Hot Dish Review

The Dinner Party Atlanta guys never fail to surprise, with their ingenius locations and young culinary talents coming together to create a dining experience unique to our city. In one evening they turn a bare space, warehouse, or penthouse, into the most desired of destinations, a clandestine event only twenty to thirty lucky folks are invited to attend. Imagine opening a restaurant in just one day. That’s what Darren, Patrick, and their kickass staff do almost every other week!

Last Friday was my third Dinner Party event, this one in the partners’ potential new restaurant space, with their new chef, Julia LeRoy, preparing the five course meal. Very appropriate considering my dining companion was BB, another restaurateur on the verge of opening his place in Brookhaven. Two tables draped in white ran the length of the spacious patio. The weather was absolutely perfect for dining al fresco.

Shane Devereux of Top Flr and Sound Table is often the chef of such affairs, but he was out of town, giving the guys the perfect opportunity to showcase LeRoy’s skills.

After a minor snafu with cocktails, service was flawless the rest of the evening.

Her approach is simple and seasonal, with a focus on home-grown produce and humanely raised animals. Our first course was a chicken rillette, served in a little Mason jar and topped with a pickled vegetable and cilantro salad. Much less fatty than most rillettes, it was a solid starter. Only issue….rillette is generally served with bread. A rustic piece toast on which to spread the rillette would have elevated it to a ten.

John Dirga did a brilliant job with the wine pairings, his first not a wine at all but a sparkling ale, Cooper’s from Adelaide, Australia. A perfect match with the vinegary punch of the pickles.

A salad of watercress and baby radish was dressed with a buttermilk dressing featuring small chunks of a creamy feta made locally by Decimal Place Farm, perhaps even from the very goat that LeRoy milked a few months ago! A refreshing sauvignon blanc complimented the simple greens.

Butternut squash bisque displayed a vibrant flavor and color, unadorned except for a drizzle of olive oil. Dirga chose a crisp, light albarino from Spain. I think the squash could have stood up to a red, maybe a pinot noir? Truth is, I was tiring of whites, to hell with pairing.

Leroy’s main course was an outrageously juicy roasted pork tenderloin. The meat’s pinkish color was mirrored in the accompanying stewed pink eyed peas. Roasted baby turnips and braising greens provided a slightly bitter contrast. A cab franc from the Loire Valley in France was less dry than I expected, having been decanted prior to service. Lovely.

An Alsatian gewurtztraminer set the stage for a creative dessert, highlighting a variety of textures and temperatures. LeRoy prepared a homey blueberry Betty, topped with toasted bread crumbs and bits of chewy crystallized ginger, then a dollop of pear sorbet that was pure fruit.

Everyone chatted, exchanging cards and laughs. You never know who you might meet and what kind of business deals can be struck at a Dinner Party!

After racing home from work to meet B Thursday evening, the two of us hopped in the HotDishMobile, dressed in our hot pants and halters, to check out my good friend BH’s party at his boutique.

A little free cheap red wine and catching up with old friends like RD and LB was fun, then we were on our way to our regular haunt, Top Flr, for a bite to eat and a lot more wine, of the not-so-cheap variety.

Our friend CL was outside with one of the owners, JM and his wife. I needed a drink so I sat at the bar inside and ordered a glass of red, a blend I recognized from my trip to the Priorat region of Spain.

The bar at Top Flr can be a communal experience. B was still outside visiting with JM and CL so I was left to chat with my neighbors, on their first date and things weren’t going too well. He gave me a bite of his duck….great flavor but the skin isn’t rendered, leaving a pretty thick layer of raw fat.

Having skipped a proper dinner, I was thinking I would order my usual mussels in coconut soy broth. There are perhaps only two or three dishes on Top Flr’s menu that I have not tried. Although Shane makes changes to dishes based upon seasonal availability of produce, much of it is static, which is quite alright with me. It’s nice to know you can count on the mussels or mac & cheese when the craving strikes.

On Thursday, however, there were a couple of new items, one of them taken straight out of my culinary wet dream….duck confit, stewed figs, and frissee. Shut the f*ck up! I decided to try the other new dish as well, quinoa with tomatoes. The salad was awesome but the quinoa was dry and a little boring, most of it eaten by the crazy dude next to me….with his fingers.

About that time B checked out. A chick named Anna took her seat to my left and we eventually decided to split a dessert, bread pudding with pan-fried bananas. I’m not a fan of banana desserts so the fruit was thankfully not incorporated into the pudding itself, but rather, served on the side.

Next up, three guys from Chicago in town for business. The concierge at The Georgian Terrace recommended Top Flr….a surprising response given the restaurant’s underground vibe. On my second glass of wine, I was more than happy to offer my opinion on what they should order to eat, despite the fact that they had already eaten dinner.

White bean hummus, the mussels, and duck confit pizza are three of Top Flr’s standout dishes. The guys ordered all three, and two of the pizzas.

Drizzled with chili oil and served with crisped pita, the hummus is fragrant and slightly spicy. A tiny dish of olives on the side adds a salty note. The mussels rest in a dreamy broth, redolent of coconut milk, soy, and fresh cilantro. A huge chunk of crusty bread comes alongside for dunking. Duck confit, applewood smoked bacon, portobello mushrooms, pesto, and gooey melted cheese top a flavorful hand-tossed pizza crust….absolute comfort food.

Seated in the middle of the group, I gleefully helped myself to some of everything. About half of one of the pizzas ended up going home with me, making a scrumptious lunch the next day.

And for dinner I would be attending a Dinner Party at the guy’s potential new space, with their new chef! More on that tomorrow….

After the longest day of my life last Thursday, I was on my way home when I got a call from BB to meet him at Bocado. Having already had a glass or two of wine, I couldn’t refuse the offer for a cap on my nightcap.

Some places do one or two things really well, becoming known for a signature dish. Bocado is a prime example. Their “stacks”, sandwiches piled high with all kinds of deliciousness, are what keep folks coming back, and also explains the restaurant’s monicker which is Portuguese for “mouthful”. If I want a fried green tomato and pimento cheese sandwich, I go to Bocado.

Their combo of roasted poblanos, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, and bacon on grilled sourdough is awesome. The ingredients are stacked, some warm, some cool, so that the cheese just begins to melt. It is served with a satisfying tomato bisque. Honestly, I would never have ordered this sandwich if I hadn’t read so many great reviews. I’ve also had the burger stack which has won many fans around town, including being voted Best Burger by Creative Loafing’s staff in their recent “Best Of” issue. It is served with flawless fries, dipped in mayo.

Beer and wine selections are smarter than smart. Bocado has great neighborhood appeal. But the truth is I rarely have the craving for that specific sandwich and it is the only thing I’ve eaten there that commands a repeat performance. And if I wanted a burger I would go to YEAH! Burger right around the corner.

There are plenty of other items on their menu and, admittedly, I’ve only tried about half of them (which is enough, right?). The big plates, with combinations like pork with borlotti beans and carrots and flatiron steak with potato puree and turnips, just don’t turn me on.

Seated at the bar I ordered a glass of red wine, a zin I believe. BB was on his second glass. It was already near 10pm, a bit late for a calorie-dense sandwich, so we chose a couple of small plates, the deviled eggs and crab fritters.

BB had already ordered the Brussels sprouts for us to snack on, a small plate that I rather enjoyed the first time. The petite veggies are halved, complimented by capers, tiny croutons, and shaved parmesan with a definitive vinegary bite. Their flavor rocks, just wish they were cooked a bit longer to smooth out the bitterness of the Brussels. BB likes them al dente, so no complaints from him.

Crab fritters, the fried and less classy cousin to the crab cake, were served with a corn and pepper salad and aioli that tasted pretty much like tartar sauce. Fishy fried balls. Not my thing.

Deviled eggs were much better, their creamy yolk filling topped with crisped bits of prosciutto. But the serving of five is a bit curious. On offer for dessert? Three types of cake, I kid you not. Neither of us like cake so there was a resounding “no thanks!”

Once again, I enjoyed the atmosphere and service at Bocado, but for me, the menu lacks that something special that would catapult it from ordinary to extraordinary.

Photos courtesy of BB

Home cooked meals don’t have to be all home cooked. It’s not the ’60′s anymore honey, we got jobs now!

A couple of years ago I met Sandra Lee, the queen of semi-homemade, at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami. Rumor has it she’s a little on the wild side. Some of her autrocities were clearly concocted while tripping like the now-infamous Kwanzaa Celebration Cake.

Regardless, using some store bought parts is just smart cooking. So when recently planning a home cooked dinner for a friend I decided to use Sandra’s strategy.

I put together a lovely spread of cheeses and accompaniments to nibble on as the appetizer, perfect with a bottle of Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend.

A rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods would be the centerpiece with baked sweet potatoes and fried green tomatoes on the side. Obviously the only thing I had to do with the sweet potatoes was to wrap them in foil, leaving the bulk of the real cooking for the green tomatoes.

You might think the chicken requires no work but that would be incorrect. My complaint with Whole Foods rotisserie chickens is that they are often missing lots of skin which is the best part! If the skin is intact it is soggy, not crispy. What can you expect when it’s getting all steamed up inside a bag? So I always put the bird under the broiler for a bit to make the skin crispy.

Thankfully, this was my third batch of fried green tomatoes. Even after having most of the bottle of wine, I found my technique fool-proof.

It wasn’t the prettiest meal but it was really delicious. The chicken’s skin was intact (until I got my hands on it!), and the sweet potatoes were a wonderful sweet and buttery counterpart to the tangy fried green tomatoes.

So do like Sandra says and “Keep it simple, keep it smart, and always keep it semi-homemade!” Then do like Sandra does and have a cocktail.

Sweet name. It conjures up images of vintage furniture, doilies and Southern charm. Makes me think of little old ladies sipping mint juleps on their verandas in the stuffy heat of Savannah. Chef Ron Eyester, who had been with Food 101 for several years, took over their defunct location in the Virginia Highlands with his own project, calling it Rosebud.

However, there is nothing vintage about Eyester’s place. His tagline is local folks, kind flavors, reinventing American classic dishes with a strong emphasis on creating a sense of neighborhood. I had no idea they were doing such a brisk business, but on Saturday night at 7pm, they were on a 45 minute wait for a four-top. The place was buzzing.

No worries, our foursome was ready to enjoy some cocktails and get better aquainted. LC and his friend R, and B and I, spontaneously chose Rosebud for dinner as the two gentlemen had already stopped there for a pre-dinner drink.

Most of us opted for red wine, the smooth Powers Pinot Noir I believe, and stationed ourselves at a tiny bar table, poised to pounce on the larger table beside us as soon as they paid.

I ordered the warm mushroom and country ham bruschetta for us to share while we waited. Served over thickly sliced white toast, a medley of mushrooms were woodsy, their texture almost meaty. Chunks of ham made the dish swoon-worthy.

Our server brought out bread and butter with our wine. The bread would have been great if it had been heated in the oven, but it was room temperature making for a chewy instead of crisp crust. Rather than sweet cream butter, theirs was soft, yellow and salty, reminding me of margarine. Was it?

The guys had ordered some eggplant chips with blue cheese and the tuna appetizer on their first visit so they weren’t too hungry. We shared the scallops to start. Two big ones resting in a vanilla-sage apple butter were lightly seared, leaving the centers cooked just to medium. Like my Dad, I usually prefer shellfish thoroughly cooked but these were so good I couldn’t complain.

Me and LC also shared an entree called “Dude, it’s a salad!”. A sirloin burger, cooked a perfect medium, was served on a big bed of chopped iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, all dressed with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Just what it sounds like. Not bad, dude.

Then there was B’s trout. My fork ventured across the table at her invitation, sampling the delicate fish and tasty whipped potatoes with grain mustard. Brussels sprouts that surrounded the fish were totally undercooked, saved only slightly be the bacon they were cooked with. Only other complaint was the skin on the fish….I’m just not a fan of it.

We polished off a bottle of the Powers and ordered one dessert to share, the cherry bread pudding. Served with vanilla ice cream, it was very well executed, not overly sweet which so often ruins bread pudding.

A few menu items have a Southern accent like the wild Georgia shrimp and grits and the crispy Mississippi catfish, also served with grits. They also do brunch. But Rosebud is mostly regular food for regular folks. Not too fancy, not too expensive, but certainly competent and worth a visit.

1397 North Highland Avenue 404-347-9747

Friday was my first TV appearance for Hot Dish Review! Having just celebrated a year of blogging, I was thrilled to be asked to do a segment on CBS Atlanta’s 4:00 news hour about inexpensive girls’ night out ideas.

Still in my studio make-up, B met me at Abattoir for a toast to my on-air interview. Arriving first, I was offered a seat at the bar by a kind gentleman. BS poured a glass of red while I waited. It was a hot day so I was thinking champagne or a refreshing white. Everyone’s talking about vinho verde these days so I asked for a taste. Light, clear, boring. BS was right, of course. I stuck with the red.

Seated beneath the famous bulb with the slaughterhouse hook, I snapped a couple of photos. Take a closer look and you’ll see a pair of rubber chickens in the rafters…..hilarious!

B arrived and we proceeded to chat and drink. Cheers! Yes, the hours leading up to the interview with Kim Fettig were nerve-jangling but once I was on set I had about two minutes to clip on my microphone and figure out how to weave the contraption between my blouse and cardigan to hide the wire.

A light dinner was in order. We ordered two cheeses, a goat and a blue, served with the perfect accompaniments of nuts and jams. Regretably, I can’t remember the fruits….fig perhaps? Maybe the other was apricot? As always, the baguette was crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a dish of unsalted butter. So simple. It’s amazing how most restaurants can’t even get this right. Quatrano always does.

B insisted on getting the fried chicken livers. I hate liver. When I was a kid I would cry when my Mom made liver. Regardless, they looked pretty and photographed well so I took a bite. At first the crispy coating had me fooled. I thought they were good, then I realized they tasted like….chicken livers. Funny how I love foie gras!

I ordered the babaganoush. It came with wafer thin toasted flatbread, a tiny jar of chutney, and another jar of pickled vegetables. The babaganoush was smooth and sublime, but not as smoky as I like, although the sweet chutney and vinegary veggies added another dimension to the dish that made it memorable.

As we finished off the bottle of wine I contemplated dessert options. There is always temptation at Abattoir.

1170 Howell Mill Road 404-892-3335

This place has great buzz. Over the years I have perused Haven’s menu online, salivating over a pork dish here, a salad there, and many of the small plates. So, it seemed the perfect place for PG and I to dine during her visit from LA. We both like to sample several dishes, tapas style.

However, upon examining the online menu earlier today, I realized the seasonal changes had eliminated my favorite accompaniments of sweet potato and fig (Ok, that’s not entirely true, figs and pecans garnish the bacon wrapped trout). Gone was the salad with goat cheese and frissee. Still, I had hope. Its convenient location and my relentless curiosity sealed our fate. We threw on our party dresses and headed to Haven.

The space mirrors the design of almost every modern Atlanta restaurant that’s opened in the last five or six years. Warm lighting, exposed brick, and dark wood were not unique but undeniably inviting. Reminded me a bit of The Shed at Glenwood. Haven is surely a definitive trendsetter in Brookhaven.

There is something to be said for consistency. Chef Stephen Herman has run the kitchen since the restaurant’s opening in 2003, drawing a loyal neighborhood following that has embraced his fresh, earthy approach, with a subtle Southern accent.

It was Friday night. Prime time, but there was one table available, near the semi-open kitchen, upon our unreserved arrival. The dining room was busy, the staff in absolute control. In fact, the service was completely on point.

PG ordered a glass of 14 Hands Merlot and I got an old favorite, the Dynamite Cab, $9 each. The wine list isn’t terribly creative, including recognizable names like Trefethen, Steele, and La Crema. Idiot proof.

We were all ready to be disappointed. Not finding a single item on the small plates list that intrigued us, PG and I opted for entrees. After much questioning of our ever-patient server, she finally chose the halibut. Being the duck junkie that I am, I was leaning towards ordering the bird. I asked if the skin was crispy and our server said the magic words “the fat is rendered, then the skin is pan-seared and crisped”. Bingo!

A basket of bread with sweet unsalted butter, good wine, great conversation. Dining with PG is always fun…two pisces food snobs!

Our entrees came out and they were lovely. Her thick chunk of halibut was served in a tomato water with local squash and a bean salad. Very light and summery. There was only a mere hint of tomato in the broth. A drizzle of pesto gave the mild fish a necessary dash of flavor.

My Sonoma duck breast was cooked medium and sliced thinly, fanned out around its accompanying braised red cabbage and brandied cherries. Almost German-style, the red cabbage imparted a hint of sweetness that works so well with duck. And the brandied cherries (brandied cherries!) made this one of my favorite duck dishes ever, almost as good as the now-defunct Globe’s Moroccan spiced duck with dried fruits and spicy yogurt sauce. There was literally no fat beneath the crispy skin of my duck at Haven….no small feat.

The dessert list didn’t thrill us with cheesecake, brownie, creme brulee and such. We chose the peach cobbler with blueberry ice cream. A huge individually baked dish was plenty to share, not too sweet, its crispy crust holding up well beneath the delicious ice cream. Good stuff.

Having watched him expedite orders all evening, we chatted with chef Herman after our meal, very nice guy. (For the record they had no idea who I was, the meal wasn’t comp’d, and no, I’m not being paid for this post!)

The verdict? I was thoroughly impressed.

1441 Dresden Drive 404-969-0700

Located on the gorgeous Capella Pedregal resort, Don Manuel’s is the centrally located restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. B and I tried all three meals during our stay.

With a candlit view of the infinity pool and ocean beyond it, the tranquil atmosphere set the stage for a relaxing dinner. Again, we enjoyed perfect weather as we chose a table in the bar area, listening to a duo playing acoustic guitar. I tried the spiced sangria while B ordered a glass of red wine. The fruit in the sangria was nice but the cinnamon and cloves were excessive.

Moving to a table on the patio, B and I split the Pacific red lobster soup to start. Our server brought out warm rolls and butter along with two pretty ceramic bowls with big succulent chunks of lobster and chewy hominy resting in the bottom. He then proceeded to pour a tomato-based broth over the top. Despite the tomato we both loved it….one of the best dishes overall during our vacation!

We shared the trio of tamalitos, or mini tamales, each with a different flavor, roasted duck, lobster, and huitlacochee….three of my favorite things! Unfortunately, neither of us could distinguish which was which, perhaps because they were small and could not contain much filling.

Most disappointing was the huitlacochee, one of my favorite delicacies. A fungus that grows on corn, huitlacochee is indigenous to Mexico and has an unctuous mushroom flavor and is nearly black when prepared. Three dollops of sauces did little to jazz up the drab steamed masa.

We got a bowl of arroz con leche (rice pudding) for dessert. Creamy and spiced with cinnamon, it was a perfect rendition of this traditional Mexican dessert.

With a full menu of Mexican dishes I would surely give Don Manuel’s another try if I’m ever lucky enough to return to Capella Pedregal!

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: RECYCLING
After six months I find myself recycling everything from eggs cartons to magazines, I just can’t stand to throw these things in my regular garbage. It’s become a habit that I can feel really good about!

Occasionally, although it is rare, someone has a positive influence on me. My neighbor LG recycles. She has offered numerous times to take my bottles to our condo’s recycling bins but I’ve always refused. I just couldn’t ask her to carry my bag of bottles down the stairs while my lazy ass sat on my kitty-shredded sofa!

January 1st, however, all that changed. Well, sorta. Among my New Year’s resolutions was that I would recycle glass bottles, beginning with the wine and champagne bottles from that night’s celebration. They sat on my kitchen counter for weeks, the collection growing larger and more unmanageable by the day.

It took a man to carry them down….finally. And the same man then proceeded to assemble a new collection every day. Looking at it, I felt good knowing all of this glass wasn’t going to add to the mountains of trash in the landfills. He even began including plastic….why not? Pisces are so conscientious.

The photo above is of my current collection awaiting delivery to the recycle bin. Much of it was from last night’s Superbowl. I wonder who I can coerce into taking it downstairs?

One of my other New Year’s resolutions was to post a certain amount of blogs each month. I hit my goal in January, hurray! The beauty of a blog is that one can say whatever they wish. There is no censorship on a blog. But I do employ a bit of restraint (more at some times than others), unless I’ve consumed a bottle of wine, which brings me to the title of this post (which was originally “Don’t Drink & Blog”)

Apparently I responded to a few comments while under the influence last night. I just hope there weren’t any typos.

PS – The OJ wasn’t mine, I never touch the stuff.

Update! Trader Joe’s employee suggested putting frozen berries in the Lambrusco….keeps it cold and reminds me of a light, sparkling sangria!

My neighbor LG turned me onto this light, sparkling red wine from Trader Joe’s last year. Honestly, my wine snobbery would have precluded me from buying something so inexpensive if LG had not poured me a glass to try.

I have purchased it ever since! At only $5.49 a bottle (what what?), it is a fantastic bargain. Lambrusco goes great with the Tarte d’Alsace that I often buy at Trader Joe’s as well. It is light, as in low alcohol content, so one can easily drink the whole bottle without ill effect (disclaimer: OK, I can, perhaps you cannot).

The full name is Reggiano Lambrusco Rosso Dolce. Described as a “slightly soft red wine, fruity and fresh” on the back label, it goes on to say that “the bouquet is delicate and intense, with notes of fresh strawberries, cherries, and raspberries”.

Lambrusco should be served well chilled, like all sparkling wines. Go ahead, give it a try!