Hot Dish Review

South African cooking is foreign to most of us. A fusion of European, Malaysian, and native African dishes, their unique cuisine is exotic and soulful. Spicy peri-peri sauce, sweet chutneys, and curries compliment grilled meats and fish.

LC and I had the pleasure to dine there recently as guests of the owner. Our evening got off to a fabulous start as our enthusiastic and practiced server, Jamie, explained the unfamiliar dishes on the menu (without making us feel dumb) and checked in throughout our meal (without being intrusive).

We have gotten into a routine of sharing small plates, particularly when I’m tasting for an article and need to try as many dishes as possible. The menu at 10 Degrees South is made for folks like us, with most dishes offered as small or large plates. Rather than ordering, we allowed our host, Justin, to choose a variety of the restaurant’s best. I ordered a glass of Sincerely by Stellenbosch, a deep and spicy South African shiraz, to sip while waiting for dishes to arrive.

He selected five of their most popular small plates to start us off. Bobotie is a sweet ground beef curry, traditionally topped with egg custard and baked until golden brown. Here, they also use the curry as a filling for long, crispy Spring rolls, great dipped in the sweet chutney. Another South African dish called boerewors was served on a Milano roll and cut into bite-sized pieces. In case you don’t regularly eat boerewors, it is sausage made of lean ground beef. I found the sandwich a tad dry, the bread unnecessary. I’d probably prefer the version sans bread with tomato and onion sauce.

Sosaties is another traditional dish….skewered, marinated beef filet glazed with apricot curry sauce. Fantasticly tender, the sauce gave the meat a subtle sweetness without overpowering it.

Two giant prawns, that were nearly the size of lobsters, were butterflied, marinated in spicy peri-peri sauce, then grilled. I was expecting a bit more fire out of the sauce, but I imagine it’s pretty hot for the average Joe. Nonetheless, the prawns were certainly one of our favorite dishes of the evening.

Everything was served with rice. LC pondered out loud to our server that he thought grits might work better with the prawns rather than the rice, to which Jamie returned with a mound of “pap”, a staple much like grits, just fluffier and drier. It was topped with the aforementioned tomato and onion sauce. I don’t like grits….or pap. I’ll stick with the rice.

Another favorite was the calamari, simply grilled with a lemon butter sauce and sprinkled with briny capers. JN, publisher of the new neighborhood magazine BuckHaven Lifestyle, happened to be at 10 Degrees during our visit and suggested we try the lollipop lamb chops, two marinated and grilled chops served over mashed potatoes. Delicious. The generous serving pushed us over the edge, but we still had one more plate to devour….Di’s Delight, a moist fruit cake drizzled with caramel sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thankfully not overly sweet, the dessert was warm and comforting, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

The only traditional South African dish we didn’t try was the cured beef slices, called biltong. Among the main courses not offered as appetizers, I would certainly order the char-grilled Cornish hen marinated with peri-peri sauce. Both are on my radar for our next visit.

After our meal we stopped by the bar for a nightcap and were happy to discover a guy playing acoustic guitar. A great way to end our safari!

4183 Roswell Road 404-705-8870

Once again, I’m off to Mexico!

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been a week since me and B had dinner at El Farallon in Cabo San Lucas. Its spectacular setting overlooking the ocean along the cliffs of the Pedregal Mountains makes it one of the most romantic destinations I have ever visited. Too bad I wasn’t there with a hot man! Ladies, this is where you want to be when your guy asks you to marry him.

The Baja Peninsula is known for its abundance of fresh seafood. El Farallon brings in the catches of the day from the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez and displays them by the kitchen so diners can make their selections.

Having had enough tequila throughout the day to tranquilize a gang of lucha libres, we switched it up to champagne. Seated near the rocky cliff wall surrounded by the warm glow of candles, the weather was perfect. Then along came CG with a bottle of champagne in hand. He escorted us to see the “boat display” to choose our fish, but we both had lobster tunnelvision.

El Farallon has a set five course menu that begins with chips and guacamole made in a traditional molcajete, chunky and delicious. The next course was mussels in a tomato broth. Both B and I dislike tomato with fish so although the mussels were good, it was not my favorite dish. The guacamole was so good I requested a second helping.


A trio of appetizers were delivered. Seabean salad was rather forgettable (I, in fact, couldn’t remember it). Seabass ceviche was tasty but, again, had tomato in it which I found a little unusual. Crispy fried calamari was the winner of the three.

I don’t remember ever seeing a menu. This is unfortunate because having it in front of me now, I see we could have ordered the mixed grill of fish, which includes a lobster. Then we could have tried lots of different fish, but rather, we ordered two lobsters, each one the size of my head (too much of a good thing?)

For her sides, B chose roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus, which she said were very flavorful. My grilled corn was sweet and salty with a satisfying toothesome quality….amazing. I also tried the cilantro rice merely because it had the word “cilantro” in it. Our lobsters were grilled and succulent served with a selection of sauces. B asked for drawn butter that we both dipped into. One of the sauces, most likely the chile ajo, was good and spicy.

There were two choices for dessert and I believe I chose the arroz con leche, but it never arrived. The bill did, however, with each lobster having a $20 upcharge beyond the $80 prix fixe. Thanks for the heads up, Senor Server.

Despite the misunderstandings and missed desserts, it was still an unforgettable meal, at an unforgettable place.

After a busy week of work and travel a casual dinner close to home was just what the doctor ordered. It had been a coon’s age since I’d eaten at Two Urban Licks. With so many new trendy spots opening each month, revisiting old favorites often ends up on the back burner.

LC and I walked into the dimly lit restaurant, which is cozy despite its cavernous interior, and took up residence at the first bar. We lucked out, as a cool little band was playing in the corner. The huge rotating rotisserie remains the focal point of the space, centrally located in the open kitchen.

Two is where chef Scott Serpas sharpened his skills prior to opening Serpas, one of Atlanta’s best restaurants. In fact, his signature salmon chips and lamb lollipops remain menu favorites.

I started off with a glass of red wine poured from one of their 42 stainless steel barrels, an ingenious one-of-a-kind gravity flow system. We proceeded to order several appetizers to share….the salmon chips, shaved calamari, black bean soup, and tacos.

The first dish to arrive was the salmon chips, four big potato chips each topped with short smoked salmon, chipotle cream cheese, capers, and red onions. I’ve eaten these many times and remember them being much better. On this visit, an overabundance of salmon, which tasted fishy, made the chips soggy. None of the other ingredients stood out resulting in a disappointing start.

The shaved calamari followed. A respectable yet standard fried version drizzled with a sweet a spicy sauce and wasabi cream. Black bean soup, garnished with a bit of cotija cheese, cilantro and jalalpeno creme fraiche was soothing and flavorful, but not very photogenic.

However, my favorite small plate was the tacos filled with tender Korean BBQ beef, crunchy kimchi, jack cheese, and cilantro. Only complaint is they sat in a puddle of juice, causing the crispy shells to become instantly soggy.

A few small plates leaves room for dessert! I couldn’t pass up the bread pudding, although it is described as “white chocolate cranberry”. I have no love for white chocolate, an oxymoron for a product made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla, lacking the part of the cocoa bean called the nib that gives chocolate its flavor. So it is not chocolate.

However, I had it on good authority that the stuff was undetectable in this dessert. The bread pudding was luscious and perfectly paired with excellent brown sugar ice cream that sat upon a mound of chocolate cookie crumbs for a textural extravaganza of crunchy, creamy, chewy deliciousness. We licked the plate.

820 Ralph McGill Blvd. 404-522-4622

A sad goodbye to the scene of much debauchery….
It’s hard to believe I haven’t reviewed Bluepointe until now. The restaurant is an Atlanta staple and the scene of so many memorable (and crazy!) evenings. Like crashing (former) Dallas Maverick’s Steve Nash’s private birthday bash upstairs and my own private birthday bash several years later, complete with champagne and lobster.

As I’ve said in a recent post, I’m a sucker for tradition. Or perhaps I’m merely a creature of habit. I always get the lobster at Bluepointe. In my many visits I have tried practically every dish until I discovered the lobster. Since then, I’ve been loyal to the 2lb. shellfish in curry.

The peanut crusted grouper is awesome and so are the scallops. The calamari appetizer used to be very spicy and amazing but it has become increasingly boring over the years with the predominant flavor being soy.

And ever since me and AD attended a Veuve party at Bluepointe I can’t seem to order anything else to drink there. Many bottles have been consumed since then.

My visit to Bluepointe last night was an exercise in irony. Or deja vu. I was wearing the blue dress, the same one I wore to my birthday dinner. I had champagne and lobster. And I was with LC….just a different one.

Seated at one of the more intimate tables near the bar where me and AD used to sit, LC was somewhat intoxicated and rather ravenous. I asked for a dish of the rice crackers they used to have at the bar but was disheartened to learn they no longer serve them. I would have dumped the snacks in my purse just for old time’s sake!

We started off with edamame and ordered two more appetizers to share. Wanting to try something different I chose the calamari salad. Although it has been many years, I always associate fried calamari on greens with one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants in New York called OG (Oriental Grill). Theirs was a perfectly assembled dish of impeccable field greens, fried calamari, and a slightly sweet Asian dressing.

I was impressed with Bluepointe’s version, with tempura calamari, arugula, sweet mango, crispy apple, cashews, and razor thin radish slices, lightly dressed with a subtly sweet Asian vinaigrette. A perfectly balanced composition, both in flavor and texture.

LC wanted to try the short rib wontons in umami broth. Umami is the culinary buzzword de jour, loosely translated as indescribable deliciousness. The Japanese are so cerebral. Three wontons filled with beef swam in a brown broth. Sorry, no umami, just a fistfull of salt in the overwhelmingly soy based broth. More champagne.

We had much better luck with the dependably delicious curry lobster. Served with baby asparagus, bok choy and Asian long beans in a slightly spicy yellow curry, it was as succulent as ever. The enormous lobster makes two generous entree portions. As a side, LC couldn’t resist the corn mash, yellow corn with lots of butter, which turned out to be his favorite dish of the evening.

For dessert I went back to my usual chai creme brulee. Not a fan of lemon sorbet I asked to substitute the orange sorbet which came out in a fun cube shape. The candied ginger on top of the crispy sugar really makes it special. We scarfed it down, along with another glass of champagne.

Now we were ready to dance!

LC likes martinis, or shall I say, he likes vodka shaken with olive juice served in a martini glass, because we all know a real martini is made with gin.

I like real martinis. Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up, with 3 olives. Either way, the only place in town that serves a martini properly is The Highland Tap, a subterranean man-cave in the Virginia Highlands. They chill the glass with ice, fill a cognac glass with ice and seltzer, then shake up a double and pour a small amount into the chilled glass, the rest of it into a tiny carafe, which is then placed into the icy seltzer so it remains ice cold while you sip it. Classy.

A martini craving is what generally draws me to The Highland Tap. I wanted to introduce LC to the perfect martini, but we were hungry too, so we decided to snag a booth and share some appetizers and a thick, juicy steak.

We started off with an appetizer of two roasted scallops served over candied collards….just enough to whet our appetites.

Fried calamari or spinach artichoke dip? Both are menu staples throughout the U.S. since the early ’90′s, neither intrigues me. When presented with the choice, however, I went with the calamari. Flash fried with onions and peppers and drizzled with a generic “spicy” Asian glaze, Highland Tap’s plate of squid was neither greasy nor chewy despite its ubiquitous appeal.

LC and I chose a petite filet, medium-rare, with a side of truffled mac ‘n’ cheese. Lately, we’ve been addicted to mac ‘n’ cheese, including the childishly pedestrian microwaveable Kraft variety. But the homemade kind is always preferable, baked until the cheese is slightly browned with crispy breadcrumbs on top. Highland Tap serves a solid rendition, I’m assuming with a drizzle of truffle oil…good stuff.

But first our server delivered a side salad and bread. The Highland Tap has served the same dark brown mini loaves of bread since I can remember. Warm and soft…sounds better than it tastes. I’d prefer crusty white ciabatta any day. Salad was fresh and lively, jazzed up with a citrusy vinaigrette.

Our steak was well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. Sections of sweet caramelized onion accompanied the meat. A second martini was the perfect dessert….straight up.

1026 N. Highland Avenue 404-875-3673

Concentrics’ premier hotspot, ONE Midtown Kitchen, is alive and well. Its space as dramatic as ever, the restaurant was pleasantly busy Friday night.

Seven years ago ONE was among a small handful of Atlanta restaurants that served forward, creative cuisine. I made a habit of going to ONE back in those days, usually dining (and drinking) at one of the hightops in the bar area.

They were known for their wine program, offering a large selection of whites and reds by the glass or half glass so guests could sample a variety without spending a fortune.

Over the years, ONE has been home to several chefs, some moving on to fame and fortune, like Richard Blais. The current chef, Drew Van Leuvan, is no stranger to trendy restaurants, having run the kitchen at Spice, Saga (both closed), and most recently Room at TWELVE.

Their calamari appetizer remains the best in the city, cut lengthwise rather than across, creating long straight pieces instead of the typical rings. The dish has undergone as many changes as the restaurant has chefs, but it is still a personal favorite.

On our visit Friday night I introduced the calamari to LC. It was unfortunately greasy, but exquisitely tender as always. I liked it best a few years ago when there was a spicy Asian sauce drizzled onto the plate. The latest version is topped with smoked onions and pimentos with a sweet and sour “agrodolce”.

We sampled our way through much of the red wines by the glass, starting with the Pennywise Petite Syrah and the Sinskey Concentrics Merlot. Bread service hasn’t changed much over the years consisting of slices from a good, rustic white loaf and a cluster of skinny dry breadsticks, served with garlicky hummus instead of butter. I’m not a fan. Just give me a warm baguette and sweet unsalted butter, please.

Our leisurely dinner continued with an appetizer portion of a pasta dish called caramelle, big pasta pockets filled with sweet potato, then twisted on the ends like giant pieces of wrapped hard candy. Brown butter, thyme, and parmesan made it rich and satisfying.

Half glasses of Cooper Hill Pinot Noir and Domaine ‘La Garrique’ Cotes du Rhone complimented an artisan cheese plate with such favorites as creamy Brillat Savarin and an intense chunk of Roquefort. Passion fruit mostarda and compressed carrot bread provided sweet accompaniments. Good stuff.

A small plate of duck confit on sweet potato puree with apple and pistachio was rich and comforting on this chilly Fall evening. I love Fall and Winter menus! Selections like wood grilled pheasant with hakeuri turnips, mushroom, and huckleberry mostarda or smoked duck breast with crisp polenta make the cold weather almost bearable.

Another round of wine was ordered, including a sparkling Lambrusco. There was no need for anything more but we ordered dessert nonetheless, a seemingly contradictory “souffle glace” of caramel and banana with milk chocolate, almond crumble and rhum sorbet. Huh? It was so forgettable I forgot to take a picture.

Despite a couple of missteps, it was nice to see an old favorite stand the test of time.

559 Dutch Valley Way 404-892-4111

I don’t know how this place is still in business. Not because the food is bad but because it is located in Atlantic Station which seems to be suffering a slow, agonizing death. It’s a shame, really. The place is dark (as in almost no lights), decorated in rich reds with a cool Japanese mural on the far wall. Owned by the Dolce Group based in Los Angeles, Geisha House is part of their lounge and restaurant empire, known for high profile investors like Ashton Kutcher.

My colleagues and I visited Geisha House for an early dinner last Thursday night and found ourselves practically alone in the vast space. The six of us shared several dishes, starting with the ubiquitous edamame. CM and TB ordered a bottle of white wine and I had a small bottle of cold unfiltered sake. SC got a Sapporo.

For starters we decided to get two orders of the sauteed calamari and shrimp and one order of the fried calamari. Guess which one everyone preferred.

The sauteed seafood dish came with rice. Our server, although polite, didn’t bring any utensils other than the chopsticks. Since we were all sharing it became clear that serving spoons would be appropriate, otherwise we’d be sticking our chopsticks in the rice and calamari after they had been in our mouths. Now, granted, I don’t mind that if I’m with my man, but this was a group of co-workers. We don’t kiss each other and I don’t think we want to double dip with each other either. So I asked for serving spoons which seemed to baffle our server. She said they only had small ones. OK then, bring the small ones! I didn’t ask for a freakin’ ladle. Whatever, we need serving utensils so we don’t contaminate the rice with dirty chopsticks, get it chick?

Neither calamari dish was terribly exciting. Standard fare. We decided on some sushi rolls for four of us while KMA and GGP both ordered the salmon entree. TB ordered the chicken skewers under the “Robata Yaki” section. Don’t even get me started on Robata grilling. All I can say is MF Sushi in Buckhead has the only one in Atlanta. I can guarantee that Geisha House cooks and staff don’t even know what robata means.

Two Ocean Dragon rolls were made with shrimp tempura, crab salad, avocado and eel, topped with eel sauce and tobigo. Not bad. CM and I wanted to try the lobster roll listed under “Light Rolls” (as in low calorie or low carb). Lobster, lettuce and spicy sauce were wrapped with rice paper. So it was sorta like a basil roll, without basil. And the spicy sauce wasn’t very. But it was creative, in that California-reinvents-sushi sort of way. I believe the other roll was Over the Rainbow. Again, a standard compilation of yellowtail, tuna, shrimp, avocado, blah, blah, blah. The food was thankfully secondary to the socializing….we were having a good time!

TB’s chicken skewers were pretty tasty. They came with three sauces, one of which was simply sriracha.

JW, a rather sexy bigwig investor, showed up and shared a drink with us. The spiciest part of our evening, he let us in on some juicy details of Atlantic Station’s financial woes which will, eventually, put many of the businesses there out on their asses. Only the strong will survive and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Geisha House will not be one of them.

Want sushi? Go to MF.