Omnivore Atlanta

Fire Rock Pale Ale
Kona Brewing Company
Kona, HI (brewed in Portland, OR)
5.8% ABV

Kona’s American pale ale has a lighter body than is suggested by its glowing, copper orange color. The faint aroma of sweet malts and floral, citric hops suggests a British IPA more than an American pale ale. Smooth, sweet malts are up front in the taste, with some appropriate tropical fruit notes and a modest backing of orange citrus. Hop bitterness is mild, but sufficient to leave a satisfyingly crisp finish with a bit of lingering fruitiness. A light to medium body, a pleasantly bright carbonation, and a clean character make it easy drinking and refreshing. Fire Rock would be a perfect accompaniment to summer food like a Caprese sandwich on crusty bread, bean salad, or fruit and cheese.

(photo by Jeff Holland)

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Even though $1 won’t buy a thimble of gas anymore, it will buy you one taste from any food establishment in East Atlanta Village next Thursday, July 17 from 5-8 p.m.

Taste tickets are available the day of the event at Bound to Be Read Books, Champagne Taste, East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Graveyard Tavern, Origins Realty and Urban Gardener.

Visit the Taste of East Atlanta website here, to see the eighteen participants and a map.

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When I returned from running the Peachtree Road Race on Friday, my wife suggested that we go to dinner at Woodfire Grill that night. Perhaps she was hoping to catch me off-guard and mentally woozy — you know, more so than usual — to coax me into taking the family to her favorite restaurant. She made a compelling case, however, because that night Woodfire offered a three-course, $29 price fixe Pig Roast, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Save the Hooch fund. The menu also featured “all you can drink” (with $2 suggested donation) glasses of Sweetwater Brewery’s India Pale Ale and Hummer, a summer Belgian white ale with hints of orange and coriander in the flavor. The phrases “all you can drink beer” and “pig roast” worked their magic on me, so I suggested we go for it.

It seems like a great new tradition for July 4. Woodfire’s elegant approach to Southern cooking provided, as usual, for a delicious meal. The entrées included a salad of arugula and luscious heirloom tomatoes, along with cornbread croutons that would make an addictive bar snack; a slow-roasted Berkshire hog from Gum Creek Farm in spicy (but not overpowering) barbecue sauce, served with grits and succotash; and blueberry and peach crisp with vanilla ice cream. It’s possible that I’ve never tasted better off-the-bone BBQ pork before, certainly none so lean and tender, and the vinegary sauce didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat. The pork didn’t come in the kind of huge portion that would buckle a paper plate at a backyard barbecue, but was ample to whet my appetite. I probably shouldn’t each too much pork, anyway.

Part of what made our Independence Day visit to Woodfire a special occasion was that my wife and I brought our five-and-a-half year-old daughter with us. She likes princesses and books like Fancy Nancy, and we knew that she’d be excited at the chance to go to a nice restaurant, although we refrained from wearing neckties or other formal wear — it was a pig roast, after all. We pointed out the wood-fired ovens and the cheese cave to her, and Woodfire proved quite accommodating to her, plating half-sized portions of the entrées for her, putting the sauces on the side (and cutting the price in half as well).

If they do it again next year, we’ll be the first to show up.

(Image courtesy of Sweetwater Brewing Company)

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Hey, guess what. You’ll never guess. It seems that chain restaurants advertising healthy dining choices may be stretching the truth.

A Seattle resident has filed two class-action suits against Applebee’s and three chains owned by Brinker International.

We’re not talking marginal differences:

An independent laboratory tested the dishes, according to a Scripps Howard News Service article. “Dishes targeted to health-conscious consumers a popular chains like Chili’s, Taco Bell and Applebee’s contained as much as twice the calories and eight times the grams of fat than the restaurants claimed in their published nutrition information,” the article said.

And those discrepancies include Applebee’s “Weight Watchers” menu. Read the full story here. Read the original story that prompted the class action suits here.

And read a very funny blog post about dining at Applebee’s here.

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The Wine Loft, part of a franchise operation headquartered in Louisiana, will open at 300 Marietta St. in late August. A PR representative, all aglow with adjectives, writes:

The Wine Loft offers 200 wines by the bottle and 90 by the glass to pair with delectable dishes. Tantalizing menu items include baked brie with balsamic reduction, filet mignon salad, shrimp and grits, lamb lollipops, and traditional New Orleans style BBQ shrimp. Their extensive “by the glass” wine list is one of the many services that sets The Wine Loft apart from other wine bars. Whether guests prefer a $6 glass of wine or an $800 bottle, The Wine Loft will satisfy everyone’s palate.

This is the latest restaurant opening to be announced in the booming Luckie-Marietta District.

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The Depot (904 Memorial Dr.) has won a design award. A news release says:

The Depot won Best Adaptive Use Award by Atlanta’s Urban Design Commission at its annual Awards of Excellence ceremony. The restaurant was originally a brick rail center with red tile roof that sat vacant for over 50 years before architect William Jay George of G6 Design and interior designer Bill Peace of Peace Design meticulously restored it. In keeping with the historical character and many architectural details, some notable design elements include the restored large sliding cargo/bay doors, original brick tiles, an expanded platform used for deck dining as well as old railroad tracks placed as foot rests at the rich wood bar that spans the length of the dining room.

It’s always cool to see someone in Atlanta preserving a building rather than obliterating one.

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Undoubtedly, you’ve already heard that Starbucks will be closing 600 stores and has cut expansion plans way back.

If you want the full story of Starbucks’ troubles, check out the lengthy profile of returning CEO Howard Schultz in Portfolio magazine. The article says:

Schultz convinced people that Starbucks was the best coffee in the world and conferred cachet on anyone carrying a cup of it. He convinced them that Starbucks stores were latter-day settlement houses, a “third place” between home and work. He convinced them that Starbucks was healing a planet rent by waning faith in religion, politics, institutions, and corporations: Instead of bowling alone, they could come in and sip caramel macchiatos in company. (It was a neat trick, providing comfort and caffeine, a jolt and a caress, all at once.) He also convinced them that they could indulge themselves philanthropically. His coffee growers were well compensated, his workers content; as he regularly reminds people, Starbucks spends more annually on health insurance than on coffee beans. Why would employees need unions? They had him. Starbucks could be inescapable, homogenizing, and globalizing and still not be McDonald’s.

So far, Starbucks hasn’t released a list of stores that will be closed in Atlanta.

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Want the power to nominate a candidate for higher office? Have a strong opinion about what’s truly the best of the best in Atlanta? Become an officially endorsed CL Super Delegate and give us your opinions.

For this year’s Best of Atlanta Raging Election edition, we are looking for independent voters to act as special CL critics. If your nominations are picked, YOU will be considered a CL critic and given the power to bestow a Critics Pick Best of Atlanta award for 2008. We are looking for picks in all categories, so send us a blurb about what you consider to be the Best of Atlanta and why. Send them to bestofatlanta@creativeloafing.com.

If you haven’t voted, what are you waiting for? And don’t forget to take our exit poll once you do!

We look forward to your nominations!

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Chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s is continuing his dinner series for those with celiac disease on Sun., July 13. The prix fixe, gluten-free and wheat-free menu is $45 and $65 with gluten-free beer pairings. Whole Foods Briarcliff will provide a gift bag with gluten-free products for diners. According to a press release:

The appetizer will feature Eggplant Salad with Poached and Spicy Vinaigrette. The intermezzo will include Fig Tempura with Sweet Potato, Vanilla and Tahini. The entree will be Vegan Zucchini Lasagna with Heirloom Tomatoes and Pinenut Ricotta. Dessert will consist of a Black Rice Pudding and Coconut Sorbet.

Call 404-577-4358 for reservations or more information.

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Highland Shining Rock Lager
Highland Brewing Company
Asheville, NC
6.0% ABV

It’s a little late for this spring seasonal from Highland, but it just seems to be popping up in liquor store coolers. This chestnut-colored bock has an aroma of rich, earthy malt and spice. There’s a load of sweet caramel and toffee flavor up front from the toasted, bready malts. Hop bitterness is low, but distinct woody, spicy and herbal notes add a measure of balance. The finish is a bit doughy and heavy, but there is a smoky, nutty, cinnamon character that gives this beer a complexity that would marry well with traditional German fare like spiced meats, cheeses and pickled vegetables.

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Once upon a time, there was a Chinese restaurant on Buford Highway where your meal was concocted sort of pharmaceutically. (It was located in the shopping center that contains Phuket.)

The owner-chef was a doctor who came to your table, read your pulse and then composed your meal on the basis of his findings. I’m not sure how he found the state of my health, but the remedy was always really, really bland.

But that was consistent with the advice of a Tibetan doctor who traveled with the Dalai Lama. I had an appointment with him years ago. The examination included a pulse reading and a look at my urine, which I’d been told to bring in a bottle. The doctor, after correctly diagnosing a muscle problem I’d never had before, held the bottle up to the light, swooshed it around and said: “You eat too much spicy food and you think too much. You must stop thinking for five minutes every hour.” Good advice for a dining critic and perpetual student, I guess.

In the 15 or so years since then, we’ve come increasingly to view food in a medicinal way. Yesterday, The New York Times featured a post in its “Well” blog entitled “The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating.” Topping the list composed by author Johnny Bowden is a food I actually eat quite often, beets, although I was surprised to see that I should be eating them raw. The best treatment of beets I’ve regularly encountered is at David Sweeney’s Dynamic Dish.

Another (stinky) surprise, popular in trailer parks throughout the South, is this dish, which I’ve heard called “Redneck Sushi” before (especially when served on Saltines):

Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.’’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

Check out the entire list here. There’s a spirited discussion in the comments section following the post.

(Graphic from mattbites.com. Check out his recipes.)

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Executive Chef of Atkins Park in Virginia Highland, Andrew Smith, has plans for a 120 pound Fourth of July pig. A “meat and three” lunch and dinner for $15 will feature a roasted Berkshire pig from Riverview Farms.

Choices of sides include coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, grilled corn, pole beans and tomato cucumber salad. The cost also covers cornbread or Texas toast, a watermelon slice and three sauces — NC vinegar, tomato BBQ and mustard BBQ.

The pig should serve 60-70 plates, so plan ahead and make reservations. Call 678-513-2333.

(Image of pig with sun shades from coloradopigroasters.com)

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In the Spanish city of Pamplona, natives and tourists come together for one week to celebrate the famous “Running of the Bulls.” You’ve probably seen pictures or updates on the news about multitudes of people running wildly down the streets being chased by large and angry-looking horned animals.

From July 7-14, Cuerno will bring this tradition to Atlanta, except without the fear of being gored or trampled by a bull. Specials include $5 sangria ($20 for a pitcher), and $4 pinxtos (basque tapas). The festival wrap up party on Mon., July 14 will offer complimentary tapas and live flamenco performances.

Cuerno is located at 905 Juniper Street and is open for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:30-12 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m. To make reservations, call 678.904.4584.

(photo courtesy Wikipedia commons)

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As Cliff mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Westside’s most popular Thai restaurant is heading east.

Spoon co-owner Sujaree Hewitt just told me she and her sister, Ain Suteeluxnaporn, plan to open Spoon Eastside in the fall. The restaurant, which will be about the same size as the Marietta Street location (except it will have a patio), will be located in the Ormewood Park shopping center (749 Moreland Ave.) that already houses the more lactose-oriented Little Azio pizza and Morelli Gourmet Ice Cream.

“I think lunch will be a little bit slower than here,” said Sujaree, whom I ran into at the original restaurant. “But dinner definitely stronger — lots of neighborhood people.”

Sujaree got an MBA at Georgia State and handles the front end, while her sister learned how to become a chef at the Atlanta Art Institute. Kid brother Wind Suteeluxanaporn (yes, he spells his last name differently) helps out.

“We’ll have to rotate” between the two stores, Sujaree said.

The menu will likely be the same simple lineup — highlighted by noodles and curries, with interchangeable meats and heat.

This sounds like a pretty good move, doesn’t it? Southeast Atlanta, like the Westside before Spoon came along, is a bit underrepresented in the Asian food department. I’d be surprised if the sisters didn’t strike the same chord they managed to hit on Marietta Street.

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My friend Brad Lapin, the part-time resident of Rome and the most ardent foodie I know, writes today:

We thought of you yesterday afternoon as we ate our way to a newer, better level of joy at Antonello Colonna’s little restaurant 30 k. outside of Rome. Undoubtedly, the best restaurant we’ve ever eaten at in Italy, perhaps anywhere…Let me say only that mere words cannot do justice to the cooking.

Believe me. If the loquacious Brad, says it’s beyond words, it must be sublime. Check it out here. I love the quote on the opening page.

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Last year, we caught ten ‘possums inside the house raiding the cats’ food. Wayne got very good at herding them into a cat carrier and transporting them across the street to Grant Park. (No, they did not waddle back to the house. Wayne, being a scientist, was careful to note nose and coat color.)

This young one, not quite fat enough for cooking, is the first of the season. If you’d like to reserve a ‘possum for your Thanksgiving dinner, please do so now.

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I think it must be a sign of the economic times that every foodie in the city seems to have made a beeline for the inexpensive, new Bone Garden Cantina (1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd., 404-418-9072). Located in the Westside, not far from Taqueria del Sol, Bone Garden has been opened by the same people who operate the Vortex restaurants.

The best thing about the place is its decor. The theme is taken from the Mexican Day of the Dead. If you’re not familiar with the holiday, think of a campy treatment of death (or rent the video Under the Volcano, which is set during Day of the Dead).

The food is pretty hit or miss. A “white” pozole has drawn raves from other diners, but I found it almost too salty to eat. This was probably a fluke; consistency is always a problem with a new restaurant. So far, my favorite dish has been the chicken mole. It’s a very rich mole with lots of playful flavors, garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.

There’s a variety of enchiladas, tacos, burritos and sopes. Among the fillings, I’ve so far liked the barbacoa and brisket best.

Check out pictures by Jennifer Zyman, the Blissful Glutton, here. Also see the Disposable Income blog here.

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