(as published on www.outinamerica.com)
The Food of New Year’s Eve
By: Rodney Smiley
December 27, 2004
Celebrating the New Year is one of the oldest traditions observed. Beginning with the ancient Babylonians and their worship of the beginning of Spring, the New Year celebration has become pervasive throughout the World. Nearly every culture recognizes the turn of a new year, even though the actual dates may vary.
For example, the above mentioned Babylonians believed the new year began with the beginning of Spring. The Romans closely followed with their celebrations, but only for a time until 46 B.C., when Roman ruler Julius Caesar decreed the New Year to begin on January 1, thus establishing the Julian Calendar.
Each culture held their own practices and festivities, some of which would put our current New Year’s Eve celebrations to shame. Debauchery, drunkenness, orgy-riddled streets … oh wait. Maybe that’s not so different from our own celebrations.
However, one thing has endured since time immemorial: the significance of food in celebrating the New Year.
The Dutch, for example, believe that eating donuts will bring luck in the new year. This belief is based on the concept of coming ‘full circle’. The donut, in the shape of a circle with no beginning or end, signifies the coming full circle of a new year. Those lucky Dutch – if only Krispy Kreme would market a “New Year’s Eve Donut”!
In some Japanese Buddhist temples noodles are eaten at midnight, and in Cuba, eating twelve grapes at midnight signifies the past twelve months. Fidel be damned! We shall eat our grapes!
Here in the US, many believe eating black-eyed peas will bring prosperity in the new year. For each individual pea eaten, one more dollar will be earned in the coming year than in the past one. I’ve spent many a New Year’s Day sitting at my Grandmother’s table, shoveling in spoonful after spoonful of black-eyed peas, cooked with ham or seasoned with a soup bone. Alas, I’ve not found this particular tradition very profitable, unless you consider an expanding waistline a symbol of prosperity.
Cabbage, eaten cooked or raw, is also considered a ‘good luck’ vegetable to be eaten on New Year’s Day. The cabbage leaves are thought to be representative of paper currency, and thus work the same as black-eyed peas. The more cabbage eaten, the more money you’ll make in the new year. Or maybe it’s the more bloated and gassy your relatives will be. Either way, it lends itself to a more interesting New Year.
But for those of us with a more cosmopolitan air about us (read, queens with a fabulous party on our hands), a menu of nibbles and cocktails works just fine to ring in the New Year. Here are a couple of recipes to help make your New Year’s Eve bash one to remember – and, they hold up great over the hours until Midnight kissage.
(All quantities are subjective, depending on the size of your soiree)
Charcuterie of Pizza Skewers
Mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
Salami or summer sausage, bite sized pieces
Cherry tomatoes
A handful of pitted olives
A collection of wood skewers
1 small loaf of Italian bread or the bread of your choice
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Create a charcuterie of pizza ‘fixins’ by placing each item on a clean cutting board, with a bowl of your favorite (homemade, if you have the time) pizza or marinara sauce in the center. Tear bite sized pieces of the bread and place around the ménage of nibbles. Scatter the wooded skewers around the cutting board to allow your guests the option of creating their own pizza skewer.
Loaded Endive Scoops
Endive leaves, washed and dried
Bleu cheese, crumbled
Chopped walnuts, toasted
Julianned tarragon
Arrange the endive leaves on a platter and fill with bleu cheese crumbles, walnuts and top with a little tarragon. For a less pungent alternative, instead of bleu cheese substitute your favorite olive tapenade. It’s less likely to linger on the palate, and come Midnight on New Years Eve, a clean mouth is a lucky mouth!
It’s a good idea, whether throwing your own party or attending someone else’s, to keep breath mints available. If you’re the host, place small bowls of mints around in inconspicuous places for your guests. If you’re out at a party, keep a tin of mints in your pocket. No one wants to smell your party-food breath, and with the Midnight Kiss looming, fresh breath is paramount!
Have a wonderful New Year!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Monday, December 06, 2004
Online Gift Shopping: The Alternative to the Mall, 12-06-2004
(as published on www.outinamerica.com)
Online Gift Shopping:
The Alternative to the Mall
By: Rodney Smiley
12-06-2004
Year after year we scramble around trying to find the perfect gifts for our friends and family. It’s a madhouse at the mall. Cars are everywhere. Frantic, stressed out housewives are pushing strollers filled with gifts, bags, and oh yeah, a baby, through the mall at breakneck speeds. Oblivious men are wandering around, dazed and confused and just a little afraid, navigating through the network of jewelry stores, intimate apparel shops and (my favorite), the Godiva stand.
You need combat schooling to survive Holiday shopping these days.
But there is an alternative: One that is growing in attractiveness, especially with the younger generations, and frankly with those of us who are afraid of “Death By Stroller-wielding Mom on a Mission”.
It’s the online gift order. You go online, choose what you want, type in the recipient’s address (and of course, your credit card number) and ZOOM, it’s off.
No muss, with very little fuss.
It’s important to remember that if you’re going to send a mail order gift or email gift certificate, you should make certain that the choice you make is perfect for the recipient. For example, I want to send my Dad a gift certificate, so I know that I should choose the Bass Pro Shop or Lowe’s for him – he’s not a gift basket kind of guy. Conversely, for my mother I might choose Bath and Body Works or Borders Books – she’s just not all that impressed with choosing between a new fishing pole and novelty stuffed raccoons.
You can also send gift certificates by email. The least personal of all gifts to receive, the email gift certificate should be reserved for last minute gifts – typically, they’re delivered within an hour – or for gifts to out of town friends or remote relatives. They’re also handy when your ‘shipping funds’ are running low.
I appreciate the email gift certificate as much as I would any store gift card: it’s just as easy to use as traditional gift certificates and, you don’t have to worry about losing them.
So here are some of my personal favorites - it’s important to note that most of these sites also sell Gift Cards or email Gift Certificates.
Harry and David - From nuts to fruits to cookies and nearly everything in between, Harry and David always combines gourmet quality with a reasonable price.
Netique - Candles, oils, wooden boxes and crystal, Netique is a great place to find gifts to please those hard to buy for family and friends.
Eleni's Cookies – Perhaps my favorite food related gift site. I squeal with delight each time I receive these wonderful cookies in gorgeous designs.
Pottery Barn – Ok, so The Pottery Barn shows up on most gift lists, but there’s a reason for that! It’s great, affordable merchandise that fits the lifestyle of anyone you know!
Smith & Hawken – We all have a little ‘Outdoor Martha’ in us, so who wouldn’t love a fantastic gardening gift from Smith & Hawken?
Amazon – The old standby. Everything you can imagine is available from Amazon, including last minute email Gift Certificates!
Enjoy your Holidays!
Online Gift Shopping:
The Alternative to the Mall
By: Rodney Smiley
12-06-2004
Year after year we scramble around trying to find the perfect gifts for our friends and family. It’s a madhouse at the mall. Cars are everywhere. Frantic, stressed out housewives are pushing strollers filled with gifts, bags, and oh yeah, a baby, through the mall at breakneck speeds. Oblivious men are wandering around, dazed and confused and just a little afraid, navigating through the network of jewelry stores, intimate apparel shops and (my favorite), the Godiva stand.
You need combat schooling to survive Holiday shopping these days.
But there is an alternative: One that is growing in attractiveness, especially with the younger generations, and frankly with those of us who are afraid of “Death By Stroller-wielding Mom on a Mission”.
It’s the online gift order. You go online, choose what you want, type in the recipient’s address (and of course, your credit card number) and ZOOM, it’s off.
No muss, with very little fuss.
It’s important to remember that if you’re going to send a mail order gift or email gift certificate, you should make certain that the choice you make is perfect for the recipient. For example, I want to send my Dad a gift certificate, so I know that I should choose the Bass Pro Shop or Lowe’s for him – he’s not a gift basket kind of guy. Conversely, for my mother I might choose Bath and Body Works or Borders Books – she’s just not all that impressed with choosing between a new fishing pole and novelty stuffed raccoons.
You can also send gift certificates by email. The least personal of all gifts to receive, the email gift certificate should be reserved for last minute gifts – typically, they’re delivered within an hour – or for gifts to out of town friends or remote relatives. They’re also handy when your ‘shipping funds’ are running low.
I appreciate the email gift certificate as much as I would any store gift card: it’s just as easy to use as traditional gift certificates and, you don’t have to worry about losing them.
So here are some of my personal favorites - it’s important to note that most of these sites also sell Gift Cards or email Gift Certificates.
Harry and David - From nuts to fruits to cookies and nearly everything in between, Harry and David always combines gourmet quality with a reasonable price.
Netique - Candles, oils, wooden boxes and crystal, Netique is a great place to find gifts to please those hard to buy for family and friends.
Eleni's Cookies – Perhaps my favorite food related gift site. I squeal with delight each time I receive these wonderful cookies in gorgeous designs.
Pottery Barn – Ok, so The Pottery Barn shows up on most gift lists, but there’s a reason for that! It’s great, affordable merchandise that fits the lifestyle of anyone you know!
Smith & Hawken – We all have a little ‘Outdoor Martha’ in us, so who wouldn’t love a fantastic gardening gift from Smith & Hawken?
Amazon – The old standby. Everything you can imagine is available from Amazon, including last minute email Gift Certificates!
Enjoy your Holidays!
Monday, November 22, 2004
Surviving Post-Holiday Scale Shock, 11-22-2004
(as published on www.outinamerica.com)
Surviving Post-Holiday Scale Shock
By: Rodney Smiley
11-19-2004
The Holiday season is here again. It comes without fail every year, as prompt as Tax day and nearly as unwelcome, bringing family and friends and glad tidings and … food: lots and lots of food.
By mid-November, most of us have at least two or three feasts scheduled. Whether we’ve planned them ourselves or RSVP’d to others, none of us are looking forward to the Holiday Gain. Not to be confused with the Gains of the Holiday – gifts and such. Oh no, the Holiday Gain is encapsulated in a wonderful reminder that comes about the second week in January when our clothes fit as snugly as Jordache jeans in the 80s.
Typically, we’ve eaten more than our share and have avoided the gym as if it were plagued with locusts. Or Republicans. For some of us, it’s a year long battle that culminates in an all out blitzkrieg of calories, fat and bacchanal-like parties come Holiday time.
But must we succumb to the evils of thrice butter-basted fowl and sugary glazed hams, partnered with potatoes laced with butter and salt? Must we face the black specter of Scale Shock in January, when our hearts beat faster and our palms sweat and we nearly collapse from the realization that yes, we’ve gained weight like Liza in the 90s?
A small amount of Egg Nog and Fruit Cake aside –both of which if prepared properly contain liquor and therefore are a must for dealing with relatives - there are ways to minimize the bulk (!) of Holiday Gain.
If preparing the Holiday meal yourself, make the decision to serve healthier alternatives to traditional fare. Hams need not be glazed to a shellacked finish. Turkeys don’t require three coats of butter before baking. Potatoes can be substituted with a wonderful cauliflower mash – your guests will probably not taste the difference. Green beans can be topped with Japanese bread crumbs instead of French Fried Onions.
Use fresh herbs and seasonings to flavor your dishes instead of sugars and butter and you’ve created a delicious and healthier meal.
If attending another’s dinner, take the time to survey the table before asking someone to “Pass the potatoes.” If served ham or turkey, aim for capturing slices from the inside, rather than the exterior. Most times these cuts are less invaded by the chef’s personal flavor fest and are thus less likely to add extra calories.
Choose smaller portions of side dishes – you certainly don’t want to offend your host by refusing his cornbread stuffing, made from his dear old Grandmother’s recipe. You can take tastes from each dish, in smaller portions and still enjoy a wonderful meal with your family and friends.
Drink water before and during the meal. The extra water will make you feel full sooner and you’ll be less likely to overeat - no matter how good the sweet potato pie is.
Speaking of dessert, sometimes opting for coffee and ‘just a sliver, please’ of sundry desserts served at holiday meals is the answer. If you’re hosting, serve a healthy alternative such as a fresh fruit tart or a scoop of frozen yogurt. Add a sprig of mint and a few berries and you’re in fancy-town.
Exercise. Despite the rushed and crazed atmosphere of the Holiday Season, we all must remember that the one true way to battle the January snuggies is to exercise. Keeping an exercise routine is difficult during the Holidays – for some of us it is difficult to keep no matter what Season - but it is a key factor in surviving Holiday Gain.
Remember that the Holiday Season is best spent in the company of your family and friends. Above all, plan to spend time with people you care about. Dining together is just one of many ways to share the Holidays.
Volunteering for a charity or homeless shelter will bring not only the satisfaction of helping those less fortunate but also will be something you can share with your fellow volunteers.
Even a night of egg nog (told you it was important!) and reruns of Rudolph and A Christmas Story is a great way to spend time with those closest to you.
So remember – enjoy your Holidays; spread peace and love and fashion tips to the less fortunate. Just don’t forget about the scale come January.
Surviving Post-Holiday Scale Shock
By: Rodney Smiley
11-19-2004
The Holiday season is here again. It comes without fail every year, as prompt as Tax day and nearly as unwelcome, bringing family and friends and glad tidings and … food: lots and lots of food.
By mid-November, most of us have at least two or three feasts scheduled. Whether we’ve planned them ourselves or RSVP’d to others, none of us are looking forward to the Holiday Gain. Not to be confused with the Gains of the Holiday – gifts and such. Oh no, the Holiday Gain is encapsulated in a wonderful reminder that comes about the second week in January when our clothes fit as snugly as Jordache jeans in the 80s.
Typically, we’ve eaten more than our share and have avoided the gym as if it were plagued with locusts. Or Republicans. For some of us, it’s a year long battle that culminates in an all out blitzkrieg of calories, fat and bacchanal-like parties come Holiday time.
But must we succumb to the evils of thrice butter-basted fowl and sugary glazed hams, partnered with potatoes laced with butter and salt? Must we face the black specter of Scale Shock in January, when our hearts beat faster and our palms sweat and we nearly collapse from the realization that yes, we’ve gained weight like Liza in the 90s?
A small amount of Egg Nog and Fruit Cake aside –both of which if prepared properly contain liquor and therefore are a must for dealing with relatives - there are ways to minimize the bulk (!) of Holiday Gain.
If preparing the Holiday meal yourself, make the decision to serve healthier alternatives to traditional fare. Hams need not be glazed to a shellacked finish. Turkeys don’t require three coats of butter before baking. Potatoes can be substituted with a wonderful cauliflower mash – your guests will probably not taste the difference. Green beans can be topped with Japanese bread crumbs instead of French Fried Onions.
Use fresh herbs and seasonings to flavor your dishes instead of sugars and butter and you’ve created a delicious and healthier meal.
If attending another’s dinner, take the time to survey the table before asking someone to “Pass the potatoes.” If served ham or turkey, aim for capturing slices from the inside, rather than the exterior. Most times these cuts are less invaded by the chef’s personal flavor fest and are thus less likely to add extra calories.
Choose smaller portions of side dishes – you certainly don’t want to offend your host by refusing his cornbread stuffing, made from his dear old Grandmother’s recipe. You can take tastes from each dish, in smaller portions and still enjoy a wonderful meal with your family and friends.
Drink water before and during the meal. The extra water will make you feel full sooner and you’ll be less likely to overeat - no matter how good the sweet potato pie is.
Speaking of dessert, sometimes opting for coffee and ‘just a sliver, please’ of sundry desserts served at holiday meals is the answer. If you’re hosting, serve a healthy alternative such as a fresh fruit tart or a scoop of frozen yogurt. Add a sprig of mint and a few berries and you’re in fancy-town.
Exercise. Despite the rushed and crazed atmosphere of the Holiday Season, we all must remember that the one true way to battle the January snuggies is to exercise. Keeping an exercise routine is difficult during the Holidays – for some of us it is difficult to keep no matter what Season - but it is a key factor in surviving Holiday Gain.
Remember that the Holiday Season is best spent in the company of your family and friends. Above all, plan to spend time with people you care about. Dining together is just one of many ways to share the Holidays.
Volunteering for a charity or homeless shelter will bring not only the satisfaction of helping those less fortunate but also will be something you can share with your fellow volunteers.
Even a night of egg nog (told you it was important!) and reruns of Rudolph and A Christmas Story is a great way to spend time with those closest to you.
So remember – enjoy your Holidays; spread peace and love and fashion tips to the less fortunate. Just don’t forget about the scale come January.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Bazzaar Urban Bar, 09-27-2004
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Bazzaar Urban Bar
654 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
404.885.7505
www.bazzaaratlanta.com
Inconsistent, but promising Revered chef’s culinary creations are the stuff of dreams, but will dreams come true for gay-owned urban hot spot?
Bazzaar Urban Bar sits on the high-traffic corner of Peachtree Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue, next to the Fox Theatre and across from the Georgian Terrace Hotel. It’s a corner filled with theater goers, tourists and inhabitants of the pricey condo buildings springing up in the area.
But despite its glamorous location and proximity to so many potential diners, former venues in this particular space seemed to be damned to failure.
Enter owner Bill Kaelin and chef Richard Blais.
Blais’ creations are fresh, experimental and show real talent. Known for plates with edible works of art, he provides a decidedly new experience wherever he hangs his hat in Atlanta. Fresh off his journey with namesake restaurant Blais, he took the reins in Bazzaar’s kitchen earlier this year.
And Kaelin is fresh from the trendy Eleven50 club, so transforming this space into a hot spot for the sexy and sophisticated crowd seems a natural fit.
BAZZAAR IS a lush and vibrant vision of gold, red and brown. The bi-level space provides a downstairs conducive to drinks and noshing as well as a modern upstairs loft for dining.
The space is sensual and warm. A thumping of DJ-inspired music, artsy wall installations and colored light fixtures bring to mind the kind of place you’d expect to bump into Carrie, Samantha and the girls sipping Cosmos and launching puns.
And the assortment of servers is perfectly suited to the space. Young, sexy and energetic, they fit the mood perfectly.
Menu items of note include the Kobe beef tartare with Asian pear, an injected egg and smoked chili ($6) and tuna carpaccio served with pickled ginger, soy jellies and sesame crisps ($11). True to Blais’ form, both plates are visually appealing as well as tasty.
A dish of chicken fried tofu ($8) is accompanied by inflated edamame, Asian spices and pepper jelly. I’m not a fan of tofu, but fry nearly anything and it’s bound to be tasty. The spices, creamy-whipped edamame and jelly make these skewered square bites really work.
And French toast ($6) for dessert? At Bazzaar, expect a little of the unexpected. Small squares of french toast, topped with Canadian bacon and a side of truffle ice cream with berry compote is as salty-sweet a goodness as I’ve ever had.
My second visit to Bazzaar yields a fault that may have aided in the demise of past enterprises in this space: inconsistency.
The drawback of being the Fox Theater’s closet bar and restaurant is that the place is susceptible to whatever audience is attending whichever show that night.
Tonight, it’s a classic rock crowd. Gone is the hip SoHo feel and young clientele. Present is a congregation of cycle mamas and bandanna-wearing papas sucking back bottled beer and smoking cigarettes.
As distracting as the bottom level is, the loft is free from most of the tailgate feel below. The server arrives eager to please and is quick to announce menu changes.
And some items that remain the same still come out different. A tomato salad with pulled mozzarella and basil water ($7) has lost some of its original uniqueness but is still tasty.
That French toast dessert has changed too, making it more pedestrian. The Canadian bacon is substituted with small strips of pancetta, and the toasts are undercooked and doughy.
But Bazzaar still has its merits.
Crispy calamari with spices, papaya and spearmint ($8) proves to be quite good, as is prosciutto ravioli ($6), in which thin prosciutto is wrapped around whipped parmesan and figs. Also available is a cheese plate ($12) with an unexpected and sensually rich explorateur cheese.
Blais is extraordinarily experimental, but the lack of consistency puts me on edge. Time will tell if the combined talent and experience of Blais and Kaelin can keep Bazzaar from joining the long list of previous occupants.
The potential is there. Let’s hope the diners are, too.
Bazzaar Urban Bar
654 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
404.885.7505
www.bazzaaratlanta.com
Inconsistent, but promising Revered chef’s culinary creations are the stuff of dreams, but will dreams come true for gay-owned urban hot spot?
Bazzaar Urban Bar sits on the high-traffic corner of Peachtree Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue, next to the Fox Theatre and across from the Georgian Terrace Hotel. It’s a corner filled with theater goers, tourists and inhabitants of the pricey condo buildings springing up in the area.
But despite its glamorous location and proximity to so many potential diners, former venues in this particular space seemed to be damned to failure.
Enter owner Bill Kaelin and chef Richard Blais.
Blais’ creations are fresh, experimental and show real talent. Known for plates with edible works of art, he provides a decidedly new experience wherever he hangs his hat in Atlanta. Fresh off his journey with namesake restaurant Blais, he took the reins in Bazzaar’s kitchen earlier this year.
And Kaelin is fresh from the trendy Eleven50 club, so transforming this space into a hot spot for the sexy and sophisticated crowd seems a natural fit.
BAZZAAR IS a lush and vibrant vision of gold, red and brown. The bi-level space provides a downstairs conducive to drinks and noshing as well as a modern upstairs loft for dining.
The space is sensual and warm. A thumping of DJ-inspired music, artsy wall installations and colored light fixtures bring to mind the kind of place you’d expect to bump into Carrie, Samantha and the girls sipping Cosmos and launching puns.
And the assortment of servers is perfectly suited to the space. Young, sexy and energetic, they fit the mood perfectly.
Menu items of note include the Kobe beef tartare with Asian pear, an injected egg and smoked chili ($6) and tuna carpaccio served with pickled ginger, soy jellies and sesame crisps ($11). True to Blais’ form, both plates are visually appealing as well as tasty.
A dish of chicken fried tofu ($8) is accompanied by inflated edamame, Asian spices and pepper jelly. I’m not a fan of tofu, but fry nearly anything and it’s bound to be tasty. The spices, creamy-whipped edamame and jelly make these skewered square bites really work.
And French toast ($6) for dessert? At Bazzaar, expect a little of the unexpected. Small squares of french toast, topped with Canadian bacon and a side of truffle ice cream with berry compote is as salty-sweet a goodness as I’ve ever had.
My second visit to Bazzaar yields a fault that may have aided in the demise of past enterprises in this space: inconsistency.
The drawback of being the Fox Theater’s closet bar and restaurant is that the place is susceptible to whatever audience is attending whichever show that night.
Tonight, it’s a classic rock crowd. Gone is the hip SoHo feel and young clientele. Present is a congregation of cycle mamas and bandanna-wearing papas sucking back bottled beer and smoking cigarettes.
As distracting as the bottom level is, the loft is free from most of the tailgate feel below. The server arrives eager to please and is quick to announce menu changes.
And some items that remain the same still come out different. A tomato salad with pulled mozzarella and basil water ($7) has lost some of its original uniqueness but is still tasty.
That French toast dessert has changed too, making it more pedestrian. The Canadian bacon is substituted with small strips of pancetta, and the toasts are undercooked and doughy.
But Bazzaar still has its merits.
Crispy calamari with spices, papaya and spearmint ($8) proves to be quite good, as is prosciutto ravioli ($6), in which thin prosciutto is wrapped around whipped parmesan and figs. Also available is a cheese plate ($12) with an unexpected and sensually rich explorateur cheese.
Blais is extraordinarily experimental, but the lack of consistency puts me on edge. Time will tell if the combined talent and experience of Blais and Kaelin can keep Bazzaar from joining the long list of previous occupants.
The potential is there. Let’s hope the diners are, too.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Sushi Trio, 09-17-2004
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Show me your sashimi
By: Rodney Smiley
September 17, 2004
You can’t shake a stick in Atlanta without hitting a sushi place, so here are three places in the gayborhood to eat it raw.
Sushi is OFTEN regarded as an acquired taste. Many people avoid it, thinking they’ll be served a platter of raw, cold, wriggling pieces of catfish or trout. And that’s as far as they get.
Surely fish that’s not been dredged in corn meal and deep fried can’t be tasty, can it?
The answer for many is a resounding yes.
For years, sushi was something you’d find only in larger metropolitan cities, but now sushi bars and restaurants are popping up seemingly everywhere both inside and outside the perimeter.
We decided to check out three intown spots and see what’s what.
But before we get started, here’s a quick lesson in what to expect at most sushi restaurants.
A true sushi night is not cheap and shouldn’t be. The better the fish, the fresher the fish, the more expensive the fish. I’m convinced that most people who avoid sushi have not experienced “good” sushi.
Choose wisely and never regret it. Choose poorly, and you may never forget it.
The experiment starts at Ru San’s. The Ansley Park eatery popular with gays is the least expensive and most domestic of the eateries reviewed here.
Fully descriptive menus advising every ingredient in each roll, a loud, almost party-like atmosphere and harried service make Ru San’s the place for the proletarian sushi diner on a budget. There’s even a non-sushi menu for those who are steadfastly opposed to sushi.
Sushi at Ru San’s is passable, but the menu is basic and far too Americanized. Yet that might make Ru San’s perfect for the uninitiated. It’s a place to find suburban families, college students on a budget and of course in Midtown, a sprinkling of gay couples and groups.
But surprisingly, there are no Asian faces, save for the kitchen staff and sushi chefs. That’s probably the best indicator of a place known for its easy menu and atmosphere rather than for its sushi.
Also known for atmosphere, but providing a better sushi experience, is MF Sushibar on Ponce de Leon Avenue. “MF” stands for “Magic Fingers,” and chef/brothers Alex and Chris Kinjo create a glossy, martini-lounge inspired restaurant where Atlanta’s hipsters nosh on plates that look as sleek and appealing as the room itself.
After a bit of a wait for a seat, the server shows up offering advice and suggestions — something most amateur sushi-goers need. At her insistence, I order a shrimp tempura roll and a ginger salad.
The salad arrives, crisp and tangy with just enough ginger to set the taste buds on point. Followed by the tempura roll, fresh and packed with shrimp, it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant meal in such polished surroundings.
BUT TO EXPERIENCE the true aficionado’s sushi, visit Taka Sushi Café in Buckhead. It’s pricey, but Taka is to sushi what Prada is to handbags: near perfection.
Unpretentious in its renovated Taco Mac location, Taka is small enough to provide a personalized and distinctive experience yet large enough for an escape to a corner table to share elegant bites and some of the finest sake.
At the sushi bar, Chef Taka is carving, forming and exhibiting his wares. He is happy to offer suggestions as to what is particularly good on a given evening.Trust him. I did, and I found myself dining on luscious dishes.
In addition to nigiri, maki and one plate of wonderful fried pork fritters, a seaweed cone chock-full of cucumber, herbs, a little sticky rice and tuna is drizzled with just a modest amount of soy. It’s as scrumptious a treat as anyone could ask for.
Visitors might just think that Taka Sushi Café is Sushi Nirvana.
Show me your sashimi
By: Rodney Smiley
September 17, 2004
You can’t shake a stick in Atlanta without hitting a sushi place, so here are three places in the gayborhood to eat it raw.
Sushi is OFTEN regarded as an acquired taste. Many people avoid it, thinking they’ll be served a platter of raw, cold, wriggling pieces of catfish or trout. And that’s as far as they get.
Surely fish that’s not been dredged in corn meal and deep fried can’t be tasty, can it?
The answer for many is a resounding yes.
For years, sushi was something you’d find only in larger metropolitan cities, but now sushi bars and restaurants are popping up seemingly everywhere both inside and outside the perimeter.
We decided to check out three intown spots and see what’s what.
But before we get started, here’s a quick lesson in what to expect at most sushi restaurants.
A true sushi night is not cheap and shouldn’t be. The better the fish, the fresher the fish, the more expensive the fish. I’m convinced that most people who avoid sushi have not experienced “good” sushi.
Choose wisely and never regret it. Choose poorly, and you may never forget it.
The experiment starts at Ru San’s. The Ansley Park eatery popular with gays is the least expensive and most domestic of the eateries reviewed here.
Fully descriptive menus advising every ingredient in each roll, a loud, almost party-like atmosphere and harried service make Ru San’s the place for the proletarian sushi diner on a budget. There’s even a non-sushi menu for those who are steadfastly opposed to sushi.
Sushi at Ru San’s is passable, but the menu is basic and far too Americanized. Yet that might make Ru San’s perfect for the uninitiated. It’s a place to find suburban families, college students on a budget and of course in Midtown, a sprinkling of gay couples and groups.
But surprisingly, there are no Asian faces, save for the kitchen staff and sushi chefs. That’s probably the best indicator of a place known for its easy menu and atmosphere rather than for its sushi.
Also known for atmosphere, but providing a better sushi experience, is MF Sushibar on Ponce de Leon Avenue. “MF” stands for “Magic Fingers,” and chef/brothers Alex and Chris Kinjo create a glossy, martini-lounge inspired restaurant where Atlanta’s hipsters nosh on plates that look as sleek and appealing as the room itself.
After a bit of a wait for a seat, the server shows up offering advice and suggestions — something most amateur sushi-goers need. At her insistence, I order a shrimp tempura roll and a ginger salad.
The salad arrives, crisp and tangy with just enough ginger to set the taste buds on point. Followed by the tempura roll, fresh and packed with shrimp, it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant meal in such polished surroundings.
BUT TO EXPERIENCE the true aficionado’s sushi, visit Taka Sushi Café in Buckhead. It’s pricey, but Taka is to sushi what Prada is to handbags: near perfection.
Unpretentious in its renovated Taco Mac location, Taka is small enough to provide a personalized and distinctive experience yet large enough for an escape to a corner table to share elegant bites and some of the finest sake.
At the sushi bar, Chef Taka is carving, forming and exhibiting his wares. He is happy to offer suggestions as to what is particularly good on a given evening.Trust him. I did, and I found myself dining on luscious dishes.
In addition to nigiri, maki and one plate of wonderful fried pork fritters, a seaweed cone chock-full of cucumber, herbs, a little sticky rice and tuna is drizzled with just a modest amount of soy. It’s as scrumptious a treat as anyone could ask for.
Visitors might just think that Taka Sushi Café is Sushi Nirvana.
Friday, August 20, 2004
Toast, 08-11-2004
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Toast
817 W. Peachtree Street
Suite E-125 Atlanta, GA
404.815.9243
http://www.toastrestaurant.com/
Up-and-coming hotspot offers inspired dishes from starters to desserts that are sure to send diners to Wonderland.
When visiting a new restaurant, I sometimes feel like Alice, having fallen down the rabbit hole and thinking, “I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is, what?”
That’s certainly a great question at Toast, one of the newest, tastiest spots to make a name for itself in Atlanta.
Occupying a bottom corner in the historic Biltmore hotel, Toast is bright and airy with dramatic tangerine and lime walls. The space maintains an industrial feel, and there is a patio that’s highly manicured, covered and comfortable.
Blonde wood furnishings and concrete block walls blend effortlessly with glossy orange chairs and a steel and aluminum accented bar. A deep tangerine logo wall is the focal point of the main dining room, and a couple of flat screen televisions add to the lofty, modern feel.
Toast COMBINES small plates and starters with heartier entrees. The wait staff is well informed, taking several minutes to explain certain dishes and offering suggestions.
I start with a soup of the day, which at most places is pretty typical fare. But at Toast, as in Wonderland, things aren’t always what they appear to be.
I’m served a bowl of chilled tomato and melon soup, sprinkled with a chiffonade of basil and drizzled in olive oil with a scoop of Tang sorbet in the middle.
That’s right, Tang sorbet — made from the drink of the astronauts. But Neil Armstrong himself couldn’t walk higher than the high this soup inspires. Cool and fresh, tangy and tart, it’s wonderful for a summer day. Or a winter day. Or any other day.
Other starters follow, including an antipasti of artisian meats, olives and eggplant caponata, a calamari, flash fried and topped with a mixture of tomato, mango and herbs. Then there’s Toast’s cheese plate containing a chef’s selection with dollops of pureed beets and olive tapenade. These nibbles are above the status quo for appetizers.
Toast offers gourmet sandwiches, salads and entrees like Chef Drew’s submarine sandwich ($9) made with prosciutto, serrano, cappicola, roasted tomatoes and feta cheese. Or try Kellie’s chicken salad ($7) with white grapes, dried cranberries and marcona almonds.
But I go for the salmon sandwich and the pulled chicken sandwich. The salmon sandwich ($8) is served on a soft baguette and topped with an arugula pesto, pecorino cheese and tomato. The salmon is seared then baked off, delivering a tasty and light sandwich.
The chicken in the pulled chicken sandwich ($7) is doused in a tangy barbecue sauce and loaded onto toasted house made bread with arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and pecorino cheese. Served with crispy, thick cut potatoes, it’s a tremendous, tasty little feast. Or should that be a Toast-y feast?
I anticipate my experience with Toast will keep surprising me through the dessert menu. Not only does the restaurant deliver, it might force diners to re-evaluate how they define “surprising.”
Blueberry pie with cookie dough ice cream ($6), fresh made sorbets ($5) and a chocolate caramel tart (priced daily) served with goat cheese ice cream are a few of Toast’s enchanting desserts. Today’s special sorbet is strawberry and rosemary, a nice blend of fresh flavors that is one of the best sorbets I’ve had.
Slightly heavier than the sorbet is the chocolate caramel tart. Who would have thought to mix goat cheese ice cream with deep, dark warm chocolate? But it works — boy, does it work. It’s smiles all around with this Queen of Tarts.
Fun and funky, with a neighborhood vibe, Toast is sure to please foodies with its inspired preparation and culinary boldness. It also appeals to happening jet-setters looking for the next hotspot.
Chef Drew Van Luevan and company have designed a delightful, scrumptious eatery that is sure to gain fans.
Unlike Alice, I never want to leave this Wonderland.
Toast
817 W. Peachtree Street
Suite E-125 Atlanta, GA
404.815.9243
http://www.toastrestaurant.com/
Up-and-coming hotspot offers inspired dishes from starters to desserts that are sure to send diners to Wonderland.
When visiting a new restaurant, I sometimes feel like Alice, having fallen down the rabbit hole and thinking, “I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is, what?”
That’s certainly a great question at Toast, one of the newest, tastiest spots to make a name for itself in Atlanta.
Occupying a bottom corner in the historic Biltmore hotel, Toast is bright and airy with dramatic tangerine and lime walls. The space maintains an industrial feel, and there is a patio that’s highly manicured, covered and comfortable.
Blonde wood furnishings and concrete block walls blend effortlessly with glossy orange chairs and a steel and aluminum accented bar. A deep tangerine logo wall is the focal point of the main dining room, and a couple of flat screen televisions add to the lofty, modern feel.
Toast COMBINES small plates and starters with heartier entrees. The wait staff is well informed, taking several minutes to explain certain dishes and offering suggestions.
I start with a soup of the day, which at most places is pretty typical fare. But at Toast, as in Wonderland, things aren’t always what they appear to be.
I’m served a bowl of chilled tomato and melon soup, sprinkled with a chiffonade of basil and drizzled in olive oil with a scoop of Tang sorbet in the middle.
That’s right, Tang sorbet — made from the drink of the astronauts. But Neil Armstrong himself couldn’t walk higher than the high this soup inspires. Cool and fresh, tangy and tart, it’s wonderful for a summer day. Or a winter day. Or any other day.
Other starters follow, including an antipasti of artisian meats, olives and eggplant caponata, a calamari, flash fried and topped with a mixture of tomato, mango and herbs. Then there’s Toast’s cheese plate containing a chef’s selection with dollops of pureed beets and olive tapenade. These nibbles are above the status quo for appetizers.
Toast offers gourmet sandwiches, salads and entrees like Chef Drew’s submarine sandwich ($9) made with prosciutto, serrano, cappicola, roasted tomatoes and feta cheese. Or try Kellie’s chicken salad ($7) with white grapes, dried cranberries and marcona almonds.
But I go for the salmon sandwich and the pulled chicken sandwich. The salmon sandwich ($8) is served on a soft baguette and topped with an arugula pesto, pecorino cheese and tomato. The salmon is seared then baked off, delivering a tasty and light sandwich.
The chicken in the pulled chicken sandwich ($7) is doused in a tangy barbecue sauce and loaded onto toasted house made bread with arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and pecorino cheese. Served with crispy, thick cut potatoes, it’s a tremendous, tasty little feast. Or should that be a Toast-y feast?
I anticipate my experience with Toast will keep surprising me through the dessert menu. Not only does the restaurant deliver, it might force diners to re-evaluate how they define “surprising.”
Blueberry pie with cookie dough ice cream ($6), fresh made sorbets ($5) and a chocolate caramel tart (priced daily) served with goat cheese ice cream are a few of Toast’s enchanting desserts. Today’s special sorbet is strawberry and rosemary, a nice blend of fresh flavors that is one of the best sorbets I’ve had.
Slightly heavier than the sorbet is the chocolate caramel tart. Who would have thought to mix goat cheese ice cream with deep, dark warm chocolate? But it works — boy, does it work. It’s smiles all around with this Queen of Tarts.
Fun and funky, with a neighborhood vibe, Toast is sure to please foodies with its inspired preparation and culinary boldness. It also appeals to happening jet-setters looking for the next hotspot.
Chef Drew Van Luevan and company have designed a delightful, scrumptious eatery that is sure to gain fans.
Unlike Alice, I never want to leave this Wonderland.
Friday, August 13, 2004
In Memory of Julia Child, 08-13-2004
"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal ... In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."
~Julia Child, 1912-2004
Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to American home cooks through her television series and books, has died. She was 91.
"America has lost a true national treasure," Nicholas Latimer, director of publicity for the famed chef's publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, said in a statement Friday. "She will be missed terribly."
Child died at 2:50 a.m. Friday at her home in an assisted living center in Montecito, a coastal town about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, said her niece, Philadelphia Cousins. A statement released earlier by Latimer said Child died Thursday.
"She passed away in her sleep," Cousins said. "She was with family and friends and her kitten, Minou. She had cookbooks and many paintings by her husband Paul around the house."
Child, who died two days before her 92nd birthday, had been suffering from kidney failure, Cousins said.
A memorial service for family members was planned, but Child asked that no funeral be held, Cousins said.
A 6-foot-2 American folk hero, "The French Chef" was known to her public as Julia, and preached a delight not only in good food but in sharing it, ending her landmark public television lessons at a set table and with the wish, "Bon appetit."
"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal," she said in the introduction to her seventh book, "The Way to Cook." "In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."
Chipper and unpretentious, she beckoned everyone to give good food a try.
She wasn't always tidy in the kitchen, and just like the rest of us, she sometimes dropped things or had trouble getting a cake out of its mold.
In an A-line skirt and blouse, and an apron with a dish towel tucked into the waist, Julia Child grew familiar enough to be parodied by Dan Aykroyd on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and the subject of Jean Stapleton's musical revue, "Bon Appetit." She was on the cover of Time magazine in 1966.
~Julia Child, 1912-2004
Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to American home cooks through her television series and books, has died. She was 91.
"America has lost a true national treasure," Nicholas Latimer, director of publicity for the famed chef's publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, said in a statement Friday. "She will be missed terribly."
Child died at 2:50 a.m. Friday at her home in an assisted living center in Montecito, a coastal town about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, said her niece, Philadelphia Cousins. A statement released earlier by Latimer said Child died Thursday.
"She passed away in her sleep," Cousins said. "She was with family and friends and her kitten, Minou. She had cookbooks and many paintings by her husband Paul around the house."
Child, who died two days before her 92nd birthday, had been suffering from kidney failure, Cousins said.
A memorial service for family members was planned, but Child asked that no funeral be held, Cousins said.
A 6-foot-2 American folk hero, "The French Chef" was known to her public as Julia, and preached a delight not only in good food but in sharing it, ending her landmark public television lessons at a set table and with the wish, "Bon appetit."
"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal," she said in the introduction to her seventh book, "The Way to Cook." "In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."
Chipper and unpretentious, she beckoned everyone to give good food a try.
She wasn't always tidy in the kitchen, and just like the rest of us, she sometimes dropped things or had trouble getting a cake out of its mold.
In an A-line skirt and blouse, and an apron with a dish towel tucked into the waist, Julia Child grew familiar enough to be parodied by Dan Aykroyd on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and the subject of Jean Stapleton's musical revue, "Bon Appetit." She was on the cover of Time magazine in 1966.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Philly Foodie Feast, 08-02-2004
(as published on www.outinamerica.com)
A quick trip to Philadelphia offers food, fun and freedom
Philadelphia: Independence Hall. The Rocky Steps. The Liberty Bell.
Fabulous dining? A thriving gay and lesbian population?
Oh yes.
You’ve been to the City of Brotherly Love. You’ve seen the birthplace of freedom and walked the streets Benjamin Franklin walked and have wanted to ring that old cracked bell for all it’s worth. You may have even climbed those Rocky Steps and found that you are not in as great shape as you thought (did you know that the back entrance to the museum has less than 15 steps? Suckers!).
But have you EATEN Philadelphia?
Some of the most innovative and talented chefs in the country call Philly home. The city is jam packed with bistros, diners, BYOBs, and local restaurants. With a free weekend to kill and a quick plane ride, a great foodie trip to Philly can be yours – if you’re daring enough to try it.
Philadelphia’s ‘Gayborhood” is the best place to begin. Arriving at the airport mid-morning on a Saturday, a quick train ride (most fares, $5.50) to Market Street East station drops passengers off at the edge of the “hood”, as the locals have named it. The Gayborhood is located in Center City, a mixed use downtown revitalization project which is home to many Gay and Lesbian shops, bars, clubs, and restaurants. It shows – people walking or jogging, taking pets for outdoor constitutionals, drag queens and leather daddies standing on the same street corner.
First, a quick lunch. More Than Just Ice Cream (1119 Locust St.) is an unassuming, pleasant establishment offering –you guessed it- ice cream, but more. Divided into two dining areas, one with an ice cream counter and the other a proper dining room, locals meet and chat over plates of surprisingly good food. The wait staff is typical funky 20-somethings, but they are well versed in the menu and are easy to suggest favorites. Omelettes and salads are big on the menu as are sandwiches and fruits. A dessert menu is available however, with an old fashioned ice cream counter just steps away, I’m sure it doesn’t see much action.
Afternoons in Philadelphia can be spent walking the historic Society Hill streets or shopping on Walnut Street: think 5th Avenue but Philly style. The Reading Terminal Market (51 N. 12th St, #2) makes for interesting ‘farmers market’ style wandering and the many street vendors offering cheese steaks around the Liberty Bell park can help curb that mid afternoon snack hunger.
But save room for later because later promises to be a wing-dinger of a night.
A great start to the evening is pre-dinner snacks and drinks at El Vez (121-123 S. 13th St). One of restaurateur Stephen Starr’s newest additions to the Philly scene, El Vez is a brightly colored Mexican influenced corner spot just buzzing with young, single urbanites schmoozing and flirting over blood orange margaritas and snacking on probably the best tortilla chips ever made. Thick and crunchy, these chips come with a chunky guacamole served in a solid cast iron pot. The décor and vibe at El Vez is high energy and brightly colored, but is not a place for dinner conversation. The crowd can get a bit rowdy and soundproofing was obviously not paramount on the designers mind.
Across the street from El Vez is Lolita (106 S. 13th St), another recently opened restaurant in Philadelphia. Owner Valerie Safran and Chef/Owner Marcie Turney have worked to make this small and intimate setting an industrial but ultimately romantic space. Red brick walls and a completely open kitchen add to the warehouse feel, while low lighting and muted colors make a sensual space, perfect for a first date or a group meal. The menu is Latin influenced, with an American style. Ranging from pork chops to skirt steak to duck, the entrée selection offers something for every taste.
Instead of dessert at dinner, a quick hop and step to Capogiro (119 S. 13th St.) for gelato comes next. Serving gourmet gelato (over 20 flavors) in a small storefront, it’s the perfect way to curb that uneasy feeling having just finished a sumptuous dinner. The champagne mango gelato is great, as is the Mexican Chocolate – but watch out, it has a kick!
If a walk is in order after feasting like this, a stroll to Bump (1234 Locust St.) for cocktails is a flawless way to round out the evening. Bump is an ultra-loungey, ultra-hip, ultra-gay cocktail bar where the people are pretty and the servers, prettier. Specializing in high end martinis and trendy bar food, Bump offers a simultaneously energetic and serene finish to a great dining experience in Philadelphia.
Philly is a great town for eating and the chefs there know it. Bistros, BYOBs and eclectic eateries offer something for the foodie in all of us.
Bring your loose pants and enjoy Philadelphia’s Food!
A quick trip to Philadelphia offers food, fun and freedom
Philadelphia: Independence Hall. The Rocky Steps. The Liberty Bell.
Fabulous dining? A thriving gay and lesbian population?
Oh yes.
You’ve been to the City of Brotherly Love. You’ve seen the birthplace of freedom and walked the streets Benjamin Franklin walked and have wanted to ring that old cracked bell for all it’s worth. You may have even climbed those Rocky Steps and found that you are not in as great shape as you thought (did you know that the back entrance to the museum has less than 15 steps? Suckers!).
But have you EATEN Philadelphia?
Some of the most innovative and talented chefs in the country call Philly home. The city is jam packed with bistros, diners, BYOBs, and local restaurants. With a free weekend to kill and a quick plane ride, a great foodie trip to Philly can be yours – if you’re daring enough to try it.
Philadelphia’s ‘Gayborhood” is the best place to begin. Arriving at the airport mid-morning on a Saturday, a quick train ride (most fares, $5.50) to Market Street East station drops passengers off at the edge of the “hood”, as the locals have named it. The Gayborhood is located in Center City, a mixed use downtown revitalization project which is home to many Gay and Lesbian shops, bars, clubs, and restaurants. It shows – people walking or jogging, taking pets for outdoor constitutionals, drag queens and leather daddies standing on the same street corner.
First, a quick lunch. More Than Just Ice Cream (1119 Locust St.) is an unassuming, pleasant establishment offering –you guessed it- ice cream, but more. Divided into two dining areas, one with an ice cream counter and the other a proper dining room, locals meet and chat over plates of surprisingly good food. The wait staff is typical funky 20-somethings, but they are well versed in the menu and are easy to suggest favorites. Omelettes and salads are big on the menu as are sandwiches and fruits. A dessert menu is available however, with an old fashioned ice cream counter just steps away, I’m sure it doesn’t see much action.
Afternoons in Philadelphia can be spent walking the historic Society Hill streets or shopping on Walnut Street: think 5th Avenue but Philly style. The Reading Terminal Market (51 N. 12th St, #2) makes for interesting ‘farmers market’ style wandering and the many street vendors offering cheese steaks around the Liberty Bell park can help curb that mid afternoon snack hunger.
But save room for later because later promises to be a wing-dinger of a night.
A great start to the evening is pre-dinner snacks and drinks at El Vez (121-123 S. 13th St). One of restaurateur Stephen Starr’s newest additions to the Philly scene, El Vez is a brightly colored Mexican influenced corner spot just buzzing with young, single urbanites schmoozing and flirting over blood orange margaritas and snacking on probably the best tortilla chips ever made. Thick and crunchy, these chips come with a chunky guacamole served in a solid cast iron pot. The décor and vibe at El Vez is high energy and brightly colored, but is not a place for dinner conversation. The crowd can get a bit rowdy and soundproofing was obviously not paramount on the designers mind.
Across the street from El Vez is Lolita (106 S. 13th St), another recently opened restaurant in Philadelphia. Owner Valerie Safran and Chef/Owner Marcie Turney have worked to make this small and intimate setting an industrial but ultimately romantic space. Red brick walls and a completely open kitchen add to the warehouse feel, while low lighting and muted colors make a sensual space, perfect for a first date or a group meal. The menu is Latin influenced, with an American style. Ranging from pork chops to skirt steak to duck, the entrée selection offers something for every taste.
Instead of dessert at dinner, a quick hop and step to Capogiro (119 S. 13th St.) for gelato comes next. Serving gourmet gelato (over 20 flavors) in a small storefront, it’s the perfect way to curb that uneasy feeling having just finished a sumptuous dinner. The champagne mango gelato is great, as is the Mexican Chocolate – but watch out, it has a kick!
If a walk is in order after feasting like this, a stroll to Bump (1234 Locust St.) for cocktails is a flawless way to round out the evening. Bump is an ultra-loungey, ultra-hip, ultra-gay cocktail bar where the people are pretty and the servers, prettier. Specializing in high end martinis and trendy bar food, Bump offers a simultaneously energetic and serene finish to a great dining experience in Philadelphia.
Philly is a great town for eating and the chefs there know it. Bistros, BYOBs and eclectic eateries offer something for the foodie in all of us.
Bring your loose pants and enjoy Philadelphia’s Food!
Friday, July 30, 2004
Salt, 07-30-04
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Salt adds flavor
Salt
794 Juniper St. NE
Atlanta, GA
404-541-1988
www.saltatlanta.com
New Midtown eatery puts a twist on comfort food by blending Southern favorites with fresh new ideas.
In a gentrified house in Midtown, Salt is Chef Jason Dauble’s first offering to Atlanta’s ever-expanding restaurant scene.
The house is a mixture of old and new, blending modern lighting and music with a hint of Southernness, including beaded chandeliers hanging over tables on the dining porch. It’s a mere half a veranda, really. But there is a feeling that once, years ago, belles in bustles fanned themselves here while sipping iced tea and fretting over which gentleman caller to humor.
Step inside, and Salt transforms into a well appointed bar area, complete with tables, dark wood trim and floors and spartan décor. It’s modern meets functional with just a dash of fancy.
The main dining room is upstairs, accessed by a gothic wooden staircase. But for the fun and spirit of Salt, the best seats can be found downstairs.
One word of caution: the dining area in the bar is for smokers. It’s well ventilated, but it can be rather bothersome to diners sensitive to smoke.
Of course, the true test of any restaurant is the food. The menu focuses heavily on rethinking traditional southern comfort foods, with a smidge of modernism thrown in for good measure — with good results.
Starter plates such as Comfort Salad ($6.60), a spinach and arugula salad with Fuji apples, walnuts and warm bacon vinaigrette, and Pork Biscuits ($7.50), small cheddar cheese biscuits sliced and filled with a piquant, pulled pork barbecue, are a few examples of Chef Dauble’s innovative approach.
Another starter plate is a luscious little dish called Hand Pies ($6.50). Small baked pies of country ham and white cheese, folded inside a pastry reminiscent of pretzel dough, are topped with true pretzel salt. They are comfort snacks not to be missed by fans of ham and cheese sandwiches.
The chef’s fondness for whimsical names carries over to the entrée menu. Le Big Mac ‘n Cheese ($12.50) is a pasta with goat cheese and chicken. Lavender Fried Chicken ($14) is a gigantic chicken breast coated with lavender breading seated atop smashed skin-on potatoes and sweet corn.
More traditional comfort fare includes Michelle’s Meatloaf ($14), seasoned with a hint of chipotle. Now that’s a spicy meatloaf! It’s served with smashed skin-on potatoes and French green beans. It is quite possibly the pick of the bunch. This meatloaf packs a punch, but the flavors are not lost in the spice; they are complemented by it.
Another surprise on the menu is the Blue Plate, which arrives on an elementary school cafeteria plate, with each portion occupying its own section. It even includes a small, squat carton of milk. Charming? Well, yes, unless childhood school lunches were spent fighting the class bully or bartering for your safety while trading desserts.
The Blue Plate at Salt, the contents of which change frequently, promises to allay those brutish moments and offers comfort and warm memories.
Desserts at Salt are prepared fresh with seasonal fare that can change daily. Cobblers are high on the rotation with Peach Cobbler ($7) leading the menu. It’s an individual serving with a sugared crust, but it seems to lack the down-home factor required of a cobbler. The sugared crust detracts from the sweetness of the peaches, which are already drowning in a warm, soupy jous.
The menu is, overall, wonder-fully produced and should only better itself over time. As with most new restaurants, the service and kitchen-to-server coordination is still irksome, but cooperation between the ranks should coalesce to function fluidly.
Drawing on experience cultivated in some of Atlanta’s more experimental and celebrated kitchens, Dauble has created a potentially fantastic spot with Salt. Each dish is something Grandma might have made, but with a definite twist.
A young, fresh energy bounces off most dishes and helps to enhance the feeling that comfort food is not for comfort only, but also works well as a tasty neighborhood supper.
Salt adds flavor
Salt
794 Juniper St. NE
Atlanta, GA
404-541-1988
www.saltatlanta.com
New Midtown eatery puts a twist on comfort food by blending Southern favorites with fresh new ideas.
In a gentrified house in Midtown, Salt is Chef Jason Dauble’s first offering to Atlanta’s ever-expanding restaurant scene.
The house is a mixture of old and new, blending modern lighting and music with a hint of Southernness, including beaded chandeliers hanging over tables on the dining porch. It’s a mere half a veranda, really. But there is a feeling that once, years ago, belles in bustles fanned themselves here while sipping iced tea and fretting over which gentleman caller to humor.
Step inside, and Salt transforms into a well appointed bar area, complete with tables, dark wood trim and floors and spartan décor. It’s modern meets functional with just a dash of fancy.
The main dining room is upstairs, accessed by a gothic wooden staircase. But for the fun and spirit of Salt, the best seats can be found downstairs.
One word of caution: the dining area in the bar is for smokers. It’s well ventilated, but it can be rather bothersome to diners sensitive to smoke.
Of course, the true test of any restaurant is the food. The menu focuses heavily on rethinking traditional southern comfort foods, with a smidge of modernism thrown in for good measure — with good results.
Starter plates such as Comfort Salad ($6.60), a spinach and arugula salad with Fuji apples, walnuts and warm bacon vinaigrette, and Pork Biscuits ($7.50), small cheddar cheese biscuits sliced and filled with a piquant, pulled pork barbecue, are a few examples of Chef Dauble’s innovative approach.
Another starter plate is a luscious little dish called Hand Pies ($6.50). Small baked pies of country ham and white cheese, folded inside a pastry reminiscent of pretzel dough, are topped with true pretzel salt. They are comfort snacks not to be missed by fans of ham and cheese sandwiches.
The chef’s fondness for whimsical names carries over to the entrée menu. Le Big Mac ‘n Cheese ($12.50) is a pasta with goat cheese and chicken. Lavender Fried Chicken ($14) is a gigantic chicken breast coated with lavender breading seated atop smashed skin-on potatoes and sweet corn.
More traditional comfort fare includes Michelle’s Meatloaf ($14), seasoned with a hint of chipotle. Now that’s a spicy meatloaf! It’s served with smashed skin-on potatoes and French green beans. It is quite possibly the pick of the bunch. This meatloaf packs a punch, but the flavors are not lost in the spice; they are complemented by it.
Another surprise on the menu is the Blue Plate, which arrives on an elementary school cafeteria plate, with each portion occupying its own section. It even includes a small, squat carton of milk. Charming? Well, yes, unless childhood school lunches were spent fighting the class bully or bartering for your safety while trading desserts.
The Blue Plate at Salt, the contents of which change frequently, promises to allay those brutish moments and offers comfort and warm memories.
Desserts at Salt are prepared fresh with seasonal fare that can change daily. Cobblers are high on the rotation with Peach Cobbler ($7) leading the menu. It’s an individual serving with a sugared crust, but it seems to lack the down-home factor required of a cobbler. The sugared crust detracts from the sweetness of the peaches, which are already drowning in a warm, soupy jous.
The menu is, overall, wonder-fully produced and should only better itself over time. As with most new restaurants, the service and kitchen-to-server coordination is still irksome, but cooperation between the ranks should coalesce to function fluidly.
Drawing on experience cultivated in some of Atlanta’s more experimental and celebrated kitchens, Dauble has created a potentially fantastic spot with Salt. Each dish is something Grandma might have made, but with a definite twist.
A young, fresh energy bounces off most dishes and helps to enhance the feeling that comfort food is not for comfort only, but also works well as a tasty neighborhood supper.
Friday, June 25, 2004
City Cafe Diner, 06-25-04
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Nobody leaves hungry
City Cafe Diner
525 10th St. NW
Atlanta, GA
404-724-0407
Other locations downtown, College Park, Stone Mountain and Jonesboro
Extra large portions and earnest attempt at diner food make eatery long on enjoyment, short on pocketbook.
Diner food is like that old college sweatshirt still in the closet — warm and comfortable but not entirely pleasing to the eye.
City Café Diner, with its blue awning, customary smattering of neon and welcoming “Open 24 Hours” sign, gives a retreat from the rigors of fine dining while offering a menu vast enough to please every palate.
Entrée portions are mega-sized and the desserts are mammoth. With a menu containing everything from bacon and eggs to a fried seafood combo, even the most discerning — read “picky” — diners can find favorites.
As if the appreciation for a large menu is paramount — both in item count and actual size — City Café delivers on what it promises: “Nobody Leaves Hungry.” One menu item that immediately catches the eye is Disco Fries ($4.95). After an explanation from the server, I learn that Disco Fries are merely thick-cut french fries, covered in a blanket of brown gravy and a mixture of melted cheddar and mozzarella. It’s a common appetizer given a fantastic name, yet it’s nothing new.
But what does surprise me is the authenticity with which City Café produces its chicken wings ($6.95). Available in a variety of spiciness, the wings are offered with the unexpected option of being “Double Fried” — fried, dipped in sauce then fried again.
Glorious! Fry my wings twice, and you win my vote. Served with large slivers of celery and carrot, these may be some of the finest chicken wings around.
Entrée options range from the expected sirloin with sides ($17.95) and grilled salad ($9.95 with chicken, $10.95 steak/shrimp) to the entirely unexpected moussaka ($9.95) and stir fry dish ($12.95).
The Monte Cristo sandwich ($8.95) is served open faced with a side of black beans. Huge Texas-sized French toast topped with grilled turkey, ham and melted Swiss cheese arrives close to perfect. The toast is warm and crisp and supports the weight and flavors of the turkey, ham and Swiss excellently. The black beans are traditional staples over rice — nothing too fancy.
But this is diner food, and fancy should be saved for dessert. And fancy do I go.
Among the dessert cakes ($5.95) is Millionaire Cake, a mixture of whipped chocolate mousse and cheesecake, and a standard Pecan Pie. But I decide on an elegant, traditional Southern delight — Red Velvet Cake.
The mere size of the Red Velvet portion is intimidating, but I dive right in. Moist cake, topped with butter cream icing and sprinkled with the same red cake crumbs, meets my fork several times. But no matter how I try, this slice of red heaven gets the better of me.
The server asks, as if she is concerned I am one of the starving college students or stately senior citizens that frequent the place, if anything needs to be boxed up. Not wanting to appear gluttonous, I decline and work on finishing just a few more forkfuls of this sweet end to a simple meal.
Awash in neon, imitation flowers and housing a medium sized tank of live sea crabs, the City Café Diner is not fine dining. It’s simple dining and easy on the wallet. A nice early supper joint, the straightforward service and ample tastes offer a pleasing end to any day.
Nobody leaves hungry
City Cafe Diner
525 10th St. NW
Atlanta, GA
404-724-0407
Other locations downtown, College Park, Stone Mountain and Jonesboro
Extra large portions and earnest attempt at diner food make eatery long on enjoyment, short on pocketbook.
Diner food is like that old college sweatshirt still in the closet — warm and comfortable but not entirely pleasing to the eye.
City Café Diner, with its blue awning, customary smattering of neon and welcoming “Open 24 Hours” sign, gives a retreat from the rigors of fine dining while offering a menu vast enough to please every palate.
Entrée portions are mega-sized and the desserts are mammoth. With a menu containing everything from bacon and eggs to a fried seafood combo, even the most discerning — read “picky” — diners can find favorites.
As if the appreciation for a large menu is paramount — both in item count and actual size — City Café delivers on what it promises: “Nobody Leaves Hungry.” One menu item that immediately catches the eye is Disco Fries ($4.95). After an explanation from the server, I learn that Disco Fries are merely thick-cut french fries, covered in a blanket of brown gravy and a mixture of melted cheddar and mozzarella. It’s a common appetizer given a fantastic name, yet it’s nothing new.
But what does surprise me is the authenticity with which City Café produces its chicken wings ($6.95). Available in a variety of spiciness, the wings are offered with the unexpected option of being “Double Fried” — fried, dipped in sauce then fried again.
Glorious! Fry my wings twice, and you win my vote. Served with large slivers of celery and carrot, these may be some of the finest chicken wings around.
Entrée options range from the expected sirloin with sides ($17.95) and grilled salad ($9.95 with chicken, $10.95 steak/shrimp) to the entirely unexpected moussaka ($9.95) and stir fry dish ($12.95).
The Monte Cristo sandwich ($8.95) is served open faced with a side of black beans. Huge Texas-sized French toast topped with grilled turkey, ham and melted Swiss cheese arrives close to perfect. The toast is warm and crisp and supports the weight and flavors of the turkey, ham and Swiss excellently. The black beans are traditional staples over rice — nothing too fancy.
But this is diner food, and fancy should be saved for dessert. And fancy do I go.
Among the dessert cakes ($5.95) is Millionaire Cake, a mixture of whipped chocolate mousse and cheesecake, and a standard Pecan Pie. But I decide on an elegant, traditional Southern delight — Red Velvet Cake.
The mere size of the Red Velvet portion is intimidating, but I dive right in. Moist cake, topped with butter cream icing and sprinkled with the same red cake crumbs, meets my fork several times. But no matter how I try, this slice of red heaven gets the better of me.
The server asks, as if she is concerned I am one of the starving college students or stately senior citizens that frequent the place, if anything needs to be boxed up. Not wanting to appear gluttonous, I decline and work on finishing just a few more forkfuls of this sweet end to a simple meal.
Awash in neon, imitation flowers and housing a medium sized tank of live sea crabs, the City Café Diner is not fine dining. It’s simple dining and easy on the wallet. A nice early supper joint, the straightforward service and ample tastes offer a pleasing end to any day.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Front Page News, 05-28-04
(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)
Quick trip to French Quarter
353 Moreland Ave.
Atlanta, GA
404-475-7777
www.newsyoucanswallow.com
Eatery offers passable New Orleans-style menu but nothing special in ever-gentrifying Little Five Points.
As the number of young, married urbanites increases, so does the number of children associated with them.
That means places like Front Page News in Little Five Points will start showing up in all of Atlanta’s former
“counter-culture” and bohemian neighborhoods.
The place appears to be Little Five Points’ answer to the question, “Where are the family restaurants?” The location in a 100-year-old warehouse on Moreland Avenue is prime real estate for the neighborhood — covered parking, manicured sidewalks and walking distance to all of the new age and antique clothing stores that populate neighboring blocks.
The hostess starts by asking, “Inside or outside?” Isn’t that a nice change from “Smoking or non-smoking?” Still, considering the humidity on a recent evening, even the courtyard’s authentic New Orleans feel could not tempt me to dine outside.
Inside, the feel is suburban-Kitsch with walls covered in framed newspaper articles, old maps and photographs. I settle into an oversized booth that feels right out of a neighborhood pub. The dining area is a large room with exposed beams and brick that look to be original to the building. Early for a Sunday night, there are few patrons in the
dining room — scattered young couples, one elderly gentleman with three children and a few single drinkers at the bar.
But there is a distinct absence of our fey brothers and sisters at Front Page News. Just about the gayest thing in the
place is “Charmed” showing on the TV monitors and “Love to Love You Baby” playing between tracks of college rock.
The server arrives with a genuinely friendly attitude. The beer and wine selection is moderate and focuses
mainly on domestic labels and New Orleans breweries like Dixie Brewing Company. Also prominent is Abita, which
the kitchen uses to beer batter some dishes on the menu.
An appetizer menu of bar food regulars is available (Buffalo Wings, Artichoke Dip, Hummus). But I went with a couple of authentic plates, Cajun Jambalaya Egg Rolls ($7.95) and Thibodeaux Shrimp ($8.95). The egg rolls are nicely presented on loose-leaf lettuce with both a horseradish and a sweet sauce. Quite frankly, they’re over-spiced. The
taste of the dish is lost amid the heat of the spice. The shrimp, wrapped in bacon and grilled, are a tad overdone and rest on a puddle of sticky-sweet barbeque honey mustard. Since this is heavy-on-the-stomach cuisine, skip the salad course and go directly to the entrees.
Keeping up the New Orleans theme, a Shrimp Po Boy ($8.95) is served with jalapeno cole slaw. The dish is served open-faced and loaded with little fried shrimp nuggets and fresh tomato slices. Crab Cakes ($14.95) come accompanied by red beans and rice. Staring into the huge plate of oversized cakes is a bit daunting, but they are nicely flavored and surrounded by a sea of rice and beans.
The dessert menu holds such belt-busting items as N’awlins Bread Pudding and apple pie with ice cream. I
opt for the rather traditional choice with a New Orleans flare: cheesecake with warm pecan-praline sauce ($4.95).
The cheesecake is of top caliber. It stands about two inches high with a good amount of tartness and fluffy texture.
The pecan-praline sauce seems as if the most heavenly of praline candy was melted down and poured right over the
cheesecake.
Seemingly content with its lot in life, yet experiencing a definite mixed decor, Front Page News is a stable restaurant in a great location, delivering on what it claims: “a quick trip to the French Quarter every time you walk in the door.”
Quick trip to French Quarter
353 Moreland Ave.
Atlanta, GA
404-475-7777
www.newsyoucanswallow.com
Eatery offers passable New Orleans-style menu but nothing special in ever-gentrifying Little Five Points.
As the number of young, married urbanites increases, so does the number of children associated with them.
That means places like Front Page News in Little Five Points will start showing up in all of Atlanta’s former
“counter-culture” and bohemian neighborhoods.
The place appears to be Little Five Points’ answer to the question, “Where are the family restaurants?” The location in a 100-year-old warehouse on Moreland Avenue is prime real estate for the neighborhood — covered parking, manicured sidewalks and walking distance to all of the new age and antique clothing stores that populate neighboring blocks.
The hostess starts by asking, “Inside or outside?” Isn’t that a nice change from “Smoking or non-smoking?” Still, considering the humidity on a recent evening, even the courtyard’s authentic New Orleans feel could not tempt me to dine outside.
Inside, the feel is suburban-Kitsch with walls covered in framed newspaper articles, old maps and photographs. I settle into an oversized booth that feels right out of a neighborhood pub. The dining area is a large room with exposed beams and brick that look to be original to the building. Early for a Sunday night, there are few patrons in the
dining room — scattered young couples, one elderly gentleman with three children and a few single drinkers at the bar.
But there is a distinct absence of our fey brothers and sisters at Front Page News. Just about the gayest thing in the
place is “Charmed” showing on the TV monitors and “Love to Love You Baby” playing between tracks of college rock.
The server arrives with a genuinely friendly attitude. The beer and wine selection is moderate and focuses
mainly on domestic labels and New Orleans breweries like Dixie Brewing Company. Also prominent is Abita, which
the kitchen uses to beer batter some dishes on the menu.
An appetizer menu of bar food regulars is available (Buffalo Wings, Artichoke Dip, Hummus). But I went with a couple of authentic plates, Cajun Jambalaya Egg Rolls ($7.95) and Thibodeaux Shrimp ($8.95). The egg rolls are nicely presented on loose-leaf lettuce with both a horseradish and a sweet sauce. Quite frankly, they’re over-spiced. The
taste of the dish is lost amid the heat of the spice. The shrimp, wrapped in bacon and grilled, are a tad overdone and rest on a puddle of sticky-sweet barbeque honey mustard. Since this is heavy-on-the-stomach cuisine, skip the salad course and go directly to the entrees.
Keeping up the New Orleans theme, a Shrimp Po Boy ($8.95) is served with jalapeno cole slaw. The dish is served open-faced and loaded with little fried shrimp nuggets and fresh tomato slices. Crab Cakes ($14.95) come accompanied by red beans and rice. Staring into the huge plate of oversized cakes is a bit daunting, but they are nicely flavored and surrounded by a sea of rice and beans.
The dessert menu holds such belt-busting items as N’awlins Bread Pudding and apple pie with ice cream. I
opt for the rather traditional choice with a New Orleans flare: cheesecake with warm pecan-praline sauce ($4.95).
The cheesecake is of top caliber. It stands about two inches high with a good amount of tartness and fluffy texture.
The pecan-praline sauce seems as if the most heavenly of praline candy was melted down and poured right over the
cheesecake.
Seemingly content with its lot in life, yet experiencing a definite mixed decor, Front Page News is a stable restaurant in a great location, delivering on what it claims: “a quick trip to the French Quarter every time you walk in the door.”
Saturday, May 01, 2004
INDEX
http://www.sovo.com/2004/5-28/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/6-25/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/7-30/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/8-20/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/10-29/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/11-5/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/3-11/arts/dining/dining.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/4-22/arts/dining/cherry.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/5-13/arts/dining/food.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/6-10/locallife/dining/din-sum.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/7-8/locallife/dining/globe.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/7-22/arts/travel/philly.cfm
http://www.southernvoice.com/2005/10-28/locallife/dining/dining.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/6-25/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/7-30/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/8-20/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/10-29/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2004/11-5/arts/dining/index.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/3-11/arts/dining/dining.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/4-22/arts/dining/cherry.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/5-13/arts/dining/food.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/6-10/locallife/dining/din-sum.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/7-8/locallife/dining/globe.cfm
http://www.sovo.com/2005/7-22/arts/travel/philly.cfm
http://www.southernvoice.com/2005/10-28/locallife/dining/dining.cfm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)