Hot Dish Review

A holiday rerun for your enjoyment (or disappointment, whatever the case may be):
Coming off a six year media love-fest, the guys at Muss & Turner’s, Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner, expanded to Joel’s former space, calling it Local Three. The third partner is chef Chris Hall, a self-taught cook and Atlanta native.

First, I must tell you the directions on their website are completely confusing. I was pretty sure I knew how to get there off I-75, remembering my two visits to Joel years ago. But admittedly, I have a condition I call “direction dyslexia”, so I can’t trust my instincts where directions are concerned. B was meeting me there and helped me get to the parking garage, along with a security officer. Once at the right building, we still had a hard time finding the restaurant. It was a little frustrating.

All the frustration melted away as soon as we walked into the warm and inviting space. There was no hint of its former stuffy self. Taupe and deep purple walls are a soothing backdrop to the rustic wood furnishings, a trio of pig paintings, a velvet Elvis, and soft, flattering lighting. It is gorgeous.

The trio’s sense of humor is immediately evident, not only in the kitschy decor but in the hilarious menu descriptions, like the “chicken liver mousse a.k.a. meat butter”. I love it that they don’t take themselves, or the food, too seriously.

Like at M & T’s, these boys use as much locally sourced produce and meat as possible. From the design of the space to the menu, it’s as if Abattoir and Miller Union had a precocious child. You will notice that every price on the drink menu ends in a “3″.

B and I were excited about our dining experience, having heard only good things about Local Three. We wanted to start off with a glass of red wine, both of us choosing the Guenoc Victorian Claret, described as “a Big One”…..no surprise there!

On to appetizers, we tried a couple of cheeses and two selections of charcuterie because they were made in-house by Mussman and listed under the heading “Notorious P.I.G.”. Gotta love it. Served with pear compote, honey, and crisp flatbread, I liked the presentation, and it was just perfect with the wine.

With the current battle of the Brussels sprouts in full swing, we ordered their crispy Brussels, listed under “snacks”. Stay tuned for a separate post on those.

B became fixated by the menu’s section called “Today” featuring items that are limited in quantity. In particular, she had her heart set on the salad of Hammock Hollow Farms baby Spring lettuce, radish, Blue cheese, and herb croutons. It didn’t excite me, but the salad of Winter greens on the regular “Appetizers” section certainly did. I make my own Winter greens salad so I was curious to see how Local Three’s version would compare.

A compilaton of frissee, dried apricots, cherries, raisins, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese, it was not as good as it sounded due to the salty, lackluster dressing. My salad kicks their salad’s ass. B’s greens also suffered under a over-salted dressing she described as juvenile. Both servings were large enough to share.

For soups we again chose one from “Today”, an irresistible dish called “Hot Crab on Crab Action”, Charleston she-crab soup topped with Alaskan King crab claws. If you are unfamiliar with she-crab soup, it is made with the roe from the female crab (hense she-crab), cream and sherry. The soup is usually rich and creamy but I found this version to be somewhat lighter with an abundance of crab meat, both in the soup and on top. I thought it was very good but B was not impressed.

We also ordered a soup from “Appetizers”, the creamy sweet potato soup, a disappointing puree that B compared to baby food. The smoked bacon, peanuts, and scallions on top did little to salvage it.

B tried the Chesapeake Bay wild striped bass for her entree, while I went with the grilled Cervena venison. Her fish, served with honey roasted turnips, rutabega, escarole, lemon, and dates, hit all the right notes. It was a fantastic dish.

I ordered my venison medium-rare. With black pepper spaetzle, spring Vidalia onion and huckleberry jus, it was a hearty plate. My meat was, unfortunately, on the rare side, and not as tender as one would wish for. A solid Winter dish.

Chef Hall stopped by inquiring about our meal. He’s a big dude. I’m not sure if he knew we were food writers but chances are, he would have visited either way.

B and I rarely skip dessert, this time sharing the pecan pie. My first impression was that it was more crust than filling. A few nibbles of it with the vanilla ice cream on top was more than enough sugar.

I wanted to love it, I wanted the three local pigs to wow us. No doubt, I will try Local Three again, if not only for its owners’ sense of humor and commitment to quality. To quote the menu “you can’t argue with delicious”.

But you can argue with mediocre.

3290 Northside Parkway NW 404-968-2700

Talk about hard to find! From Helen, B and I made our way along the mountainous twists and turns through Dahlonega, trying to follow the directions from the Montaluce website. The lack of street signs was not helpful. We finally resorted to calling for directions.

We were a bit late but no worries. Montaluce’s Tasting Room is a long, cavernous space with a bar on the left and seating groups on the right. Hundreds of wine bottles decorate the wall behind the bar where Bill greeted us while setting up some glasses and describing Montaluce’s wines.

We started with sparkling Adami prosecco. (Hey, I’m not gonna turn down a glass of bubbly!) Bill recommended we try an assortment of cheeses and charcuterie….perfect with the reds we were about to sample.

Montaluce grows a variety of wine grapes including chardonnay, voignier, and cabernet sauvignon. Bill poured B and I a big taste of their viognier, a delicate white with hints of peach. I usually go for whites in the summer, usually a grassy sauvignon blanc or sweet riesling. The viognier wasn’t my style.

Regarding white wines, I am a snob. I will not even consider drinking a pinot grigio or a chardonnay…..too pedestrian. Naturally, Montaluce makes a chardonnay. Described as having aromas of green apples, pear, and lemon zest with nuances of smoke, walnut and honeysuckle. Damn, it was pretty good.

Montaluce’s Risata, Italian for “laughter”, is an aromatic rose, another light option for warmer months. Bill quipped “Rose is making a comeback” as B and I commented on its nearly-forgotten status among wines.

Our server, Desiree, delivered our selection of cheeses and charcuterie. Four cheeses included one of my new favorites, Cana di Cabra, a Spanish goat cheese with a crumbly center, semi-ripened near the rind, reminiscent of Humboldt Fog (without the ash). Paired with fennel jam, B and I loved it! The Pleasant Ridge Reserve was a semi-hard cheese, delicious accompanied by pickled golden raisins.

Sweetgrass Green Hill was a smooth soft cheese resting on a smudge of plum jam and topped with chopped Marcona almonds. Valdeon blue was the most pungeont of the group, accompanied by caramelized shallots and celery leaf….odd and good.

Two of the three meats are made in-house….the chicken liver mousse and the coppa di testa, otherwise known as headcheese. Not a lover of chicken livers, I actually liked it here. Not nearly as unctuous as it can often be, I found the pairing of pickled green tomatoes a wonderful compliment.

The headcheese was seared, ridding it of any unpleasant gelatinous goo one often finds binding the unidentifiable meats. It was, in fact, chunky with hunks of smoky pork. Topped with apple mostarda, it was a real winner!

Benton’s country ham was drizzled with vin cotto, a sweet red wine reduction. Awesome. Although I prefer bread and butter, crispy crackers and breadsticks were served with the cheeses and meats.

The red wines we sampled with the cheeses were Montaluce’s merlot and cabernet. I honestly could not tell them apart. Both were good but neither stellar.

Featuring many Italian wines, Bill poured us a glass of the 2005 Brandini Nebbiolo from the Piedmont region of Italy. Next we tried the 2008 Tormaresca “Neprica” from Puglia. My knowledge of Italian wines is very limited, mainly due to its ridiculously complicated system. Bill educated us on the categories and regions, although I think I would have to take a few more classes to be comfortable ordering Italian.

Next we toured the winery. Another glass of Neprica in our hands, B and I checked out the room where the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed. Then they are ready for two weeks of fermentation in the stainless vats on the lower level. The juice is pressed out and the resulting wine is pumped into oak barrels to age…..it all reminded me of the wineries I visited in Spain exactly a year ago (although some claim I wasn’t even there).

Bill was an encyclopedia of wine trivia. For instance, blends called “meritage” (derived from “merit” and “heritage” and pronounced like heritage) must meet strict standards, containing wine from at least two of the bordeaux grapes (merlot, cab franc, cab, malbec). That moniker, however, isn’t earned, it is purchased.

Our wine adventure was nearing an end. Dinner at Le Vigne, the winery’s restaurant, was next on our agenda. Desiree showed us to a table outside overlooking the gorgeous green vineyard.

Another glass of Tormaresca please. Would we ever be able to find our way home? Stay tuned and find out…..