Hot Dish Review

The end of Summer makes me depressed….and desperate. I’ll do anything to eat, drink, and otherwise fornicate outdoors while the weather permits! Last weekend I was determined to get my ass on a patio somewhere, drinking something.

But plans tend to change at a moment’s notice when LC is involved. He had invited his buddy JH to join us for a drink and a bite to eat, which would inevitably turn into a late night out.

JH was in charge of the PGA Championship last month at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, so he got to know everyone in the neighborhood, including the owner of Grace 17.20 located at the Forum in Norcross. So he suggested we give their patio a whirl.

Great idea! Patios in the burbs are spacious. This one sported a fireplace, decorative plants and strings of lights. Everyone there was seated outside, where the tables were covered with white linens and service was gracious.

The elegant yet casual atmosphere had me thinking wine, but the guys ordered vodka martinis, so I joined in but got the real thing made with Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up.

Perfect weather provided an excellent backdrop for dinner. We started with two appetizers, the bleu cheese and caramelized onion melt and spicy chopped chicken and sweet slaw spring rolls. The latter were chock full of chicken, but it wasn’t spicy and I couldn’t detect any of the jalapeno jack cheese listed among the ingredients. I would not have been disappointed had I not read the description, but I did, and that led to expectations. And I know full well the taste of dashed expectations.

But it was the luscious combination of sweet caramelized onions and browned bleu cheese that had me and LC swooning. We cleaned the dish with the toasted pita triangles provided.

Meanwhile, round two of martinis were ordered. Our entrees were a seafood smorgasbord; scallops with corn risotto for LC, the seafood cobb salad for me, and the lobster special served with fettucini marinara for JH.

The three enormous scallops were perfectly cooked, but I didn’t love the risotto. Lobster was evidently delicious as JH cleaned his plate, but I didn’t give it a try. I would have ordered it but the combination of fish of any kind and tomatoes makes me cringe.

Although the colors were vibrant, I was somewhat disappointed with the blandness of my cobb salad. The seafood that was described as “lightly seared” seemed to be boiled with no seasoning. My sweet and spicy chili vinaigrette was neither sweet nor spicy, tasting only of the seasoning used in chili. Bacon and avocado were likewise inexplicably flavorless. I made do with fresh black pepper for some zing. However, the more gin I drank, the better the salad got.

The boys licked their plates and ordered a third martini. I took in a deep breath of the waning Summer air for dessert. Sweet. Amen.

5155 Peachtree Parkway #320 678-421-1720

There was a period when I spent a considerable amount of time shopping at Lenox with my friend LC. We made a habit of drinking martinis and eating a little sushi at Prime.

Part of Tom Catherall’s Here to Serve Restaurants, Prime is primarily a steakhouse, but they also have a sushi bar. You may have noticed that Catherall puts sushi on the menu at almost every one of his restaurants, no matter what type of cuisine is offered. Remember Tom Tom at Lenox? That was a great little bistro…..until he added the sushi bar. Noche and Cantina are the only two that do not have sushi. What, no tuna taco rolls?

Nevertheless, Prime is a cool little spot, tucked away in a corner upstairs by Anthropologie. We always enjoyed sitting at the bar. I would have a Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up, with three olives. LC would have the same, but with vodka, and then we’d share edamame to start.

Old habits die hard. Last night, while attempting to shop for Christmas gifts, LC (a different one) and I stopped by Prime for a cocktail and some sushi. I ordered my usual martini and he got a double espresso. And edamame, of course.

Then I got crazy and decided to try the yellowtail sashimi appetizer with cilantro, jalapenos, and yuzu soy for us to share. It was a great choice! Really fresh, clean, and simple.

We also split a spicy tuna roll, a lobster roll, and six pieces of nigiri, two each of shrimp, eel, and smoked salmon….my usual not-really-raw sushi selections.

The lobster roll, called langosta, was a tempura fried tail with asparagus, topped with avocado, mango, and red tobiko. It was certainly colorful, but the dominant flavor was “fried”. That is why I never order any rolls with fried ingredients. The somewhat slimy mango didn’t help matters.

Spicy tuna was better with a generous dose of wasabi. My standard nigiri pieces were good as always.

Here’s the thing about me and martinis. One is not quite enough, two is too much. Prime allows me to order a half martini, so that is what I did. Just right.

Now we were ready to shop….for ourselves.

Headed to the late showing of Paranormal Activity 2 last night at Fork and Screen in Buckhead, DC and I made a pitstop at Kyma for some appetizers and a cocktail.

A wise choice on this Halloween Eve, Mediterranean food contains enough garlic to keep vampires at bay!

I won’t drink ouzo because I detest licorice, but Mediterranean flavors do go well with a strong, clear liquor. My choice? Gin. Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up with 3 olives…..my standard. DC had the same, but with vodka.

Babaganoush is one of my favorite dips, a savory blend of smoked or roasted eggplant, garlic, olive oil, and tahini. The Greek version, called melitzanosalata, adds walnuts and was among the four spreads offered on Kyma’s mezze menu as a sampler,l served with toasted pita triangles.

The other three, htipiti made with roasted red peppers, skordalia made with garlic and potato, and basic tzatsiki with pureed cucumber in Greek yogurt were presented in four little scoops, each topped with an olive. (a brief aside, I love Greek yogurt and have been eating plain 0% Fage regularly, topped with cinnamon, raw honey, chopped figs, almonds, and golden raisins….perhaps a post is in order!)

Their babaganoush, or melitzanosalata, had just enough smoky character to pass my inspection, just wish the portion were more substantial. The other spreads were alright, mainly providing a reason for me to eat the crispy and chewy pita bread.

Anticipating getting more snacks at Fork and Screen, we chose one more dish, the spicy lamb pie. Ground lamb wrapped in phyllo dough and fried, then placed on a piece of kefalograviera cheese and topped with lightly dressed arugula. Although not particularly spicy, we both really enjoyed the flavor combination of the rich lamb with the intense, tangy cheese.

Momentarily satisfied, we were on to the theater, ready to be scared!

3085 Piedmont Road 404-262-0702

Remember back when the W Midtown first opened? The downstairs bar called The Living Room, with its patio overlooking 14th street, was the place to be seen. Everyone who was anyone made an appearance. But like so many venues in Atlanta, they go from hot to ice cold in a matter of minutes.

Fast forward a couple of years. After the Eagles concert last Friday, LC and I took a cab back to the W, the scene of the VIP pre-party earlier that evening. With reports of a line to get out of the parking deck, we decided to wait it out at the bar.

I was surprised to see the place packed, the patio full of people just chillin’. It wasn’t local trendsetters, but rather a mix of hotel guests and concert goers.

The specialty drinks were as creative, and pricey, as ever. I decided to try a grapefruit basil martini, despite my firm belief that real martinis can only be made with gin and putting any liquer into a martini glass does not make it a martini. It was an interesting cocktail, slightly sour, and decidedly herbaceous. I had two.

While sipping cocktails we debated whether to go to Krystal or get a midnight snack at the bar. I’m not sure of the hour but Spice Market had closed. Bar snacks at The Living Room are served until 1:30am, some of them small plates on the menu upstairs.

We decided to keep it simple and stay put, ordering their sliders with fries and black pepper shrimp served on a slab of pineapple. I remember the latter from a meal at Spice Market. The menu calls it sundried pineapple but it didn’t appear dried to me on either occasion. Nonetheless, the shrimp were pretty tasty, bathed in (what looks and tastes like) black bean sauce.

It is quite possible that the sliders were advertised as Kobe beef. I’m not sure but I do know they were $14 and there were only two. They were very cute to look at, but to eat? Not so cute. I believe the menu said they were topped with melted gouda and caramelized onions.

I took a bite of one of the little burgers. It was dry as the Sahara and neither of us could detect any cheese. I showed our bartender/server the cheeseless slider, with its smattering of cooked onions. Upon closer inspection, LC and I were astonished to discover the pitiful excuse for cheese after all….a once inch square (no exaggeration) so thin it was clear! The buns were equally dry, made edible only after a thick layer of mayo was applied.

Fries were very good indeed. But for the total cost of over $60, I think we would have faired better at Krystal!

Wow, this place brings back memories. Like Elmyr, it was a regular haunt for me and my roommate LR back in the day. We would snag a booth along the back wall and order proper gin martinis.

The Highland Tap is the only place in town, or anywhere for that matter, that knows how to serve a martini properly, with a sidecar in ice water. Just a small amount of the drink is poured into the glass for sipping, while the remainder is kept cold in the sidecar. Genius.

A fun afternoon Braves game, fueled by numerous Miller Lites, had me in an anything-goes mood. With the rest of the day off, that could be dangerous.

After an impromptu shopping frenzy at Urban Outfitters with B, we headed to the Tap for a cocktail. She ordered a spicy bloody mary with celery, peppers, olives….basically a salad for garnish, while I got my usual Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up with olives.

I worked up an appetite with all that drinking and shopping, so I ordered the mini (5 oz.) steak burger, medium, with cheddar and bacon. Served with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, it was juicy and delicious. Enormous onion rings came with it, but their crumbly crust did not adhere to the onions, causing them to be half naked….not a bad state to be in, generally, but not so good for onion rings.

We chatted and closed out the afternoon with a final Miller Lite for me and a glass of Cloudline Pinot Noir for B, pricey at $13 a glass. Although relatively short, they have a solid wine list at the Tap. But for me, it’s all about the martini.

1026 N. Highland Avenue 404-875-3673

I’ve been waiting a long time to post this. If you order a martini, most often you receive a martini glass full to the brim. WRONG! Worse yet, some pussies order “vodka martinis”. OK, so there is no such thing. That would be a vodka drink served in a martini glass.

By definition, a martini is gin with vermouth. I order mine with Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up, with 3 olives. “Dry” means the vermouth is shaken with the ice, then thrown out. The essence of the vermouth remains to be shaken with the gin. If you order a vodka martini just call it what it is. A cosmopolitan perhaps?

When the guys from Top Flr and Dinner Party Atlanta suggested meeting at The Highland Tap, I was thrilled. Back in the day, me and my roommate LR (now LL) used to spend entire afternoons in the back corner booth, sipping martinis and chain smoking.

So, during the “blizzard” last Friday, I enjoyed the singular treat of a perfectly made martini.

The meeting was about the link between Dinner Party Atlanta (Darren Carr & Patrick LaBouff), Top Flr (Darren Carr & Jeff Myers), and the third venture, the secret yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant/music driven bar on Edgewood (Darren Carr, Jeff Myers, & Karl Injex) creating a culinary trifecta. Chef Shane Devereux is the glue between all three.

Back to martinis….the only place in Atlanta that serves a martini correctly is The Highland Tap. A martini is meant to be sipped slowly. To keep it cold, a small amount of the shaken drink is poured into a martini glass. The remainder is poured into a sidecar…..a tiny carafe that is kept cold in ice water on the side. This is the proper method of serving a martini. Any other method is incorrect, and unfortunately, standard.

If you can’t do it right, don’t do it! Here’s a Knuckle Sandwich for all of the bars and restaurants that force their bartenders to serve half-ass martinis….shame on you.