(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.
Monday, November 22, 2004
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.
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