Hot Dish Review

This should be the standard for all air travel….after enjoying a snack and drinks in the Sky Lounge, take a leisurely stroll to the jet where you can casually slip on your comfy socks and sip a little champagne.

First Class, now called Business Elite, on Delta is the ultimate in comfort on overnight flights, providing noise cancelling headsets and fully reclining seats. And then there’s the food. You know all the clinking of silverware you hear when you are in coach? Yeah, that’s First Class getting real food while you are removing the plastic wrappers and foil from your TV-dinner-like meal (more on those later).

Flight attendants in First Class take your order before you leave the ground. It’s cute that the options are in English and German….my first taste of my native language in quite some time. Celeb chef Michelle Bernstein designed some of the swanky dishes.

There is a choice for the first course, however, generally you get both. We had rosemary duck breast and couscous salad with dried fruit and almonds….indeed! Of course the duck was well-done, but the flavor of the dish was nice and I always love dried fruit with duck. Pumpkin bisque soup, “Kuerbiscremesuppe” auf Deutsch, the other appetizer choice, paired nicely with the duck and couscous.

Having already had two glasses of champagne, I chose the 2006 Chateau Beaumont bordeaux to have with my meal. Mom tried a South African chenin blanc that was similar to a good sauvignon blanc.

The second course was a large salad of mixed greens with yellow peppers, pecans, and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and fresh.

Given the choice of grilled beef tenderloin with shrimp scampi or crab cakes, both me and my Mom chose the latter. For me, it was the fact that all meat is cooked well-done and I prefer beef medium-rare. Plus, the crab cakes came with baked spaghetti squash and braised leeks. Braised leeks!

The entree was very well-executed, with two meaty crab cakes and those meltingly delicious leeks. There was a bit too much nutmeg in the spaghetti squash though. And Mom complained about the copious mound of lemon aioli that sat between the two cakes.

Next was the cheese course or dessert. Actually, I have been known to have both, but this time Mom got the cheese and I got the ice cream sundae made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, chopped nuts, and whipped cream….very traditional.

After a second glass of red wine, I watched the Oscar winning movie The King’s Speech. It was awesome, but left only a couple of hours to try to sleep.

The next thing I knew the smell of coffee filled the cabin and we were awakened from our slumber to be served yet another meal of scrambled eggs on English muffins topped with melted cheese, spinach, served with Canadian bacon and a croissant. No doubt they feed you well in First Class!

Arriving in Frankfurt, the city of my birth, always causes me to reflect on the years that have passed since my last visit. So much has changed! Am I on the right path? I can see myself in one or two years, landing in Frankfurt once more. Then I will know the answers to all the questions I have now, but there’s always a list of new ones.

Zebulon and Jeremiah….almost sounds biblical, right? Well, they’re not exactly choir boys at the Baptist church, these dudes cook up one of the meanest menus in town at Livingston.

Following Gary Mennie’s recent departure, his sous chef Zeb Stevenson was promoted to Executive Chef. B and I are big fans of Zeb so we were excited to hear the news! With Fall upon us, we were invited to a media dinner where he debuted his new menu featuring the seasons best vegetables and fruits like Brussels sprouts and apples from Ellijay. Jeremiah, by the way, is the new sous.

Is it fair to do a review based upon one dinner, and a complimentary one at that? Sure, what the hell. Zeb served the table of a dozen or so food writers a selection of appetizers and salads, family style, so we all had the opportunity to sample a bit of everything.

Well-known foodie, writer, and television personality Carolyn O’Neil was among the guests and quipped about the blurry black and white photomural behind the adjacent booth. (Yes, it was intentionally blurry!) Later, one of the diners at my table remarked that Kwanza Hall was seated there. Me? Namedropping? Never.

The space is very dramatic in a rich, luxurious way, fitting for the renovated Georgian Terrace Hotel where it is located.

Our server, Wyatt, started us off with a little bubbly, then brought out an amuse bouche of tuna crudo topped with pistachio and candied mustard paired with a sliver of yellow beet with a champagne-vanilla vinaigrette…..an interesting nibble. The bread service was excellent, with an assortment of breads including the crispy sourdough roll I devoured, slavered in softened sweet cream butter.

An array of appetizers began to arrive….salads, crab cakes, bratwurst. Zeb came by to talk about the dishes. He pointed out that the crab cakes were more crab than cake. They were served on waffle potato chips and gone in a flash! I tried a taste of the sauvignon blanc that was pouring as well as a full glass of the red….can’t remember what varietal but I do know it was a 2008. CO’s friend M had inquired.

A simple spinach salad was dressed up with a smoky and sweet cippolini and candied bacon vinaigrette and topped with chunks of gorgonzola. Don’t let anyone tell you bacon is out of fashion, honey. Even better, however, was the smoked trout and apple salad. Like the Waldorf salad’s stylish cousin, this dish was a favorite of the table. I scraped the last bit out of the bowl to eat along with a slice of chicken bratwurst. Zeb makes the bratwurst in-house and serves it on a bed of shredded Brussels sprouts. Very German flavors, I was lovin’ it.

Then came my bodacious lobster. I probably should have prefaced that with the statement that our table was given the full menu of entrees, eleven in all, from which to choose. (Then back to family style for dessert.)

Back to the butter poached lobster. Once again Zeb was there to explain the intricacies of poaching a lobster in butter and water….a precise science and well worth the effort. It was supposed to be served with chive gnocchi and garlic broth. When Wyatt detected my lukewarm attitude towards the potato dumplings, he suggested a substitution (gasp!) of the truffle mac ‘n’ cheese. Yessir!

I was hoping the mac would be baked, served in its own little ramekin but it was beneath the lobster instead. Can’t complain about creamy, truffley goodness and buttery tender lobster.

After much debate B decided upon the grilled skirt steak with hand cut fries and smoked hollandaise. She commented that the tender steak really flipped her skirt and we all laughed. Zeb’s hollandaise was made with cold-smoked butter. Mad scientist! Rather than being heavy and rich, the sauce was lightly whipped. I found myself dipping bites of lobster in it, as well as stealing her skin-on fries.

Across from me KL had the juicy filet mignon with creamed spinach, and M had the lamb chop. I tasted his spaetzle, forgetting that it was flavored with mint. Although herbaciously green, I didn’t detect mint specifically. Creative side. Four or five of us ordered the lobster. I would have had a hard time choosing between the two smoked meats, duck and pork, had I not been enthralled by the lobster.

Each week Livingston hosts Millionaire Mondays, offering a three course dinner with a choice of lobster or filet mignon for only $16. And there is a nightly theatre menu with four entree selections, that includes a glass of wine, for just $29.

A platter of flourless chocolate tart, a chocolate mousse, and espresso ice cream was presented, complimented by another glass of red wine. Beignets with coconut dipping sauce were crispy and irresistible.

We bid our acquaintances farewell and made our way to the bar, having a chat and a smoke with the two chefs, across from the fabulous Fox Theatre, it’s grandeur and history intertwined in Atlanta’s story. And I thought how grand it was all of us making new history here. Makin’ it happen.

659 Peachtree Street NE 404-897-5000

Having already had entirely too many margaritas at a wedding party, LC and I ended up at Goin’ Coastal, lured back by their addictive watermelon jalapeno margaritas. This time we sat at the bar for drinks and a snack.

My first impressions of Goin’ Coastal were mixed at best. Neither of our favorite dishes, the cheese grits or the cornbread pudding, contained seafood….an odd fact at a seafood restaurant.

So on our follow up visit, we decided to try one thing that we missed the first time, the crab cakes. Two fat cakes came on a bed of red pepper sauce and corn. They appeared to be slightly charred, but the flavor was anything but burnt. Lots of big chunks of crab meat and little filler made them a winner.

I couldn’t pass up a repeat visit with their stellar cornbread pudding. Baked in its own ramekin, it was delivered smoldering hot, straight out of the oven. I told LC it was too hot to eat but did he listen? No, he has a burnt tongue to prove it. The savory pudding manages to be dense and light at the same time with a touch of sweetness from the corn. Love it.

There are plenty of items on the menu I haven’t tried that may further redeem Goin’ Coastal. If nothing else, you can be sure I’ll be back for the watermelon jalapeno margaritas!

1021 Virginia Avenue 404-941-9117

We have eaten at Nacoochee Grill in Helen many times since it opened about seven years ago. It has undergone a few minor menu changes but has remained relatively true to its original concept….Southern cuisine with uptown flair.

Set inside a renovated house, Nacoochee makes guests feel at home. Light green walls and country casual decor look shabby chic to us city folks. Probably makes the rednecks scratch their heads and wonder why they didn’t fix it up a little better.

Mom ordered a glass of riesling and I got the muscadine wine by Habersham, the winery right down the street. I left with a bottle of it.

My Dad usually gets grilled or blackened fish with collards and a salad on the side, but opted for grilled shrimp instead. He’s pretty particular about his seafood. His shellfish have to be thoroughly cooked until opaque. I tend to agree, I don’t like the weird texture of undercooked shrimp or lobster. Naturally, his shrimp were a little on the clear side so he sent them back to the kitchen.

Nacoochee Grill serves chicken, fish, and steaks, with an emphasis on their grilled selections, often heavy on the garlic. But don’t forget where you are….in the South. Practically everything is also available fried. Bread service varies, recently featuring cranberry scones and jalapeno cornbread or cheddar biscuits.

Mom almost always orders the Szechuan glazed salmon with a sweet potato and salad. True to form, even on her birthday.

Having had the French country salad several times for lunch I decided to order it with the addition of crab cakes for a lighter dinner. But I couldn’t resist the squash casserole which unfortunately contained more casserole than squash and was covered with cheese….way to make a vegetable unhealthy! My Mom also let me have a few bites of her sweet potato, served with cinnamon butter…..yummo.

The salad was great with field greens, pungent gorgonzola, chewy bacon, walnuts, and sliced apple. I requested it without the red onions and also substituted their house honey balsamic dressing for the bacon vinaigrette that regularly comes with the salad. Their honey balsamic dressing is delicious, so good they sell it. I was planning to buy some on this visit but they were sold out so I took home the leftover dressing from all three of our salads. Free….even better!

No desserts. I had bought a couple of pieces of hazelnut torte from Olde Bavaria Inn earlier. Regretably, they have a new supplier and it was just yellow cake with hazelnut icing….not a torte at all. It sucked.

Sun, sand, beer, boys. A perfect day at the beach! After numerous Corona Lights with lime the topic of dinner came up. JS and KS own the fantastic house where we all stayed so they know the local deals….half price sushi from 5-7 on Fridays at Destin Chops. We all agreed, it sounded like a brilliant plan!

I accompanied ST to Rosemary Beach for a reunion with some of his college buddies last weekend…..five guys, four with wife/girlfriend in attendance. We had a blast!

JS was a great hostess, with a whole turkey and ham in the oven Thursday night when we arrived. Buffet style dining was the rule, our dinner leftovers making awesome sandwiches for the beach the next day, with plenty of chips and peanut M & M’s. SS (BW’s girlfriend) picked up some dill pickle Pringles which were yummy, although no one was wild about the ketchup flavor (OK, I ate them after 6 beers).

We set up camp on the beach and as I mentioned, proceeded to inhale beer. ST’s new passion for IPA’s in evidence with Sierra Nevada and Long Hammer in the cooler, along with our old stand-by, Miller Lite, and, of course, the Corona Lights.

A sticky day in the sand called for a lengthy afternoon shower, after which ST and I had worked up an appetite for sushi! I wisely decided to put on a pair of 5″ platform shoes to walk the 2 miles to Destin Chops on 30A.

As the name implies, Destin Chops specializes in steaks, however, in keeping with our half price theme we ordered five rolls to share. I only remember the 30A with salmon, avocado, green onion, and spicy crab salad on top. There was another with eel, perhaps the crunchy eel, and I believe the spicy tuna was among the assortment. The rolls were enormous and at half price, ran about $6.50 each.

When BW and SS arrived we ordered three starters for everyone to share….crab cakes, calamari, and seared diver scallops. BW ordered a steamed lobster which he clearly was not planning to share (see photo).

Our group carried on multiple (and from what I understand) boisterous conversations much to the delight of other diners. Sushi was quite good as were the appetizers we sampled. One glass of red wine was my only beverage and most folks were limiting their alcoholic consumption at this point.

But it was only day 1.5 so a little more eating and drinking would surely be in order….immediately following JS’s delicious egg casserole the next morning!

Upscale boutique hotels are springing up all over Atlanta, from midtown’s Georgian Terrace to the newly renovated Ellis Hotel downtown. Each one has a restaurant that serves the hotel guests breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It would seem as though that alone would provide automatic success to these restaurants, however, it isn’t enough to serve out-of-town guests, they need to draw in locals to stay afloat.

The Terrace is serious about local, sustainable produce. Much smaller in scale than Mennie’s Livingston, it is probably easier for chef Joel Young to maintain this level of excellence. B and I recently stopped by the W Downtown to see Bill Hallman and his new cocktail dresses for the waitstaff at the Lobby Bar, then proceeded on to The Ellis for dinner.

Our hostess allowed us to choose our table as the place had pretty much cleared out by the time we arrived. The restaurant does indeed have a terrace, probably fabulous for breakfast and lunch, but a bit chilly for dinner so we sat inside in the adjacent intimate dining area. Chef Joel joined us, chatting about his background and love of local and sustainable dining.

Not a difficult task here in Atlanta with numerous farms providing fresh produce and locally grown proteins to our prestigious restaurants like Woodfire Grill, Dynamic Dish, Livingston, and many more. Chef Joel visits the farmer’s markets each day to find the best of ingredients for the menu at The Terrace, which automatically gives the menu a bit of Southern flair despite chef’s Connecticut roots.

B and I were two hungry chicks upon our late arrival. We started with the Terrace crab cake and sweet potato ravioli. Served upon a large mound of sauteed spinach and muchrooms, the ravioli was almost an entree portion for me, sweet and savory. The crab cake was stellar, exhibiting very little filler and very much chunky crab. But it was the accompanying salad that received my adoration…..just a simple citrus vinaigrette with a sweet note, awesome.

A wonderful bottle of Colores de Sol Malbec was spicy, peppery, yet very smooth and drinkable.

We opted for two entrees, the flatiron steak and the Amish chicken, and two more sides, collards and mac and cheese. Their beef is grass-fed….a big deal to me, having interviewed Bill Kurtis (the dude with the kickass internet commercials right now) who owns a grass-fed cattle ranch in Kansas called Tallgrass. Cattle was meant to eat grass, not corn, so the grass-fed beef is totally free of antibiotics to treat illnesses brought on by grain diets and also naturally rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. We ordered it medium rare, served sliced on a bed of caramelized Vidalia and carrot slaw. I loved the slaw. There was a copius amount so I took it home, having it the next day with sausage balls!

The Amish chicken was served with mushroom risotto. With a crisped skin and tender meat, the chicken was flavorful and paired perfectly with the creamy risotto. B said the collards were some of the best she had ever had (hey, this coming from a Southern girl!), they were mellow and smoky with bacon. The macaroni and cheese was topped with bread crumbs and baked with Lamb Chopper from Cypress Grove in California, the maker of my favorite Humboldt Fog. What could be better? Not a damn thing.

Dessert was determined even before the entrees….bread pudding? Yes sir! I love it, as long as it is not covered with a cloying syrup. True to form, Chef Joel presented a dense bread pudding with raisins, sliced fresh pear beneath it to cut the richness. We also tried the apple cranberry crumble which was so delicious. But the serving was definitely for sharing….enormous! The homemade vanilla ice cream on top was great.

I know folks are daunted by going “downtown”. Stop being a pussy! Parking is valet, the food is phenomenal, the setting is romantic. And if you drink too much you can always get a room there.