Chow Down Atlanta

Quite simply one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a while: Spring Fettucine. Made with homemade fettuccine and house-made ricotta. With thin strips of asparagus to hold the pasta together as you twirl your fork around. Fresh mushrooms and English peas complete the gang. Oh so unbelievably light and delicious. Repeat: delicious.

But wait. Everything else is good. The Green+Egg+Ham is inventive and outstanding. The 5-minute egg has a crispy shell. Ham is courtesy of Benton’s, while the Green is provided by a creamy veggie puree. Yummy.

The Potato and Manchego Croquettes are balls of crunch and soft. A perfect pairing of opposing textures and flavors.

The usually ho-hum Steak Frites is wonderfully executed. The steak is tender and flavorful and the fries retained their crunch up to the last bite. Need I say more? Go. Now.

More here, here, and here.

Insider tip:
Last time I was there, Chef Katie was fermenting lemons in vodka for 40 days for use in a house-made Limoncello. Go ask. Oh, and my sister swears by their The View From Up Here cocktail. Go try.
Free 2-hour parking.

NOON Midtown
1050 Crescent Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 496-4891

Technorati Tags: Midtown, breakfast, brunch, dinner

It’s called the The Stack: crispy, tender fried chicken fillet, thick slices of Benton’s bacon, gooey Tillamook cheddar, a fried egg, all slathered in a creamy sausage gravy, inside a fluffy, fresh-baked biscuit. Down that with an ice-cold bottle of Diet Coke and you have an amazing breakfast.

Or get this– Kobe Roast Beef: slices of tender Kobe roast beef, crispy-fried slivers of onions, horseradish sauce, all on a toasted French roll.

Round out your breakfast (or brunch) with a mimosa and a Sublime doughnut. Yeah.

NOON Midtown
1080 Peachtree St, Suite 6
Atlanta, GA 30309
(Crescent Avenue between
11th & 12th Streets)
(404) 496-4891

More reviews here.

Technorati Tags: Midtown, Atlanta, Noon, breakfast, brunch

Waiting on cold, blustery mornings are the pits — you either have to sit in your car or brave the elements like we did and sit outside to wait. But coffee in hand makes it all bearable. Plus you get to people watch, as some “celebrity” flamboyant guy dressed in a long mink coat arrives and makes you forget about the 20-minute wait (I overheard some say he is from a local reality tv show involving housewives.)

First up for us were the biscuits and gravy. The $4 order comes with two, fresh out of the oven biscuits that were yeasty and crumbly. The biscuits are good but the gravy was too floury for my taste. I opted to slather their freshly-made jam (peach and raspberry that day), and of course, butter instead.

There is a reason why the Brisket Breakfast is the most popular item on the menu. It has been consistently good. The 14-hour, slow-roasted Angus beef brisket is so tender, with each fiber detaching from each other. While the tomato broth is bold and flavorful, I would have liked it to be spicier. Don’t get me wrong, though, it is already good as it is. Two poached eggs complement the dish, with the eggs cutting down the heavy flavor of the beef. The accompanying toasted baguette is so perfect for sopping up the delicious broth. If there is one thing you should try at Ria’s, then this one is it.

That day’s special was an Eggs Benedict made with roasted pork loin and topped with a pesto-hollandaise sauce. The server had me at pork so I got it. The pork loin was dry and the very rich pesto sauce did not really go well with the meat. The grits was so soupy and it tasted more like the gravy they serve their biscuits with, only grittier. Disappointing on both counts.

The blueberry pancakes look great on the outside but was very mealy inside. I should have stuck with the original buttermilk version which is thick, chewy, and always really, really good.

This is one of my favorite places for breakfast. I have heard people say their omelets are not that good but I am not a scrambled-eggs person — I love my eggs on the runny side (poached or over medium). In any case, most everything here, as is the coffee, is always good.

Read other reviews here and here.

The scoop:
Ria’s Bluebird
421 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 521-3737

Technorati Tags: breakfast, brunch, Grant Park

After undergoing a multi-million renovation, The Georgian Terrace, an Atlanta institution, now sports a more grand, more modern appeal while still retaining its Southern feel.

Included in the face lift is the beautiful Livingston restaurant and bar headed by Chef Gary Mennie. The stylish space includes snakeskin-covered furniture, chrome and leather seats, and floor-to-ceiling windows, among other things. A revolving door was retained from the original design and now stands as a stationary place to showcase wine bottles. It seems out of place, really.

On a recent visit with a regular lunch buddy, we decided to get items from three sections of the menu. We started off with the Wellfleet Oysters Gratin. Served on a bed of rock salt, whole peppercorns and star anise, the oysters are plump, fresh, and briny. The spinach, cheese, and bacon added just a tiny hint of flavor and texture. Great execution on this simple dish.

Next, we went with the Pick-3-for-$15 martini lunch: peeky toe crab salad, white truffle chicken salad, and grilled hangar steak. While the presentation was superb (using stemless martini glasses), the flavor of each item was lacking. As my friend, I also noticed a considerable amount of lettuce in each serving. The peeky toe crab was under-salted which focused on the taste of the mayo instead of the crab. Sad. And such a waste. The white truffle chicken salad tasted about the same. I did like the texture of the chicken which was grilled before being tossed in dressing. The hangar steak was cooked perfectly but sadly, I couldn’t discern any stand out flavor. Meh.

For our mains, we went with the Georgia White Shrimp and a good ol’ burger. First off, five medium pieces of steamed shrimp doesn’t justify $14 in my book. Especially if it’s devoid of any flavor. Although fresh, the shrimp’s simplicity couldn’t be saved by the bland fava bean puree. The bits of ham hock did add a tiny hint of flavor but not enough to elevate the dish. I was totally disappointed with it.

The burger was mediocre at best. I wasn’t too keen on the crumbly, flavorless, dryish bun. Honestly, I’ve had better fast food burgers. Worse, I bit several pieces of hard rock salt in the patty. This just didn’t do it for me.

Overall, a disappointing meal — both in taste and in value. I was hoping Chef Mennie would be more inventive with the food. I’m pretty sure his menu is a work-in-progress.

Insider tip:
Complimentary valet parking — however, you must have your ticket validated.

The scoop:
Livingston Restaurant + Bar
659 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 898-8316

Technorati Tags: Georgian Terrace, hotel restaurants, bar, Midtown, Atlanta

The city of Duluth‘s extensive downtown renovation created not only a live, work, play community, but a quaint yet modern Main street lined with locally-owned businesses. In the midst of this historic area is a row of commercial town houses, one of which is home to Chocolate Perks, a casually elegant coffee-slash-ice cream-slash-cupcake-slash-sandwich shop.

Owner Marsha Anderson Bomar, who also happens to occupy a seat in the City Council, offers a place to hang out, relax, and eat breakfast, lunch, or snack. While there are daily sandwich specials offered, the staples here are paninis: grilled cheese, beef and cheddar, Cuban, chicken salad, and ham and cheese. Each order comes with crunchy pickles and prices average at $6.

clearly, presentation is an issue here — the soup was sloppily served that way — drippings and all

I’ve had two of the soups (both very good) and three of their sandwiches here: the grilled cheese with turkey, ham and cheese, and beef and cheddar. I was a bit disappointed with the value of the Grilled Cheese because it came with two slices of regular white bread, 2 slices of cheese, and 2 thin slices of deli turkey. I thought the $6 price tag was a little steep for the simpleness (in taste and creativity) of the sandwich which I can very well get in another deli for a buck less.

The Black Forest Ham and Smoked Gouda panini was a much better value. The sourdough bread was sizable, the ham was tasty, and the cheese was fresh. Overall, a much better choice.

My Beef and Cheddar on my third visit yesterday was another simple sandwich. The brioche was buttery and sweetish as it should be but was clearly ruined by over-toasting (or over-pressing). I know some folks like their bread on the dark-toasted side but it should not be the default. Instead, people should be permitted to have the choice. I wonder why they even allowed this to be served — they probably thought I wouldn’t notice? That or they are just indifferent about the quality of the sandwiches that come out of their kitchenette. This disappointment plus chips set me back $7. Although, I have no qualms whatsoever paying good money on food, it has to have value — portion size, price, creativity, cooking method (was it cooked over heat or was it sourced elsewhere then assembled), and taste. Incidentally, a can of Diet Coke was an additional $1.75. Pretty steep for a canned drink, no?

Aside from coffee and sandwiches, Chocolate Perks also serves ice-cream and homemade cupcakes, muffins, desserts, and chocolate truffles. The red velvet and chocolate mini-cupcakes were good in a fresh kind of way. They are not too sweet and you can tell good ingredients were used. But the best part of these cupcakes were the icing. I don’t eat icing but their butter cream concoction is just so good. The chocolate muffin is by far, my favorite. It is moist, chocolaty, dense, and delicious. Pair that with a cup of coffee and you have a power breakfast (or snack) in your hands.

This is definitely a nice addition to the area for a quick breakfast or lunch or simply for whiling time away. But what would be nice is for them to offer a simple Sunday brunch. And a soda fountain machine.

Insider tip:
Join their mailing list or Facebook group page for info on their daily specials.
Free wi-fi.
They use Counter Culture coffee.

The scoop:
Chocolate Perks
3160 Main St.
Suite 200
Duluth, GA 30096
770-342-0037
Hours:
M-F: 7AM-9PM
Sat: 8AM-11PM
Sun: 11AM-6PM

Technorati Tags: Duluth, GA, sandwiches, coffee shop, ice cream, cupcakes, breakfast, lunch