Ecco
There are so many good Italian places in Atlanta but my favorite is Ecco. I love it because of its food (both quality and taste), presentation, concept, consistency, ambiance, and service.
The scene
Casual yet elegant is what comes to mind upon entering the double doors. A lively, hip bar welcomes you while cozy booths and intimate, comfortable spaces beckon you on the other side. Its family-style dining makes you feel right at home.
The meal
On my visit, everything was spot on. Especially the food. We started out with a five-piece meat and cheese combo that included Finocchiona (a fenne-seasoned salami), Soppresata, Meyer Lemon Baked Ricotta, Bandaged Cheddar, and Fourme D’Ambert bleu cheese. We had a good combination overall, but I particularly enjoyed the UK cheddar: buttery and savory.
We then moved to the appetizers, choosing the fried goat cheese, the grilled squid, and the piquillo peppers. The fried goat cheese was superb — balls of goat cheese enveloped in a thin crust then doused with honey. The contrasting textures and tastes make it a very appetizing item. The grilled squid was very tender with the olives adding flavor to its mild taste. The mushroom-stuffed peppers were equally good as the woody taste of mushroom balances well with the spicy-sweetish peppers. We also had the grilled baby romaine salad sprinkled with pecorino and walnuts. I’m not much into wilted grilled salad greens but this one still had a lot of crunch. Paired with the grilled squid, this salad rocks.
Not wanting to order anything heavy after all the small plates, my sister settled on the Spanish tuna pizza while I opted for the ho-hum sounding tomato-basil-mozzarella pie. We were blown away by these wood-fired pizzas. The thin crisp, slightly chewy crusts were fantastic. The tuna pizza had chunks of tuna, white beans, and mustard greens, then topped with parmigiano cheese. It was one savory pizza. My ho-hum pizza was a total surprise. It was delicious: creamy, melted cheese with ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. It was great take on an otherwise boring pie.
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Sous Chef Scott Keifer, overseeing the kitchen that night, was a little disappointed that we didn’t try any of the pastas (all made in-house) so he sent out a sample of the chili-braised pork with garlic and pappardelle. This was actually my original choice but after all the small plates, I didn’t think I have the taste for anything heavy and saucy. I was totally floored by this dish. It had fork-tender pork with sheets of perfectly-cooked pappardelle in a sweetish, bold sauce with just a hint of heat. Absolutely heavenly. If there’s one dish you have to try, this is it.
To cap off another gastronomic evening, we ordered the panna cotta and the bread pudding. Both choices were excellent. I loved the smooth buttermilk-blueberry-cardamom panna cotta with fresh blueberries and chantilly cream. It was light with a sweetish blueberry taste that complements a savory meal. The bread pudding was simply incredible: uniquely prepared like French toast — I call it bread pudding with an attitude. You’ll love it.
The service
Andy was the perfect server you could possibly ever get. Every recommendation he gave was accurate. I love servers who share the same passion for food as you do. Not only that, he was very knowledgeable with both the food and wine. I give him the Best Server of the Year award for 2008.
The verdict
A great place to have a fantastic meal or to simply unwind. Ecco sets out to deliver authentic European-inspired cuisine and they do, in true form and fashion.
Insider tip:
Extensive wine list including exclusive wines only available at Ecco. We loved the Heger (Pinot Gris, Baden, Germany ’04) and the Domaine Faillenc St. Maire (Syrah/Grenache, Corbieres, France ’04). Guests’ wine selections are tracked via a small, wooden tablet (another neat concept).
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, European cuisine
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Brin224 // Jun 10, 2008 at 5:42 pm
This place sounds really great, and I can’t wait until I have the chance to go there myself. I’m going to share a link to this post on the atlanta.net forums so others can hear about this place too. Thanks!
2 Buca di Beppo // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:44 pm
[...] kind and taste of the food we got. For that price, there are other, much better places like this one. And although I was disappointed (again) with the food, the company made up for it, big [...]
3 Event Dining @ Ecco // Dec 5, 2008 at 10:41 am
[...] 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 [...]
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