Hot Dish Review

Under normal circumstances I don’t care for re-runs. Here’s an exception: Saturday at the beach was practically a re-run of Friday, but even more fun! MM and I set up camp as the others gathered beers and supplies. The beach was followed by a brief pool visit, then intoxicated showering.

Seafood was in order and George’s was the place. A brief walk, again in heels, brought us to a quaint yet trendy restaurant in a renovated house. We waited a bit for a table since our group was large and ended up seated on the patio, complete with umbrellas decorated with tiny white lights. Cute.

JS and KS had mentioned their colossal frutta di mare quesadillas the day before, big enough for a meal for two. But for a group of nine, KS thought two would be perfect for appetizers. At $29 each, we could barely polish them off. Drizzled with a spicy aoili and topped with pineapple salsa, each quesadilla was filled with lobster, shrimp, crab, and cheese. Really tasty!

MC and KC, who live in a neighboring town, joined us. They ordered a couple of bottles of Shug pinot noir. ST got a glass of chardonnay and I also opted for white with a semi-sweet reisling.

Entrees were mostly seafood dishes like wild salmon with a cinnamon soy glaze or cioppino, the fish stew of mussels, clams, shrimp and fish in a tomato based broth (that I often find revolting due to my distaste of that combo). MC ordered the seared coconut scallops and gave me a taste. Three ginormous orbs atop a bowl of orzo. Although very nicely done, there were three. It was $27.

I opted for the lemongrass curry shrimp, hoping for 7 or 8 huge prawns since we were on the gulf, but was served about 15 smallish shrimp instead, along with lots of green and red peppers. Disappointing, but the flavor was passable. Again, not a bargain at $24.

Strangely, there were lots of Asian notes to the menu and with my relative expertise on Asian cuisine I should know to stay away from it unless I’m on Buford Highway or at an authentic Asian restaurant. But I rarely listen to my own advice.

Also on offer were lamb chops, spicy Mongol beef tenderloin, Kahlua pork tenderloin for strict carnivores.

Then there was the section of seafood bowls, all of which could be ordered grilled or fried. ST got the fried combo…..shrimp, grouper, and oysters. Served with, what else? Fries. Oh, and don’t forget the fried hushpuppies. The crunch of fried foods is practically irresistable, but it bores me after a bite or two. Batter just masks the flavor. I had an oyster and a fry or two (and maybe a bite of a hushpuppy).

A couple of folks got the grilled grouper bowl. My bite, from KC, totally lacked flavor.

They serve a full lunch menu as well with healthy wraps and spa inspired dishes like the toasted macadamia tofu on a bed of soba noodles which I bet has twice the calories you’d think. Soups, salads, sandwiches, all come in around $13.

No room for sweets, thankfully me and ST had dessert before we left the house!

Portions at George’s are big and so are the price-tags. But the food is solid and certainly worth a visit.

Eight chefs. Two hundred guests seated dockside at lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park. Dinner Party’s first big event and the weather forecast was threatening thunderstorms, but alas, it was Patrick and Darren’s lucky day. Humidity may have wreaked havoc on some of the chicks’ hair but no rain.

B and I parked in the controversial Piedmont Park deck and walked a bit….glad Patrick recommended no heels. Three drink stations provided cocktails as we arrived at the stone building near the dock. A short rum and ginger drink was a spicy and refreshing start from mixologist Greg Best of Holeman and Finch (I think).

The chef line-up was impressive, including Hector Santiago of Pura Vida and one of last season’s Top Chef contestants. Nick Melvin of Parish and Craig Richards of La Tavola were cookin’, as was Andrew Sheridan listed as chef at The Sound Table, Darren’s new restaurant (along with partners Jeff Myers and Karl Injex) which opens tonight (tonight?).

Local farms provided the farm-fresh veggies and meats while the Pope High School culinary team worked with the chefs for this event to benefit the Piedmont Park Conservancy.

It was nearly impossible to choose a seat as each chef had a different menu, utilizing the same local ingredients for each course. But I love Top Flr so B and I sat at Shane’s table, ironically next to Patrick’s lovely Mom who was seated next to Felicia Feaster, my zodiac twin.

Overlooking the water, the venue was illuminated by candlelight as dusk settled around us. Diners were giddy with anticipation.

Dinner Party guests usually get a printed menu but Shane changed his dishes at the last minute so our table was at his mercy, except for me. I got his actual menu notes! Sommelier Valerie was pairing and pouring, I don’t know how she managed to come up with different wines for each course, and each chef, but she did a splendid job.

Our meal began with an enormous Georgia prawn, split and topped with collards, complimented by vibrant cherry tomatoes, shaved pecorino, and a light citrus vinaigrette.

My favorite dish of the evening, however, would be the second course. I knew the moment I deciphered Shane’s scribbled words of “pork rillette” and “Vidalia confit”. His rillette was less fatty than Abattoir’s but nevertheless rich, served over a perfectly crisp crostini topped with the sweet yet savory caramelized onions. Candied kumquats provided an additional sweet note that works so well with pork. Just brilliant.

Our entree was a thin slice of top round atop a Ceasar salad. We didn’t love it. My steak was not very tender and I thought the dish was a bit boring after the first two incredible courses. But with the red meat came the red wine….hooray! A 2008 Dolcetta d’Alba.

Dessert was a cheesecake, I believe made with Sweet Grass Dairy chevre, presented in a tiny jar with mascerated strawberries. A spoon would have been the preferred utensil to eat it with but given the circumstances, what the hell. Good but not amazing like the dessert at the Dinner Party B and I attended in February.

For their first BIG event, the boys certainly did an impressive job! But you know, I really wouldn’t expect anything less. Look for photos to be posted on their website and on facebook soon.

www.dinnerpartyatlanta.com

For the second year in a row I ended up at Shaun’s during the Inman Park Festival. Last year I made a reservation. My previous experiences at Shaun’s were not spectacular so I thought this was a prime opportunity for the restaurant to redeem itself, despite the burden of the festival crowds.

I’ve yet to be impressed. In fact, neither last year’s or this year’s visit was nearly as good as my first visit. I remember having the shrimp and grits then, seated in the front room by the bar when it was still used as a dining room. The dish was so incredibly rich that it almost made me nauseous. But it was impossible to deny that the shrimp were perfectly cooked, the flavors were pure Southern comfort, with a stick of butter.

Last year my companion and I, seated in the main dining room opposite the semi-open kitchen, shared the Sardinian flatbread that Doty has become known for since his Mumbo Jumbo days. Basically a huge cracker topped with arugula, cheese and olive oil, with occasional variations. Our flatbread was supposed to have goat cheese but we got parmesan instead….not even a reasonable substitution, but I chalked it up to their being so busy. We also ordered the Berkshire pork buns….sliders with pork. I can’t remember if it was shredded pork but I do remember that they were rather uninspired. Our entrees were so boring I don’t recall them at all. But I do remember the dessert, the sticky toffee pudding. A dry clump of cake doused with a cloying sweet (and I guess sticky) toffee syrup. Just plain bad.

Doty was one of the first young Atlanta chefs to re-introduce diners to liver. After 3 1/2 years in business (I swear it seems like 7) he still serves his chopped liver, East Village style, and the chicken liver fettuccini. I hate chicken liver so I won’t be sampling those dishes, although it is possible that my companion last year ordered the chopped liver, after all, he is a New York Jew.

This year LG and I stopped by purely by chance, hoping to score a table outside for a drink. It took me 20 minutes to get her mojito and my mimosa, but the weather was great and the people watching was entertaining. Promptly at 5:00 we were asked to move, so we took a table in the pretty, yet secluded, back patio. Seated on mod plastic chairs next to a wall of jasmine, the setting was very pleasant.

We ordered a bottle of Lambrusco bianco. Sold out. LG ordered a prosecco and I ordered another Mistral Mimosa. Sold out of anything sparkling. After years of being centrally located during the festival you would think they would have their shit together by now. How about a glass of tempranillo for me and the simply red for LG? Our server inadvertantly switched them, but we figured it out. She had already delivered a delicious sesame bread basket with butter.

It was Sunday which is pasta night at Shaun’s. For a mere $12 guests can dine on salad, pasta, and dessert. Chopped salad with buttermilk dressing, celery, and sprouts and your choice of goat cheese raviolis with wild nettle pesto, rigatoni with organic turkey bolognese, or spaghetti with marinara and pork meatballs. I almost went with the goat cheese raviolis. They did look good at a nearby table.

But instead, I ordered the roasted chicken. The menu description says “Benton’s smoked ham, black trumpet mushrooms, grilled ramps, smoked olive oil”. So I’m thinking it is perhaps a half skin-on roasted chicken with mushrooms and ramps. Uh, no. I asked if the skin was crispy and our server said “well….not really. But I can request that for you”. Bad idea. The chicken was boneless breasts stuffed with the mushrooms and ham served over a huge plate of polenta and turnip greens. WTF? The beige skin on the chicken was mushy….the farthest thing from crispy imaginable.

The overwhelming issue at Shaun’s is the misrepresentation of dishes on the menu. Or rather, unclear descriptions, substitutions, and missing ingredients. There’s just no excuse, really. Shouldn’t the chicken dish be described as “stuffed chicken breast with polenta and turnip greens”? Even the ramps were missing, but delivered in a side dish. They were scallions.

LG’s burger was ordinary. With Doty’s Yeah! Burger opening any day one would think the burger here would be kickass. Not so much. It was a thick hunk of meat on an ordinary bun with ordinary cheese. Even the promise of duck-fat fries fell flat. I can name lots of trendy restaurants with better fries, regardless of the type of fat they are fried in. I’m not looking forward to reviewing his new burger joint which is on my roster for an upcoming issue of Atlanta’s Finest Dining.

What’s good about Shaun’s? Doty is a trend-setter with his gluten-free dinners and an early supporter of Slow Food and Georgia Organics. That’s about it.

The service wasn’t bad. The food wasn’t bad. It’s just consistently mediocre.

Opening a fine dining restaurant during the worst of economic times doesn’t sound like a smart business move, but somehow Pacci has survived and thrived. Perhaps it’s chef Keira Moritz who has gained notoriety and respect among her mostly male peers. Maybe its location in one of several new, trendy midtown hotels brings it the automatic business that hotel restaurants rely on, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to guests.

Or, it could be that it simply kicks ass. It is fairly common knowledge that I rarely eat Italian food. But I acquiesed on this assignment for AFD because I liked that a successful female chef was running the show.

ST and I valeted the HotDishmobile last Friday and walked in to Pacci. There was Geno! How fabulous, I hadn’t seen him since his days at Spice Market. We sat newlywed style on a banquette with a view of the expansive and dark dining room, lit by sets of enormous globes that hung from the high ceiling, shaded by long black fringe. The burgundy velvet and wood tones of the decor are puncuated by light blue and cream jacquard armchairs, one per table. Elegant.

Geno started us out with a couple of specialty bellinis, one with vanilla liqueur and the other with passion fruit. Then he brought out an amuse bouche of butter lettuce with seafood salad, light and fun.

After some discussion, Geno recommended a wine flight for me….a trio of 2007 pinot noirs from Sequana Vineyard, each with a distinct character. I ended up ordering another glass or two of the spicy Dutton Ranch.

The kobe beef carpacio was our first course, dressed with capers, tapenade, and baby arugula. Their bread service was an assortment of crispy wafers, focaccia, and cracker-like bread sticks. Problem with that is, I love authentic Italian bread and would prefer to have that at an Italian restaurant, with sweet butter please.

For our second course ST chose the lobster and butternut squash bisque with creme fraiche. Smooth and creamy, I don’t recall any chunks of lobster but the flavor was rich, reminiscent of she crab soup.

Naturally, I ordered the duck confit. A perfect example of this cooking method, the meat was succulent, falling of the bones, while the skin was super crispy. Served over soft polenta with bits of gorgonzola and blackberry marmalade, it sounds like a foolproof combination. But somehow, the four main components were not integrated. I found the gorgonzola unnecessary and while I do love a sweet accompaniment to duck, perhaps the dish would have been even better with mascerated blackberries. Nevertheless, it was damn awesome.

Eating our way down the menu, next came pastas. ST tried the shrimp fettucini with creamy pancetta sauce, Spring peas, and a soft fried egg on top, a.k.a carbonara. Rich, rich, and delicious. I ordered the sweet potato ravioli (how predictable!). Four raviolis came topped with gorgonzola and speck with brown butter. Rich, rich, and delicious.

More? Yes. The pork chop with fennel, roasted yam, and pomegranate-basil pesto had my name written all over it. One of the best chops I have had in recent memory, very tender. Pesto provided a little Italian flavor, but it was the roasted yams, sliced into thin disks with crispy caramelized edges that were amazing!

ST got the dry aged New York strip, medium, with a side of cannellini beans. Big steak. Good steak. Guess what we had for breakfast….steak and eggs.

Desserts include the quintessential Italian tiramisu and panna cotta, but we opted for the straightforward sweets, chocolate strata and rum bread pudding. I cannot say no to bread pudding! Pastry chef Elizabeth Matheson’s version is baked in its own small casserole dish topped with caramel and a little dollop of vanilla gelato. Personally, I would drizzle the caramel on the hot pudding so it would remain gooey rather than on the cold ice cream, but no matter, it was fabulous. ST’s chocolate strata was a huge slice of chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse, served with vanilla gelato. Pretty presentation, pretty chocolately.

We were stuffed! Despite a couple of minor complaints, Pacci made a great impression on both of us.

866 West Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402

Although I didn’t have the chance to eat moqueca in Brazil last month, I have had it several times at Beleza. It is a simple and delicious curry-like fish stew made with coconut milk. I thought it would make an excellent dish to eat while trying out my uva (black grape) caipirinhas!

Well….the caipirinhas were weird. I’ll have to practice to get them right. But the moqueca was excellent! I combined several recipes, mainly using the one on Whats4Eats, cutting it in half for me and ST.

Here is my version:

3/4 lbs. prawns (12 large of the 16-20 count)
juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red jalapeno, chopped
1 green jalapeno, chopped
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
cilantro (shitload)
black pepper
avocado

Marinate the shrimp in the lime juice and salt for 30 minutes in a glass bowl. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onions until translucent (I used a little of the chicken broth so they wouldn’t get too dark). Add the jalapenos and garlic and saute for another minute or two. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until they soften. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, some cilantro, fresh ground pepper, and shrimp with their marinade. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

The healthy section at Kroger has this awesome instant rice called Annie Chun’s Rice Express. There are three varieties, this time I got the multi-grain sticky rice. (Man, I still miss sticky rice in New York, delivered in plastic wrap.)

Serve the moqueca in a bowl over rice and top with sliced avocado and cilantro. So easy and so delicious! We opened a bottle of cheap tempranillo from Trader Joe’s (I call it “the pig”) since my caipirinhas failed.

Talk about memories. Pura Vida is one of those restaurants that has stood the test of time for me. The scene of many dates, meeting of friends, and countless pitchers of sangria. It was where me and AD used to hang out with a pack of cigarettes back in the day when you could still smoke in public.

Chef and owner Hector Santiago was one of three Atlanta chefs competing on last season’s Top Chef, and although he went home relatively early, it surely garnered him and the restaurant some appreciated publicity.

The menu has undergone many changes over the years. Originally, Puerto Rican tapas dominated, now it is an amalgam of Latin flavors. Some dishes, like the garlicky mushrooms, the malanga root chips, and the chicken empanadas, are mainstays. The hanger steak pinchos is another, although Santiago has revised the presentation. I always order it and it was among the few tapas ST and I shared for a late night dinner Saturday. Chunks of tender steak are skewered and grilled, then drizzled with a punchy cilantro chimichurri.

Another staple is the sangria. Pura Vida serves both white and red, the best in town! The white sangria is full of fruits like pear, grapefruit, and apple while the red has grapes, orange, and apple, all liquor soaked. I always request lots of fruit and eat it out of my glass with a spoon. Our server, Nathan (or was it Andrew?) was efficient and cute.

Since it was ST’s first visit to Pura Vida and, like, my 50th, I wanted him to try some of my favorites. It had been a while since I had the coctel de camerones. The updated version is called diablo shrimp coctel….same basic ingredients of butternut squash, a creamy sauce and a hot sauce. Still awesome.

My all-time favorite dish is the duck maduros, plantains layered with duck meat. Santiago took it off the menu for quite some time, much to my dismay. Then it was back. Now it has evolved into the duck confit with caramelized plantains. OK, can’t complain! It is basically the same flavor as the duck maduros, a lusty combination of gamey duck and sweet plantains.

For a while, chef explored Latino variations on foie gras, creative, expensive, pretty damn good. These days he is back to basics. the little pork and ham sandwiches called mi media noche (midnight snack) and the burrito are prime examples. A few years ago he began offering goat, slow cooked in coconut milk with green banana mash. It is delicious, although the mash could use more flavor.

The atmosphere is festive. I usually enjoy sitting at the bar but it was late so ST and I snuggled in a booth which usually require a reservation, or at least a wait. Thanks Pura Vida for yet another great memory.

656 N. Highland Ave. 404-870-9797 www.puravidatapas.com

For me, the true test at any Mediterranean restaurant is the babaganoush, a traditional dip made with roasted eggplant, tahini, and garlic. It should be smooth with an intense smoky flavor. Naturally, babaganoush was the first thing I ordered for ST and I to share at Truva recently.

Rather than standard pita, Truva makes their own “pida” which was served with the babaganoush. Although texturally pleasing, there just wasn’t quite enough smokiness in the dip for my taste.

The new Turkish restaurant is located in the downtown spot vacated by Steak and Ale. There is a cheap parking lot right next door, so it’s convenient for dinner as well as lunch for local office workers.

A modern Mediterranean decor is made cozy with warm red accents, fireplaces, and plush booths perfect for sneaking a kiss from your date in between sips of wine. Owner Muzo Saritas assisted us in selecting a bottle of wine from their mostly Greek and Turkish list. ST and I ordered a bottle of spicy red although I think we ended up with a Napa cab. Sip, kiss, sip, kiss….delish.

Truva promises to “seduce your senses” with their sexy ambiance and even sexier entertainment. We nibbled on meze as the belly dancer swirled through the dining room in her gold costume to authentic music.

I know Mediterranean food is healthy. No creamy, buttery sauces to mask the robust flavors. Yet somehow, I find it a bit boring. It’s always a combo of the same ingredients…..olives, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Lamb, which can often be tough, dominates the meats. So I usually order something with ground lamb. Here, we tried the hot meze of minced lamb, beef, and herbs wrapped in phyllo dough and flash fried. A fresh salad with all the standard components, including feta cheese, provided a nice accompaniment to the heavy appetizer. So far, not thrilling.

But Truva’s shrimp casserole was awesome! Huge, perfectly cooked shrimp were baked with peppers, onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes beneath a bubbly mozzarella topping. Honestly, I would not have ordered it had the menu mentioned the tomatoes since I have an aversion to seafood with tomatoes (otherwise I love them, weird huh?), but that would have been a shame….we loved it!

Truva offers the standard selection of meze like grape leaves and falafel plus flatbread pizzas, kebabs, and entrees. Me and ST tried the lamb kebab, similar to kefta I’ve had many times, made with chopped lamb, peppers, onions, and paprika, skewered and grilled. Their version was enormous! Almost a loaf and served atop plain rice, the flavor was good although I wish it would have been a bit spicier. We also got the tender and flavorful beef tenderloin kebabs, cooked medium rare.

Our server, Joseph, was full of Turkish trivia, dispensed with a thick accent. He ran down the list of desserts. We chose the Kazandibi, a dense custard, reminiscent of flan, sprinkled liberally with cinnamon.

ST ordered a Turkish coffee. Potent stuff, it was served in a tiny espresso cup. Joseph explained that one’s future can be read from the pattern left by the grinds by turning the cup over onto its saucer. Unfortunately, the psychic that is usually there was absent the evening of our visit. Too bad, I’m sure it would have been a dramatic reading for ST!

Truva is located at 60 Andrew Young International Blvd. 404-577-8788 www.truvaatlanta.com

Yes, I know. Red Lobster, not what you’d expect from me. Oh well, here’s the deal….we used to go to fancy restaurants in Chattanooga for Christmas Eve, get lobster and steak. It was awesome!

When I was a kid there was a “Red Lobster phase” when we would go there every Friday night. I was about eight or nine. It was their heyday and there was always a long wait in the lobby. My Mom might have a mai tai while we waited….how 1977!

Over the last five or six years Red Lobster has become a Christmas Eve tradition with us, out of simplicity, familiarity, and ease. It is close to my parents’ house near Chattanooga and they really aren’t all about fanciness, so we go to Red Lobster, just like old times.

Even when I was a kid, they would let me get crab legs or lobster if I wanted. Heck, I’m an only child, why not! These days we start off with some salad and try not to eat too many of the addictive garlic cheese biscuits before the seafood arrives. No appetizers, my folks don’t fuck around. They order fish with no butter and sauces on the side. I, on the other hand, have my baked potato with butter and sour cream.

Me and Mom get the Caesar salad, but with raspberry vinaigrette on the side. There’s no iceberg on the Caesar as opposed to the house salad which my Dad unfortunately ordered. Me and Dad drank Miller Lites (the champagne of the trailer park).

This year I had the grilled trio of Maine lobster, a skewer of shrimp, and sea scallops….all perfectly cooked and served over rice pilaf. I substituted a baked potato but it came with both. My Dad had the rock lobster, shrimp scampi, and grilled shrimp.

My Mom ordered a strange combination of seafood jambalaya, shrimp scampi, and bacon wrapped bbq scallops. OK, I’m not sure what she was thinking but jamabalaya is made with andouille sausage. Plus, it was in a cream sauce rather than tomato based (which was a bit odd) but she was expecting a more authentic dish. Of course the bacon on the scallops was not well-done and to top it off, the scallops were served on top of shoestring fried onion rings…..a grease pit! I ate them.

As always, we scarfed the garlic cheese biscuits with our salads and Dad commented on how honey would be delicious on them. Disgusted with this idea, me and Mom make faces and explain why garlic and honey are, well, disgusting together.

After dinner, we go home to open gifts. These days stocking stuffers and cash are the norm, plus culinary treats, care of moi. This year I brought an almond flavored champagne and Babette’s dried cherry tart. Plus, Sweet Grass Dairy’s Thomasville Tomme, Humboldt Fog and Taleggio, and dried figs for snacking for Christmas Day. And a couple of bottles of Lambrusco and a bottle of Shiraz for me.

Red Lobster. What to say? They use enough garlic to ward away vampires for the rest of the year and enough butter to single-handedly add your holiday 5 to the scale. But after 30ish years of experience, they do know how to cook a lobster!