Hot Dish Review

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

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

The expectations that come with a name like Tantra are hard to ignore….dining there would be a sensual experience. But just how sexy can food be? Sure, there would be raw oysters and cocktails with tantilizing names like the Forbidden Fruit. The space was dimly lit, as expected. Red velvet banquettes and chairs….check. Kama Sutra-esque artwork….check. The atmosphere was adequately sultry.

LC joined me, seated at a table in the main dining room. I was hoping for a secluded booth, perhaps with curtains, so we could feed each other succulent morsels in privacy. Starting off with specialty cocktails, I tried the Gigi, a bubbly drink made of prosecco, Gran Marnier, and blood orange juice, while he ordered a drink called Exuding, Stoli Vanilla mixed with almond milk and cinnamon. Both were yummy.

The internationally inspired menu by chef Terry Dwyer features middle Eastern flavors and spiced up American classics. LC and I started with three appetizers. Paneer and mushy pea samosas with a cilantro yogurt sauce were tasty but not quite as good as the delish chicken version at Spice Market.

He also got the short smoked salmon rolls with basil, mint, cilantro, and arugula. Their phallic shape was the sexiest part of the dish. LC enjoyed them but I thought the salmon was a little fishy.

More foreplay came in the form of foie gras. I’m in love with it. Seared and served with pear and quince chutney, brioche, and sauterne-saffron gelee, the piece was large enough to be duck rather than goose. That’s OK. I revisited my old habit of requesting a handful of undressed field greens with it to balance the richness of the foie gras. Noticing that many of their dishes contained mint, I specified only greens, no mint. However, the dreaded herb was mixed in among the greens. Nonetheless, it was my favorite dish of the evening, every rich bite matched with a sweet bit of chutney. I was particularly impressed that the brioche was dry and crisp, not greasy like it so often can be. The removal of the mint leaves was an easy task that hardly detracted from my enjoyment.

I switched up my drink to red wine as we awaited our two entrees. Basil caramelized scallops came with golden potato puree as did the strip steak, so we substituted mushroom-herb polenta with the scallops to avoid being redundant. The scallops were nicely seared but overly salty. They also came with ginger braised collard greens. Although slightly undercooked, their flavor was awesome.

The steak was cooked to the correct temperature but didn’t melt in my mouth. It required more chewing than I would have liked. Asparagus and potato puree alongside were not noteworthy.

Other entrees include chili seared Hawaiian tuna and pan roasted seabass. There isn’t anything inherently sexy about either of these dishes, but maybe if a hot guy is buying it for you it’ll turn you on.

We chose another side, the sauteed okra, to share. It would have been more sensual to feed them to each other by hand but that may have drawn unwanted attention so we ate them with our forks. We both loved this dish.

Ending on a sweet note, we sampled the ice cream sandwich…. orange honey and rosemary ice cream nestled between two chewy molasses spiced cookies. Unfortunately, the nutmeg and cloves in the cookies overpowered the subtle flavors of the ice cream.

2285 Peachtree Road 404-228-7963

One of my most popular posts…..and our dinner last night!This pizza-like tarte has developed a cult following among Trader Joe’s customers. It rocks! Imagine a crispy French pastry topped with ham, sweet caramelized onions, and gruyere cheese. Despite the thinness of the crust, it is fatty at 600 calories for the whole deal.

Split it with your lover with some salad for a lighter dinner. Or eat the whole damn thing yourself! I usually pair it with a bottle of Lambrusco, also from Trader Joe’s….a light, sparkling red wine from Italy (watch for upcoming post!).

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

Months following our first visit to The Sound Table, B and I stopped in for a late dinner after our official Christmas celebration….yes, two weeks late. We chatted with owner Darren Carr, then took the only table available to find an (almost) entirely revamped menu, due to new chef Brendan Keenan. Chef Shane Devereux developed the original menu with lots of Asian influences but is now spending more time at Top Flr.

A few original items remain such as the popular Oaxacan hanger steak and Spatchcock grilled chicken, most likely because they have cool names (LOL!). Seriously, the steak is killer. Me and B could not resist its tender temptation, pairing it with Brussels sprouts. At Darren’s suggestion we tried the sunchoke puree. A new dish, the grilled quail, also got my attention. We decided to split the four.

They closed the upstairs dining room early so this would be our first time eating downstairs. I really like the minimalist space. We started with a glass of red wine each, B choosing the better of the two, then laughed about the Christmas gifts we exchanged earlier in the evening as we waited for food to arrive.

A small square cast-iron dish was delivered, full of Brussels sprouts roasted with shallots, Benton’s bacon, and sherry vinegar. Damn. Who would have thought that Brussels sprouts could be orgasmic? As good at Top Flr’s, no doubt.

We ordered our steak medium rare, and like last time, it was on the rare side. Arbol chili marinated, and served resting in a pool of pico de gallo, there is no shortage of flavor here.

The grilled quail, however, was an odd bird indeed. Puzzling how it was listed under salads. Three slices of the quail’s leg and thigh were devoid of skin and served on a crispy grits cake that was substantial yet somewhat flavorless. Wilted greens alongside looked and tasted like bok choy and a sauce described as pomegranite balsamic wasn’t much more than a smattering of seeds. The sum of the parts was less than I expected.

Sunchoke puree sounded like an offbeat dish that would elicit oohs and ahhs much like Miller Union’s farm egg in celery cream. The poached egg was there but that’s where the similarity ends. There was a strange aftertaste that reminded me of dishwater, but B didn’t seem to notice. Perhaps it was the earthiness of the roasted mushrooms?

This new menu shares a lot of common ground with Top Flr’s quirky small plate concept yet lacks that definitive wow factor. One thing’s for sure, music is still on the menu. They were crankin’ up the funk as we were checking out.

483 Edgewood Avenue 404-835-2534

Few restaurants, other than those in hotels, serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That degree of service seems daunting if not a tad overly ambitious. Some restaurants, like Serpas for instance, add brunch after a successful year of dinner service.

Not so for Hugh Acheson of Empire State South. Having gained notoriety in Athens for his farm fresh menus at Five and Ten and The National, his much anticipated Atlanta debut kicked off with three squares a day. I joined BB there for lunch on Friday to discuss his upcoming project and share a bit of industry gossip.

Located on the ground floor of the 999 Peachtree building, the space includes a quaint courtyard with bocce ball. Inside, the space is painted a deep shade of blue with wood floors, accented with brown leather banquettes and rustic country-style light fixtures….modern Southern, like the food.

I wasn’t planning to drink at lunch but very little arm-twisting was required before I was inquiring about the character of each red wine offered by the glass. We settled on a glass of the Branham cab and another of the Le Paradou grenache/syrah blend.

A little jar of pork rillette was a good match with the wine, however I found the toast too greasy. All three of the people seated at the table adjacent to ours had ordered “Super-food”, a silly name for a weird combination of hanger steak, beets, pistachios, wheatberries with feta, roasted Winter squash, mixed local beans and peas, and dressed radishes, all served on a bed of local lettuces. My bet was that BB would follow suit.

Initially he was leaning toward the arugula salad but in the end, I won the bet. Predictably, I ordered the crisp duck leg confit under the heading “Meat and Three”. Next to the heading the menu directs diners to pick two sides and a daily bread. The sides of the day were not thrilling. I was hoping for some preparation of sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts but none were offered. I chose the collards with ham hock and wheatberries with feta-cranberry.

My duck confit and sides arrived with an enormous slab of Texas toast. I had neglected to choose a “daily bread” because there wasn’t a list of breads on the menu, but I assure you I wouldn’t have chosen this one, so dense it was closer to pound cake than bread.

I was quite pleased with my duck leg, its exceedingly tender meat falling off the bone beneath the mostly crispy skin. I love the toothsome quality of wheatberries. These were served warm, dotted with semi-sweet cranberries. Feta was MIA on my plate, but BB’s wheatberries were topped with a good bit of it.

Then there were the collards, perhaps the best I’ve ever had. Having grown up in the South, that is quite a statement. Rich with chunks of ham, there was a subtle smokiness and a distinct tang of vinegar. Just damn perfect.

BB enjoyed his hanger steak, cooked medium, and the accompanying beets in particular. The steak was nice but my favorite thing on his plate were the dressed watermelon radishes, much like the paper-thin sliced assortment at Miller Union.

Other meats on offer were an airline chicken breast, grilled pork loin, and a pan roasted Carolina trout. Fingerling potatoes, field peas with rice and fennel-apple slaw rounded out the selection of sides.

We ordered two more glasses of wine, intentially confusing which was which, sipping each in turn. I requested a dessert menu, despite seeing an unappetizing slice of red velvet cake on a table nearby. You may already know how I feel about cake so suffice it to say I would not order anything who’s flavor is a color. Sure, red velvet cake is as Southern as fried pie but one would think Acheson’s love of natural and organic produce might discourage his pastry chef Chris Marconi from putting a dessert on the menu that relies on unnatural food coloring. Other sweets included bourbon pecan pie and a buttermilk chess tart that might have been good if we had more time.

Empire State South joins Atlanta’s new breed of restaurants who’s menus evolve with the seasons. If you like that trend, you’re gonna like ESS.

We tried to go to Sound Table. Really, we did. But our friend CL was out of sorts and swore I said Top Flr. So, of course, that is where we ended up.

It was late-ish and I was hungry-ish. B and I made our entrance, said our hellos, and quickly ordered some wine. Quick, however, wasn’t the manner of delivery. It wasn’t N’s fault, all of the glasses were dirty. My lack of patience made the wait seem like forever but it was probably only ten minutes.

Once we each had a glass of Bordeaux, we were ready to order food. The roasted chicken and kimchee plate at Taste of Atlanta had me craving the actual dish. B decided on the pappardelle, the current version with mushrooms. Both of us love Brussels sprouts so we had the Brussels au gratin and the irresistible mac ‘n’ cheese on the side.

As is often the case, seated at the bar, meals at Top Flr become a communal experience. Folks show up, pull up a chair and by the end of the evening you’ve sampled food from friends and strangers alike.

PLB was there with his awesome wife J. JM was running the show. O popped in and joined us, ordering the mouthwatering duck confit pizza. Our entrees and smoldering sides came. My chicken was a tiny little thing, more like a Cornish game hen, however, the portion was rather large. Its crispy brown skin covered the succulent dark meat (did I have three leg quarters?) atop a soy reduction, paired with perfectly spicy kimchee made with Brussels sprouts.

The other preparation of Brussels sprouts, gratin with bacon, cream and fennel was one of the most amazing dishes I’ve had in recent memory. O took a bite and said “I got a big chunk of pork and it was goooooood!” I commented to Dinner Party sommelier JD who was working the bar that I could eat a bowl of it for breakfast and he concurred.

B’s pappardelle was the very definition of comfort food, rich and earthy with chanterelle, oyster, and lobster mushrooms in a creamy truffle jus. The simplicity of the pappardelle belies the hours of labor it takes to make it in-house. It is easy for diners to take the flawless pasta for granted.

An acquaintance of O’s was seated an few stools down from me and we got to chatting about our mutual love of food. Later he offered me a taste of his roasted squash.

My least favorite dish of the evening was the mac ‘n’ cheese. It was a little drier than usual. O shared his duck confit pizza which was as decadent and delicious as ever.

Sound Table, sorry we stood you up. We’ll be back soon, I promise!

674 Myrtle Street 404-685-3110

Dinner Party Atlanta did it again, hosting a dinner for nearly 40 guests at the Atlanta Ballet’s new space on Marietta Boulevard. BB and I arrived just as DC was lighting candles, placing them strategically along the mirrored wall of a rehearsal studio.

Dramatic lighting set the stage for an eventful evening, but there was plenty of drama on our way to the venue. BB and his driver, Warren, picked me up after a frenzied day at work. After a few moments enroute I realized the ribbon ties on my dress were loose. Numerous attempts to tighten it produced the opposite result, finally proving futile as the ribbon was broken. I re-laced it in the dark and secured it at the shoulder by turning my head nearly backwards, Linda Blair style. Disaster averted!

I breathed a sigh of relief, rummaging through my bag for my powder compact. It wasn’t there. Sonofabitch. Pulling into the venue’s parking lot, Warren dropped us off and sprang into action, memorizing the brand and color of powder I needed, then delivering it tout de suite.

Greeted with a deceptively light rum cocktail, KC showed us the space. One long table ran the length of the dark room, set with a black tablecloth, white napkins, and lots of glasses sparkling in the candlelight. Across the hall a group of little girls danced their hearts out.

In a perfectly choreographed dance of food and wine, the meal began with a shot of bright yellow pepper soup. Suspended by a spear of asparagus above the liquid was a crispy crab beignet. A glass of Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Reserve from Austria started the wine service, expertly chosen by sommelier John Dirga.

The second course was a tuna-less Nicoise salad constructed of haricots verts, fingerling potatoes confit, organic lettuces, and a tiny hard boiled quail egg, the salad paired nicely with a crisp white from France.

Third, we were served a dish of chilled pickled Georgia shrimp topped with ribbons of cucumber and daikon radish. There was a drizzle of egglant-miso puree beneath the shrimp and a couple of cubes of watermelon, making it seem more like a Summer dish. As a cucumber hater I quickly removed the offensive bits and proceed to enjoy the huge shrimp and the garlic croustini that was served alongside. Some folks do not care for sweet wines, but I loved the German spatlese riesling paired with this course. Blame it on my heritage!

Chef Shane Devereux doesn’t produce generous servings, but rather concise compositions, each component playing its roll providing texture, color, flavor. The main course on October 29th was a perfect example. Venison loin was first marinated in black mission fig puree and sherry vinegar, then cooked to a deep scarlet rare. The result was exceedingly tender meat, sliced into thin medallions and placed on a brightly hued carrot puree, accented with crispy chanterelle mushrooms (OK, I thought it was onions but the menu said mushrooms) and the odd addition of crunchy granola. A dish fit for Fall and the only course that merited a red wine, a dry blend from France.

Dessert was a rustic seckle pear tart accompanied by a dollop of salted creme, a fantastic contrast. A dessert white from Portugal finished the show.

Not only did we enjoy an amazing meal prepared by chef Shane Devereux, we were all part of the culinary rat pack’s pilot for a new reality series on NBC. Filming was so discrete that diners may have been unaware that it was taking place.

Afterwards, we all headed to The Sound Table where Dam Funk tore it up! I danced off the entire meal and then some.

It’s been a while since I attended one of these food and wine free-for-alls. Last Thursday night was the fifth annual (and my first) Aqua Vino at the Georgia Aquarium which, as far as I could tell, was to benefit the Georgia Aquarium. LC and his family were all in attendance.

Held in the Oceans Ballroom and surrounding galleries, attendees dressed in semi-formal attire were surrounded by enormous fish tanks as they tasted tiny dishes and tried wines from domestic and international wineries and distributors.

Seems the idea is to race around and eat a sample of every mini dish offered while swilling as many wines from as many vendors as possible. It can be rather disconcerting to hear the comments from the uncultured masses as they ponder why they are being served such miniscule amounts of wine or why there is a bucket of “excess wine” on each table. Excess wine? Hell, that’s not possible!

Not everyone can be lumped into the aforementioned category, however. This event draws its share of wine snobs, foodies, and industry folks that come to schmooze. As for me, I kinda like grazing. It’s the same concept as tapas, where diners can try a variety of tastes without commiting to one big entree, just on a much more outlandish scale.

Many local restaurants participate and it must rather redundant after a while with as many as a dozen of these “tasting” events held each year, particularly in the Fall.

One restaurant with a table at Aqua Vino was Livingston. Having taken over the kitchen from Gary Mennie, his former sous chef Zeb Stevenson was dishing up a savory spoonful of lamb topped with a salad of dried fruits and pistachios, instantly calling to mind the Moroccan spiced duck that was my favorite dish at the now defunct Globe. It was served with a spicy yogurt sauce and a similar pairing of dried fruits and pistachios.

Just as I was chewing a big chunk of tender, spicy and truly delicious beef from Eclipse di Luna, Zeb spotted me, ran around to the front of his station and gave me a big hug. Ahhh….I miss hanging out at the bar at Livingston with B and Zeb. We’re gonna have to do that real soon!

Another favorite bite was the simple duck confit, goat cheese mousse, and honeyed figs on lavosh presented by Peasant Bistro. Their menu features a few dishes that spark my interest like the pork chop with corn bread pudding, the duck breast with chocolate balsamic jus and blackberry gastrique, and the parsnip and carrot ravioli appetizer…..yum!

Many restaurants served tiny versions of their signature dishes like Dogwood’s grits with various toppings or the mini desserts from Seasons 52 (actual size!), while others such as New York Prime showcased their macaroni and cheese and a chocolate dessert rather than steak….guess that would have been a costly tidbit.

Conclusion? You can dress a pig in finery and feed it truffles and champagne but at the end of the day, it’s gonna go back to it’s regular trough….LOL.

Next weekend is Taste of Atlanta, where they charge extra for additional “taste tickets” so festival goers pay for their gluttony with more than mere heartburn and weight gain. See you all there!