Chow Down Atlanta

I’ve been back to Woodfire twice since Chef Michael Touhy left in August. Taking over now is Chef Kevin Gillespie (former Sous Chef) and all I can is… wow! I am totally impressed with Chef Kevin’s great talent. He has definitely elevated Woodfire’s status to a new and higher level.

 

I’ve had nothing but interesting dishes the past visits that were all outstanding including an amuse bouche of Marinated Fig Wrapped in Speck. I love figs and this was a great combination. The sweetness of the figs went well with the slightly salty taste of the soft bacon. Lovely.

Everyone has a version of fried green tomatoes. Here, the tomatoes were crisp and the batter adhered pretty well. I liked the creamy chévre topping. The bed of turnip salsa verde was a bit of a stretch for me, because, if there is one thing I really hate, it’s anise and 5-spice powder, which clearly, this salsa had a good dousing of. I’m sure others will have no problem with it. It just made the entire dish taste, well, Chinese.

There was a Mushroom Flatbread my sister ordered one time and if you’ve been to Woodfire, you know how bad the lighting in there is, so since I hardly ever bring my big camera to restaurants, you’ll notice that most of the pictures here are grainy and dark; and, therefore, no picture of flatbread. In any case, the flatbread were delicious. There were chantrerelle mushrooms as well as cubes of celery, onions, and green peppers in a lemony dressing. A great second course. There was also some pan-seared scallops we had that were really fantastic — huge scallops were served with bok choy (Chinese cabbage) and a blood orange-ginger broth that was out-of-this-world good.

The Cornmeal Crusted Oysters were fantastic. The oysters were plump and fresh with a very thin cornmeal crust. I loved the sweet onion pico de gallo that it came with. And the house-made potato chips they were served on was very creative. Not only that, they provided a good crunch.

The Pan Roasted Wild Striped Bass was delicious. It was nice and crunchy on the outside but moist and soft on the inside. It had this mustard sauce that was great with the fish.

One of my favorite dishes I’ve had these past visits were the wood-grilled Georgia Quail that was simply tasty. I loved the tiny dollop of fig puree that it came with and I wished they included a bigger portion of it. The roasted vegetables it came with were a great accompaniment.

The Wood-grilled Painted Hills Steak was superb. Served at the perfect medium rare with the creamiest sweet potato puree and roasted local vegetables, this definitely isn’t your usual steak-and-potatoes dish. I don’t like it when steaks are covered with sauces and cheeses. I prefer to taste the meat on its own. Unadulterated. With just a smidgen of salt to let the flavor of the steak come out. Fantastic.

Saving the best for last… possibly the best dish I’ve had this year and the best grilled pork loin I’ve had anywhere, this literally rendered me speechless. Just by the looks, this dish was gorgeous. The pork was almost creamy and without any discernible meat fibers. Every bite melted in my mouth. The grilled slaw was flavorful and the potato puree was just wonderful. This dish was pure heaven.

I’m not a big fan of desserts but my sister is. She had this dessert trio of a tiny caramel apple on a stick, a warm apple gratin, and a scoop of to-die-for caramel ice cream. Yes, even the non-dessert eater that I am had to say that was the best caramel ice cream ever.

The verdict

I’m tired of eating the same ingredients over and over again. I’m tired of the same ingredients being put together again and again. But not here. Chef Kevin uniquely puts ingredients together that you would not typically see in everyday restaurant dining. Like figs instead of apples. Or bok choy instead of cabbage. I’m putting this restaurant on my top 5 for 2008. Enough said.

Insider tip:
Enjoy a panini at The Cafe located in the front entrance.

The scoop:
Woodfire Grill
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road
Atlanta, GA 30324
404-347-9055
Tuesday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Technorati Tags: Woodfire Grill, Michael Tuohy, Grange, The Citizen Hotel, Kevin Gillespie, Five Senses Restaurants, Buckhead

This place was a regular haunt during my undergrad days for late night dining. Not because it’s got amazing food (it’s good), but because it’s open 24 hours a day. In fact, it’s better known as the Korean Waffle House. The galbi here is pretty good, and so is the bibimbap. The tofu soups are a little on the thin side (watery) but good and hearty, nonetheless. The bulgogi tastes soapy most times so do steer away from that. There is, however, one thing on the menu that I go for again and again, and can’t be found anywhere else in the city…

Kimchi Fried Rice. This is my absolute, most favorite dish here. It’s made with tasty cubes of pork stir-fried in kimchi then served atop white, steaming rice in a hot stone bowl. Mix them up good and this is a slice of heaven. It is very spicy, very tasty, and very filling. I had a craving the other day so I went in for a late lunch. Nothing has changed. And that’s good.

Incidentally, I finished everything laid out in front of me. Every last bit. Of course, I needed a big nap afterwards.

Insider tip:
No alcohol served.

The scoop:
88 Tofu House
5490 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340-1126
(770) 457-8811

The book, that is.

I can never bake to save my life.  As much as I love bread,  I have never, ever been successful at baking.  Which is kinda weird because it deals with exact measurements and I have a minor in Chemistry.  Go figure.  That’s why I love Shirley Corriher.  She’s a Chemist-turned-baker.  Made famous by Alton Brown on Good Eats, she’s the “Mad Scientist” on the show.

Shirley has a new book out, Bakewise, which she unveiled last Monday at the Margaret Mitchell House. Alton Brown was there as her special guest and they had this one-hour show where he interviewed Shirley on stuff about baking. Alton was hilarious as usual. I’ve met Alton three times and, although, he looks a little older, his spunk hasn’t changed a bit.

So for those of you who is as inept at baking as I am, this book is pretty cool — it explains the chemistry behind baking. I grabbed a copy to add to my stacks of never-been-opened baking books. It is a huge book. I paid $40 for my copy and although I wish there were more pictures, it is a great reference book.

P.S. I got one for my younger sister, too, an avid baker who is a Chemist by education and profession; in hopes that she will bake most stuff in the book and call me when the goodies are ready.

Technorati Tags: Alton Brown, Shirley Corriher, Bakewise, baking, Good Eats

My mom and I had lunch at J. Alexander’s about two weeks ago and she was totally disappointed. I’ve been to this place a total of four times and I’ve been disappointed all those times except for my first visit which was maybe 3 years ago when I had their famous prime rib. This Nashville-based restaurant reminds me so much of Houston’s. They pretty much have the same look and feel. But it stops there. Food-wise, I prefer Houston’s where food is consistently good.

We started off with the seafood gumbo. It had a nice, bold broth, a good amount of seafood, and not a whole lot of rice. It also had just enough heat that you can feel it in your tongue but not enough to make you sweat. Overall a good soup.

I chose the Special Of The Day which was a grilled sea bass topped with a lime-pesto sauce and mango salsa. The fish, pesto sauce, and salsa all tasted fresh but I got tired of the taste of this dish after a few bites. It’s like when a dessert is so rich that you can’t eat it after a few bites. That’s how I felt about it. The couscous pasta provided to temper the dish and mellow it out, but on its own, it was saltish and dry. It must have been the very sweet, syrupy salsa that ruined this dish. Disappointing, nevertheless.

My mom had the Grilled Pork Loin with Bang Bang Sauce which is nothing but barbecue sauce. This dish was so bad we both couldn’t swallow the first bite and literally had to throw it out in a napkin. The pork tasted boiled and the sauce was a pathetic excuse for a Thai barbecue sauce. They really need to remove this from the menu.

For me, the execution of the dishes here just falls short. In an attempt at inventiveness, the combination of ingredients on a dish just doesn’t make sense — a combination of syrupy sweet with salty doesn’t always make a good combination. I’d rather spend my money on Houston’s any day.

Insider tip:
Right next door to The Forum Shops.

The scoop:
J. Alexander’s
5245 Peachtree Pkwy
Norcross, GA 30092
(770) 263-9755

Technorati Tags: J Alexander’s, American-Asian cuisine, fusion, steaks

Forget Honey Pig. This is the best traditional Korean restaurant in town. And the most authentic. You won’t find English menus here nor English-speaking staff. You’ll have to make do with pointing at pictures. While most will get intimidated by that, the upside is that you get the most authentic Korean food you’ll ever get in the city. This is where Korean grandparents go when they can’t cook their own food. As such, you will hardly ever find Americans here. But while it’s perfectly okay to go to less traditional, less authentic Korean places which also serve good food, the experience and the taste of food here at Cafe Todahmgol is unsurpassed. At least, you won’t have to spend over a thousand dollars to go to Korea to get the same food.

There are no fancy cooking domes here. Instead, they use heavy iron trays that go on top of a table top gas stoves. Your server will take care of cooking everything for you. They have the best pork belly here. There aren’t paper-thin — they are thicker and bigger slices than everywhere else. The bulgogi (sirloin slices) are finger-licking good. They are thick, tender, and juicy, marinated with just the perfect balance of sweet and salty.

The banchan are non-traditional. You’ll see the common kimchi and other requisite ones but the authentic ones you’ll see nowhere else are: raw peppers and carrots in ice cubes, squid slices with spicy kimchi sauce, and the most exquisite egg soup I’ve ever had outside of Seoul. This soup is so fantastic, it’ll bring tears of joy to your eyes: warm, tasty broth infused with bubbly, creamy eggs. Aaah, I get weak on the knees just thinking about it.

The verdict

This is the best Korean restaurant. Period. You can’t get any more authentic than Cafe Todahmgol. Though the staff speaks no English, there’s one that do speak a few English words. They are all very friendly and will help you navigate through the extensive menu. As authentic as it is, smoking is permitted here. And that’s because most all Korean men do. But don’t let that disappoint you. The smell of the food drowns out all cigarette smoke smell. Most times.

Insider tip:
Not to confuse with the stall inside Super H Mart with the same name, this one’s sitting inside a plaza right next to Super H Gwinnett right next door to What The Pho.

The scoop:
Cafe Todahmgol
2442 Pleasant Hill Rd, Suite 3B,
Duluth, GA 30096
770-813-8202
Mon-Sat: 5PM-2AM
Sunday: 5PM-12Midnight

[tags]Cafe Todahmgol, Korean cuisine, pork belly, Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth[tags]