Hot Dish Review

Friday was my first TV appearance for Hot Dish Review! Having just celebrated a year of blogging, I was thrilled to be asked to do a segment on CBS Atlanta’s 4:00 news hour about inexpensive girls’ night out ideas.

Still in my studio make-up, B met me at Abattoir for a toast to my on-air interview. Arriving first, I was offered a seat at the bar by a kind gentleman. BS poured a glass of red while I waited. It was a hot day so I was thinking champagne or a refreshing white. Everyone’s talking about vinho verde these days so I asked for a taste. Light, clear, boring. BS was right, of course. I stuck with the red.

Seated beneath the famous bulb with the slaughterhouse hook, I snapped a couple of photos. Take a closer look and you’ll see a pair of rubber chickens in the rafters…..hilarious!

B arrived and we proceeded to chat and drink. Cheers! Yes, the hours leading up to the interview with Kim Fettig were nerve-jangling but once I was on set I had about two minutes to clip on my microphone and figure out how to weave the contraption between my blouse and cardigan to hide the wire.

A light dinner was in order. We ordered two cheeses, a goat and a blue, served with the perfect accompaniments of nuts and jams. Regretably, I can’t remember the fruits….fig perhaps? Maybe the other was apricot? As always, the baguette was crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a dish of unsalted butter. So simple. It’s amazing how most restaurants can’t even get this right. Quatrano always does.

B insisted on getting the fried chicken livers. I hate liver. When I was a kid I would cry when my Mom made liver. Regardless, they looked pretty and photographed well so I took a bite. At first the crispy coating had me fooled. I thought they were good, then I realized they tasted like….chicken livers. Funny how I love foie gras!

I ordered the babaganoush. It came with wafer thin toasted flatbread, a tiny jar of chutney, and another jar of pickled vegetables. The babaganoush was smooth and sublime, but not as smoky as I like, although the sweet chutney and vinegary veggies added another dimension to the dish that made it memorable.

As we finished off the bottle of wine I contemplated dessert options. There is always temptation at Abattoir.

1170 Howell Mill Road 404-892-3335

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…..

Located on Decatur’s historic square, this restaurant is the latest from the Castellucci family that owns Sugo. An extensive selection of Spanish inspired tapas and plates are offered. Me and ST sampled our way through the menu, essentially eating like pigs, starting with charcuterie, jamon Iberico, the expensive Iberian ham and the restaurant’s namesake.

Our server Mary Quinn suggested a creamy sheep’s milk Spanish cheese called camedeoveja. Spread on the crispy toasted bread, it was delectable. Cheese and ham were served on wood cutting boards with mustard and tiny green olives.

The space is warm, furnished in dark wood, exposed brick, and deep red velvet curtains. Lighting is soft and flattering, perfect for a romantic evening with ST.

Chef Chad Crete was very gracious, bringing us a few of the bacon wrapped dates stuffed with manchego cheese and walnuts, resting in a romesco sauce. OMG. I could eat fifty of those!

There were so many amazing sounding dishes on the menu, like the tocino con manzana….slow braised pork belly with a salad of Granny Smith apples and candied walnuts dressed with a drizzle of apple cider reduction. Fatty crispy pork belly was yummy but I detected a hint of something not yummy….the tiny chiffonade of green on the apple salad, was it mint? I hate mint.

Which brings me to the sangria. The best in town is at Pura Vida, hands down. Still. I ordered the bottomless glass at The Iberian Pig for $21. Served in pint glasses, I suspect there is more juice than rum or wine. What I love about Pura Vida’s sangria is that it has chunks of fruit soaked in rum. Eat them and you will feel it! Sangria at Pura Vida is not for pussies.

While sipping the sangria at The Iberian Pig I once again detected a hint of flavor that was familiar yet somehow just plain wrong. Then I saw it….a slice of cucumber! Cucumber in sangria? Don’t ask me. ST ordered the “pretty darn good” red wine and it was, in fact, pretty darn good….2004 Marco Real Garnacha Navarra from Spain.

Next up on our trail of tapas was the BBQ octopus and the huevos con trufa. Both recommended by a friend of MN. The best part of the octopus was the stringy pork belly underneath. For some reason I thought BBQ meant grilled. No, it means with BBQ sauce, which I didn’t really care for. It was served with crunchy potatoes that I did not eat lest they take up space in my stomach where I could put something delicious, like more pork.

Huevos con trufa is a huge chunk of slow roasted pork with rustic toasted bread topped with a poached egg and black truffles. Remember, these are tapas folks. But the Castelluccis are known for ample portions. The pork was fork tender, ridiculously good. Break the egg yolk and dip the crusty bread in it, making sure to pick up a bit of truffle which was made into a tapenade. Decadent, rich, hell yeah!

Chad delivered another delicious surprise, their albondigas. Wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed with piquillo peppers, dates, and roasted tomatoes, finished with pimento creme and oyster mushrooms. I would not have ordered this but it was great, the flavorful meat pairing perfectly with the sweetness of the dates and the earthiness of the sauce.

Jesus Christ! An enormous serving of baked manchego mac ‘n’ cheese came out and a sampler of three sausages….lamb with macerated cherries, fennel sausage with caramelized onions, and chorizo with moscatel wine reduction and romesco, which was the standout among the trio. We couldn’t polish off all of them so they went in a recycled to-go container along with one of the two meatballs.

After all of those entree-sized tapas we had an actual entree coming, the cabrito carbonara; slow roasted goat with chittara pasta tossed in a carbonara sauce with Benton’s bacon, cream and topped with yet another poached egg. Mary Quinn instructed us to break the egg and mix in the yolk to complete the sauce. I found the pasta a bit too al dente, however the meat was succulent, the flavor of the dish was outstanding.

By now I was on my fourth glass of sangria. Despite the cucumber, I didn’t seem to have a problem getting my money’s worth out of the bottomless glass.

A selection of gelatos for dessert….the best was the fig and cherry, followed by the pistachio and the dulce de leche. I found the texture to be pretty authentic as far as gelato goes, the dulce de leche a bit too sweet.

We gave our leftovers to the “homeless” kids outside. They said they were hungry. I guess their Mothers in their million dollar mansions don’t really cook. Poor things.

Next time I will try one of the flatbreads. A neighboring table had one and it looked extra thin, crispy, and drool-worthy. The food isn’t authentic Spanish, however, having recently visited Spain….Barcelona and Mallorca…..I found these dishes more to my liking, perhaps because they were not so simple like in Spain. Regardless, I liked this place with its rich sauces, overdone flavor combos, and Italian riffs mixed with Spanish inspiration. It worked for me!

121 Sycamore Street, Decatur 404-371-8800 www.iberianpigatl.com

With an evening flight one never knows if dinner will be served. I booked my trip to Rio too late to upgrade so I was resigned to an overnight coach flight. Hense the drinks and stash of pills. Who the hell can sleep sitting bolt upright? After my extravagant meal at One Flew South, I didn’t really care if they served Spam and Twinkies.

So, did I happen to mention that I’m the luckiest bitch in the world? As I boarded the Delta flight I resigned myself to my lot for the next 9.47 hours in seat 24A. But there was someone seated there, he showed me his boarding pass with that assigned seat. Hmmm, baffling. I checked my boarding pass and it said 2F. Score! I had been bumped to first class. I love first class.

I sat next to a guy named J. We were greeted with champagne, about to dine like kings on real food. With real utensils. Along with a noise canceling headset, cozy socks, chapstick, moisturiser and other sundries found in the seat pocket, there is a menu. Passengers are asked to order while still at the gate, sipping champagne. I kicked off my Nikes and relaxed.

I know from experience that you get all of the appetizers, regardless which one you request. No matter, eat a bit of each. J and I ordered and proceeded to love the cream of asparagus soup. However, we were also presented with the cured salmon with seaweed salad and the greek salad of feta cheese, cucumber and olives with balsamic vinaigrette. Ten minutes later, the only thing that remained on my plate were the sliced cucumbers. You all know I hate cucumbers.

There were four entree selections; seared mahi mahi with lemon butter sauce, asparagus and paella rice, three cheese vegetarian spaghetti carbonara, or the grilled fillet of beef bearnaise with mashed redskin potatoes and sauteed green beans for the hot entrees, and roast beef, herbed shrimp with a deviled egg and grilled peppers and artichokes for a chilled choice.

J ordered the fillet which I’ve had before and is truly the best option, however, already laden with pork and still not feelin’ the fish, I opted for the carbonara. It was alright but J’s entree was much more photogenic (see above). He was one of those guys that doesn’t eat veggies so I ate a few of his green beans.

I enjoyed several glasses of the 2008 MontGras Carmenere Reserva from Chile with my meal. Remember….the wine glasses, although made of glass, are tiny, about the size of a tasting glass. J had a Coke.

Dessert offerings are always the same in first class….your choice of cheese and fruit with crackers or a standard ice cream sundae with all the fixin’s. Vanilla with chocolate or strawberry sauce, chopped nuts and whipped cream, garnished with a pirouline cookie. I usually get both but having already had a three course meal I opted for just the cheese and fruit. And more wine.

No sleeping pills required as I fully reclined, covered with my thin comforter and plush pillow. About 6.25 hours later J said “somebody got some sleep!” as I awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon. Breakfast Miss P? Yes, please! Coffee, scrambled eggs (nuked,of course), bacon, and bagel or croissant (I had both), plus French toast. I could have had the oats of honey granola with yogurt or just fruit and bread. I could have had the whole lot had I asked for it. Did I mention that I love first class?

After a riotous week in Rio, a glorious get-away in Gloria, a brief love affair with Leblon, I was (almost) ready to go home. Sure, I’d miss the acai and the frango fritters, the agua de coco and the copious canned cerveja, but it was time to say goodbye to Brazil.

Would I, could I be so lucky on the return flight? 35G. As I made my way to the back of the plane my fate was sealed. Dinner was a choice of chicken or pasta. I chose the chicken served with gnocchi, a tomato-ish sauce, sauteed spinach, a small salad with a packet of Italian dressing and a cracker with cheese spread, and bread and butter. I paired my meal with a can of Miller Lite. A chocolate chip cookie in a wrapper for dessert. Classic.

Breakfast? I slept through it (yes, this time I had to take the sleeping pills and sleep curled up like The Bunny on the seat), however woke just in time to walk to the back of the plane and get the nuked croissant, banana, granola bar, OJ, and a coffee before landing.

I was dreaming of farofa and favelas….monkeys in the rain forest and men wearing yellow feathers in the subway. I was dreaming of Brazil.

After a Valentine’s party at my office, I was a little down. Newly single (again!), I thought a light dinner served by a gorgeous bartender might help take my mind off of ST, so I headed to Abattoir.

Chef Hopkins changes the menu based upon what is available from local farmers, although there are several standards that have stuck, like the chicharrones. I guess pig skins aren’t too hard to come by at a restaurant that breaks down whole pigs on a regular basis!

Upon arrival I took a seat at the bar, happy to see BS was there. Having already started on cab at the party, he poured me a glass of red (was it the malbec?) as I perused the menu. A salad of lacinato kale with duck confit and farm egg vinaigrette caught my eye. BS confirmed it was awesome and recommended the valencay cheese served with a hot mini baguette from Star Provisions. Perfect.

Valencay is a smooth, dense mold-ripened cheese made of raw goat’s milk from the Loire Valley in France. It was paired with Marcona almonds and honeycomb. Sweet accompaniments with cheese are always my favorites.

The baguette reminded me of my bread debate with JR at Dinner Party last week. Although Star Provisions probably makes the best European-style baguettes in Atlanta, they don’t hold a candle to any baguette you can buy in Europe. Even the ones at the airport in Paris have that heavenly texture and flavor that is unmatched in the states.

Kale can be tough but the local lacinato kale Hopkins uses for this salad was tender, its slight bitterness balanced with a hint of sweetness in the dressing. A quartered hard boiled egg, paper-thin slices of radish, shreds of duck confit, and crisped bits of duck skin topped the greens. Just a terrific combination!

Another glass of wine, maybe the Louis Martini cab, and some light conversation was just what I needed! Thanks for lifting my spirits BS.

Valium will be my Valentine as I try to get some sleep on the flight to Brazil, then I’ll be romancing Rio!

While writing about Jonathan St. Hilaire’s newest venture, Bakeshop, I was drooling over the menu. One of the breakfast dishes is Eggs Al Forno. Although there was a description, I was unfamiliar with it so I googled it. Turns out it is an egg (or two) baked in an individual casserole dish on top of bread and cheese….how could it go wrong?

With so much bread leftover from my weekend visit to Bakeshop, the ciabatta was begging to be used for a savory breakfast. I found a recipe online, made a few minor revisions based upon what was in the fridge, and voila! Eggs al Forno. It was scrumptious and simple, here’s how:

EGGS AL FORNO

2 eggs (1 omega 3, 1 regular)
1 thick slice ciabatta (or other bread)
1 oz. gruyere, sliced and diced
1/4 C. grated parmesan
1 scallion, chopped, to taste
olive oil
ground pepper and salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly oil individual casserole dish with spray. Place bread at the bottom and drizzle with a little olive oil. Scatter the gruyere, most of the parmesan, and the scallions on top of the bread. break the eggs in a bowl. I used the whole Omega 3 egg and just the white from the “regular” one, but you can use two whole eggs if you prefer. Pour the eggs onto the bread and cheese and top with the remaining parmesan, freshly ground pepper and a dash of salt. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes.

Be careful, it will come out sizzling! The yolk will be soft but set. Serve with bacon, berries, and coffee. Enjoy!

While Jonathan was packaging up 50 loaves of bread and Brodie was putting multiple pastries and tarts in a box for me to take home my Mom called. She was watching a show on the seven deadly sins, the current segment was on Gluttony. Thanks Mom. Gluttony is my job, hell it’s even on my business card!

After a terrific lunch at Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s brick and mortar venture with the folks at Concentrics, I headed home with a haul of breads, pastries, and a mini quiche to sample. I needed back-up so I called my neighbor/roommate LG.

Once again, I put out some cheeses and unwrapped the breads….country sourdough, date walnut maple, a bacon baguette, a French baguette, and ciabatta. OK, so I exaggerated a little bit, it was only 5 not 50. We tried each one with some butter, cheese, and traditional accompaniments like dried figs, honey, almonds, and olives, and a bottle of Marquis Philips shiraz.

I liked the bacon baguette but the overwhelming favorite was the ciabatta. It was crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside. I melted some gruyere on toasted slices this morning with my fried egg and bacon breakfast.

To be honest, the dominent flavor of the date walnut loaf was orange, which was a little baffling. I was expecting some chunks of dates and walnuts but could not find any. I think it will make a good bread pudding, however, and will post that experimental recipe when I get the urge to make it.

The quiche had a lot of an herb that I still am unsure of…..dried basil? It over-powered the delicate egg and cheese but was not a total failure. We devoured the flaky croissant with a smudge of almond paste inside. The chocolate graham tart had a thick pudding-like consistency topped with crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, but I didn’t detect any graham.

Our favorite sweet? The pistachio apricot tart, with a flavor and texture reminiscent of marzipan, it was a real winner. And it was cute too…..green with the candied apricot on top, it looked like a sunny side-up egg.

My Mom’s call got me thinking about the seven deadly sins. What are the other six? With the New Year upon us I thought it would be wise to see if I was guilty of any so I googled them. The other six deadly sins are Vanity (check), Envy (check), Wrath (check), Greed (check), Sloth, and Lust (double check). I don’t know about you but I’m obviously going to hell.

So I took down my pagan Christmas tree and rewarded my effort with the remaining chocolate croissant. It was flaky and full of melted chocolate. Maybe I’ll make a BLT on the ciabatta for dinner. Honey, I’ve got bread for days, for weeks even….come on over and make yourself a samich!

Bakeshop 903 Peachtree Street 404-892-9322 www.bakeshopatl.com

Cheese (cheez) n. a solid food made from the pressed curds of milk. Sounds delish, no?

I’ve really gotten into cheese in the last few years. So many restaurants offer artisan cheese plates, sometimes as a starter, other times as an option for dessert. Anne and Clifford have always done it the best at Floataway and Baccanalia. Their astounding selection at Star Provisions allows them to introduce us to new artisan cheeses from the US and abroad. But it is the perfect pairings and accompaniments that bring out the flavor and texture of each cheese that are truly remarkable.

And so I’ve learned the basics…..manchego with membrillo (quince paste), gruyere or compte with honey, dried figs, and Marcona almonds, Humboldt Fog with kalamata olives, taleggio with Vidalia marmalade, any blue with pears and candied walnuts.

Clark Wolf has written a witty and informative book about American artisan cheeses, appropriately called American Cheeses. Read my review in Atlanta’s Finest Dining here.

I picked up some cave aged gruyere, cabrales, and taleggio at Whole Foods for a New Year’s Eve snack. The cabrales is a very pungent blue from Spain, and taleggio, from Italy, is one of my new favorites… semi-soft, creamy, and a little stinky. All three are made from unpasteurized cow’s milk.

They were out of baguettes but who cares, their bread is nothing special. I ended up getting a loaf of sourdough that I crisped in the oven and served it with sweet unsalted butter (I buy Lurpak from Denmark).

Why is good bread so hard to find in Atlanta? So frustrating! Tomorrow I am going to Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s new bakery/eatery, hopefully I will leave with a real French-style baguette and croissant too! I’ll keep you posted.

LG and I enjoyed my cheese presentation along with a bottle of red Lambrusco and half a bottle of d’Arenberg Stump Jump (yes, I didn’t drink the whole bottle!). Neighbors C & N stopped by as we tore into a rotisserie chicken, butternut squash, and braised red cabbage that LG salvaged after it scorched (good job!).

Then it was time for the requisite champagne. I like Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut when I’m pinching pennies, Veuve Cliquot when I’m not. It was a Gloria kind of year! A bar of Chocolove’s dark with cherries and almonds was a sweet end to the meal and my first bite in what promises to be an exciting year!

Happy New Year Hot Dish honeys!