Hot Dish Review

The first day of 2011 was rainy and dismal, perfect for sleeping in. Also perfect for a hearty brunch. After coffee and my annual viewing of the Tournament of Roses Parade, LC and I headed to Diesel for food and a little hair of the dog.

With New Year’s Day falling on a Saturday, seems as though it was business as usual at most places. Despite the rain, Diesel was full of its regular young neighborhood crowd. We chose a table on the enclosed patio and ordered drinks, a bloody Mary for him and a mimosa for me.

They advertised a “superstition sampler” comprised of black-eyed peas, collards, corned beef, and cabbage. Maybe later. First I needed breakfast. I rarely pass on eggs Benedict and Diesel’s was made with fried green tomatoes so I had to try it. LC got an omelette filled with almost everything, except he forgot cheese.

Service was excrutiatingly slow. We were on our second round when our entrees came. One of my poached eggs was overcooked, its yolk hard and round. There wasn’t enough Hollandaise sauce either, but there was little chance of getting it before I was finished with my meal. LC’s omelette was luke-warm and there was no butter for his biscuit, which he did manage to get….eventually.

My Benedict was not the traditional composition. Poached eggs, spinach, ham, and the fried green tomatoes were on a split biscuit. Naturally, I found fault with the tomatoes. Sliced too thickly, they were not cooked tender, however, I enjoyed their tangy flavor. Ham paired well but the spinach was nearly unnecessary. And like I said, more Hollandaise would have helped a great deal.

Instead of potatoes, grits, or fruit on the side, I substituted sweet potato fries. I am rather certain they are the ones all restaurants buy, cut wide and flat, they are double fried and extra crispy. Love ‘em.

LC loves bloody Marys. I hate tomato juice. He raved about Diesel’s Mary, not sure what its secret ingredient was….beer perhaps? He insisted I try it as it “didn’t taste like tomato juice”. And he was right, it was good and spicy. My mimosas were also very good with just a splash of orange juice.

After brunch we ordered the superstition sampler to-go….more on that tomorrow!

Advice: do try Diesel for brunch, just don’t be in a hurry.

Whenever I do a cheese plate, I pay as much attention to the bread and accompaniments as I do the selection of cheeses. I love bread, especially with good quality sweet butter. Perhaps it’s my German heritage.

The difficulty in the US is finding good bread. You can get an amazing baguette in the airport in Paris for God’s sake but I can’t find a decent one even at most specialty bakeries here in Atlanta. It’s ridiculous.

Jonathan St. Hilaire is one of the best bakers in the city. He really cares about the craft of bread-making. If I have time, I stop by Bakeshop for a crusty loaf of ciabatta. But more often than not, I end up grabbing what’s available at Whole Foods or Kroger. The last time I got a mini boule at Kroger and it was surprisingly good. When they convert their cheese shop to Murray’s I have a feeling they will step it up another notch.

What does all this have to do with eggs al forno? Everything! The leftover bread from my cheese plates invariably end up in the freezer to find new life as a fancy BLT, cheese toast, or bread pudding. I frequently buy a chunk of cave aged gruyere, along with taleggio, Humboldt Fog, and perhaps something a bit more experimental.

There is always leftover cheese as well. Don’t think any of this is a coincidence, it’s all part of my plan. I fully intend to have excess bread and gruyere for eggs al forno. Gooey cheese, the soft yolk, and crusty bread are a combination to die for. I serve it with bacon and berries….simply delicious!

How do hotel restaurants do it? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service…..they constantly crank it out. Getting it done and doing it right, however, are two different things.

It is rare that I get the opportunity to have breakfast at a hotel in Atlanta. More often than not, hotel breakfasts find me in a foreign country like Spain, Mexico, or Brazil. However, after L and P’s wedding, the party continued until the wee hours at AltoRex, the rooftop lounge at the Palomar, after which everyone stumbled to their rooms. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the modern decor since most of my time there was spent asleep, wrapped up in the cloudlike duvet.

But not for long. My lucky ass had to get up early to go to work. But before I took off, LC joined me at Pacci for breakfast. It was 9:00am on a Sunday. Only two other tables were occupied. Handsome young servers greeted us with smiles. The coffee was smooth, and so was the service.

Pacci has a fun “Flip For Your Breakfast” menu. Guests that order off this only slightly abbreviated list get to call a coin toss after their meal by none other than Keira Moritz’ sous chef Aaron Love. Not only that, a portion of the cost of your meal goes to charity, regardless who pays. Classy.

One of my all-time favorite brunch items is eggs benedict. Pacci’s version is made with proscuitto, spinach, tomato slices, with the traditional Hollandaise on top of toasted English muffins. It didn’t come with anything on the side, which is fine with me. I’m not a fan of breakfast potatoes.

LC ordered two fried eggs with wheat toast. His meal did come with potatoes, but no bacon. We ordered a side to split….thick and chewy just the way I like it. If you are not lucky enough to be staying at the Palomar overnight, the bacon alone is worth the short drive for brunch!

My benedict was a solid rendition of the popular classic. I liked the slightly Italian touch with the substitution of prosciutto for the standard Canadian bacon.

It was time to try our luck with the toss of the coin. LC’s a gambler by nature so it was all or nothing. He called heads and our breakfast entrees were free! By this time several other members of the wedding party had made it downstairs to Pacci, just in time to witness LC’s lucky streak continue.

We both cleaned our plates before I sped off in the HotDish mobile. Pacci is in my Top Ten for a reason…..whatever time of day or night, they do it right!

866 W. Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402

When anyone asks my opinion on the best new restaurant in Atlanta, I invariably say Miller Union. Not only for its cool yet comfortable atmosphere but for its fresher than fresh local produce and chef Satterfield’s creative takes on simple Southern dishes.

I fell in love with Miller Union on my first visit with B, seduced by the fragrant broth that surrounded clams in a big white bowl, lured in by the richness of an egg baked in celery cream, comforted by the warm embrace of a rustic pear tart. Yes, every dish we had was truly stellar.

That was in the Winter. In fact, it was snowing the night we dined there. I mention this for two reasons: my folly in judging any restaurant based upon one visit is becoming evident, and I simply don’t like Summer menus nearly as much as Fall ones.

With a first meeting like that, disillusionment was sure to follow. Common sense would tell you that multiple visits to a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter, affords a more rounded experience, and therefore allows one to make a qualified assessment of the food, the wine, the service, the scene. But me, I’m the idiot that falls in love on the first date. Then I find out he is unemployed, married, stupid, or all of the above.

My second date with MU didn’t go quite as well as our first. It started off promising with an exceptional blueberry cocktail called Tangled up in Blue. Wanting to introduce my friend BB to my new love, I had high hopes that they, too, would find affection for one another.

Seasonal menus like MU’s feature local produce so naturally one finds awesomeness like apples, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts in the Fall and Winter. Likewise, Summer menus are ripe with tomatoes, corn, and okra.

There is a special place in my heart for okra. I grew up eating fried okra just picked from the garden. My grandma, who was as Southern as poke salad, taught my Mom how to make it properly. Just like fried green tomatoes, I have a real disdain for improperly cooked fried okra.

But first things first. Seated at the bar, BB and I started off with a pork terrine served with pickled okra and their fantastic toasted bread. Not terrible although BB thinks he can find a comparable terrine at Publix.

The magical farm egg baked in celery cream also awaited my lips. I took a knife and pierced its soft yellow yolk, spreading the sublime mixture on the crispy sourdough. Pure heaven.

BB and I decided to split an entree. This is where things went downhill as we noted practically every dish featured corn and/or tomatoes. Fish and tomatoes don’t work for me so that automatically eliminated all the fish dishes. As we made our way down the list, we decided upon the chicken. And God help me if it didn’t come with tomatoes too, disguised as eggplant caponata! The dish was simply prepared. Too simple.

Our side of okra literally took me aback. Chefs deserve plenty of room for creativity. I don’t expect every Southern dish to be like my Grandma’s in Tennessee, as long as it’s good. Miller Union’s okra was not good. Whole okra with a thick beige coating (only flour, no cornmeal?) was neither delicious nor authentic. As BB and I nibbled on the deep fried vegetable, he noted how the batter “skin” could be pulled off. Unfortunately I had consumed several of them prior to this discovery.

Another cocktail was ordered and consumed. BB was on his second Pimm’s Cup.

Note: check out my method for making authentic fried okra by clicking here.

Southern desserts. For me, generally unappealling like the hideous traditional banana pudding or sugar bombs like pecan pie. Miller Union offers similar atrocities: coconut cream pie, lemon layer cake. Before eyeing the dessert list I bet my left forearm (yeah, I know that’s weird) that there would be at least one peach dessert on the menu, after all, what could be more seasonal than Georgia peaches?

There was just one, peach shortcake. If I could have chosen anything made with peaches, that would not have been it. So we opted for the two homemade ice creams of the day, ginger and caramel. I found the caramel so cloyingly sweet that I could barely eat it. BB liked it, however, I preferred the ginger. Neither compared to the ingenuity of the thyme, sage, and rosemary ice creams B and I sampled in the Winter.

I’m not going to break up with you MU. But I think we need some time apart, like maybe three or four months.

999 Brady Avenue NW 678-733-8550

Ah yes, brunch with the ex. We used to go to brunch most every Sunday when we were together so when SS suggested it I agreed it would be nice, for old time’s sake.

And what better place to go than Ria’s? Back in our punk rock days, she was the big lesbian that would kick any guy’s ass (and I’m sure she still could). Now she is a successful restaurateur….we’re all so proud!

Ria’s Bluebird is in a small building on Memorial Drive, across from Oakland Cemetery. Breakfast and lunch are served daily but it’s her brunch that has everyone lining up on the weekends, from old folks with walkers to tattooed young parents.

The bluebird motif is found throughout the restaurant. A bright blue painted ceiling and matching wood chairs paired with well-worn wood tables give the space a homey, kitschy vibe, perfect for this progressive ‘hood.

A covered patio on the side provides a pretty yet eclectic seating alternative.

Anything but average, Ria’s menu is a combination of Southern and Southwestern flavors with numerous vegetarian options like the country fried tempeh with house gravy, grilled tomato and sauteed spinach atop a grilled buttermilk biscuit. But SS and I are unrepentant carnivores so we opted for hearty meat and egg dishes.

I chose one of the specials, chipotle chicken gravy benedict. It is almost impossible for me to resist benedict, although my preference is the traditional hollandaise sauce. The promise of spiciness from the chipotle plus the sweet potato cake for my side sounded scrumptious. I didn’t realize it was served on a split biscuit when I ordered it, and I’m not a big biscuit fan. The gravy wasn’t nearly spicy enough so I had to request Texas Pete’s, but I loved the sweet potato cake flavored with cinnamon. A dab of the homemade applesauce on the table was yummy with it.

SS wanted something that would stick to his ribs so he ordered the biscuits and gravy. Ria’s gravy is called pepper milk gravy, a vegetarian version of red-eye gravy. He also got a side of two fried eggs and a side of bacon. Ria’s is generally quite affordable but despite being on a budget, with all his sides SS’s breakfast added up to $12, the same as my special. Math was not his best subject.

Other than eggs and bacon a la carte, Ria’s offers an array of unusual sides like spicy tofu cubes, sliced avocado, and a cup o’ beans, allowing guests to be creative. And, according to The NY Times, they serve the “world’s best pancakes”. I saw another diner’s pancakes and they were fluffier than my bed pillow!

The atmosphere alone is worth a visit and if you love biscuits and pancakes, ya just gotta go!

As you all know, I use initials rather than names for my dining companions. Recently, I had an epiphany while driving to work. If I were to dine with someone who’s initials are AM, together we would be SPAM!

And that got me to thinking (a seemingly innocuous activity that often has ridiculous results). I had never eaten Spam. AM was coming to ATL. Bingo!

The next thing I knew I was in the unfamiliar canned meat section at Publix, determined to buy Spam. Turns out there is Original and Lite, which is lower in fat, sodium and calories. Even so, one 2 ounce serving has 8 grams of fat and 580 miligrams of sodium! But only 110 calories so I bought it.

Excited about my Spam experiment, I decided it might make a good breakfast meat, fried up with some scrambled eggs. AM watched, somewhat horrified, as I opened the can and the meat product plopped out. Perhaps an egg, Spam, and cheese sandwich would be good? AM suggested open-faced sandwiches.

I sliced off two servings and browned them in a skillet, then scrambled eggs, made toast and melted cheese over the whole mess. The Spamwich was born! Very salty, but not terrible.

Then I read the ingredients. Pork with ham (with ham?), and before I could even say it, he did….mechanically separated chicken. WTF? We had to know more.

Wikipedia defined it as a paste-like meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat through a sieve to separate the meat tissue from the bones. Yum. It is used in everything from hot dogs to Slim Jims. Then we watched the video on YouTube.

Other ingredients in Spam are salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, potassium chloride, sodium ascorbate, and sodium nitrite. Jesus Christ! Extruded meat and sodium.

I thought I might use the leftover Spam for a lunch or dinner experiment but, as it turns out, I’m rather disgusted by the idea. Sorry I made you eat that AM!

Making a fried egg this morning it occurred to me that I am a racist….when it comes to eggs.

Brown eggs are “good”. I buy Eggland’s Best Cage Free Organic eggs, high in Omega 3 fatty acids as well as a multitude of vitamins. They come in white too, but somehow, brown is better.

I also buy “regular” eggs, the inexpensive white variety at Publix or Kroger for under a dollar for a dozen. When I make egg white omelettes I use these cheap eggs, tossing out their “inferior” yolks.

For my fried eggs, over easy, I use one white and one whole Omega egg. Sprinkled liberally with salt and served with bacon, wheat toast, and berries, they are very tasty and healthy!

VACATION RE-RUN #3….still addicted to these. Quick breakfast for those mornings when you’ve got something better to do in bed than out of it.

I was amazed to discover Jimmy Dean makes a variety of healthy breakfast sandwiches. Always seeking convenient options for those early mornings when I’d rather sleep than scramble eggs, it’s great to grab a sandwich from the freezer and pop it in the microwave. A good alternative for my man too, when he’s not in the mood for Cheerios.

Easy, yes. But usually not so healthy. Jimmy Dean’s sandwiches, called D-Lights (seriously) are light in calories, ranging from 230 for the Canadian bacon, egg white, and cheese on a whole wheat English muffin to 290 for the turkey sausage, egg white, and cheese on a croissant. They are low-fat, high fiber, with a good carb/protein ratio, and also contain relatively few naughty ingredients like MSG and preservatives.

I’ve tried them all and my favorite is the sausage, egg white, and cheese on a whole wheat English muffin, which I had for breakfast this morning. Trick is to nuke it on defrost per the directions, then separate the components of the sandwich, toasting the muffin separately while heating the fillings in the microwave (see nifty photo). Then just put it together!

Not gourmet…..kinda like McDonald’s McMuffins, just healthier and you can make ‘em in your PJ’s. Try them and let me know what you think!

It had been far too long since my last visit to Dynamic Dish, my favorite mostly-vegetarian restaurant. On Saturday, however, I found myself craving a super-healthy salad or creative sandwich and asked my neighbor LG to join me. With five minutes notice we were on our way to Edgewood.

Owner and chef David Sweeney makes everything with loving care, of the freshest local organic ingredients, literally farm to fork! The brief menu, with only five or six choices, is written on a blackboard behind the counter where guests place their orders.

The space is as fresh and vibrant as the food. I love it there on a sunny day….light pours in through the big windows in front.

Our server brought out a little bread and butter as LG and I caught up on recent drama and trauma.

A brunch dish of farm eggs with feta cheese and scallions served on a thick piece of wheat toast with roasted fingerling potatoes intrigued LG, but she wanted to add something green. Sweeney was happy to oblige with some sauteed Swiss chard in the eggs.

My salad, a variation of the first salad I ate at Dynamic, demonstrates Sweeney’s brilliance and remains one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Saturday’s version was mixed Geogia lettuces (mostly butter lettuce), roasted Vidalia onion, julienned apple, walnuts, and chopped dates topped with a round of warm Bucheron Chevre. The cheese is barely melted around the edges of the rind, cool and crumbly in the center. Every element of this salad is exquisite! Lightly dressed greens provide the perfect bed for sweet, chewy, crunchy, and creamy toppings.

Also offered that day was a roasted tofu sandwich with arugula cashew pesto, avocado and peppers on garlic bread with a side of mango salad and a soup of fennel, chickpea, and cashew topped with quinoa and scallions. The side of the day was creamed spinach.

Vegetarians and carnivores alike adore this place. If you haven’t been….what are you waiting for?

427 Edgewood Avenue 404-688-4344

I’m a Southern girl. Sorta. My Mom is German, my Dad is American and I grew up in a small town in Tennessee.

Although my Dad’s family was poor, they ate remarkably healthy. They grew what they ate….green beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, everything. The chickens that ran around the coop could easily end up on the dinner table, having already provided their eggs for breakfast.

Fast forward to my childhood. My Mom was a health nut, always looking for ways to modify Southern favorites. She substituted low-sodium chicken broth for regular in my Grandma’s cornbread dressing. Later, she started using Egg-Beaters instead of whole eggs. Just suble changes, the same great flavor, better nutrition. We ate from the garden in the Spring and Summer, canned green beans for the Winter. I loved okra, poke salad, fried green tomatoes, and sweet taters….and still do!

So what most folks consider Southern cooking is somewhat unfamiliar to me (by most folks I mean yankees). There were no grits or casseroles in my house, no fried chicken or macaroni and cheese.

What I’m getting at is I don’t like typical Southern food….the artery-clogging butter-laden Paula Deen fare. I tend to avoid any restaurant that is even remotely Southern. However, ST had a nice gift card for Dogwood. I had been wanting to go since they opened, having perused the menu, despite its Southernish pedigree.

The space is beautiful with big photos of Dogwood blossoms, white tablecloths, and soft, romantic lighting. I started with a glass of the peppery Hullabaloo zin and ST got a Negra Modelo.

Their specialty is the grits bar. Not a bar at all, but rather specifically Red Mule yellow stone ground grits from Athen, GA topped with one of three toppings: Brunswick stew, pimento cheese and Benton’s fried ham, or braised mushrooms and shaved parmesan. ST likes grits and I felt compelled to try them so we got the Brunswick stew topped bowl. Super creamy, they seemed to have some cheese in them. I could eat a ton of this stuff!

Another Southern thing I don’t like is biscuits. Dogwood’s bread service was reminiscent of biscuits….kudos for creatively making that connection without serving actual biscuits. The crust was crunchy and it was hot out of the oven, admittedly pretty good, although it would have been better with unsalted butter.

We split the grilled baby romaine salad with smoked bacon, blue cheese, Fuji apples, dressed with a creamy red wine vinaigrette. It was awesome, probably my favorite dish of the evening.

My starter of roasted Georgia quail with cornbread-andouille stuffing with country ham butter and mushrooms was really good. The skin was somewhat crisp, a solid flavorful dish.
ST ordered the crispy gulf oysters with caramelized fennel-onion jam, and fried shiitakes. I’m not a big fan of oysters but tried one of the four. I was a big fan of the sweet caramelized onions.

For our entrees ST ordered the Painted Hills NY strip, medium, served with duck fat potatoes and I had the (no surprise here) local honey glazed Ashley Farms duck breast with sweet potato and poached pears.

His steak was huge and delicious. The leftover meat became steak and eggs for breakfast. My duck was the best I’ve had in a long while and as you all know, I eat a lot of duck. Cooked medium, the skin was crisped, the thick slices displayed atop pureed sweet potatoes and poached pears. The best part, however, was the surprise of a bit of honeycomb. Fucking awesome!

Our dessert was a modern take on s’mores…..chocolate creme brulee with a dollop of torched marshmallow, and a graham cracker biscotti. I didn’t taste much graham flavor in the biscotti, it would have been better with just plain ol’ graham crackers like the ones Grandma used to keep in her cupboard.

Ingredients like Georgia mountain trout, pecans, hominy, pimento cheese, peanuts, and grits sound Southern but don’t let the menu fool you. This is upscale dining. My Grandma never made blood orange fumet or sauternes sabayon.

If Atlanta restaurants keep blowing me away with modern comfort food (like Miller Union) and kickass “Southern” fare, I may just consider myself converted.

565 Peachtree Street 404-835-1410