Live To Nibble

Highlight #264: We ate Paris (Part II) - Patisserie: Pierre Herme

2009-12-03T09:59:00.013-05:00

There is beauty abound in Paris, especially at night. I particularly enjoy going to the Louvre on Wednesday night, when it opens until 10pm. The crowd is much thinner and the lights are amazing.

It's not often one gets to take a photo of the glass pyramid without a line in front of it.

It's also nice to linger in the halls at will.

But beauty does not only exist in the museums. It hides inside discrete doorways too.

While all of this dizzying display at Pierre Herme may throw some off their tracks, I was determined.

I came all the way across the ocean only for these! My beloved macaroons! Look how the chestnut pair flecked with gold shimmer in the back!

Robust yet delicate, the chestnut macaroon hides a little secret, a candied piece of chestnut, one of my favorite French Christmas candies.

Of course, I had to get my beloved pistachio. So sweet, so tender, so adorable! I wait years for these between visits!

Highlight #263: We ate Paris (Part I) - Restaurant: L'Ourcine

2009-12-02T09:39:00.014-05:00

On my fourth trip to Paris, I finally managed to wrestle the man into coming along for a little romance! :) Luckily, he was in the mood to enjoy some food and wine after weeks of intense work.

With no contracts to revise or negotiations to prepare for, I liberally indulged in the newly released beaujolais nouveau 2009 like Parisians all over the city. Not too tanic or overly nuanced, this was a simple kind of "happy" grape juice drunken purely for joy.

For our first Parisian lunch after a none so pleasant flight (I sat next to a man the size of laughing Buddha except he didn't make anyone laugh), we dropped in for a cozy lunch at L'Ourcine in the quaint 13th, a short walk from the Latin Quarter and our hotel. The vest pocket size place was exactly what we needed, small, warm, and homey.

As always, I was mistaken for Japanese by our server (this happens about 20 times on each trip ). After apologizing profusely for his mistake, he sent out a couple of compliments from the chef, a mousse twist on coquilles Saint Jacques. The sauteed scallops were blended into the rich mousse and the usual bread crumb topping was presented as croutons. This very interesting twist on a classic foretold the coming neat plays on tradition by chef Daniere, who trained with the fame Yves Camdeborde (La Regalade).

Our set lunch included a choice of a starter, a main, and a dessert for 31 Euro. I chose the salmon confit as starter. Rather than a true confit, the salmon was salt cured, but was not salty (it was just a little stringy). The tangy slaw on top balanced out the quite rich puree (I guessed spinach, but couldn't tell for sure).

Jason asked for the braised beef presse, which came studded with a good sized piece of foie. I stole much of this very flavorful and beefy starter.

I gladed added a supplement of 15 Euro for the main that I just couldn't take my eyes off of, a sauteed pigeon with a fist size piece of pan seared foie gras. Imagine the most tender piece of dark meat near the bone of a duck leg and you get the texture and flavor of this pigeon. For every mouthful, I combined a nice chuck of pigeon with a good slathering of foie. Heavenly! I even painstakingly gnawed away at the itty bitty leg.

Jason's pork roast was much easier to eat. I was too busy to spend much time with his.

To balance out the very rich main, I ordered the fromage blanc with a mango sauce as dessert. I totally ignored the fresh cheese after tasting the amazing tart and sweet sauce as vibrant as the color. I felt truly refreshed afterwards.

Jason settled on the homey pot de creme and seemed very happy with the choice.

After lunch, we took a leisurely walk back to our hotel for a good nap. I've really learned to appreciate Jason's non-rushed approach to sight seeing over the years. Paris will always be there. We were there to relax and enjoy, which meant that we'd take our time. We woke up in time for a nice drive through all the beautifully lit sites of Paris, including the Eiffel as it sparkled on the hour.

Happy Thanksgiving from Paris!

2009-11-26T12:59:00.002-05:00

No photos yet. My camera's SD card doesn't work with Jason's laptop and I failed to bring the cable. So... Please wait a few more days. But so far, we have had some amazing meals here!

L'Ourcine for lunch (Chef Daniere trained with Yves Camdeborde, who seemed to have trained every great bistro chef in Paris. Terrific pigeon with foie gras.)
La Coupole for a midnight supper (Hemingway's old hangout is just as packed today. Not mind blowing food, but solid nonetheless)
L'Arpege for lunch (I have heard it called the most exciting restaurant in Paris right now. And it really may just be! It's AMAZING what chef Passard can do with the pristine vegetables from his three gardens outside of Paris.)
La Ferrandaise for dinner (This hidden away restaurant on a small street in St. Germain des Pres is still not discovered by tourists. Cute as a button, the Ferrandaise moo moo cows on the wall look even happier than the Californian ones from the ads back home. Chef Chaignot who previously worked at the famed Bristol sent out regional favorites from Auvergne. My partridge was a game lover's dream. The full flavored meat ranged from light to very dark pink and tasted progressively terroir enhanced by color as well. Awesome!)
Thanksgiving meal tonight is still yet to be determined as our dining companion Jenna fell sick with a stomach flu... We don't feel quite right going to the special American Thanksgiving meal she planned on our own.

We are off to Rome tomorrow. Will let you know how the food situation goes there.

Off to Paris and Rome

2009-11-23T14:02:00.003-05:00

We travel a lot for work and are pretty good about mixing what we need to do with what we want to do on these trips. But once in a while, we also need just a pleasure trip. Taking advantage of time off during Thanksgiving, we are heading off on a 7 day fun trip to Paris and Rome. I may or may not post during this time. Enjoy your holiday!

Highlight 262: Sweet Melissa knows her pancakes

2009-11-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

When jetlag woke Jason up early on a Sunday morning a few weeks back, I was not happy. I count on the early morning hours for myself, to drink coffee alone, to eat breakfast alone, to really just be alone! This husband of mine likes group activities when he is up and about. He saved himself by suggesting brunch out. I perked up. We never brunch out early. This was our chance to try something different. We showed up at Sweet Melissa around 9am and found a bustling room.

I need starch in the am so went straight for the pancakes. Crisped near the edges, the buttermilk batter remained fluffy and tender inside. With every bite, there was the distinct buttery taste. I splurged for the real maple syrup. There is really just no point ruining good pancakes with the one dimensional artificial stuff.

Jason likes his protein. He almost never deviates from a loaded omelet. This Cheddar cheese filled chubby thing was simple and to the point. My one bite revealed nicely salted eggs and full flavored sausage and cheese. The albino biscuit sort of looked uncooked. Despite the appearance, it was actually quite fluffy if not crusty.

Sweet Melissa

127 E Court Sq
Decatur, GA 30030-2521
(404) 370-1111

Highlight #261: Beachside eating- Restaurant: Jellyfish (Punta Cana)

2009-11-18T13:53:00.008-05:00

I couldn't leave Dominican Republic without at least trying something local and outside of the resort. So one evening, six of us walked a mile or so down the beach to the beautifully lit Jellyfish.
As expected, the relatively concise menu focused on seafood. For starters, we ordered the calamari, fried shrimp, and a sausage hash. Everything was just fantastic.

The single most precious bite was the simple looking fried shrimp. About the size of a grown man's thumb, the piping hot flesh glowed with translucency and was super light and crunchy outside. The great shell almost felt sandy like the texture of a shortbread cookie.

I ordered the impressive looking lobster. It was good, but compared to the wonderful fish dishes the others got, it was actually the dud of the evening. The flesh was just a little too hard and the butter sauce a little too heavy.

One of the best fish dishes around the table was this Dominican preparation of a snapper. The very milky flesh needed very little else and the bright pepper accompaniment really brighten up the palate.

From the very sparse dessert menu, we selected the flan. This must be the most dense flan I've ever had. It's almost approaching the consistency of a fudge. I had no idea if that is the Dominican spin on flan. I did, however, appreciate the intensified caramelization.

Jellyfish

Here is link that shows how to get there

Highlight 260: Resort eats II

2009-11-17T19:06:00.008-05:00

The second day, while I attended more seminars, Jason went deep sea fishing. It's not fishing season, but the boat managed to come back with one!

Then we laid around and spent the afternoon in the shade.

Occasionally we watched all the colors.

For some reason, napping all afternoon makes one hungry... By night fall, we were more than ready to hit restaurant number 2, Passion. Jason is normally game to eat anything I want to order. Everything from ant larvae to goat hoofs. But he never shares my veal, out of respect for his late brother, who did not touch the stuff. Having no one to pass some of this very tender chop to, I ate way too much. No regrets though since most of the time I don't order veal when Jason is around, knowing that I'll be stuck with all the loft over.

Someone made this truffle cake with a chocolate freak in mind. It's all dense chocolate and no fluff. For me, who needed a little contrast, the light cream center was a very welcomed distraction. All in all, another satisfying meal at the resort.

Highlight #259: Resort eating - Restaurant: Vento (Paradisus Palma Real Punta Cana)

2009-11-16T18:06:00.011-05:00

(photo from resort website)After months of flying around non-stop for work, Jason wasn't too excited about getting trapped at an all-inclusive resort with a bunch of lawyers. He worried about having no escape.
When the sun came up and revealed the white sand beach and turquoise pool, he changed his mind.

The water was calm enough to swim without working too hard. The soft sand massaged our feet with every step.

Even at near capacity, the resort had plenty of places for him to hide from the world and read a book in the breeze, while I spent hours absorbing useful information at the seminars. :)

By nightfall, we washed off the sand and hit the Mediterranean restaurant at the resort called Vento. The menu was short but competent enough.

Not expecting too much from resort food, I was pleasantly surprised by the first course, a foie gras mousse. Light and flavorful, it went down smooth and worked just as well on its own as with the dinner rolls. I had a moment of let down when the rolls felt cold to my touch. I suppose there is no need for that in the tropic, but indulgence is never about need, is it?

I requested the duck as my main. Again, very flavorful even if the duck was just a little too cooked. The play between savory duck and tart/sweet apple kept me pretty content. In the next four days, it became apparent that flavor is the thing that this resort does very well. I hardly had a single bland thing on this trip, which, in my opinion goes a long way to counter the typical mass feeding blahs. When things can't be of the best execution, at least make them taste good. These folks knew their stuff.

Three of us cleverly ordered all three desserts to share. The lone peach tart turned out to be stellar, while the other two were also quite above average. I particularly enjoyed the very crumbly crust of the tart and the well balanced sour to sweet ratio.

HIghlight #258: Cure for rainy day blues

2009-11-10T09:33:00.006-05:00

Rainy days such as this just feels blah, especially when it happens so early in the week. Why not perk it up with something strong yet comforting. How does a simple version of 40 cloves chicken sound?

This is normally a stove top dish, but I like to leave things in the oven to free up time for other things. As such, I've tweaked this dish for oven preparation. With oven preheating to 350, I seared up two whole chicken legs (salted and peppered). Breasts are fine also, but in this house, we like flavorful meat.

Once the chicken is seared to my liking (skin side darkened, but not charred), I remove them and add in a whole bunch of garlic cloves. There is no need to count to 40, just eyeball it. Toast the cloves to a nice golden color then drop in a bunch of thyme leaves. I like thyme with chicken so in went about ten sprigs worth of leaves. Following that, a glass of white wine was also added. At this point, it's a good idea to let it reduce a bit before seasoning with some salt and pepper. This braising liquid sounds really simple, but the garlic and thyme combo does something magical in the oven, I swear.

At this point, put the chicken back in, skin side up (the underside is much better at absorbing flavors) and stick in the oven for an hour.

In the mean time, I like to cook a veggie dish with the leftover thyme and a pot of brown rice. This time, I had mushrooms and celery on hand, so they went into a pot together with a bit of concentrated chicken stock and a splash of dashi. Towards the end, I salted and peppered the softened the veggie.

The results are super comforting and really quite good for both body and soul. And you'll be amaze how many whole garlics you can eat without taking a break.

Highlight #257: Much more than just chili at Chomp & Stomp

2009-11-09T10:25:00.014-05:00

Despite having lived 5 minutes from cabbagetown for the past four and half years, this Saturday was the first time that I made it to Chomp & Stomp, the annual festival of chili and bluegrass. Good thing I started early (around 11:15am). By the time the chili service began at noon, the line to get the "chomp" stamp was down and around the street.

Before the crowd showed up, I scouted out the chili vendors that looked most promising. Right away I saw Fox Bro., my favorite bbq restaurant. The ladies with ladles made sure I understood that their brisket chili won the top award last year. I made a note to come back.

On such a gorgeous fall day, there was really nothing better than a festival in the park. By the time I checked out all the art vendors, plenty of folks had already found spots on the lawn in front of the bluegrass band.

I don't like to wait, so while the chili vendors held back their ladles before noon, I checked out the other snacks. This retro cart was dishing out hot dogs and such. I didn't try. My precious stomach space had to be saved for the "must eats."

Before long, I locked in on one of these "must eats." Farmer Mike with his large white beard looked as impressive as his pile of pitch black smoked pork. Pieces are taken off one by one and hand shredded for sandwiches.

I took mine to a sunny spot in front of the band. Once I started chewing, the music faded into the background and all I heard was the humming of heavenly piggies. What's really exciting here was a great mix of pork fat bits with lean shreds. Every mouthful was moist and juicy. The sauce, thankfully, was also not too sweet.

After my pork sandwich, I walked down a few stalls and found my next "must eat." Initially, I didn't pay much attention to this simple vendor setup until I smelled meat charring in the pan. Then I saw the name "Grind House" and a light bulb went off. It's the new burger joint in the Sweet Auburn Market that I have been meaning to check out. They weren't serving burgers, but little sliders for $2. Perfect for a taste.

Being a slider, there was no choice for doness and the slider came preloaded with cheese and pickles. The ketchup was my addition. For a small piece of meat, this was really juicy and worked well with the soft roll. The pickles help to cut through the fattiness a bit. It reminded me of an in-n-out burger. The only area for improvement was the salt level. The patty tasted bland without the ketchup, cheese, and pickles. Perhaps a personal preference, but I like my patty seasoned. Not so seasoned like a meatloaf, but definitely salted.

Of course, I had to get some chili. Fox Bro.'s winning brisket chili was indeed good, in an assertively spicy, tangy, and greasy way. It's not one that I can put away by the large bowlful due to the large amounts of rich brisket chunks, but I also didn't have to worry about popping Beano (no bean inside).

Chomp & Stomp exceeded my expectation by a mile. I'll definitely be back next year and it won't be for the chili alone either.

Highlight #256: Wholesome goodness - Restaurant: Ria's Bluebird

2009-11-07T08:10:00.002-05:00

I often think of Ria's in the summer time because of the patio. But after a massive mosquito attack there this past summer, I was scared to visit until Jenna proposed it for our ladies lunch this week. Fall is the perfect weather to be out on the patio. The mosquitoes are DEAD! And the cool air is blocked by the see through plastic curtain. Finally, I can just sit and enjoy my food. And enjoy I did. This is not earth scattering stuff, just simple and wholesome things. My turkey melt was full of not too salty turkey slices separated by fat chunks of avocado. No fries to choose from on the sode, so I got the sweet potato and felt quite healthy.

Ria's bluebird
421 Memorial Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 521-3737

Highlight #255: mixing of cultures

2009-11-06T15:23:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I was served a chicken & sausage gumbo at the home of Louisiana native. I've had real gumbo before, but never with a scoop of potato salad on top. A little research revealed that it is actually the preferred the way for many natives who cook and eat gumbo at home. Although at the restaurants, it is never served that way. However, potato salad is almost always found on the menu and can be ordered for that purpose. A little further research traced the origin of this practice to the influx of German immigrants to Louisiana in the 18th century. Very interesting! As for taste, it was good, but not indispensably good. The gumbo didn't cry out for potato salad the way it did rice.

Highlight #254: Fun people+awesome food+cult wines=one heck of a party

2009-11-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

We all know or at least heard of those special people who throw amazing parties. It's an art, not a science. Every year I look forward to Christie's parties (previously documented here and here.) The woman has a knack for putting together a guest list that ensures fun for all. Having worked and played with her for some years, I know from experience that she is one cool lady. But I am certain even readers of this blog would get a sense of this woman's fun loving nature, if only judging from the coolness of her friends. :)

Christie has a thing for supporting the High museum and its wine auction. In return for her generosity, the High provides the forum for her butt kicking parties. This year, the venue was the Wisebram's beautiful home in Vinings.

After days of continuous rain, we were blessed with a bright sunny day perfect for appreciating the beautiful fall colors from the Wisebram's lovely back deck.

Of course, it's not a wine party if there is no wine, so we started things off with Iron Horse bubblies and a three liter bottle of 2002 Au Bon Climat Hildegard white blend. This blend had great acidity and a surprising whiff of yeast amidst the vanilla. The mouth feel was smooth and it tasted faintly of tropical fruits and buttered toast. The yesty nose made for a great champagne alternative.

There is nothing quite like a roaring fire on a fall deck to bring old and new friends together. Something about warmth in crisp air gets into everyone's spirit.

Before long, people started to goof off. (lovely host on left)

Inside, the Muss & Turner chefs churned out artful nibbles for the hungry guests.

For those who cannot wait, there was a fully loaded charcuterie board for sampling. The chorizo, whose spiciness excited our waiting palates, attracted ample attention.

Every few minutes, the ultra friendly servers came by with a new creation from the kitchen. Here we have a white anchovy on black pepper cracker with cornichon slaw, all nut free to put a smile on Robert's face. It was my first bite at the party and its briny and acid nature really whet my appetite.

What I tasted next was one of the simplest but most exciting bites of the evening. A tender endive leaf held together cubes of vanilla roasted pears with Gorgonzola & aged balsamic. The ingredients were of superb quality and worked together like a charm. I am determined to reproduce this for home consumption this holiday season.

No successful party is music free. And live is always better. Christie had the great fortune of living her early party days during one of the most happening music eras and we all got the benefit of that sound this evening. :)

After the early warm up, we got into serious wine business. Dick Denny, our wine master for the evening, gave an introduction to the large list of wines (18 wineries/vineyards were featured and this doesn't even include the different varietals) we'll be tasting as the evening progressed.

I haven't seen this kind of line up at a private event since those eight hour Sundays I spent at the AIA trying to pass the International Sommelier Guild's levels 1&2 certification. And there is not even a teacher here to remind me to spit. :) (Btw, I highly recommend this course at the AIA to anyone who loves wine. Yes, eight hours every Sunday for four month does sound like a big commitment. But you walk away with such a new perspective on drinking wine, it forever changes the way you learn and taste. The most empowering thing I learned is that the whole tasting experience is personal as each wine is different and ever changing. Despite what the experts may say, no one can tell you absolutely what you should smell, taste, or love. You get to decide. Cool, no?)

For precisely this decide-for-yourself reason, Dick particularly encouraged a blind tasting of the 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir and a Dunah, both from Russian River (KB is about three times the price of the Dunah). I did the tasting. Price aside, my preference was for the KB. The earthier and more barnyardy nose, baked fruits, and heavier body weight were very attractive to me. But for those who prefer a more herbal nose and a less rich style, the Dunah had great refined red fruits and a nice lingering finish.

The Muss & Turner chefs stopped working temporarily to enjoy some sips. Chef Chris Hall and the Muss & Turner folks are close to finalizing a new restaurant in the midtown area. Let's all hope that they pull through soon. These are very fun folks to hang out with and they make unpretentious good food.

Soon it was time to eat again. Here is a seasonal scallop on sweet potato puree.

Another crowd pleaser was this pickled shrimp and local rattlesnake bean topped with a bacon concoction.
But my favorite of favorites was this extra smoky and creamy smoked north Georgia mountain trout with apples. Normally, fish does not stand up well to the stronger red wines, but this smoked trout was mighty enough to stand shoulder to shoulder even with the syrah lot.

The most wonderful pairing of the evening was this duck confit in herbed crepe with macerated blueberries washed down with the Kosta Browne. The duck's earthiness sought out its counterpart in the wine and validated the classical marriage of duck with pinot noir.

A little spontaneity in the kitchen by chef Hidinger proved that more is sometimes just more. What you see here is a spoonful of sinful pleasure. Can you say bacon, cream, and foie gras in the same sentence without going breathless? I think not. :)

Side effects of the sinful spoonful included uncontrollable hugging of the chef. Totally involuntary!

Let's just say that I dripped all over myself eating this slider and didn't even know it. The tangy and sweet sauce really hit the spot and benefited from the sinus clearing qualities of the red onions. Along side the slider, I tried a pair of syrahs (the 2004 Dutton Estate and the Qupe from Santa Maria). The Dutton had some great dark fruits, soft spices, and felt velvety smooth. The Qupe on the other hand, was a bit hot and brooding. I didn't have enough time for it to sit in the glass, so never found out if it mellowed out more later. At this point, I had a short exchange with Dick, the wine master for the evening, who asked what I was enjoying. I shared with him my preference for the Dutton and he had the best response "oh good, that's the one with my name on it." Sure enough, a close inspection of the label revealed "Dick Denny Cuvee." Nice!

Around dessert time, a pair of Colgins were popped open. Being one of the original cult wines, they are hard to get, so I have never had the pleasure of tasting either. Needless to say, this was a treat. First up was the 2005 IX estate syrah. Maybe because it didn't get a chance to breath before being poured, the nose was a bit closed off initially. But one thing I could tell immediately was a nice balance. I really wish we had more time to sit with this to observe the changes in the glass, but I had to enjoy the stewed berries that just began to bloom quickly before the next one was poured. I did, however, pick up a faint note of licorice at the end. For some reason though, the finish on this wine dropped off abruptly.

The 1998 cabernet sauvignon from Herb Lamb estate had a pretty distinct green vegetable nose (maybe that's why the herb lamb name? :)). This was not a heavy bodied wine and also had a nice balance. But yet again, the finish closed off fairly fast and left me somewhat wanting. I am wondering if I am really missing something here by getting such a quick snap shot of the wine and no observation of development. It reminded me of an article on David Doyle, the owner of a $40 million cellar. In the article Doyle said that one major draw back of severely inflated wine prices is that even collectors feel that it requires a gathering to warrant tasting of a great wine. But in doing so, no one gets to experience what's truly beautiful about a wine, its ability to morph over a period of time.

Wine aside, we got some excellent desserts. I am glad that Jenna took this photo before I started licking off the milk chocolate mousse with macadamia nuts and sea salt flakes (not pretty).

Also passed around were these cubes of pumkin cake with pumpkin frosting. I love moist cakes and these were right up my alley.

I am not a big peanut butter fan, but these truffles were nice and not at all over powering. It must have been the light salty notes that drew me in.

We opened and finished every single bottle of wine (not all shown). Luckily, not a single bottle was corked.

We certainly look happy by the end, don't we?

Thanks to all these wonderful folks for making this special evening happen (left to right: Woodie and Steve Wisebram, Christie, Marg and Dick Denny).

Highlight ^253: How nice of Chloe!

2009-11-02T18:18:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Chloe of Chow Down Atlanta, I am now the proud owner of these monster babies. Chewy, dense, and ENORMOUS! Read her review of these BB monsters here. After four years, I thought I've already gotten over my cravings for those nyc bagels (I used to live walking distance to H&H and Barney greengrass, but my favorite was ess-a-bagel). Now the craving is back!!!! It's probably time for a trip up there to visit friends and get my bagels!

On a side note, I absolutely love how my "egghead" looks on longingly at the bagels. :) Cutie pie!

HIghlight #252: Snack best - Restaurant: Cakes & Ale

2009-10-31T12:56:00.004-04:00

There is a lot of good food to be had around this town. At almost every meal out, I find something to like. But it's not everyday that I end up LOVING every single bite tasted. Such was the case last night at Cakes & Ale.

I never sit at a table here, mostly because I never plan ahead when we end up here. We head in when we head in and then we wait for an opening at the bar. I don't mind because I love bar seats, especially these ones. Hefty counter slabs surround the lone bartender, who is always friendly and ready to talk about the beers on tap. If you are a cocktail person, try those. She makes great ones. I like to taste them when other orders, but I stick to my wine.

I like to share small plates off the daily menu written up on the large blackboard on the wall. This time, us two girls only wanted small nibbles. Boy, were these quality nibbles. The baked oysters were done old school with spinach soaked in cream and topped with plenty of fresh bacon bits. If you've loved the steak house versions, you'll like this one and appreciate the tremendous difference that fresh ingredients make. The gnocchi was the fluffiest I've had in a long long time. You'd think that the squid in comparison would be much chewier, but no, they were oh so tender and lovely.

To finish things off, we ordered the figgy pudding, which I've had last year around this time. I really love this. Very figgy and sticky, each bite shows so many layers flavor in the mouth. I particular like the slight saltiness at the start and the unexpected sour cream (rather than whipped cream) on top. Just lovely.

Cakes & Ale
254 W Ponce De Leon Ave
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 377-7994

Highlight #251: Pizza party in the kitchen - Restaurant: Antico Pizza Napoletana

2009-10-30T08:39:00.010-04:00

First of all, let me just say that pizza preference is a personal thing. No one has the right to tell you what style is better than another. You have to decide for yourself. If you want to know, you have to try and decide if you like Antico.

With that said, there are some factors that contribute to a good pie, no matter how you like it. For one, a super hot wood burning oven helps with both flavor and char. Something magical tends to happen when your pie bakes in an oven that is super heated to just short of 1000 degrees.

I have no idea how Antico beat the system to receive a permit for not one but three of these babies when other equally ambitious pizza joints cannot even manage to get one, but I am so glad that it got them. When you see the setup of this place, there can be no question that these pizzaiolos here love these ovens (the kitchen is about three times the size of the take-out and serving areas combined).

With a little advance planning, our group of 7 got to sit at the sole table in the kitchen rather than squeezing at the large communal table near the take-out counter. Beyond having more room to move around in, we also had the perfect view of the pizzaiolo in action. To further enhance our enjoyment, we brought along some of our own vino to wash down the fresh pizza.

Orders were taken directly by the pizzaiolo at the oven and were ready in under five minutes (three minutes to put together and two to bake). Chloe of Chow Down Atlanta, who had previously spent three hours here taking photos and documenting the making of the pies, recommended the San Gennaro (above) and the diavaolo (below).
After one round, all of us agreed that the ingredients here are at a superior level rarely seen elsewhere in the city. The Neapolitan style (somewhat doughier and chewier than the popular crispier types around town), however, was not everyone's favorite cup of tea. Although we all enjoyed the hot wood oven flavor and gorgeous char. I personally loved the chew and char combination. But if you are a slow eater like me, I'd recommend the diavaolo over the San Gennaro due to the San Gennaro's tendency to collect condensation of moisture released from the juicy tomatoes in the topping. Regardless of what you get though, these are quality pies.

If you are an artichoke lover, the capricciosa shows off a tasty version, fragrant and not at all slimy or mealy.

I did not expect so many choices for dessert having only heard about the cannoli. But there they were, beaming at us from the bright display fridge right near the door. We selected a nice collection, including the cannoli that has gotten a lot of press, a raspberry tart, a cup thingie with a name too difficult for me to remember, and a few other. (Disclaimer: Live to Nibble is no professional blog and I do not diligently take down names of dishes nor make any definitive comments as to their deliciousness.) We all loved the cup thing the most, but all were wonderful in a homey and rustic way (words of Gene, the man behind Eat, Drink, Man).

As mentioned above, you may or may not love the style served at Antico, but I do think you should give it a try if only to experience something made with passion by folks who grew up loving and eating it.

Antico
1093 Hemphill Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-724-2333

Hightlight #250: Jewelry party - Restaurant: Fourth and Swift

2009-10-29T09:45:00.006-04:00

Every year October brings such an overwhelming amount of fun and food (it's my birthday month), I have a hard time keeping up with the posts. This year, lovely June of June Shin handmade jewelry (www.juneshin.com) agreed to combine a mini jewelry show with my birthday happy hour. The original venue was set to be Repast, but I just couldn't work out the details with their event manager, so we switched to Fourth and Swift and what a great way to go! Everyone, from the chef to the manager to the staff, was so super friendly, we not only had help set up June's jewelry, we even got situated in the comfortable private area with a glass wall into the kitchen without any of us having ever asked for it. There is nothing better to make a party host feel good than attentive staff. I highly recommend this place for your holiday parties.
In fact, I may end up throwing my husband's company party there. We'll see if I can convince everyone to drive down.

June brought such an amazing collection, almost everyone that came bought something. Here is Jacinta with her gorgeous pink ring.

Trudie with one of her many pairs of earrings.

After the happy hour, about ten of us stayed for dinner. The deep fried Brussels sprouts immediately caught my eye on the starters menu. Proving that deep fried anything is good, these were super although without the tell tell characteristics of deep frying. The outer shell was just lightly crispy, but far from being greasy. The inside was just tender and not at all mealy. I really enjoyed the balsamic dressing, which countered the slight bitter bite of the sprouts with just the right amount of acidity and sweetness.

Look at my beautiful duck! Really nicely seared and cooked to a pink medium rare, the tangy berry infused sauce served as a great counterpoint to the natural richness of the duck meat.

We ordered no dessert because my friend Jessica kindly brought me a peanut butter caramel tart from Chocolate Pink. Everyone at the table got a tiny piece, which was just enough to covey the deliciousness of this dynamite dessert in a small package. Even though we didn't order it, Fourth and Swift does have my very very favorite ice cream, a macadamia and salted caramel brittle concoction to die for (it is unfortunately a special item only available sometimes).

Fourth and Swift
621 North Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30308-2857
(678) 904-0160

Highlight #249: Childhood favorite found at Craft bar

2009-10-27T15:20:00.003-04:00

Sichuan, where I grew up, is known for excellent beef jerky. Like most famous eats, there are a few variations. One version features super thin beef slices that are dried to a crisp and saturated with a hot chili oil so when put up against the light, one can see through it. It's very cool, but not my favorite. My favorite is a version that starts out in a five spice and chili infused braise and then dehydrated to a chewy but still resilient texture. And that is what I found at Craftbar. Amazing and so nostalgic. I don't know who is making it, but he/she deserves to be awarded honorary Sichuanese.

Another exceptional plate we had the same evening featured beef tongue in its best form, soft and super tender. The flavor was light yet so spot on. If you are a tongue lover, you must try this!

Craftbar
3376 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 995-7500

Highlight #248: Hotel worth eating at - Restaurant: 700 Drayton (Savannah)

2009-10-25T12:39:00.005-04:00

Usually I don't recommend hotel eating in America, but there are exceptions. On our recent weekend trip to Savannah, we found wonderfully satisfying eats at the century-plus Mansion at Forsyth.
It's hard to believe that such an enormous mansion was once the living quarters of a single family. Fronting the beautifully green Forsyth park, the red brick mansion looks as grand as ever in the warm autumn sun. Inside, the high ceilinged halls have been updated with a modern artsy twist. The corridors leading up to the large ballroom as well as hallways extending to all the rooms are now galleries of varying sizes. The collection of art is eclectic and cheerful. Combined with the warm lighting, the place is very cozy despite the availability of space.

The equally warm diningroom welcomed us with over sized leather chairs that I could have slept in. Our server started us with two glasses of bubbly, which he kept refilled all night. Wanting something light, I started with a fall maple apple slaw salad. Normally, I am not a fan of eating salads in restaurants. But this one sounded truly intriguing. A base of thinly sliced granny smith apples were mixed with thinly sliced cabbage, dried cranberries, and toasted pecan bits. The mix was then dressed with a maple syrup vinaigrette. On top it all sit a few intense slices of sharp cheddar. It's hard to image how the array of flavors would taste in the mouth, but it all worked! So crispy and refreshing. The restaurant kindly split the salad for the two of us, a plus in my book.

We were recommended both the mixed grill of fresh seafood and the updated duck with brussels sprouts. Between the two, the duck was the hands down favorite. While the seafood was indeed fresh in the mixed grill, they were covered with way too much butter to exhibit any true seafood flavor. The duck, on the other hand, was cooked just right to retain a nicely pink center and was balanced in sweetness and acidity. The sprouts were also a little crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, the way I really like. Then there were the matchstick sweet potato fries. Now, how could anyone not like those.

Jason picked the dessert because he wanted something tart and fresh. These were super plump berries. A little sweet and quite a bit of tart. Nice with coffee, but not quite like chocolate or ice cream if you know what I mean. :)

700 Drayton
700 Drayton St.
Savannah, GA 31401
Tel: 912.238.5158

Highlight #247: A revived institution in Savannah - Ice cream parlor: Leopold's

2009-10-20T12:46:00.006-04:00

Leopold's first came to exist in Savannah at the beginning of the last century with the arrival of three Greek brothers. Peter, the middle brother, passed the shop down to his son Stratton. After some years of operating the storied ice cream parlor, Stratton closed it down to head to Hollywood to pursue a career as a film producer. Savannah mourned the lost.

Decades and many hit films later (e.g., MI 3), Stratton came home to Savannah in 2004 and reopened his family's ice cream parlor. The marble counter and soda fountain all came from the original shop as well old photos decorating the front wall. but right next to those hung movie posters and movie star photos from films Stratton worked on.

From the two dozen or so ice cream flavors, I chose my favorite, pistachio, which showed much old world wholesomeness, from the pale green color to the plentiful nuts. The pistachio flavor was pronounced yet not artificial.

Jason had an old fashioned malt with chocolate ice cream, a reminder of the good life in historical Savannah.

Leopold's
212 E Broughton St
Savannah, GA 31401-3402
(912) 234-4442

Highlight #246: Not the Italian grandma's pasta with meat sauce

2009-10-16T12:30:00.005-04:00

You may have noticed from my handful of posted home meals that I am not a recipe cook. Cookbooks I like. I look through them for inspiration, but when I am in the kitchen, I can't be bothered with words. I just go.

Ground chuck was on sale at Whole Foods, which was perfect for something saucy to chase away the chill brought in by the recent drizzly weather. I like to brown my ground meat by first salting a dry hot pan. This way I get a very nice salty crust on the meat without any additional oil. Breaking the ground into bits also encourages browning and prevents steaming in meat juice, which is yucky. To cook for two, I use only half lb of ground and the bits fit perfectly in the medium sized pan. But if you use more, you may need a bigger pan or do in batches.

When the meat bits are well browned, I remove them and use the rendered fat for browning half of a large onion and two cloves of garlics. If some bits of meat refuse to get out of the pan, I just leave them and not worry about it. :)

After some good caramelizing of the onion, I put in a spoonful of Italian seasoning to toast and then pour in a can of tomato chucks along with two to three leaves of chopped basil. I am always sipping wine while cooking, so in also goes a quarter of glass of what I happen to be drinking. This time a rioja. Salted and peppered to my liking, I let the mix come to a boil and then leave it on simmer for an hour or so.

This is a great thing to do when I have some work to do in the mean time. There is a certain warm happiness that builds in the house as the smell of meat sauce fill the rooms.

Twenty minutes before eating, I put on a pot of water and salt it aggressively. In goes some dried pasta. I like the hefty and chewy kind with a shape that holds on to some sauce. Just before perfectly al dente, I dump the pasta into the hot sauce (adjusted again for salt and pepper first) and finish the cooking in the sauce pot.

With some roasted asparagus, this makes a very comforting cool night dinner.

Highlight #245: One closed, but another still going strong - Restaurant: Blue Fin Sushi

2009-10-13T10:41:00.005-04:00

We drove up to Suwanee for Yasu, only to find the restaurant papered up. Disappointed, we turned back towards Duluth and dropped by Blue Fin Sushi. Not only was it still there, the food we got were awesome.

First, we received some glorious sashimi. The Uni was particularly buttery. The clams and scallops were also refreshingly cool and sweet.

The garlic baked clams were as big as my palm and very plump.

But best of all was the enormous tub of champon. When I say enormous, I mean the size of a family size serving bowl. When it come to the table, my husband and I just had to laugh. Champon differs from regular ramen in that it uses a much thicker and more chewy noodle. The soup is also particularly sticky and dense from long hours of boiling chicken and pork bones. The toppings consisted of a mix of pork and seafood lightly pan fried in lard. Very heavy, but so intensely good. We haven't seen this dish much in Atlanta and were super happy to eat it.

Blue Fin Sushi

2863 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30097

(770) 232-5004

Highlight #244: Simply perfect - Restaurant: Watershed

2009-10-12T12:49:00.004-04:00

No fries, no salad, just one perfectly grilled cheese sandwich to satiate the child within. Watershed's modern southern lunch is simply perfect.

As is the best chocolate cake in town.

Watershed
263 Decatur St NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 546-1150

Highlight #243: Copycat - Restaurant: Murphy's

2009-10-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

The thing about good ideas is that they spread. Remember that fig/procuitto/balsamic pizza at Stella's this summer? Well, now there is a flatbread appetizer looking just like it at Murphy's. I prefer the chewier pizza crust to the cracker like flatbread, but the idea is still a good one.

Murphy's
997 Virginia Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 872-0904

Highlight #242: A forgotten gem - Restaurant: Anis Bistro

2009-10-07T13:11:00.009-04:00

With new restaurants opening on a weekly basis, the news sources have little incentive to revisit neighborhood oldies. That's a shame because there is definitely something to be said for a place that not only survives but gains and maintains regulars year in year out. In my neighborhood, there is Wisteria. In the quiet stretch of Buckhead off of Pharr road, there is Anis Bistro.

At the bar, there is always a group of french speaking patrons, eating bistro favorites, talking to each other, and watching French TV programming. In the summer time, the shaded patio is where the action is. On this cool drizzly evening, we opted for the smaller dinning room inside, where the lighting is warm and hand drawn map on the wall unmistakably says France.

Our table of four shared a salt cured salmon. The jewel colored salmon was cool and supple. Salted, but not too saturated, I was still found the bursts of salt from the capers welcoming.

We also shared the special of escargot in a tomato spiked cream sauce. It was different and interesting. But because escargots are really texture eats and do not absorb flavors well, my preference remains with the classic preparation involving drenching in hot butter, garlic, and parsley.

When the menu says short rib, it means a whole head size chunk of it. A sharp knife is provided, but was not touched. Fork tender, pulling this baby apart by the forkful was a decadent exercise. The polenta had a sandy texture, but not unpleasantly so. Lovely dish!

Our server recommended the creme brulee and she was right on the money. With every bite, I could see an abundance of dark vanilla specks and the flavor confirmed it. The flourless chocolate cake on the other hand was just a little dry.

Anis Bistro
2974 Grandview Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30305-3214
(404) 233-9889