop us now!” It’s one of my favorite stories ever (although not the whole story….)

LC started the table off with a couple of gut busting appetizers, the homemade chips and onion rings. Simply house-cut deep fried potatoes with a ranch dip, the chips failed to impress. The onion rings were more impressive if only for their enormous size (yes, it does matter, silly!), although they were a bit on the greasy side.

On this occasion I ordered the steak salad, a gargantuan bowl of field greens topped with sliced Angus sirloin, medium-rare, blue cheese crumbles, smoky chunks of bacon, and quartered tomatoes, drizzled with a sweet balsamic glaze and topped with crispy fried onion straws. Again, just because it’s called a salad doesn’t mean it’s good for you. The balsamic glaze, which I ordered on the side, was the consistency of thick maple syrup, likely with as much sugar. It was a great combination of flavors but it’s hard to go wrong with bacon and blue cheese involved. Where this salad failed was the steak, which was tough and sinewy. Not easy to eat like a lady in front a bunch of guys with chunks of unedible beef in my mouth.

LC ordered some sort of sandwich, but like me, could not stomach another burger. The fellas that tried the bison all commented that it was tasty. Truth is, it doesn’t really taste much different than beef to me, but it is generally leaner, making it less juicy.

Ted’s Montana Grill never uses frozen products. Everything is made fresh daily. I admire their commitment to preserving the environment, using recycled and recyclable products whenever possible. In fact, they even re-introduced the paper straw!

Ted was right all those years ago. Now with 46 locations nationwide, Ted’s Montana Grill has stayed true to their vision to serve high quality all-American food to, well…..all Americans!

(BTW, in case you’re not an Elvis fan, TCB stands for takin’ care of business)

5165 Peachtree Parkway @ The Forum in Norcross 678-405-0305

A Memorial Day weekend repost, in honor of my first return visit to the boat!
Day three of LC’s birthday/Labor Day weekend bash found us at Sunset Cove at Lake Lanier. Our group was supposed to dock there the night before but there were no spots big enough for the Cooper boat.

So after a day and night on the water me and LC planted our feet back on dry land and headed for the manmade beach at Lake Lanier Islands for a drink. Which turned into five or six, of course.

Frozen pina coladas with Myers rum floaters made for low-brow deliciousness as we celebrated the gorgeous weather on his birthday.

Drinkin’ makes us hungry! Burgers are required eatin’ on Labor Day weekend but first we were craving something spicy. LC wanted the firecracker shrimp. A plate full, butterflied and fried with a coconut breading then drizzled with a cloyingly sweet sauce with a little kick. Decadent for all the wrong reasons, these shrimp contained the trifecta of food addiction: fat, salt, and sugar. Served with celery and blue cheese, we cleaned the plate.

Sunset Cove is relatively new, just up the beach from the masses of houseboats full of bikini-clad chicks, dudes with mullets, and the professional partiers keeping their boats afloat in a lake of liquor, luring all the unsuspecting barely-legal dudettes with the promise of free shots. Sorta reminds me of guys with shag carpet and panelling in their vans. I can just hear ‘em now….”I got a cooler full of cold beer in the back!” Indeed.

As we walked to the restaurant we noticed several stands with drinks and one that offered burgers and brats. Once seated at Sunset Cove I figured we’d get a burger off the menu. But LC couldn’t resist a second appetizer and bought a brat on his way back from the long trek to the restroom.

This is all before the burger, which thankfully we split. Covered in cheese and caramelized onions (not shown in photo due to their late arrival), it was juicy, messy goodness. Onion rings were awesome, just not plentiful enough.

There is a huge bucket that slowly fills with water suspended menacingly above the waterslide next to Sunset Cove. If you wait long enough it’ll tip over, splashing (or drenching) everyone below. The path to the car went around the waterslide’s bucket but LC and I went under it, of course. Then to the car to throw on my swimsuit. How dare I put on a bikini after the meal I just described? Insanity perhaps.

We took a stroll down to the sand, got our feet wet, and made some new friends before making our way back for round two. Not remembering how we ended up at a table with some pretty cool people isn’t too surprising. I think they bought us margaritas. A stage was set up in the water and the band began to play as the sun set on a fun, spontaneous day at Sunset Cove.

Sweet name. It conjures up images of vintage furniture, doilies and Southern charm. Makes me think of little old ladies sipping mint juleps on their verandas in the stuffy heat of Savannah. Chef Ron Eyester, who had been with Food 101 for several years, took over their defunct location in the Virginia Highlands with his own project, calling it Rosebud.

However, there is nothing vintage about Eyester’s place. His tagline is local folks, kind flavors, reinventing American classic dishes with a strong emphasis on creating a sense of neighborhood. I had no idea they were doing such a brisk business, but on Saturday night at 7pm, they were on a 45 minute wait for a four-top. The place was buzzing.

No worries, our foursome was ready to enjoy some cocktails and get better aquainted. LC and his friend R, and B and I, spontaneously chose Rosebud for dinner as the two gentlemen had already stopped there for a pre-dinner drink.

Most of us opted for red wine, the smooth Powers Pinot Noir I believe, and stationed ourselves at a tiny bar table, poised to pounce on the larger table beside us as soon as they paid.

I ordered the warm mushroom and country ham bruschetta for us to share while we waited. Served over thickly sliced white toast, a medley of mushrooms were woodsy, their texture almost meaty. Chunks of ham made the dish swoon-worthy.

Our server brought out bread and butter with our wine. The bread would have been great if it had been heated in the oven, but it was room temperature making for a chewy instead of crisp crust. Rather than sweet cream butter, theirs was soft, yellow and salty, reminding me of margarine. Was it?

The guys had ordered some eggplant chips with blue cheese and the tuna appetizer on their first visit so they weren’t too hungry. We shared the scallops to start. Two big ones resting in a vanilla-sage apple butter were lightly seared, leaving the centers cooked just to medium. Like my Dad, I usually prefer shellfish thoroughly cooked but these were so good I couldn’t complain.

Me and LC also shared an entree called “Dude, it’s a salad!”. A sirloin burger, cooked a perfect medium, was served on a big bed of chopped iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, all dressed with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Just what it sounds like. Not bad, dude.

Then there was B’s trout. My fork ventured across the table at her invitation, sampling the delicate fish and tasty whipped potatoes with grain mustard. Brussels sprouts that surrounded the fish were totally undercooked, saved only slightly be the bacon they were cooked with. Only other complaint was the skin on the fish….I’m just not a fan of it.

We polished off a bottle of the Powers and ordered one dessert to share, the cherry bread pudding. Served with vanilla ice cream, it was very well executed, not overly sweet which so often ruins bread pudding.

A few menu items have a Southern accent like the wild Georgia shrimp and grits and the crispy Mississippi catfish, also served with grits. They also do brunch. But Rosebud is mostly regular food for regular folks. Not too fancy, not too expensive, but certainly competent and worth a visit.

1397 North Highland Avenue 404-347-9747

Wow, this place brings back memories. Like Elmyr, it was a regular haunt for me and my roommate LR back in the day. We would snag a booth along the back wall and order proper gin martinis.

The Highland Tap is the only place in town, or anywhere for that matter, that knows how to serve a martini properly, with a sidecar in ice water. Just a small amount of the drink is poured into the glass for sipping, while the remainder is kept cold in the sidecar. Genius.

A fun afternoon Braves game, fueled by numerous Miller Lites, had me in an anything-goes mood. With the rest of the day off, that could be dangerous.

After an impromptu shopping frenzy at Urban Outfitters with B, we headed to the Tap for a cocktail. She ordered a spicy bloody mary with celery, peppers, olives….basically a salad for garnish, while I got my usual Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up with olives.

I worked up an appetite with all that drinking and shopping, so I ordered the mini (5 oz.) steak burger, medium, with cheddar and bacon. Served with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, it was juicy and delicious. Enormous onion rings came with it, but their crumbly crust did not adhere to the onions, causing them to be half naked….not a bad state to be in, generally, but not so good for onion rings.

We chatted and closed out the afternoon with a final Miller Lite for me and a glass of Cloudline Pinot Noir for B, pricey at $13 a glass. Although relatively short, they have a solid wine list at the Tap. But for me, it’s all about the martini.

1026 N. Highland Avenue 404-875-3673

According to Tuan at Melissa Libby, Doty and crew will open YEAH! Burger on June 10th. And, there is already a second location in the works on the corner of Virginia and N. Highland….hope I like it, that’s in my hood!

YEAH! BURGER BRINGS CONVENIENT AND CUSTOMIZABLE CUISINE TO ATLANTA’S WESTSIDE

Eco-Friendly Burger Restaurant Gives Guests a Reason to Say “YEAH!”

ATLANTA (May 12, 2010) – Soon Atlantans will be “KEEPIN’ IT REAL” while satisfying their craving for a casual burger experience in West Midtown. On Thursday, June 3, 2010, nationally-acclaimed chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park and entrepreneur Erik Maier will open YEAH! BURGER in the White Provision complex at 14th Street and Howell Mill Road. YEAH! BURGER re-imagines the classic American burger joint as a fast-casual eatery with a strong commitment to real, all-natural ingredients and sustainability. The restaurant will feature customizable burgers made with White Oak Pastures grass-fed beef from South Georgia, nitrate-free hot dogs, hand-cut French fries, organic salads and Straus Family Creamery organic ice cream, all served in a comfortable “California casual” setting. YEAH! BURGER will offer lunch and dinner seven days a week and will provide Atlantans with a convenient, affordable, eco-friendly dining option.

“We want guests to truly feel good about what they’re eating at YEAH! BURGER, so we’re using superior quality ingredients and responsible environmental practices as the foundation for our restaurant,” says Maier.

With YEAH! BURGER’s fast-casual format, customers place their order at the counter and their food is delivered to the table shortly thereafter. The restaurant also features a convenient carry-out counter where guests can easily grab a quality, customized meal on-the-go. Online and mobile to-go ordering will be available this summer.

Chef Doty, who is renowned for his ingredient-driven cuisine and simple preparations, has created a menu with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options for diners with special nutritional needs. YEAH! BURGER’s built-to-order menu provides guests with the ultimate in customization and allows them to create food to fit their desired flavor profile or dietary needs.

“It’s very important for us that guests can customize their food to fit their diet or taste preferences,” says Doty.

Burgers will start at $5.99 and increase slightly in price depending on guests’ patty and topping selections. First, a customer chooses their bun option. Choices include Southern white and whole wheat buns developed by Chef Doty and baked exclusively for YEAH! BURGER by H&F Bakery, a gluten-free bun or a lettuce wrap. Next, the guest chooses their patty: a White Oak Pastures grass-fed beef burger, a naturally-raised bison burger, an organic turkey burger, an organic veggie burger or an organic chicken breast patty. Cheese options include American, blue cheese, cheddar, pepper jack, pimento or Swiss cheese. Customers can then top their burger with a large selection of free toppings and $1 premium toppings such as nitrate-free bacon, a fried cage-free egg or sliced avocado. The burger creation process ends with sauce selection, featuring options that range from basic ketchup to roasted garlic aioli sauce and the house specialty, “YEAH! Sauce.”

YEAH! BURGER’s menu also offers nitrate-free hot dogs, a selection of organic salads, hand-cut French fries cooked in heart-healthy canola oil, fresh onion rings and Chef Doty’s signature chili.

Desserts include cups of Straus Family Creamery organic soft-serve ice cream, hand-spun milkshakes in five different flavors, ice cream floats, sundaes and “concretes,” organic soft-serve ice cream blended at high speed with a choice of 10 mix-in options such as cookies and cream and peanut butter cups.

YEAH! BURGER is a family-friendly dining establishment where parents can feel good about feeding their children organic fare from the restaurant’s kids menu. The Kids’ Combo offers a single patty organic beef burger or an all-natural hot dog, French fries and an organic milk or juice box.

The bar at YEAH! BURGER seats up to 17 guests and serves a full selection of beer, wine and cocktails. Unique bar offerings include biodynamic wines, organic bottled beer and signature drinks. Non-alcoholic beverage options include fountain drinks, natural sodas, organic teas and fresh juices.

The restaurant’s 2,500-square-foot space seats 55 guests in the dining room and more than 40 guests on the large, concrete-tiled patio. Designed by Stacey Kirby and Matt Redden of Seiber Design Inc., YEAH! BURGER has an inviting “California casual” style that features Cypress wood paneling made of reclaimed, river-recovered wood also known as “sinker” Cypress. The focal point of the restaurant is the white subway tile arch illuminated with LED lights which frames YEAH! BURGER’s bar and kitchen. Other design features include reclaimed heart pine table tops and metal Tolix chairs from France.

As a socially-responsible business, YEAH! BURGER will support local charitable organizations including the Believe in Me Foundation, Autism Speaks and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. YEAH! BURGER’s socially-conscious approach also extends to its numerous green efforts including offsetting its energy usage with wind power; use of ENERGY STAR equipment throughout the restaurant; installation of water-efficient toilets, bathroom fixtures and kitchen faucets; use of reclaimed wood paneling and table tops; and use of 100% compostable cups and to-go packaging and utensils.

YEAH! BURGER is located at 1168 Howell Mill Road, Suite E, and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. No reservations are accepted. Ample parking is available in front of the restaurant as well as in the White Provision parking deck and paved surface lot behind the restaurant. Dedicated parking spaces for to-go orders are available in front of the restaurant. For more information visit www.yeahburger.com or call (404) 496-4393.

For the second year in a row I ended up at Shaun’s during the Inman Park Festival. Last year I made a reservation. My previous experiences at Shaun’s were not spectacular so I thought this was a prime opportunity for the restaurant to redeem itself, despite the burden of the festival crowds.

I’ve yet to be impressed. In fact, neither last year’s or this year’s visit was nearly as good as my first visit. I remember having the shrimp and grits then, seated in the front room by the bar when it was still used as a dining room. The dish was so incredibly rich that it almost made me nauseous. But it was impossible to deny that the shrimp were perfectly cooked, the flavors were pure Southern comfort, with a stick of butter.

Last year my companion and I, seated in the main dining room opposite the semi-open kitchen, shared the Sardinian flatbread that Doty has become known for since his Mumbo Jumbo days. Basically a huge cracker topped with arugula, cheese and olive oil, with occasional variations. Our flatbread was supposed to have goat cheese but we got parmesan instead….not even a reasonable substitution, but I chalked it up to their being so busy. We also ordered the Berkshire pork buns….sliders with pork. I can’t remember if it was shredded pork but I do remember that they were rather uninspired. Our entrees were so boring I don’t recall them at all. But I do remember the dessert, the sticky toffee pudding. A dry clump of cake doused with a cloying sweet (and I guess sticky) toffee syrup. Just plain bad.

Doty was one of the first young Atlanta chefs to re-introduce diners to liver. After 3 1/2 years in business (I swear it seems like 7) he still serves his chopped liver, East Village style, and the chicken liver fettuccini. I hate chicken liver so I won’t be sampling those dishes, although it is possible that my companion last year ordered the chopped liver, after all, he is a New York Jew.

This year LG and I stopped by purely by chance, hoping to score a table outside for a drink. It took me 20 minutes to get her mojito and my mimosa, but the weather was great and the people watching was entertaining. Promptly at 5:00 we were asked to move, so we took a table in the pretty, yet secluded, back patio. Seated on mod plastic chairs next to a wall of jasmine, the setting was very pleasant.

We ordered a bottle of Lambrusco bianco. Sold out. LG ordered a prosecco and I ordered another Mistral Mimosa. Sold out of anything sparkling. After years of being centrally located during the festival you would think they would have their shit together by now. How about a glass of tempranillo for me and the simply red for LG? Our server inadvertantly switched them, but we figured it out. She had already delivered a delicious sesame bread basket with butter.

It was Sunday which is pasta night at Shaun’s. For a mere $12 guests can dine on salad, pasta, and dessert. Chopped salad with buttermilk dressing, celery, and sprouts and your choice of goat cheese raviolis with wild nettle pesto, rigatoni with organic turkey bolognese, or spaghetti with marinara and pork meatballs. I almost went with the goat cheese raviolis. They did look good at a nearby table.

But instead, I ordered the roasted chicken. The menu description says “Benton’s smoked ham, black trumpet mushrooms, grilled ramps, smoked olive oil”. So I’m thinking it is perhaps a half skin-on roasted chicken with mushrooms and ramps. Uh, no. I asked if the skin was crispy and our server said “well….not really. But I can request that for you”. Bad idea. The chicken was boneless breasts stuffed with the mushrooms and ham served over a huge plate of polenta and turnip greens. WTF? The beige skin on the chicken was mushy….the farthest thing from crispy imaginable.

The overwhelming issue at Shaun’s is the misrepresentation of dishes on the menu. Or rather, unclear descriptions, substitutions, and missing ingredients. There’s just no excuse, really. Shouldn’t the chicken dish be described as “stuffed chicken breast with polenta and turnip greens”? Even the ramps were missing, but delivered in a side dish. They were scallions.

LG’s burger was ordinary. With Doty’s Yeah! Burger opening any day one would think the burger here would be kickass. Not so much. It was a thick hunk of meat on an ordinary bun with ordinary cheese. Even the promise of duck-fat fries fell flat. I can name lots of trendy restaurants with better fries, regardless of the type of fat they are fried in. I’m not looking forward to reviewing his new burger joint which is on my roster for an upcoming issue of Atlanta’s Finest Dining.

What’s good about Shaun’s? Doty is a trend-setter with his gluten-free dinners and an early supporter of Slow Food and Georgia Organics. That’s about it.

The service wasn’t bad. The food wasn’t bad. It’s just consistently mediocre.