Hot Dish Review

Too many Guinness draughts on St. Patty’s Day? Try hair of the Irish dog!

When it comes to world cuisine, Irish is quite likely the one I crave the least. Not a fan of corned beef or fish ‘n’ chips. I’ve never been tempted to try shepherd’s pie or Irish stew. So, when I was asked to write about Brookhaven’s new Irish pub, Olde Blind Dog, I wasn’t drooling like one.

Like stepping into an Celtic theme park, Olde Blind Dog’s owners spared no expense with the decor, importing antique mirrors and intricately carved wood accents from Europe, and creating kitschy elements like windows with faux plants, and “sidewalks” complete with street signs. The centerpiece is a multi-level seating area, with secluded booths called “snugs”, effectively dividing the boisterous bar from the cozy little tables, some of them nestled beneath the stairs, giving guests a wee bit of privacy. BB likened it to Fado on steroids….LOL.

Someone involved in this operation is a marketing genius. The menu is designed to look like an old newspaper called the Daily Dog, featuring the story of the old blind dog himself. A good bit of wit is used to describe the authentic Irish dishes, as well as some more unusual selections like the Celtic Curry.

On the rare occassion I go to an Irish pub, I invariably have an Irish car bomb, a half pint of Guinness with a shot of Jameson’s and Bailey’s dropped in. It has a rich, chocolately flavor. That’s how LC and I started our visit, then promptly ordered a sampling of their best-selling appetizers: tabasco fried pickles, ale and cheddar dip, and a fish slider.

The staff is so well-trained it was impossible to know the place had only been open a week. Service was brisk and enthusiastic. Our awesome server, Martin, said it was quite a challenge to separate the draught line for the Guinness from the other beers, as it was necessary to serve it at 42 degrees rather than the standard American 38 degrees like the other selections. I was impressed. Equally impressive is the fact they make their corned beef in house daily, as well as all of their desserts. Fries and chips are freshly cut, nothing comes in frozen.

We enjoyed pieces of pretzel bread dipped in their signature ale and cheddar dip. When the bread was gone, LC cleaned the bowl out with his finger. He also loves pickles. Deep fry ‘em with a spicy batter and you have a winner. Flaky cod was beer battered on a baby bun with tartar sauce for dipping.

I wanted to try some traditional Irish fare, so I ordered the bangers and mash for my entree. LC went along and tried the corned beef and beer braised cabbage. The presentation was awesome….a mountain of mashed potatoes drizzled with brown gravy surrounded by three grilled sausages, then topped with crispy fried onions. Texturally pleasing and enough to feed a lumberjack.

LC’s dish was a solid interpretation of a classic. A wedge of vinegary cabbage was a perfect compliment to the dense yet inexplicably tender chunks of corned beef. Stewed potatoes and carrots rounded out the plate. The meat was even better the next morning mixed in scrambled eggs, topped with melted cheddar, served with English muffins. Can you believe I actually ate the leftovers?

We ate about a third of our dinner, had it boxed up, then promptly ordered dessert…a wedge of housemade bread pudding. It was studded with dried cranberries and resting in a pool of creme Anglaise. I would have preferred raisins, but it was thankfully not extemely sweet. Most of it also went in a box just to be devoured as soon as we got home.

Parking was a bit of a challenge, forcing many patrons to walk across the parking lot from the nearby Costco. Or, you may snag a spot out front if you have the luck of the Irish! The food at Olde Blind Dog is hearty. And salty. But if you crave Irish food, you’ll freakin’ love it.

705 Town Boulevard 404-816-5739

When friends or relatives visit from out of state, it is the host’s duty to show them a good time, from visiting the city’s attractions to choosing the perfect restaurants. This can be challenging since time is usually short. Prime example….LC’s cousin from Austin flew in for five days with his girlfriend and two young sons. After several days of fun-filled activities including the aquarium and Stone Mountain park, his cousin was ready for an adult night out. As the family foodie, I wanted to come up with a place that would be fun with great food too. I immediately thought of Barcelona, Atlanta’s hottest tapas restaurant and wine bar in Inman Park.

LC’s sister and her husband joined us as we arrived in style, drinking cava in a Chrysler stretch (that’s what happens when your guy’s family owns a transportation company). Initially, our group considered dining on the patio, but it began to drizzle, so we took a table inside.

Sangria sounded refreshing and is an easy transition from cava, so we ordered a caraf of white and another called flora, which the menu described as full of fruit. I confirmed with our server that it did indeed have chunks of fruit in each glass. However, when it arrived, the liquid was practically clear, made with rose’ instead of red wine…and not a piece of fruit in sight. Extremely watered down, this was the worst sangria I have ever had. Compared to the fantastic, spicy red sangria with chunks of fruit at CineBistro (yes, CineBistro!), Barcelona’s was a surprising failure from a wine bar. I expressed my displeasure and ordered a glass of cava.

We initially chose ten tapas to share plus a couple of medium plates. First arrivals: crunchy calamari and crisy cabbage drizzled with honey and topped with crumbled feta cheese. Hanger steak, grouper ceviche and mussels followed, the fresh, zingy ceviche earning a double reorder. LC and I were rather fond of the cabbage.

Two orders of my favorite dish from my birthday visit, luscious chorizo with sweet and sour figs, arrived next along with a vibrant looking gaspacho. A bowl of mussels were devoured but I only had one…too much tomato for my taste. Having worked our way through much of the tapas menu, we moved on to the scallops and lamb chops, both tasty but the lamb chops were certainly on the rare side. A stray watermelon salad finally showed up.

In true tapas style, we simply kept ordering until I stopped the madness with two orders of churros, long strips of dough piped into a deep fryer and served with hot chocolate dipping sauce. Despite being fried they are light at air. Everyone enjoyed our dinner experience, even the usually cranky RT.

After our meal we took a ride down the street to Blind Willie’s for some live blues and a couple of ill-advised shots (that’s what happens when your guy’s family owns a transportation company).

240 N. Highland Avenue 404-589-1010

What’s better than a low country boil with all the fixin’s? A low country boil on a luxury houseboat!

Last Saturday was the inaugural voyage of Goin’ Coastal’s Sunset Cruise. The weather was perfect, and the shrimp were boilin’. As the houseboat left the dock, guests mingled and relaxed with a glass of wine or beer.

Chef and restaurant partner Seth Hendricks and my man LC came up with the idea during our many martini and lobster-fueled visits to Goin’ Coastal in my neighborhood. a few meetings later and the idea became a reality. Cooper Global provided the venue and chauffeured transportation to Lake Lanier, while Hendricks and his staff were in charge of preparing the food on board.

LC and I had stumbled upon an amazing acoustic guitarist, Steve Q, at 10 Degrees South the week before. He provided the entertainment for the event and had everyone dancing on the top deck. Promoted via Urban Daddy, the dinner cruise was quite a bargain at only $75 a ticket for this first voyage, with beer and wine included. Guests reportedly consumed forty bottles of wine and 45 lbs. of gigantic steamed shrimp!

Along with shrimp, Hendricks boiled up a batch of andouille sausage, red potatoes, and corn on the cob. When everything was done, he and his crew poured it all into an enormous metal warming tray, drizzled it with melted butter, then sprinkled his special seasoning mix over the whole thing. Folks lined up to get a heapin’ helpin’ of deliciousness as the sun set over the water. Perfect.

LC and I are no strangers to the family houseboat. We’ve celebrated his birthday, Memorial Day, and Labor Day on it, sleeping (or perhaps, not) in two of the five bedrooms. I’ve made a tub of my famous guacamole in the kitchen in the cabin, helped cook bacon and eggs for eight with LC’s cousin DC, and enjoyed burgers grilled on the upper deck. It’s 100 feet of luxury.

Cooper Global and Goin’ Coastal anticipate many more cruises throughout the Spring and Summer. The Cooper houseboat, The Family Tradition, is also available for corporate and private rentals, with a maximum capacity of 100, not including shrimp. Email lcooper@cooper-global.com for information and pricing.

South African cooking is foreign to most of us. A fusion of European, Malaysian, and native African dishes, their unique cuisine is exotic and soulful. Spicy peri-peri sauce, sweet chutneys, and curries compliment grilled meats and fish.

LC and I had the pleasure to dine there recently as guests of the owner. Our evening got off to a fabulous start as our enthusiastic and practiced server, Jamie, explained the unfamiliar dishes on the menu (without making us feel dumb) and checked in throughout our meal (without being intrusive).

We have gotten into a routine of sharing small plates, particularly when I’m tasting for an article and need to try as many dishes as possible. The menu at 10 Degrees South is made for folks like us, with most dishes offered as small or large plates. Rather than ordering, we allowed our host, Justin, to choose a variety of the restaurant’s best. I ordered a glass of Sincerely by Stellenbosch, a deep and spicy South African shiraz, to sip while waiting for dishes to arrive.

He selected five of their most popular small plates to start us off. Bobotie is a sweet ground beef curry, traditionally topped with egg custard and baked until golden brown. Here, they also use the curry as a filling for long, crispy Spring rolls, great dipped in the sweet chutney. Another South African dish called boerewors was served on a Milano roll and cut into bite-sized pieces. In case you don’t regularly eat boerewors, it is sausage made of lean ground beef. I found the sandwich a tad dry, the bread unnecessary. I’d probably prefer the version sans bread with tomato and onion sauce.

Sosaties is another traditional dish….skewered, marinated beef filet glazed with apricot curry sauce. Fantasticly tender, the sauce gave the meat a subtle sweetness without overpowering it.

Two giant prawns, that were nearly the size of lobsters, were butterflied, marinated in spicy peri-peri sauce, then grilled. I was expecting a bit more fire out of the sauce, but I imagine it’s pretty hot for the average Joe. Nonetheless, the prawns were certainly one of our favorite dishes of the evening.

Everything was served with rice. LC pondered out loud to our server that he thought grits might work better with the prawns rather than the rice, to which Jamie returned with a mound of “pap”, a staple much like grits, just fluffier and drier. It was topped with the aforementioned tomato and onion sauce. I don’t like grits….or pap. I’ll stick with the rice.

Another favorite was the calamari, simply grilled with a lemon butter sauce and sprinkled with briny capers. JN, publisher of the new neighborhood magazine BuckHaven Lifestyle, happened to be at 10 Degrees during our visit and suggested we try the lollipop lamb chops, two marinated and grilled chops served over mashed potatoes. Delicious. The generous serving pushed us over the edge, but we still had one more plate to devour….Di’s Delight, a moist fruit cake drizzled with caramel sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thankfully not overly sweet, the dessert was warm and comforting, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

The only traditional South African dish we didn’t try was the cured beef slices, called biltong. Among the main courses not offered as appetizers, I would certainly order the char-grilled Cornish hen marinated with peri-peri sauce. Both are on my radar for our next visit.

After our meal we stopped by the bar for a nightcap and were happy to discover a guy playing acoustic guitar. A great way to end our safari!

4183 Roswell Road 404-705-8870

Happy Carnival & Mardi Gras! I am dedicating this post to my dear friend AD, who has (almost) completed her book about her world travels! Rio was her first stop in February 2010, and I was lucky enough to join her:
AD is prepared to travel the world, staying mostly in youth hostels and carrying a light load in her backpack. I, on the other hand, have never stayed at a youth hostel. Gansevoort or The Delano in South Beach is more my speed. But what the hell, I am hostile at times, so I decided to rough it with her in Rio de Janeiro. (Check out her blog, lots of great photos!)

I discovered staying at Cidade Maravilhosa Hostel is the closest thing to camping without a tent. We did have AC, but only from about 8pm to 10am. Believe it or not the bed was comfy….I slept like a baby every night.

Breakfast was provided in a common room with a festively printed plastic tablecloth. Bread, crackers, cheese, ham, coffee were always out as well as various fruits like watermelon, apples, and bananas. There was often a semi-sweet bread, almost like cake, that I would eat a small square of with a traditional Brazilian chocolate goo called brigadeiros, made of condensed milk, cocoa, and sugar. Condensed milk, we discovered is a common ingredient in Brazil.

On the second morning I found the mini baguettes in a basket under the little buns. It became habit for AD and I to steal a couple of them each day, along with apples and bananas for (free) lunch on the go! My best discovery, however, was the panini press. One of the kitchen/cleaning ladies had made a panini that second morning. Too late for me that day but on the third morning I found the press and made a ham and cheese panini with a mini baguette. With coffee, fruit, and a sweet pastry, I had my daily routine, after which me and AD were off on the adventure of the day….Carnival, Ipanema beach, the botanical gardens, Cristo Redentor, the tiled steps and tram at Lapa, the beach at Leblon.

We became scavengers. We rode the subway and the bus. I washed my hair once that week, never put on make-up, and wore only swimsuits and cover-ups every day (dude, it was 95 degrees!). The shower in our room was scalding hot so we showered in our swimsuits on the common deck, the scene of the Fat Tuesday cookout.

Ricardo, who runs the hostel, is a big man. The entire staff was so helpful and welcoming. They invited us to the cookout, just $20 Reals (about ten bucks US) for unlimited steak, sausage, salad, rice, salsa, and caipirinhas. Everyone we met was from a different country. Our roommates, A and S were from New Zealand. T from Australia shared a room with M from Morocco. France, Israel, Germany, England, Denmark….people from all over the world staying together. It was really an incredible experience.

Grilled steaks were cut up and served as appetizers. There was lots of meat, some well-done and tough, others medium rare and tender. I saw the kitchen/cleaning ladies making the salsa downstairs earlier. It was simple Brazilian fare. Authentic.

The best part of the cookout was when Ricardo ran out of limes for caipirinhas. He sent a kid that worked there to get more but the store was out so he bought black grapes instead. Uva caipirinhas! I watched as he crushed the grapes then added condensed milk, sugar, and cachaca to the shaker. I can’t wait to recreate them at home!

It wasn’t a luxury trip, it was an adventure. I wouldn’t change one sweaty, dirty minute! Thanks AD.

Grab your Lederhosen….it’s that time of year again!

Last weekend’s amazing weather provided the perfect backdrop for a visit to Helen, the faux Bavarian village near Dahlonega that gives locals a taste of Germany, in a redneck sort of way.

Their Oktoberfest celebration is actually rather fun. Me, LC and his awesome parents hit the road to check out the Festhalle, dance the polka, and drink a lot of beer!

Since my parents are part-time residents of Helen, it is a frequent destination for me. However, this was their first visit to the quaint and somewhat cheesy North Georgia town. We started off with lunch at Old Heidelberg. My Mom joined us.

We chose a table on the tiny balcony, me and Mom’s new favorite spot. Ice cold beers, Warsteiner draft for me, cooled us off in the blazing Oktober sun. An appetizer described as sauerkraut and bacon rolled in dough sounded both weird and delicious. And it was.

Mom ordered her usual goulash soup while the rest of us split various kinds of wurst. LC and I tried the trio which included bauernwurst, bratwurst, and knockwurst. Served with sauerkraut and whipped potatoes with gravy it was a hearty portion, certainly enough for two.

Old Heidelberg serves some of the best German fare in Helen. A note of trivia: the restaurant is the most photographed building in Georgia. Another beer to wash it down and we were ready to walk around town and see the sights on our way to the Festhalle.

LC’s parents are really cool and laid back. His Dad, KC, shares my birthday so that gives him an automatic advantage where I’m concerned. And his Mom, FC, must be a saint to put up with them both.

At the Festhalle we ordered a pitcher of beer and the parents picked up three bags of candied beer nuts somewhere when we weren’t looking. Soon they were up on the dancefloor doing the polka!

On the drive back to Atlanta we stopped at one of the many farmer’s stands, this one specializing in all kinds of sauces, jams, and condiments….they had a whole room of them. We got some hot boiled peanuts to snack on.

There are only two weeks left of Oktoberfest. This weekend will most likely be the busiest, as the leaves finally begin to change to Fall hues. The weather promises to be stunning once again so hop in the car and head North to enjoy beer and brats in Helen!

While I was in Germany, I thought I would rerun a few posts on Helen, North Georgia’s faux Bavarian village! Prost!
This restaurant is an old standby in Helen. I’ve eaten there dozens of times….with my Mom, with friends, take-out. Only today did I realize it is not Old Bavarian Inn, but rather Old Bavaria Inn. Robert, the latest owner, has maintained the highest standards of food quality. I think it’s the best German restaurant in Helen proper!

ST and I drove up to my parents’ place in Helen last weekend to continue his birthday celebration. We dined at Old Bavaria Inn Saturday night on authentic German fare. It had been a while since I had ribchen (smoked pork chops) und sauerkraut. I always loved it when my Mom made it when I was a kid.

I’ve often ordered the spaetzle with cream sauce and ham with a bratwurst for lunch. On this visit I couldn’t pass up this super fatty spaetzle appetizer. Rich, rich, rich.

Old Bavaria Inn offers all of your German favorites from Weiner schnitzel to sauerbraten. I opted for the schlachtplatte (meat plate)…..a selection of bratwurst, knockwurst, and ribchen served with red cabbage, sauerkraut and potato salad. ST ordered the rinder rouladen, thin beef filets rolled and stuffed with pickled veggies and served with red cabbage and spaetzle. Both entrees should come with a side of Gas X too!

The least authentic thing they serve is the potato salad. Not the traditional German style that is served warm, their version is decidedly American made with red skin-on potatoes and served chilled.

We washed it down with lots of beer….Warsteiner, Erdinger, Paulaner, anything that ended in -er.

Robert brought out a complimentary slice of apple strudel for ST’s birthday. They were out of the amazing hazelnut torte that me and my Mom always order….it is not to be missed!

We were stuffed! It was nice to be in Helen again.

My first visit to The Porter last August was short and sweet, so I was excited to return on Friday, not only for the tremendous beer selection but for Nick Rutherford’s way-better-than-bar-food menu.

And who better to delve into The Porter’s lengthy beer list with than AM. He is really into specialty beers, even brewing his own. We met at the bar where I started with a tasting of three dark beers available on draught, the Weyerbacher Fifteen, Southern Tier JahVah, and Great Divide Claymore Scotch. Of the three, I liked the Fifteen the best, but honestly, I didn’t love any of them. I did, however, love the way they were served, in three little jars set in a wooden tray.

With 29 beers on draught, most of them unfamiliar, choosing is difficult. Eight pages of bottled beer makes ordering feel like studying, although it is very helpful to have a flavor description below each selection. I zeroed in on the Delirium Nocturnum, described as dark and delicious, black raisins, dried figs. AM agreed it was a good choice for me.

The only food I had tried on my first visit was the mac ‘n’ cheese and goat cheese fritters, both amazing. This time AM and I started off with the goat cheese fritters, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with black pepper, creamy and delicious.

AM got a Caracole Ambree, a Belgian strong ale with hints of caramel spice, cinnamon, and apple. In the mood for a stout, I ordered a Ten Fidy, described as “love in a can” with flavors of chocolate, coffee, leather and caramel. Now we’re talkin’.

More food was in order so we shared the house-made bratwurst and sauerkraut. Organic Fuji apples were listed as well but I failed to find any hint of them on the plate. The sausages were perfectly seasoned and delicious with the classic kraut pairing.

We moved on to Nostradamus, Podge Belgian Imperial, Koningshoeven Triple, and more. I lost track to say the least.

Singer, sausage businessman Jimmy Dean dies at 81

June 13, 2010, 10:16 PM EST

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, “Big Bad John,” and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.

She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.

“He was amazing,” she said. “He had a lot of talents.”

Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. He went on to a successful entertainment career in the 1950s and ’60s that included the nationally televised “The Jimmy Dean Show.”

In 1969, Dean went into the sausage business, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. in his hometown. He sold the company to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.

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!