Hot Dish Review

Gotta love a place with a name like Fig Jam. From the owners of Baraonda and Publik Draft House, this relatively new spot occupies the corner vacated by Baroni at Brookwood Station. This is where I celebrated my birthday….for the third time.

LC and I worked up our appetites early and couldn’t wait for our 8 o’clock reservation, instead arriving around 7:15 to find the place unusually quiet for a Saturday night. The space was warm and inviting as we settled into a private table in the back.

First things first….what to drink? A list of signature cocktails caught our attention. The Fig Jam made with vanilla infused organic vodka, fig preserve, lemon juice, maple syrup, and rhubarb bitters sounded irresistible. We also ordered the mini cheddar cheese sandwich, one of the nine small plates offered.

Served with an amazing apple chutney, we polished off the delectible little sammies lickety split, as well as our subtly sweet and deceptively strong cocktails. With no clear plan in mind, we moved on to one of the medium plates, mussles in coconut lemongrass curry broth.

When it comes to mussels, I’m spoiled. Noche used to have gigantic ones swimming in a very spicy chili broth with cilantro and hominy. These days, however, no one can hold a candle to chef Shane Devereux’ at Top Flr. Although their description is almost identicle to Fig Jam’s, Devereux adds a serious dose of heat. I request a spoon for the broth every time….seriously. So, although the mussels were very good indeed, the flavor of the broth at Fig Jam lacked the intensity that I love.

Enjoying grazing dish by dish, we decided on the lamb belly with bourbon maple sauce. Another medium plate, there was enough meat for two entrees, with pickled veggies providing a perfect contrast to the sweet glaze.

Having reviewed the menu prior to making the reservation, I was fixated on the duck confit entree. I know duck doesn’t make LC swoon, but he’s a good sport and will usually (and wisely) allow me to make the final decision where food is concerned. LC was, likewise, fixated on the flat breads. So, in an effort to compromise, we ordered both, despite the fact that we were already full. We also ordered two more of the Fig Jam cocktails.

The flatbread was literally half the size of the table and turned out to be the least impressive dish of the evening. It was like an enormous Saltine cracker topped with cubes of dry steak, a smattering of blue cheese, and not enough caramelized onions.

I was much more pleased with the duck confit, an appropriately crispy, fatty leg and thigh served over braised parsnips, with a drizzle of cherry au jus. Beets normally accompany the duck but I requested it without. As if that weren’t enough, we tried the Jefferson mac & cheese as a side, baked in a shallow dish with crunchy bread crumbs on top. Why Jefferson? I don’t know, but I do know that I would have enjoyed the duck and mac more if I had been hungry.

And what’s a birthday celebration without dessert! We barely made a dent in the bread pudding with raisins and cinnamon accented with a bourbon caramel sauce. It went home with us.

An abbreviated wine list shows depth and variety, with a nice selection by the glass. When you visit (as you should) just keep in the mind the portions are oversized. LC and I ordered enough for six and left in a food coma.

1745 Peachtree Street NE 404-724-9100

I don’t get out much….out of the city, that is. But recently, LC and I had the pleasure of dining out with his cousin and his wife in their neck of the woods.

It’s not that I think restaurants in the suburbs are inferior, it’s simply a matter of convenience, or inconvenience. When there are an abundance of intown restaurants that fulfill my culinary cravings, why drive thirty miles? Especially when one might have a drink….or two.

Nevertheless, there we were, in Marietta, going to one of their neighborhood favorites, The Paper Mill Grill. The space was warm and inviting, with soft lighting and wood furnishings. Seated in a cozy booth, we started off with a round of various martinis, from peach to good old fashioned gin. We were particularly fond of the fish bowl placed on the shelf that separated us from the booth next door, but the colorful beta didn’t move….until we tapped the glass. He’s alive!

All of us were starving, so we ordered two flatbread appetizers and zucchini fries. The latter were especially greasy and didn’t warrant more than one bite. Of the two flatbreads, one was the special with smoked salmon, capers, and onions. Not so special. The other, however, was super delicious, topped with fig preserves, blue cheese, bacon and grapes. It’s a combination that could have been cloyingly sweet if poorly executed, but instead, was perfectly balanced.

LC’s cousin is as predictable as sunburns in Summer. He always, and I mean always, orders shrimp and grits if it is on the menu. He cleaned his plate. Despite having salmon on one of our appetizers, LC wanted more of the pink fish, this time grilled and served on a pool of creamed corn risotto. He too cleaned his plate.

Us chicks chose salads. L ordered the blackened grouper baby blue salad, an enourmous dinner portion of chopped veggies, strawberries, walnuts and blue cheese, with balsamic vinaigrette. I tried the warm spinach salad with grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, avocado, chopped egg, and mushrooms with a warm apple bacon vinaigrette. All you have to say is bacon and avocado and I’m in….talk about predictable. Chewy bacon, fresh avocado, tender chicken and….(surprise!) blue cheese….yes, it was awesome.

No room for dessert other than the liquid variety. We sipped our last martinis while listening to the guy playing acoustic guitar in the bar area. Too bad Paper Mill Grill is in the burbs.

305 Village Parkway NE 678-766-1500

After a day out on the boat on Lake Burton, LC and I ventured down the mountain to the little town of Clayton.

The receptionist at the spa had given LC a laundry list of activities while I was getting a massage, including hiking to the falls (check), and driving into Clayton for dinner (check). She recommended three places. We found two, located on a quaint but cool little strip and debated outside for a moment, when a man outside overheard us and said Zeppelin’s was the place to go. He happened to be the chef, and ironicly the former chef of the other place.

We stepped into the dim bar, leading into a small dining room with light wood tables, warm lighting, fresh flowers on each table, and brightly painted walls covered with framed album covers from the 70′s. The atmosphere was a retro psychadelic, with a young hipster staff.

We settled into a cushy banquette along the wall and ordered water. Enough beer already! I had read the specials on the board outside and thought the seafood chowder sounded good. Two cups, please. White broth with baby shrimp, clams, and sliced potatoes was deceivingly light.

LC’s been on a salad kick, doesn’t matter if it’s a fried chicken salad with hollandaise dressing, he still thinks the word “salad” implies that it’s healthy. Zeppelin’s Buck Creek Salad sounded fantastic, romaine with blue cheese and pecans, drizzled with Cappy’s special dressing made with dates, figs, and raisins. I love dried fruit in salads and assumed the dressing would be a vinaigrette with pieces of the chopped fruits. However, it turned out to be precisely as described….thick, pasty, and sugary. I wasn’t thrilled to find the unmentioned croutons among the greens either. It was a cloyingly sweet start. Needless to say, LC liked it.

Since we arrived around 9:00pm they no longer were serving the pastas and entrees. Hell, they’d go out of business in the city but I guess country folk like to eat before the sun goes down. Luckily, they were still serving their flatbread pizzas, with several combinations to choose from, but being difficult I decided to make up my own with ricotta, caramelized onions, black olives and Canadian bacon.

When it was delivered to our table, I immediately noticed the pizza’s overabundance of cheese and the fact that the onions were raw instead of caramelized. There was so little Canadian bacon that it looked like they had dropped a few of the tiny cubes on it accidentally.

The flatbread’s crust was thin and crispy, and would have remained so with less cheese. I liked the subtle flavor and texture of the ricotta beneath the layer of molten mozzarella. Although the flatbread was only about a 12″ square, we couldn’t even finish half. We took the remainder home for lunch the next day.

Zeppelin’s is the kind of place I would probably visit frequently if I lived in Clayton, but that, my friend, will never ever happen.

88 N. Main Street, Clayton, GA 706-212-0101

LC and I got a late start on Friday, driving to Lake Burton in the North Georgia mountains for a weekend get-away. Rather than making the trek all the way up to the condo only to have to drive back down for dinner, we stopped at the restaurant at LaPrades Marina where LC’s uncle’s boat is stored.

It’s called The Chophouse, an upscale open-air restaurant and bar made of rough-hewn timbers and huge log supports. The place barely escaped the F4 tornado that swooped down the valleys and up the mountains in the area, cutting a path of destruction that visible on land and from the lake.

We chose a couple of seats at the bar, taking in the tranquil scenery and chilling out with a nice cold beer. The weather was perfect, just prior to sunset. Although we had snacked on veggie chips on the drive, we were both famished, so we started off with an appetizer special. Described as BBQ chicken flatbread, it was also topped with smoked gouda, caramelized onions, and basil. Sounds sorta like California Pizza Kitchen’s infamous concoction. However, there was no hint of BBQ (thankfully), but the pizza was sauced with a rather garlicky pesto. I know my smoked gouda and I dare say it was not smoked. Despite these issues, it was a tasty starter.

Moving on we decided to split the double cut pork chop with a sweet potato on the side. I ordered a glass of red wine, a rare choice in the Summer. A simple salad came with the meal. The chop was dressed with blackberry fig sauce and crumbles of blue cheese, a winning combination. Accompanying veggies, cauliflower and corn, were entirely flavorless, but the 1 3/4″ thick chop was surprisingly juicy and tender, with a subtle smokiness. And as it should be, after all, this is a chophouse!

We would end up at The Chophouse every day, stopping in for an appetizer and drink after our boat excursion on Saturday and for brunch on Sunday. Steak and cheddar spring rolls came with a remoulade and BBQ sauce, neither of which I liked, but the snack gave us enough energy to make it back up the mountain to get ready for dinner.

More on brunch later….

1488 Highway 197, North Clarkesville 706-947-0010

LC and his entire family are University of Kentucky alumni, so you can imagine his grief at last week’s horrific showing in the Final Four. However, earlier, in the midst of March Madness, we watched them clobber West Virginia at 8 Traxx with a big UK alumni group. Good times!

Prior to the game, we dined at the neighboring tapas and wine restaurant, Cellar 56. The experience of sharing a variety of small plates is both fun and intimate, one of my favorite ways to dine.

The menu at Cellar 56 offers tastes from garden, land, and sea, ranging from $5 to $7. We started with drinks and a warning to our server that we were anxious to get to the big screen for the game, not that it wasn’t obvious from our bright blue UK T-shirts!

LC and I chose four tapas. Grilled flatbread with duck confit, fig jam, and Cabrales blue cheese came out first, just two triangles. Toppings were generous and flavorful, a great combination of sweet, rich, and tangy, but I could see that four plates might not be enough for dinner.

Luckily, a runner delivered our order of Georgia white shrimp, tasso gravy, and Logan Turnpike grits, along with a seared scallop on sweet corn with applewood bacon, which we did not order. By the time our server came back around we had scarfed down the lone scallop. I’m not a corn lover, so it was just OK for me. Perfectly cooked large shrimp paired with creamy grits were more impressive.

A bowl of baked macaroni and cheese with green chile and prosciutto was next, providing the requisite creamy, cheesy comfort food experience. My dish of lump crabmeat, avocado and grapefruit was a disappointment due to its lack of crabmeat. Apparently, it was so lackluster that I forgot to take a photo.

When all was said and done, we were still left wanting, despite the bonus scallop. Just then, the same runner delivered a second duck confit flatbread by mistake. Voila! Problem solved.

I doubt I will return to Cellar 56, unless I’m attending an event nearby. Not bad, just not memorable.

56 East Andrews Drive 678-344-3600

While TC was in town, her Dad and I took her to lunch. TC doesn’t like any kind of seafood, or tomatoes, or peppers, or “weird” cheese…..not much of anything, really. I guess that’s standard for an eleven year old.

Always trying to eat healthy, especially at lunch, I’m on the picky side as well. So LC wisely chose Seasons 52 near Perimeter Mall.

It was nearly 1:30pm on a Friday and the restaurant was still busy. Seated in a comfy booth in the bar area, the three of us ordered iced tea and soda, and talked about the activities planned for the week.

LC was starving, as usual, so we started off with the pork taco flatbread special, topped with tomatoes, peppers, and goat cheese. It was tasty. As you may have guessed, TC picked off most everything, leaving the thin cracker-like crust almost bare.

The little chick ordered the chicken sandwich with a side salad, while I tried to decide between the fish tacos LC had at the Seasons 52 in Orlando and the buffalo chili. I ended up with both, as LC ordered the chili, allowing me to try it.

His chili was good and spicy, full of beans and chunks of bison. A small corn cake added some heartiness. I was not impressed with the appearance of the salads. The menu says organic mixed greens so I assumed they would serve dark leafy field greens but they were mostly romaine. Coming in at 320 calories, chili and salad was a great choice, with less than 1000 mg. of sodium.

I was pleased with my tacos, three small soft whole wheat tortillas filled with spicy grilled tilapia, and a scant bit of slaw, drizzled with chipotle cream. What the menu calls guacamole is more of an avocado sauce. The flavor was delicious, although I would have liked more of the crispy slaw. My tacos were 420 calories, considerably lighter than those found at most Mexican restaurants. The 1150 mg. of sodium is somewhat startling, however.

TC’s sandwich, served on Mediterranean flatbread, was bigger than her head. She picked around on it, not sure of how to tackle the massive thing, finally tearing it in half. She finally managed to take a few bites, plus some salad drowned in dressing.

When the tiny dessert tray arrived, TC got the chocolatiest of the lot. LC took a new one based on the famous Italian filled cookie, the cannoli. It was a mini parfait of light vanilla mascarpone filling with baby chocolate chips and a crisp rolled cookie. I tried one delicious bite but abstained from having my own. At over 300 calories on average, the mini indulgences are lower in calories than the real thing because of their small size, not because they are made with less sugar or fat. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the sweets.

I really like Seasons 52. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the food, although higher in sodium than I would approve of, is made with care out of fresh, organic ingredients whenever possible.

For my birthday, LC took me to The Iberian Pig in Decatur. My only other visit had been for an Atlanta’s Finest Dining article when me and my companion sampled half the menu. The Spanish inspired tapas and entrees are rich and delicious….a perfect choice for a decadent birthday binge.

Wanting to stick to Spanish red wines, I ordered two different 3 oz. samples, a tempranillo blend and a carmenere, both great paired with the cana de oveja, a ripened sheep’s milk cheese similar to French bucheron, with apricot jam and toasted rustic bread.

Aware of the enormous portions here, we ordered a few tapas to share. Albondigas, meatballs made with wild boar sausage and stuffed with piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates, and roasted tomatoes, are served in a creamy sauce with pimentos and oyster mushrooms. It sounds like too many ingredients competing for your taste buds’ attention, but surprisingly, it works. Although there are only two meatballs, the sauce is heavy with cream.

I wanted to try something new, but it’s hard to resist ordering dishes that are proven winners. Huevos con trufa is just such a dish. A mini casserole holds a huge chunk of slow roasted pork cheek topped with caramelized onions, a poached egg and black truffles. The soft egg yolk coats the fork tender pork, making a decadent spread for more of their fantastic toasted bread, which I accurately guessed is supplied by Holeman and Finch Bread Company.

LC insisted on the manchego mac ‘n’ cheese. I knew how heavy it would be, but what the hell, it is damn good. Made with garganelli pasta twists, the individual dish is baked to form a crispy top that hides the gooey, cheesy pasta beneath it. An extra hour of cardio next week.

Still hoping to try one new dish, we went with the meat “cocas”. A large wafer-thin flatbread topped with serrano ham, arugula, caramelized onions, shaved manchego, pistachio, and olive oil. While we waited for its arrival, I ordered 3 oz. pours of two different Spanish wines. Trying new wines this way is perfect for me….lots of variety with no commitment!

Unlike the other dishes at Iberian Pig, the flatbread was light and airy. Salty ham, crunchy pistachios, sweet caramelized onions, and peppery arugula provided excellent contrasts in flavor and texture.

LC made no secret that it was my birthday so I was expecting a sweet treat from the kitchen. However, I still had my heart set on their trio of housemade gelatos….pistachio, fig and sherry, and dulce di leche. Although creamier and sweeter than gelato should be, I do love the creative flavors.

The gelato was especially good with the churros, fried dough sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, served with a dark chocolate chili dipping sauce. Our server brought them out with a birthday candle secured to the plate with a dollop of frosting. Crispy on the outside, the churros were remarkably light on the inside. We ate four and took two home, where my birthday celebration continued for several hours.

It was all delicious.

121 Sycamore Street, Decatur 404-371-8800

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

TC is so sweet but it’s already time for her to go back to TX. On the eve of her departure, along with her sis E, the three of us chicks were treated to a great lunch by her Dad LC.

We were going to go to Robek’s but LC veared off to Chequers Seafood Grill on the way, despite TC’s aversion to seafood of every kind. LC was wound up so he got a vodka martini, which in turn influenced me to also drink at 1:30pm during my workday (yes, I am that easily influenced). A glass of zin for me.

The decor of Chequers reminds me of a French brasserie with checkerboard floors, lots of wood, etched mirrors, and brass accents. The spelling of the name drives me nuts, though….makes me think it’s a cheesy chain when it is, in fact, an upscale seafood restaurant that specializes in fresh fish flown in daily.

Like many restaurants, their menu lacks focus to a degree, offering sushi rolls, lobster tamales, and Vietnamese crab spring rolls…..18 starters! Soups, entree salads, sandwiches, and 12 entrees ranging from the benign blackened chicken penne to the more daring San Francisco style cioppino. And this is a lunch menu! So many options had me and LC pondering our choice for quite some time, as we chatted with the girls.

E chose the panko fried shrimp with French fries. Holy shrimp Batman! TC ordered a side salad with carrots, cheese, and a chicken breast. Not on the menu. Our server was very accommodating.

LC and I split a bowl of Creole gumbo to start. Described as spicy, I found the base a bit too thick, and of course, not spicy enough. My spoonfuls contained more sausage than seafood, along with bits of okra, tomato, and white rice.

Once I spotted the green curry mussels I couldn’t be swayed otherwise. Plus a side of lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, it made for a bizarre pairing. Just as strange was LC’s combo of the roasted duck breast flatbread and a tuna sushi roll.

A smattering of cilantro and sweet potato hay added enough interest to the coconut milk and curry broth to make the mussels quite good. My lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, its thick pasta corkscrews great for holding onto sauces, found little to hold onto. What promised decadence was instead dry and only contained a few tiny bits of lobster…..somewhat disappointing. I like my mac baked and bubbling with cheeses. The truffled bread crumbs on top were a nice touch, however.

LC seemed to like his tuna roll. Roasted duck flatbread, another name for mini pizza, was topped with fig barbecue sauce, fontina, gorgonzola, provolone, red onion, and julienned apple. Sounds gooey and delicious, right? But it suffered the same fate as the mac, with little cheese to be found. The absense of gorgonzola’s pungent bite was particularly evident, although the sweet and salty flavors presented did work well together.

E loved her crispy shrimp and fries, sticking her last shrimp on TC’s leftover salad, “contaminating” it before it was boxed up to go. Funny.

Verdict? If variety is the spice of life, this place is over-seasoned! What’s better….to do 10 things perfectly or 50 things just OK?

Nevertheless, I would order the mussels again and certainly try a grilled fish dish or entree salad like the lobster cobb in the future.

236 Perimeter Center Pkwy NE 770-391-9383