Hot Dish Review

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

Hello again, old friend! We sure did miss you, with your elegant good looks and playful staff. B and I finally made a long-overdue appearance at our old haunt, the Bar at Livingston.

A couple of glasses of A to Z’s Night and Day got us off to a lively start. Sous chef Zeb came over and said hello. He would send out a couple of dishes for us to try. Lovely! I was craving the short rib ravioli, but alas, it was gone from the menu.

Duck sausage accompanied by seared foie gras, which I’m assuming was also duck, came with cubes of fennel dressed in a slightly sweet black pepper gastrique rather than the standard toast and marmalade that often show up with foie gras. Zeb Stevenson, Mennie’s sous chef, has become bored with that presentation (and so have I). There was just enough sweetness to pair well with the rich meats without being cloying. For sausage and foie gras, the dish was surprisingly light.

A crispy cube of pork belly sat upon a puree of apricot and was served with two big Spring pea raviolis topped with chopped peanuts for crunch. We really liked this starter but would have liked it more had we not been spoiled by the short rib raviolis on prior visits. As we told Zeb over more wine on the patio, that dish was orgasmic! We begged him to put it back on the menu….please.

B and I lingered for a while, having an entirely inappropriate and entertaining conversation with Zeb. We’ll be back for another visit soon to reclaim our regular spots at the bar!

659 Peachtree Street @ The Georgian Terrace 404-897-5000

Named for former Atlanta mayor Livingston Mims (OK, I’m not a history buff but I never heard of this guy, however, he sounds like he was a partier back in his day!), this place has everything going for it. Located at the gorgeously restored Georgian Terrace, the setting is subdued elegance. With a view of the Fox Theater and the busy corner of Peachtree and Ponce, it is the quintessential landmark dining experience.

The chef is Gary Mennie who spent ten years at Canoe then opened Taurus to much initial success. But Atlanta sprouts new, hot restaurants seemingly every week, even in this economy, so it’s hard to sustain the hotness. He gave it quite a go!

The Georgian Terrace hosted Harvest Midtown on Sunday, the annual food and wine fair sponsored by Barrelman, the wine store connected to Eno. So, naturally Eli Kirshtein, Eno chef and current Top Chef contestant, was there, as was Hector Santiago from Pura Vida, who Padma already asked to “pack his knives and go”. I gushed to him briefly about his duck maduros and my love affair with his establishment. Keep in mind this was after 3 hours of wine tasting (and no, for $45 I do not spit it out for God’s sake!)

B was my companion for Harvest Midtown. We have found ourselves at Livingston on many occasions, drinking, dining, requesting the to-die-for short rib ravioli at midnight! (John, the manager, made it happen). Yes, we are regulars. We ran into chef Mennie’s awesome sous chef Zeb Stevenson repeatedly, finally introducing us to Mennie as we sipped our last glasses of wine on the terrace.

The menu here focuses on local produce and proteins, the trend du jour, although one surely can’t complain about farm fresh veggies and supporting local farmers. My family had a small farm every summer and I picked okra, squash, corn. Me and my Mom canned green beans. Vegetables had flavor, and that’s what you’ll find at places like Livingston and Abattoir.

The short rib ravioli appetizer here is delectable. Filled with savory meat the ravioli rest in a bit of broth with sweet notes from acacia honey and a hint of horseradish, creating the perfect balance and making this dish one of my favorites in town. (The most amazing thing about this post is that I don’t have a photo of the ravioli….ridiculous!) Duck croquettes are tasty as well, set upon dollops of pureed sweet potato.

On one visit we split the rabbit and a side of brussels sprouts served in the cutest little individual saucepan. Both of us already had some prosecco and a couple of glasses of A to Z pinot noir so I can’t recall the exact preparation of the rabbit but I do remember we enjoyed it. B has had the veal with cauliflower gratin, I have tried the pork with Vidalia tart and peach mustarda which was short on delivering the sweet/savory combination that I craved. Didn’t care for the chopped salad that everyone raves about or the lemony grits. Another salad with arugula and pecorino was simple and satisfying.

The desserts have been quite good, however, the best came at Harvest Midtown where we met the adorable pastry chef Derrick. His apple crumble was the best bite of the show and will hopefully be on the Fall menu!

Zeb promised a seared foie gras on the new Fall menu as well….you know I’ll be back for that!