Hot Dish Review

Recently, I was invited to join the Atlanta Food Bloggers Society. Most of the city’s top bloggers are members so I was thrilled to be included!

Our meetings are, not surprisingly, are held at restaurants where we discuss the food and share tips and tricks on blogging. Often, the restaurant is happy to provide a few complimentary tastings to get us started, and of course, to win our favor so our posts will be positive. Ahhhh….delicious bribery.

A recent get-together at Double Zero Napoletana was a small yet diverse group of bloggers, some with their mates. I took LC along for an Italian feast at this newest venture from the Castelluccis.

Much like their Spanish restaurant in Decatur, Iberian Pig, and multiple locations of Sugo, the Castelluccis don’t skimp on servings here. They started our communal table with two beastly pork shoulder roasts called l’arrosto, each with an assortment of accompaniments. Baskets of thin, toasty bread, made out of pizza dough, served as makeshift pita pockets to be filled with pieces of the roast, so tender it fell apart at the approach of our forks. I chose grilled radicchio, apple-almond mostarda, and hot Calabrian chiles to pair with the meat. Chunks of carrot and potato added to the rustic appeal of this dish, easily large enough to share as an entree for two.

Another thing the Castelluccis do better than nearly anyone is provide a warm and inviting dining atmosphere. Wood tables are accented with modern stainless steel chairs. Intimate nooks are created within the large space by burgundy velvet curtains. But the focal point is the dim and sexy lighting achieved with rows of simple clear glass orbs.

My knowledge of Italian wines is minimal so I asked our server for a suggestion. He came back with a couple of tastes and I chose the richer one….from Puglia, I think. As you may know, I rarely eat Italian food. I am guilty of pigeonholing this country’s cuisine into the pasta with marinara category. But there are numerous regions of Italy that do not focus on this Americanized standard. The menu at Double Zero is proof, with a variety of meat and seafood dishes like polipo, for instance….the small plate of grilled octopus with sunchoke-pancetta hash and a vibrant asparagus puree that LC and I ordered was fresh and light with a vinegary zing. No marinara in sight.

As for our main dish, I felt compelled to order a pizza, as did many others. After all, the name of the restaurant refers to the finest grade of flour used in making authentic Neopolitan pizza dough. Grant and Marie of Marie, Let’s Eat! ordered the American, Marilyn of Atlanta Etc. tried the traditional quattro stagione, while our hostess and Atlanta Foodies blogger Becca shared the maiale with her husband. Perhaps even better than my funghi pie, the maiale was topped with braised Nueske’s bacon, mushrooms, goat cheese, arugula, garlic, and fig-onion agrodolce. It was rather sweet but so delicious.

Each pizza was baked in one of their custom-tiled woodburning ovens installed by Italian craftsmen and delivered to our table with a sharp pair of scissors for cutting slices, literally. The crust was thin, crispy, and notably charred, with just enough toppings.

Those that didn’t indulge in pizza raved about their selections as well, including a lamb meatball starter ordered by Leslie from The Food and Me and a mountainous salad shared by Megan of Meals With Megan and her guest, famed photographer Lou Freeman.

No meal with LC is complete without sugar! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have gelato and I was curious about their cannolis after the amazing ones we had at Antico. Made locally by Highroad Craft Ice Cream, we sampled a scoop of pistachio, coffee, and caramel gelato, all of which were a little too sweet and creamy to be authentic gelato, but certainly great for ice cream. Three small crunchy cannoli shells with a light and fluffy filling were delicious, but I prefer the big ones at Antico.

There is so much more to try at Double Zero. The menu is packed with chef Chad Crete’s signature rich and decadent dishes, from the lobster pappardelle to the short rib crespelle.

This blogger dinner was great fun! LC and I really enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow bloggers and their friends and look forward to meeting again soon.

5825 Roswell Road NE 404-991-3666

Lately, the only time I stop by Babette’s is to pick up a sinfully rich dried cherry tart….my very favorite dessert on the planet! But a recent Sunday night found us craving something different, yet in the neighborhood.

Babette’s charming atmosphere makes it the perfect choice for a romantic date. Located in a renovated house, the interior is rustic and charming with creaky, weathered wood floors and vintage fixtures.

The cuisine at Babette’s is mostly French influenced, puncuated with a few Mediterranean dishes. In keeping with tradition, I started with a glass of spicy Cote du Rhone. Surprisingly, LC chose the same which we sipped while nibbling on hunks of their freshly baked baguettes, delivered standing straight up in a little pail….very phallic. Very French.

A selection of small plates is usually the best way to go at this cafe’. After my lengthy absence, chef and owner Marla Adams had added some interesting new ones, as well as deleted a couple of old standbys. No worries, the entrees were calling our names, so we decided to split one and start with the (new) lobster spinach crepes, (old standby) artichoke and olive raviolis, and roasted cauliflower (new).

Not at all what I expected, the crepes themselves were made with spinach, simply filled with succulent chunks of lobster, delicately folded and resting in a light truffle butter sauce with a little mound of sauteed mushrooms on top. LC and I loved them!

The raviolis were as delicious as I remembered….about six pasta pouches filled with pureed artichokes and olives in a deceptively light wine butter sauce.

I think of cauliflower as white and bland, but the vegetable dish offered a small plate was the surprise of the evening. Roasted florets were drizzled with a bit of butter sauce and topped with slivers of toasted almonds.

For our entree we chose the pan roasted pork chop with onion sauce, paired with roasted Brussels sprouts and horseradish mashed potatoes. I ordered a second glass of wine as we waited on its arrival. The large bone-in chop was tender and flavorful, but the best part was the sauce….not a sauce at all but a generous helping of sweet caramelized onions. Brussels sprouts displayed an earthy, smoky flavor, although not quite tender enough. I don’t even remember the mashed potatoes but I’m pretty sure we cleaned our plate.

My second choice was the roast half duck with rutabaga compote and farro. Maybe next time, if the next time is soon, as chef changes her menu seasonally, and sometimes daily.

Which brings me to the dried cherry tart, a decadent treat only available in the Fall and Winter months. As if it wasn’t rich enough, we added a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. Dried cherries plumped up with liquor fill the crust made with crushed almonds. It is at once sweet and tart, chewy and crunchy….ridiculously amazing!

573 North Highland Avenue 404-523-9121

Fall is the season for food festivals and cookoffs of every kind. I’ll be going to Taste of Atlanta on Sunday, but I’m saving Saturday for Swine & Dandy!

Swine & Dandy is a BBQ competition this Saturday October 22nd from 10am to 5pm benefitting several charities in the Duluth area, organized by pro golfer and good ol’ Georgia boy Stewart Cink. My company, Cooper Global Transportation, is running a couple of shuttle buses, so park off River Green and we’ll take you over to Rogers Bridge Park to enjoy what promises to be a gorgeous Fall day while you pig out on pork and fixin’s.

The event is FREE, and the food is for purchase from restaurants and independent BBQ fanatics. Check out the link for more details and directions. LC and I are looking forward to eating some Q for charity!

Rogers Bridge Park, Duluth

Hard to believe my only visit to ESS was for lunch shortly after it opened. Having gained notoriety in Athens, Georgia, Hugh Acheson’s Atlanta baby was born about the same time as a multitude of similarly styled restaurants, all boasting their locally inspired, organic, farm to table philosophy…blahblahblah.

Yes, we love Miller Union, and 4th & Swift, and all the little cousins with a Southern drawl, but after a while, the mere mention of a farm sent me squealing like a stuck pig. However, good food is…well, it’s just good!

So when AD said we were meeting friends there for dinner, I was excited to return. After nineteen months of travelling the world, she is back in the states, visiting friends and generally causing mayhem.

BG and his wife AR, AD’s former colleague BK, me and LC were all late, finally being seated around 8:45pm, each of us ravenous. But first, we needed something to calm our frazzled nerves….a bottle of Cote du Rhone perhaps? Vodka martinis for the guys were in miniature glasses that looked more appropriate for after dinner cordials….I guess that’s why they ended up having five each by the end of the night!

Not as evident in Executive Chef Ryan Smith’s lunch menu, what sets ESS apart from its Southern counterparts is the intensely creative, if not somewhat bizarre pairings. Shrimp with Benton’s ham, okra, crowder peas, and bourbon sour cherries?

BG suggested we start with the steak tartare, a perfect choice since it is AD’s favorite. Not usually a fan of raw beef, I chimed in with the pork belly starter to share. A plate of bread and rolls were served with fig butter that was grainy and utterly flavorless, a sad condiment for the fantastic crusty artisan bread.

The two appetizers arrived, promptly attacked by twelve hungry hands. Crisp pork belly was served atop a generous helping of creamed kimchi rice grits. A sprinkling of peanuts and pickled daikon completed the unexpected, yet perfectly balanced composition. And it was awesome, but not nearly as awesome as the steak tartare.

With an equally weird description containing preserved lemon-caper emulsion, crisp egg (what is that?) and cheese puffs (Frito Lay?), I found myself wishing we had ordered six of these and nothing else. Turns out the “cheese puff” was a white crispy thing that resembled chiccarones. The “crisp egg” was a breaded and deep fried quail egg that oozed its lovely golden goodness over the creamy, sensuous steak. Raw meat is kinda sexy.

In a remarkable twist of fate, (almost) each of us ordered a different entree….trout for AD and BG, chicken and dumplings for AR, prime New York strip for LC. It was a difficult choice for me….duck or pork? Since BK chose the duck and promised to let me try it, I went for the Riverview Farms pork loin.

We coerced the last drop of wine out of its bottle and proceeded to reds by the glass, carefully selected by award winning sommelier Steven Grubbs, which could have contributed to the blurriness of the entree photos, but I can’t be certain.

All meat dishes were presented thinly sliced, like my pork loin with its eggplant puree. I didn’t notice any butterbeans or maitake mushrooms….perhaps they added heft and flavor to the puree, which I don’t remember at all. I do recall the pork’s smoky flavor, paired perfectly with a sweet chow chow made with burgundy wine.

I sampled two other entrees. LC’s steak was underwhelming, mainly due to the flavorless parslied farroto that was served with it. However, the pickled ramp jam that reminded me of delicious caramelized onions redeemed the dish. The best plate of the evening was BK’s duck, wisely paired with apricot mostarda, celery root puree, pak choi, and the unusual hominy….again, cooking outside the box.

We went to Vanquish for liquid dessert, drama and debauchery.

999 Peachtree 404-541-1105

This is one of those events that I would not believe existed if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Imagine….a packed stadium of 1200 guests watching a wild west show complete with horses jumping through rings of fire and lumberjacks pitted against each other in friendly competition.

Our group of six sat a few rows back….a better view and less smell from the horses, according to DC. Indeed, I would prefer not to smell manure while eating. Dinner is prix fix and served without utensils. From the folks we talked to at Dollywood, both the ride operators and the visitors, it was clear that food in Pigeon Forge would be best if it didn’t require chewing. Attention: all dentists please report to the Smoky Mountains!

Here’s how the Dixie Stampede works: you have a choice of Pepsi or iced tea (would you like some tea with your sugar, sugar?) a creamy vegetable soup is poured from a pitcher into a bowl with a little handle. It tasted like cream of mushroom to me. Another server placed biscuits on each plate with practiced speed.

Shortly after the last sip of soup was slurped, the bowls were whisked away and replaced by a whole rotisserie chicken, which sits all alone on each plate until it is joined by half a potato. Moments later a dry slice of pork joins in, then a half ear of corn on the cob. All the while, horses are pulling wagons with cowgirls singing along to country tunes, all recorded by, you guessed it, Dolly Parton. If there was a story line, I wasn’t paying attention, only that the opposite side of the stadium represented the North, while our side was for the South. Good.

Horses galloped, a woman from the audience was hidden in a barrel, and everyone tore their chickens apart by hand. The skin was not crisp so I pulled it off, picking off bits of leg and thigh. With meat under my nails, I took a big gulp of my tea before gnawing the kernels off the corn cob. The tasteless potato was simply filler. In fact, the entire dinner was filler, designed to entice the hungry masses to see a show at dinnertime.

Our plates were cleared as we packed up the leftover chicken in a doggie bag. The show continued as another wave of servers came by with dessert, huge apple turnovers that could have browned in the oven a few more minutes, but were nonetheless hot and crispy.

At the conclusion, a huge video screen appeared with Dolly singing a patriotic song in a sequined red, white, and blue costume. Yes, it was a spectacle to behold.

Speaking of spectacles, I almost forgot the buffalo! A small herd of well-trained buffalo made a special appearance….don’t ask me why, I can’t explain it.

The show, including food service, was complete in 1 1/2 hours, like clockwork. Also, no photos are allowed so I only took nine or so. Notably, there is no alcohol served during the Dixie Stampede, so make sure to get liquored up beforehand. You’re gonna need it.

Over a month after the actual day, B and I finally got together for her birthday dinner. We decided on The Sound Table for a variety of reasons, including a chance to visit with owner Darren and savor their kickass Brussels sprouts.

The concept of dinner upstairs, drinks and dancing downstairs has shifted a bit over the last year. Food is mostly served downstairs now, certainly a less intimate setting since the DJ booth is constantly pumping out the beats at a conversation-prohibitive level.

We chatted with Darren (he is English, so one must “chat”), then took our seats at a table along the exposed brick wall. Our peppy server was cute, with tattoos and black-rimmed glasses, offering suggestions for a cocktail to start off our evening.

I chose a drink made with tequila, lime, and maraschino….sort of a fancy margarita without salt, while B ordered a glass of red wine, an obscure varietal that turned out to be rich and deep.

Our perusement of the menu uncovered several disappointing changes. Naturally, the roasted Brussels were off the menu, after all, it is Summer. I had considered trying the Spatchcock chicken, a menu mainstay since the restaurant’s inception, but it too was gone.

Regrouping, we decided to split the green salad composed of local lettuces, blue cheese, and spiced pecans. For my entree, I chose the porkchop with baby peas and greens of some sort, while B ordered the salmon special with baby carrots. For an amuse bouche, we discussed the failures of men….it was a substantial serving, full of grizzle. I needed another drink.

When the salad arrived, I was surprised to see the beautiful green lettuces covered with a creamy dressing. It wasn’t mentioned and seemed an odd pairing with the two toppings. A balsamic would have made more sense, and likely would have tasted better. B described the salad as “not special”.

Then our entrees arrived, all dainty and innocent looking. But beneath the pretty exterior was the harsh truth. My two small porkchops were cooked to the consistency of shoe leather and sat upon flavorless peas and bok choy. Bok choy? I’m rather certain that was not what the menu said. Regardless, I tried to eat a bite or two but B convinced me that I should not eat it. Christ, I hate sending food back!

While not thrilled with her selection, B managed to eat almost a third of her salmon. The skin was left on, a pet peave of mine, which made it extra-fishy tasty and smelling. Two baby carrots were the saving grace of the dish.

My sad chops were replaced by our old standby, the hanger steak, medium-rare. We chose an additional side of squash to make up for the underwhelming veggies that accompanied our entrees. Both of these dishes were winners, especially the baked squash, topped with crispy shallots. The steak is usually drizzled with a good quantity of salsa verde but this one arrived almost naked, so I asked our server for extra on the side.

We were ready for a happy ending so we tried the pistachio pot de creme with mascerated figs….amazingly delicious! We should have skipped the two entrees and went straight for the steak, squash, and two of these desserts!

On another bright note, we took a peek at the new patio out back, which used to be a renegade smoking area. Had we known, we would have chosen to sit out there where conversation wasn’t drowned out by the pulsating music.

483 Edgewood Avenue

Recommended by my Godmother’s husband, Pizza Pie (pronounced “pee”) is located in Braunfels, a tiny town just ten minutes from our tiny town, and home to one of my favorite castles. I was excited to get out of the house and spend some time among the antiquities contained within the old stone walls that surround the castle.

Little did I know that the restaurant is not near the castle, but rather a couple of miles away at a tennis center. It’s one of those places with a 15 page menu, with everything from pork to pasta. Oh, and they do serve pizza.

My Mom treated me, my cousin and her two daughters to lunch there after a brief souvenir run by the castle. It took some time to review the lengthy menu but the five of us finally decided on five vastly different entrees.

Three of them ordered salads, one of which was drowned in creamy dressing, the others with dressing on the side. An appetizer of bruschetta looked good but I didn’t get a taste due to the language barrier. Our table received one baked rigatoni, an enormous portion that got good reviews. Another, my Godchild, ordered a Hawaiian pizza. Nothing about it looked good. The crust wasn’t browned, and the toppings of ham, tomato, and pineapple made the center soggy. She didn’t like it.

Mom ordered fish, confirming that it was sauteed and not fried, however it turned out to be breaded. Plain boiled potatoes were served alongside. I tried a bite and was not impressed. My cousin ordered the ham, covered with a brown gravy. She offered me a taste and I was, again, not impressed. She seemed to enjoy it, though.

Lastly, I ordered the pork with mushrooms, croquettes, and vegetables. A strange choice for me, but not as strange as the crepes I almost ordered. The meat was overcooked and drenched in the same brown gravy, this time with the addition of mushrooms. Carrots and broccoli were the chosen vegetables. The potato croquettes were simply glorified tater tots. I swear, nothing on my plate had any flavor except the carrots.

The only other patrons at the restaurant were as weathered as the castle, which explains the old-fashioned menu and somewhat stodgy atmosphere. I’m sure it is better during the Summer when their patio is open, and perhaps after the consumption of a few alcoholic beverages.

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

Open just over a month, Joey Riley’s new bistro in Brookhaven has quickly become the neighborhood hotspot, with its casual atmosphere and fusion menu. The warm golden walls are virtually naked but one hardly notices beyond the well-heeled crowd.

My dining companion was BB, the obvious choice given his history with the chef owner. BB will be opening his own restaurant and bar nearby in a few months so it certainly doesn’t hurt to know the competition, friendly or otherwise.

The place was packed as we waited for a couple of seats at the kitchen counter. I love eating at the bar, but I really love eating at a counter where the line cooks’ performance is the entertainment.

A few moments later, Joey brought out a small bowl of house roasted cashews and peanuts, spiced up with Thai chili and scallions. They went well with BB’s beer. He also gave us a bowl of spicy Berkshire pork rinds, a.k.a chiccarones, that were greaseless and crisp….an ironic but weirdly good pairing with my glass of Laurent Perrier champagne.

The third small plate we sampled was the pub fries served with duck fat mayonnaise. I’ve long preferred mayo over ketchup, and Riley’s housemade mayo was particularly tasty for dipping his crunchy fries which were not at all greasy.

Riley also sent out a bamboo steamer with two Chinese steamed buns, a starter listed under “First Impressions”. It made a good one. Pork belly, pickles, and hoisin sauce on soft, piping hot buns could have only been improved by adding cilantro.

Both of us enjoy a good glass of red wine so we decided to get a bottle of Syrah called 6th Sense. This is one of the best wines I’ve tried in recent memory….vanilla and nutmeg on the nose and smooth despite a peppery kick. I’ll be looking for it at retail, should be affordably priced around $15.

As we sipped our awesome wine we watched as the line cooks put up dozens of burgers, many of them doubles. You may remember chef Riley won the Battle of the Burgers a few months back before the restaurant’s doors were even open with a pimento cheese, slaw, and green tomato chow chow topped burger, now available all the time at Kaleidoscope.

We could have stopped there but decided to continue through the menu, ordering the Thai style beef jerky, pieces of lean dried beef enhanced by a zingy dressing made with fish sauce and lime juice.

There’s a good bit of Asian influence on Riley’s menu. Rumor has it he studied in Asia prior to landing at The Buckhead Diner. There is also a strong dose of good ol’ Southern cooking. Start with the ahi tuna tartare and follow it with shrimp ‘n’ grits. Why not?

Following our array of appetizers, BB and I decided on two entrees, the sage roasted pork porterhouse and the skillet fried chicken breast, mainly because I wanted to try all the sides that came with them.

The pork porterhouse, an enormous slab of swine, was cooked to medium at the chef’s recommendation. Some folks might be squeamish about undercooked pork but it doesn’t really phase me, as long as it is a quality sourced meat such as Berkshire pork used by Kaleidoscope. It was served with fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

There’s an ongoing drama with Brussels sprouts dating back to an experience we had at Bocado. Prepared with pine nuts, parmesan, tiny croutons, and a good dose of vinegar, the flavor of their Brussels is fantastic. They are, unfortunately, al dente, and I prefer most of my veggies cooked until soft. I’m from the South after all. BB, on the other hand, is a Yankee and likes them al dente. And that is how they are at Kaleidoscope. I didn’t care for them.

I rarely order fried chicken. By rarely I mean never. However, chef Riley serves his with local collards and baked mac ‘n’ cheese, both of which I insisted on trying. The airline breast had a good amount of breading but it needed a bit more seasoning. Some portions had become slightly soggy, others slightly greasy, but the chicken beneath the crust was seriously tender.

I may not be an expert on fried chicken but I damn sure know my collards. You might even say I’m a collards sommelier! The collards at Empire State South were perhaps the best I have ever tasted, but these were a close second, simmered in chicken stock (according to BB) and flavored with pancetta.

The mac ‘n’ cheese was not quite as stellar. Although it is finished in the oven with some crisped breadcrumbs on top, the sauce that coats the corkscrew pasta is rather thin.

Dessert? Of course. Our server rattled off at least ten options. It’s hard for me to remember a verbal listing, but luckily we both fixated on the same one….the s’mores brownie. Toasted marshmallows are good on just about anything.

I’ll be back for the burger.

1410 Dresden Drive 404-474-9600

On a recent Friday I chatted with Hector Santiago at his sandwich shop, Super Pan Latino before devouring a decadent pork bun. Less than a week later I found myself at Pura Vida with LC for a late dinner. Santiago was in the kitchen, expediting orders.

Pura Vida is one of my longtime favorites. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the food is flavorful and interesting, and their sangria is consistently the best in Atlanta. It is the perfect place for a birthday party or an intimate date.

Santiago can go for long periods with no menu changes, then Bam! Suddenly, all your regular dishes are gone, replaced with seemingly experimental plates with foams and “caviar”. This used to be really disappointing when I would go expecting the duck maduros and it would be gone.

These days I’ve come to expect the changes, even welcome them. This was LC’s first visit, my 50th, so I was at a distinct advantage. We started with two glasses of sangria, one red and one white, each full of rum-soaked fruit.

Some old familiar dishes remained like the hanger steak pinchos, tender smoky grilled skewers of beef covered with an herbaciously green chimichurri. Always a good choice.

I chose a new veggie dish called “fall over chayote” to pair with the steak. It reminded me of Hugh Acheson’s “super-food” at Empire State South, a crazy hodge-podge of individual components that, when put together, are still a crazy hodge-podge. The description should have clued me in….chayote squash, enoki, smoked tofu, calabaza puree, wok seared jalapenos, pepita oil and umeboshi sauce. That last ingredient explains the saltiness we encountered in some bites. Umeboshi is made from pickled Japanese plums….an odd addition on a Latin menu.

Moving on, we tried the mofongo con “carne frita”, pork carnitas served over mashed green bananas with pork cracklings. I’ve ordered this dish several times, however, this time Hector added a pork jus espuma. That is the foamy stuff in the photo. I don’t know if it added anything to the dish, but remembering too late that it was usually somewhat bland, I asked for his fiery hot habanero sauce, a clear liquid in a squeeze bottle that makes everything better.

Hector used to do a great dish with goat. There is a new incarnation of it on this menu, slow cooked with plantain dumplings, curry sauteed cabbage and calaloo greens. I would have ordered it instead of the pork had I not had goat the night before…..how often can one say that!

My love of avocados prompted me to try the aguacate criollo, described as avocado, lime “caviar”, piquillo agridulce jelly, chorizo chips, cilantro and avocado oil. Chunks of avocado were topped with bits of lime pulp (the “caviar”), and crispy slivers of chorizo. Little cubes of sweet and sour “agridulce” jelly added another odd component to an already unusual looking plate. The end result was like deconstructed guacamole and it’s pretty hard to complain about that.

We ordered another small plate, the tamales nejos, but sadly I didn’t remember it until I looked at the photos the next day. Like mole, I continue to order tamales, believing that someday I will discover what other’s love so much about these dishes. Santiago’s tamales had a good texture, with robust flavor from the fresh masa and charred scallions which paired nicely with the black beans alongside. If you like tamales, you will probably enjoy these. If you are like me, they won’t knock your socks off.

More sangria and, of course, dessert. Two, actually….a sinful chocolate and ancho chili flan brulee’ that lacked much chili kick and a baby banana ice cream sandwich made with chipotle chocolate chip cookies that LC really liked. I vaguely remember eating it despite my mild dislike for banana. My memory is a bit foggy on the specifics….I’m gonna have to blame that on the sangria!

656 N. Highland Avenue 404-870-9797