Two short reviews:
Fresh 2 Order in Sandy Springs
I ordered dinner for a late night meeting from this place the other night. I was really impressed by the food. I was also really impressed by the online ordering system, which turns out didn't work, but the food was really reasonable in price. The flavor and quality of the meals were very impressive for a mid-level restaurant/food I got to go. All six of the meals, including a southwestern salad, Mediterranean salad, calamari long plate with wheatberry rice, chicken tenderloin panini and two club salads received favorable reviews. And all of the meals where prepared with fresh ingredients with healthy techniques. I will order from them again. I believe they have several locations around town. I give them a ***, but watch out for the online order! Follow up on it!
Pie Bar near Lindberg
I had lunch here last week with a girlfriend. I had cocktails here about a year ago, and loved the wonderfully bizarre architecture, but had never had the food. I liked it.
My friend had a coupon so we used it to get a "signature pizza" which was a weird pizza with chicken, fried green tomatoes, goat cheese and bbq sauce. I found it strangely tasty, and I loved the super thin crust it came on. The long rectangle versus traditional pie shape was good. It was cut into very manageable pieces and did not ooze all over me. This is something a business gal appreciates during the work week lunch. We also tried the watermelon gazpacho with dill and goat cheese. I really liked it's coolness. It was just a hint of light sweetness with the hovering of dill in the background. Really nicely put together. Lastly we had an arugula salad with apples and spiced nuts. I also loved this. I am a fan of arugula, and was thrilled to see a large mound of it on my plate. Usually if you order anything besides an iceberg or romaine based salad, you only get a tiny bit of the more flavorful lettuces...
Needless to say I was happy. I'm a little cheap as you know, so I probably won't be back, as a $10 plate lunch is out of my price range, but hey, if you got a coupon and need someone to join you at Piebar...give me a call! ***
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
The Future of Foodies
So what happens to foodies when they grow families? Does the foie gras get replaced by mac and cheese? Pancetta by bologna?
A weekend at my sister's and an article from a friend give me hope for my children (yet to be born) and the future of foodies.
My sister has three children under five. The infant I have featured before as she has accompanied our family to NYC for gastronomic adventures, and to our delight gummed various exotic fruits. The oldest child, well, there is one in every family, he won't eat anything. But the two year old...ahh there is the budding genius. As I helped rearrange the spice cabinet at my sister's, her precocious son proceeded to help me, asking what each spice was and if he could smell and taste them all. You should have seen his face (a) when he took the lid off the tumeric and it poofed in the air coating us both with that wonderful golden pollen, and (b) when he tried to eat a piece of candied ginger, and then gave it to Grandma to try. But it didn't stop there. As he was served a piece of bread and a little chicken, he jealously eyed my sushi and asked if he could have some. He delighted in the crab and the tuna, but decided that the eel looked "too red" (the sauce). The next day, with grilled cheese on the menu, he eyed Grandma's sesame cold noodles. Guess what...Grandma had grilled cheese for lunch because he ate all her noodles! Yep, that one gives me hope.
Now this post from epicurious.com, about a child's obsession with capers, is another great example of the "difficulties" of child rearing, that I pray I will have to endure.
One other culinary triumph: the two boys (5 and 2) and I managed to crack seven eggs and whisk the eggs with neither shells in them nor eggs on us prior to them going into the pan. The boys declared them delicious and then promptly screamed when they found there was no more bacon.
This weekend I was grateful for my family and especially my sister, brother-n-law, niece and nephews. I rarely get to see them, but now they have moved to the south, so perhaps I will see them more.
A weekend at my sister's and an article from a friend give me hope for my children (yet to be born) and the future of foodies.
My sister has three children under five. The infant I have featured before as she has accompanied our family to NYC for gastronomic adventures, and to our delight gummed various exotic fruits. The oldest child, well, there is one in every family, he won't eat anything. But the two year old...ahh there is the budding genius. As I helped rearrange the spice cabinet at my sister's, her precocious son proceeded to help me, asking what each spice was and if he could smell and taste them all. You should have seen his face (a) when he took the lid off the tumeric and it poofed in the air coating us both with that wonderful golden pollen, and (b) when he tried to eat a piece of candied ginger, and then gave it to Grandma to try. But it didn't stop there. As he was served a piece of bread and a little chicken, he jealously eyed my sushi and asked if he could have some. He delighted in the crab and the tuna, but decided that the eel looked "too red" (the sauce). The next day, with grilled cheese on the menu, he eyed Grandma's sesame cold noodles. Guess what...Grandma had grilled cheese for lunch because he ate all her noodles! Yep, that one gives me hope.
Now this post from epicurious.com, about a child's obsession with capers, is another great example of the "difficulties" of child rearing, that I pray I will have to endure.
One other culinary triumph: the two boys (5 and 2) and I managed to crack seven eggs and whisk the eggs with neither shells in them nor eggs on us prior to them going into the pan. The boys declared them delicious and then promptly screamed when they found there was no more bacon.
This weekend I was grateful for my family and especially my sister, brother-n-law, niece and nephews. I rarely get to see them, but now they have moved to the south, so perhaps I will see them more.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Bad Bananas Gone Good
Don't you hate when your bananas go bad before you can eat them? Well, I am always trying to find ways to use the "bad bananas" as I hate to throw away anything. Usually they end up in banana pancakes or muffins or some sort of bread or dessert or smoothie, but last night they ended up in a lovely banana curry soup.
The boy came into the kitchen while I was cooking, looked around, and not seeing any meat sighed and asked "vegetarian night again?....." "Um, whatever, Mr. Duck confit" I replied...he had much nicer things to say about dinner later when he tasted it.
Recipe is pretty easy, I mixed up a few I found to suit my ingredients...
Curried Banana Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, chopped
2 tb curry powder
2 tsp pepper
3 banana, smushed or chopped into slices
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 can chopped tomatoes, or 3 fresh chopped
3/4 can coconut milk
splash of heavy cream if you got it
Saute the first 4 ingredients in a bit of olive oil or cook spray for a minute or so, taking care not to burn the spices. Add the bananas, tomatoes and broth. Simmer covered for about a half an hour. It will get weird foam on top, don't worry about it. Puree the soup and in the last batch you are pureeing, add the coconut milk. Mix all soup together and ad the splash of heavy cream and serve.
I served this with a side of sauteed zucchini. If you prefer a hotter curry, add a bit of red chili pepper or ground red pepper to soup before you simmer.
The boy came into the kitchen while I was cooking, looked around, and not seeing any meat sighed and asked "vegetarian night again?....." "Um, whatever, Mr. Duck confit" I replied...he had much nicer things to say about dinner later when he tasted it.
Recipe is pretty easy, I mixed up a few I found to suit my ingredients...
Curried Banana Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, chopped
2 tb curry powder
2 tsp pepper
3 banana, smushed or chopped into slices
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 can chopped tomatoes, or 3 fresh chopped
3/4 can coconut milk
splash of heavy cream if you got it
Saute the first 4 ingredients in a bit of olive oil or cook spray for a minute or so, taking care not to burn the spices. Add the bananas, tomatoes and broth. Simmer covered for about a half an hour. It will get weird foam on top, don't worry about it. Puree the soup and in the last batch you are pureeing, add the coconut milk. Mix all soup together and ad the splash of heavy cream and serve.
I served this with a side of sauteed zucchini. If you prefer a hotter curry, add a bit of red chili pepper or ground red pepper to soup before you simmer.
A Hothouse Flower
This weekend was Downtown Atlanta restaurant week, so you can get three courses at several restaurants for $25.00 a head. Not bad at all. So six of us headed downtown.
First we stopped at The Mark on Poplar for a drink. The website said it opened at 6p, but it wasn't open at 6 or 7 or 7:30...this sort of thing REALLY tees me off. Luckily, there was the Sidebar next door to it, which was open, and we ended up indulging in beers before and after dinner there in a very "just a bar" atmosphere. My kind of bar.
Then we made our way about a block on Forsyth to the Healy Building which houses Fleur de Lis cafe. The restaurant was very busy, very charming, and excruciatingly hot. Unfortunately, their air conditioning had broken, on a 104 degrees plus day, and they had a booked house. I definitely give the staff and owners kudos on their "cool heads" and ingenuity about how to work with the situation. The entire restaurant was gutted. The waiters moved every single chair and table out on to the street and into the vestibule of the Healy. It was still warm, but in a charming "cafe on the street in summer" way...the poor cooks and waitstaff still dealt with the blasting heat of the kitchen.
As for the food, we all adored it. Considering the circumstances, it is surprising that the chilled white gazpacho was still chilled and the endive, walnut, & gorgonzola salad deliciously rich, yet light. Though I have to note the odd use of the mostly inedible core of endive as a garnish; I though it was heart of palm, someone else hoped it was artichoke, but alas it was neither.
Main courses were just right in size and complexity of flavor. I had Cherry-Glazed Short Ribs with Sweet Corn Polenta, and absolutely hate fatty meat, but found myself happily letting the super tender meat AND fat melt in my mouth. It was extremely decadent. The Duck Leg Confit with Plum Risotto and Haricot Verts was pronounced superb by the boy, and duck is one of his favorites, so he has eaten a lot of it. Our semi vegetarian guest had the Wild Mushroom Risotto and said it was creamy and rich.
Dessert was Tarte Tatin with Rosemary ice cream, Pot a Creme, Chocolate Espresso Torte.
(Somehow the chipped dishes struck us as absolutely charming.)
I didn't order the wine, so not sure what houses we had, but the sauvingon blanc was refreshing and the malbec we had with the main course was wonderful...Thick, plummy, rich...I loved it.
At one point late in the evening, Amy Winehouse came blasting over the speakers. It was good timing. Everyone was full, slightly tipsy and happy. The bill reasonable, the service a bit slow, but tolerable, food great. Probably ***, I will definitely go back again.
Everyone held hands with their lover as we left the restaurant. The night air was perfect, and it was bizarre to walk through the quiet streets of downtown Atlanta at that hour. Bizarre, but perfect.
First we stopped at The Mark on Poplar for a drink. The website said it opened at 6p, but it wasn't open at 6 or 7 or 7:30...this sort of thing REALLY tees me off. Luckily, there was the Sidebar next door to it, which was open, and we ended up indulging in beers before and after dinner there in a very "just a bar" atmosphere. My kind of bar.
Then we made our way about a block on Forsyth to the Healy Building which houses Fleur de Lis cafe. The restaurant was very busy, very charming, and excruciatingly hot. Unfortunately, their air conditioning had broken, on a 104 degrees plus day, and they had a booked house. I definitely give the staff and owners kudos on their "cool heads" and ingenuity about how to work with the situation. The entire restaurant was gutted. The waiters moved every single chair and table out on to the street and into the vestibule of the Healy. It was still warm, but in a charming "cafe on the street in summer" way...the poor cooks and waitstaff still dealt with the blasting heat of the kitchen.
As for the food, we all adored it. Considering the circumstances, it is surprising that the chilled white gazpacho was still chilled and the endive, walnut, & gorgonzola salad deliciously rich, yet light. Though I have to note the odd use of the mostly inedible core of endive as a garnish; I though it was heart of palm, someone else hoped it was artichoke, but alas it was neither.
Main courses were just right in size and complexity of flavor. I had Cherry-Glazed Short Ribs with Sweet Corn Polenta, and absolutely hate fatty meat, but found myself happily letting the super tender meat AND fat melt in my mouth. It was extremely decadent. The Duck Leg Confit with Plum Risotto and Haricot Verts was pronounced superb by the boy, and duck is one of his favorites, so he has eaten a lot of it. Our semi vegetarian guest had the Wild Mushroom Risotto and said it was creamy and rich.
Dessert was Tarte Tatin with Rosemary ice cream, Pot a Creme, Chocolate Espresso Torte.
(Somehow the chipped dishes struck us as absolutely charming.)
I didn't order the wine, so not sure what houses we had, but the sauvingon blanc was refreshing and the malbec we had with the main course was wonderful...Thick, plummy, rich...I loved it.
At one point late in the evening, Amy Winehouse came blasting over the speakers. It was good timing. Everyone was full, slightly tipsy and happy. The bill reasonable, the service a bit slow, but tolerable, food great. Probably ***, I will definitely go back again.
Everyone held hands with their lover as we left the restaurant. The night air was perfect, and it was bizarre to walk through the quiet streets of downtown Atlanta at that hour. Bizarre, but perfect.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Treats and Tuna
Just a short post and alas my camera is at work! So no shot of the lovely dinner we had...been awhile since I have had more than five seconds to prepare dinner on a weeknight.
Got home early and found to my despair I was out of popcorn; so made an impromptu treat of dried cranberries, soy nuts and walnuts. Tast-ee!
Dinner was:
Sesame Crusted ahi tuna with beurre blanc
grilled fava bean pods and crusty potato saute
The tuna recipe came from here. I left off the wasabi/rice wine bit as my wasabi powder tasted stale. I also used frozen tuna steaks, which were just fine, though I cooked them to med rare versus rare as frozen fish gets a little weird if eaten too raw.
The favas I have mentioned before, but after preparing them a third time now, I think we have perfected their process...
Snip ends off as many whole pods as you like (at least 3 per person). Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay in one layer on a foreman/panini type double contact grill. Cook for 15 minutes. So tender...
The taters I have also mentioned, but this variation was pretty darn good. Or could have been the beurre blanc drizzled on top...
Choose 1 tater per person. Wash, prick and wrap in wet paper towel. Cook in microwave for 8 minutes. If you have time, let it cool a bit before handling, if not, c'est la vie, but watch your fingers. Dice tater and throw in a pan with one chopped shallot, 1 large garlic clove, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, a couple sprigs of fresh thyme (or about 1tsp dried) and a splash of olive oil. Don't mess with it too much, just let it cook on med high for a couple minutes. Then turn and cook the other side for about two minutes...Just enough to crisp the outsides.
I threw my taters in one side of my large saute pan, and cooked the tuna on the other side, worked out pretty well, time wise and one less pan to wash!
Wine was interesting: 1999 Baywood Cellars Symphony from Cali...I think I liked it. It is a newer blend of Grenache Gris and Muscat grapes. Closer to a Riesling than a Chardonnay or Sauvingon Blanc. Fruity. Crisp.
The boy said I was annoying him because I was moaning in pleasure too much during the meal. Again, I say it was the beurre blanc; it's been a while since it's decadence has touched these chaste lips. I gently chastised him for complaining about my noises declaring "How can you be annoyed by another's pleasure? You should be happy for me that I can find a scrap of loveliness in this typical workday that moves me to moaning." He agreed; it was bad form of him.
Got home early and found to my despair I was out of popcorn; so made an impromptu treat of dried cranberries, soy nuts and walnuts. Tast-ee!
Dinner was:
Sesame Crusted ahi tuna with beurre blanc
grilled fava bean pods and crusty potato saute
The tuna recipe came from here. I left off the wasabi/rice wine bit as my wasabi powder tasted stale. I also used frozen tuna steaks, which were just fine, though I cooked them to med rare versus rare as frozen fish gets a little weird if eaten too raw.
The favas I have mentioned before, but after preparing them a third time now, I think we have perfected their process...
Snip ends off as many whole pods as you like (at least 3 per person). Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay in one layer on a foreman/panini type double contact grill. Cook for 15 minutes. So tender...
The taters I have also mentioned, but this variation was pretty darn good. Or could have been the beurre blanc drizzled on top...
Choose 1 tater per person. Wash, prick and wrap in wet paper towel. Cook in microwave for 8 minutes. If you have time, let it cool a bit before handling, if not, c'est la vie, but watch your fingers. Dice tater and throw in a pan with one chopped shallot, 1 large garlic clove, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, a couple sprigs of fresh thyme (or about 1tsp dried) and a splash of olive oil. Don't mess with it too much, just let it cook on med high for a couple minutes. Then turn and cook the other side for about two minutes...Just enough to crisp the outsides.
I threw my taters in one side of my large saute pan, and cooked the tuna on the other side, worked out pretty well, time wise and one less pan to wash!
Wine was interesting: 1999 Baywood Cellars Symphony from Cali...I think I liked it. It is a newer blend of Grenache Gris and Muscat grapes. Closer to a Riesling than a Chardonnay or Sauvingon Blanc. Fruity. Crisp.
The boy said I was annoying him because I was moaning in pleasure too much during the meal. Again, I say it was the beurre blanc; it's been a while since it's decadence has touched these chaste lips. I gently chastised him for complaining about my noises declaring "How can you be annoyed by another's pleasure? You should be happy for me that I can find a scrap of loveliness in this typical workday that moves me to moaning." He agreed; it was bad form of him.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Maison du Free 2007
This year's ladies weekend at Maison du Free (our house) was just lovely. I had seven good friends for the weekend; we indulged in food, wine, spa girly stuff, watched a great girl movie, enchanted April, and got thoroughly toasted. It was a weekend of gastronomic dueling, as everyone pitched in on the cooking, each person taking a course for the main meals, sharing personal favorites in cheese, bonbons and liquor...
The weekend begins:
11:30 Champagne welcome
Two cheapo cali sparklers - Barefoot Bubbly and Andre Extra Dry
12:30 Lunch by Masion du Free
Croissants
Fresh spinach salad with grilled chicken, walnuts, cranberries, feta and a raspberry vinaigrette
Chilled Vichyssoise with chives
Iced Raspberry and Green Teas
1:30 Shopping
We headed off to the Farmers Market to procure any missing ingredients for supper
3:30 Cocktails and Relaxation
We indulged in fresh strawberries, grapes, Lindor Truffles and various other munchies while some did a little prep work for dinner later. A nice selection of iced Guinness, Bass, and a Red Hook combo of Sun Rye, IPA, ESB and Blonde Ales, and a refreshing Monkey Bay New Zealand 2006 Sauvingon Blanc joined us outside for natural ingredient facials and scrubs followed by a silly romp in the sprinkler. Otto the pitbull joined us.
6:30 Popcorn and a Movie
Popcorn, and a large quantity of water (and some naps)made the perfect combination for a viewing of the beautiful period piece, Enchanted April.
9:00 The Feasting Begins
First Course
Cambazola, Vin Derby and an Organic Red pepper cheese
Second Course
Fresh Mozzarella, tomato, basil and basalmic salad
Third Course
Chilled Asparagus soup with Avocado, Crab and Caviar timbales
Fourth Course
Seared Scallops with Grapefruit and Honey
Main Course
Grilled Steak stuffed with feta and spinach
Soy Vey marinated shrimp
Rosemary Roasted potatoes
Grilled sesame asparagus and portabella mushrooms
Wine selections:
Schink Haus Kabinett 2005 German Riesling (perfect with scallops!)
Barefoot Cali Sauvingon Blanc
Masciarelli Montelpucino d'Abruzzo 2003 Italian Red
McManis 2003 Cali Cabernet Sauvingnon
LoTengo 2006 Argentinian Malbec
1:00a Nightcaps, Dessert and Good Nights
Several ladies retired following the main course. The rest of us sat under the stars finishing our wines and patting our bellies. The evening closed with a selection of pastries from Alon's Bakery and a surprising accompaniment of a coffee tequila from Patron.
7:00a Coffee in the garden
Three of us were awake early and met in the garden for coffee, strawberries and grapes.
10:30a Breakfast by Maison du Free
Oj, tomato juice and coffee
Pain au chocolat
Eggs francaise with chives
Turkey sausage
Fruit with marscapone
Croissants
12:00 noon Get the @#!# out
The weekend begins:
11:30 Champagne welcome
Two cheapo cali sparklers - Barefoot Bubbly and Andre Extra Dry
12:30 Lunch by Masion du Free
Croissants
Fresh spinach salad with grilled chicken, walnuts, cranberries, feta and a raspberry vinaigrette
Chilled Vichyssoise with chives
Iced Raspberry and Green Teas
1:30 Shopping
We headed off to the Farmers Market to procure any missing ingredients for supper
3:30 Cocktails and Relaxation
We indulged in fresh strawberries, grapes, Lindor Truffles and various other munchies while some did a little prep work for dinner later. A nice selection of iced Guinness, Bass, and a Red Hook combo of Sun Rye, IPA, ESB and Blonde Ales, and a refreshing Monkey Bay New Zealand 2006 Sauvingon Blanc joined us outside for natural ingredient facials and scrubs followed by a silly romp in the sprinkler. Otto the pitbull joined us.
6:30 Popcorn and a Movie
Popcorn, and a large quantity of water (and some naps)made the perfect combination for a viewing of the beautiful period piece, Enchanted April.
9:00 The Feasting Begins
First Course
Cambazola, Vin Derby and an Organic Red pepper cheese
Second Course
Fresh Mozzarella, tomato, basil and basalmic salad
Third Course
Chilled Asparagus soup with Avocado, Crab and Caviar timbales
Fourth Course
Seared Scallops with Grapefruit and Honey
Main Course
Grilled Steak stuffed with feta and spinach
Soy Vey marinated shrimp
Rosemary Roasted potatoes
Grilled sesame asparagus and portabella mushrooms
Wine selections:
Schink Haus Kabinett 2005 German Riesling (perfect with scallops!)
Barefoot Cali Sauvingon Blanc
Masciarelli Montelpucino d'Abruzzo 2003 Italian Red
McManis 2003 Cali Cabernet Sauvingnon
LoTengo 2006 Argentinian Malbec
1:00a Nightcaps, Dessert and Good Nights
Several ladies retired following the main course. The rest of us sat under the stars finishing our wines and patting our bellies. The evening closed with a selection of pastries from Alon's Bakery and a surprising accompaniment of a coffee tequila from Patron.
7:00a Coffee in the garden
Three of us were awake early and met in the garden for coffee, strawberries and grapes.
10:30a Breakfast by Maison du Free
Oj, tomato juice and coffee
Pain au chocolat
Eggs francaise with chives
Turkey sausage
Fruit with marscapone
Croissants
12:00 noon Get the @#!# out
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Food Diary #3 Red Top Mountain
So we went camping, and well, we don't really believe in roughing it all the way, at least as far as food goes. The boy,dogs, and I drove up to Red Top Mountain near Cartersville, Georgia for a four day weekend...it was just what we needed.
NO TV, no computer, no telephone, no chores, no errands. We read, ate, played cards, swam in Lake Alltoona, had lots of naps and then ate some more.
Thursday Dinner: Krystal! We haven't had this in years...my tummy hurt the next day, but we put away a sackful and never looked back.
Friday Breakfast: Sweet potato pancakes and coffee from our percolator...much better than the instant we have used the past five years...perc is SOOOO much better.
Friday Lunch: Roast turkey, tomato, lettuce, mayo and mustard on a whole wheat wrap with Cheetos X's and O's and pickled okra.(When I lived in New Orleans I was enamoured of X's and O's and then I hadn't seen them in years. I called the company about it I missed them so much, but they just said distribution varied...I was very excited to have some this weekend.)
Friday Dinner: Amazing and moist 1/2# turkey burgers with a little cumin and mayo added to hold it together. Grilled over the fire. Rice and carrots.
Saturday Breakfast/Lunch: Dang, it started raining EARLY. We didn't get out of tent for a while so we combined lunch and breakfast into a mass of yumminess: Fried tortillas, chedder cheese, salsa, fresh avocado, turkey bacon and scrambled eggs...our version of heuvos rancheros...and an ice cold red stripe with it!
Saturday Dinner: A family tradition: Dinty Moore Stew, though when I was a kid we ate it with "squeeze butter" on white bread...we ate it with croissants and threw some chipotle cheddar cheese on top.
Sunday breakfast: Another family tradition: Corned Beef Hash. I put jalapeno sauce on it and the boy held his nose and feigned illness. My arteries hurt, but it sho' was good.
We were grateful for: each other, the dogs, that our tent stayed dry, that we love each other, that it was so relaxing and that god's beautiful world is still around for us to enjoy.
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