Chow Down Atlanta

The Vietnamese stall inside Super H Mart in Johns Creek closed two months ago. A new European stall has opened in its place. My curiosity got piqued when I saw gulasch on the menu board. I mean, gulasch in a food court? I’m so there. But what really won me over was the picture of the bread dumplings next to the gulasch. When I was in Prague last year, I ate bread dumplings 3-4 times a day. The entire week! Bread, in an form, is my absolute weakness.

So I ordered a couple of things — the gulasch and the frikadellen. I should have known it wasn’t gonna be authentic after I found out that the Korean grandmother hostess was none other than the cook. She is the nicest, sweetest grandmother, though, and fed me like a starving granddaughther who hadn’t eaten in days. She also kept pushing food at me from the kitchen, just like a real grandma.

The gulasch, as expected, tasted more Korean than Czechoslovakian. It was really Korean stew, if anything else. It did taste bold and flavorful, and the meat pieces were very tender. Unfortunately, the bread dumplings are only for photography purposes as I learned they’ll never have it available. She gave me steamed rice instead (although I could have very well gotten fried rice).

The frikadellen (German meat patties) were as delicious as the German version — meaty with spinach, carrots, and a bit of cilantro (for that Korean touch). All meals come with a side of salad (and soup if requested; she gave me both).

This is a good place to eat homecooked European meals with a touch of Korean. Meals start at $5.95 and portions are huge. Other menu items include pasta bolognese, schnitzel, Asian noodles, fried rice, fish, chicken tenders. Where else can you order gulasch (or any European dish) with fried rice?

Insider tip:
Located inside Super H Mart in Johns Creek (141/Peachtree Parkway)

The scoop:
O My Food
10820 Abbotts Bridge Rd
Johns Creek 30097
(678) 474-0315

Technorati Tags: Super H Mart, Johns Creek, Italian, Chinese, German, Eastern European, Korean

Last month, my sister an I went to Ecco for their Shop-and-Dine event where you can get a $25-dollar Prix Fixe dinner with 3 courses. Most importantly, we went because it was Spanish Tuesdays. With most restaurants barely making it these days, the place was unbelievably packed when we came in. In fact, there was a considerable wait. Fortunately for us, we were smart and made reservations days before.

We got a good kick at watching handsome Chef Micah doing his magic the entire evening. It was great to see how hands on he was: expediting, tasting, even bussing tables. What a refreshing site to see considering most chefs (especially the celebrity ones), tend to socialize more than get busy in the kitchen. Of course, it also helps that he’s really cute. Really!

My sister went for the 3-course dinner and started with the Roasted Mussels in a saffron-chili broth. (Sorry no picture– the lighting was so bad and the dark color of the mussels didn’t help at all.) The mussels were fresh and the broth was delicious. We needed a whole loaf of bread to sop up all the broth. It was that good. There were about 2 dozen mussels in there which was a lot for an appetizer but great if you’re sharing. I had the Grilled Asparagus and Tomato salad which was very good. The white asparagus were tender and grilled lightly while the tomatoes were crisp. The vinaigrette was very flavorful.

For her main, my sister got the Spolettoni with Mushroom Ragout. This dish was a total let-down. The pasta sheets, albeit house-made, were so undercooked. They were dry and hard. There was a good amount of mushrooms and the sauce was pretty tasty but the dish was lacking in oomph. Perhaps a few bits of short ribs would have made this dish a winner.

I came for one purpose alone: the Cocido. My Spanish-blooded grandmother used to cook this every Sunday while we were growing up. It’s a very laborious dish to make. My mom makes a close-enough version. I wanted to see if Chef Micah can measure up. And boy, he did. It was fantastic. The meat was well seasoned and fork-tender and all the required veggies (cabbage, chick peas, carrots) were present. The broth had the right balance of sweet and salty and tasted bold — like it’s been cooked for hours. The Au Jus sauce served on the side wasn’t necessary at all. The Cocido was already good by itself. Definitely makes up for the awfully and painfully slow service we got.

For dessert, my sister got the Apple Torte which came with her meal, while I got my favorite Blueberry Panna Cotta. The Apple Torte was another blech. It was freezer cold and hard. Whole Foods makes a better version, sad to say. The panna cotta here is heavenly and I never tire of it. It is creamy and has tastes of fresh blueberries in it. Even the non-dessert fan that I am can eat several servings of this.

It was hit-and-miss on this visit. The cocido was amazing and the apps were great but the ragout and apple torte were both forgettable. Our server was totally in the weeds the entire night and a nice lady serving tables near us had to step in many times. With our present economic status, Ecco must step-it up big time on the service department as patrons who now seldom eat out will surely go somewhere else where food and service can be both great at the same time.

The scoop:
Ecco
40 Seventh St NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: (404) 347-9555
Bar opens at 4pm daily; Dinner starts at 5:30pm until 11pm (M-Th), 12am (F-Sat), and 10pm (Sun)

Technorati Tags: Ecco, Midtown, wood-fired pizza, pasta, bar, Italian cuisine, European cuisine