Filed under: Learn Somethin'
Roux – (ROO) – A mixture of flour and fat. It is slowly cooked over low heat and used to thicken liquids like soups and sauces.
There are three classic roux: white, blond, and brown. White and blond are made with butter and are lighter than their brown counterpart that can be made with butter, drippings, or pork or beef fat.
Last weekend I went out to the Taste of the Highlands with a couple of friends and got to enjoy food from dozens of restaurants that I haven’t gotten the chance to visit. It was a great event put on by Fifth Group (Bold American, Ecco, La Tavola, El Taco, South City Kitchen) and Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.
I didn’t really try anything bad, but here are some of the highlights:
Atkins Park – Lamb Sparerib with Peach BBQ Sauce
Murphy’s – Minin Brisket Sandwich
Parish – “Pork and Beans” with Pork Belly
Serpas – Beef and Succotash
Food 101 – Strawberry and Crab Salad
Rathbun’s – Creole Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream
Parish Food and Goods, located at 240 N Highland Ave, will be hosting special farm-to-table dinners on the first Thursday of each month. I found out about it a little too late, as their first one was yesterday. It featured three courses paired with three wines:
1st Course: Crispy GA Quail Salad – Mary’s Garden local lettuce – cornbread croutons – grilled red onions – GA strawberries – Champagne buttermilk dressing
2nd Course: Surgham Lacquered Duck – Mary’s Garden warm spinach succotash – creole BBQ vinaigrette -green apple slaw
3rd Course: Rhubarb and strawberry shortcake – cracked pepper ice cream
Filed under: Drink, Events, Restaurant Reviews | Tags: Little 5 Points, The Porter
In a previous post I mentioned the Terrapin/Dogfish Head beer dinner at The Porter Beer Bar in Little 5 Points. I had never been to a beer dinner, love both of those beer companies, and had heard great things about The Porter – of course I had to go.
In case you are wondering, a beer dinner is where courses of food are paired with beers that will match their flavors. At this particular dinner, we enjoyed 6 beers and 4 courses as follows:
Apertif: Terrapin’s 90 Shelling Firkin
A special preview of their next “side project” – a delicious Scotch Ale aged in oak.
First Course: Chilled Corn Soup-lump crab-pickled ramps & Terrapin’s Sunray Wheat
The soup itself was good. It proved to be the best thing we would eat all night, but still wasn’t anything I would go back for. It was smoooth and creamy, and the crab and ramps (like an onion or leek) added great flavor and texture. It was just a little too sweet for my taste, I didn’t really want to finish the whole bowl. The flavor profiles of the beer and soup went very well together.
The main problem with this course was in its service. They had a great idea to first give the crab and ramps with some parsley in the bowl. Then, they brought out the soup in large beer glasses and poured it over the crab and ramps. I great idea in theory… I’m down with the tableside presentations, but not when you’re trying to serve 30-40 people at the same time. Many patrons were almost finished with their beer before their soup finally arrived.
Second Course: Roasted Berkshire Pork Loin-plum jam-braised swiss chard & Terrapin’s Monk’s Revenge.
Naturally, this is the dish I was most looking forward to, and it was a huge disappointment. It had great potential – the swiss chard and plum jam were good – but the pork was horrible. This was something I would expect more from a national chain like Applebee’s or Friday’s on their 2 for $20 menu. They tried to mask the poor quality of the pork by wrapping it in bacon and topping it with the plum jam. Once again, I found myself leaving a significant portion on the plate. It still went well with the beer though, a Belgian style IPA.
Third Course: Asparagus Salad-shaved gruyere-hazelnuts & Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch
Hmmm… cold asparagus with cheese and hazelnuts. Unappealing, unexciting, unimaginative, BORING. At this point I’ve given up hope. I don’t know how it was supposed to pair with the beer either. You should try this beer if you get the chance, its recipe is based on one found on ancient Egyptian tablets.
**I need to mention that at this point in my meal, someone was passing around a basket of Porter’s garlic fries. This is something they’ve become known for, and they were AWESOME.
Fourth Course: Local Rhubarb Tart-jasmine cream-ginger & Dogfish Head’s Black and Blue
… Another boring dish that could have been easily improved. The crust was thick and dry, and the cream was pretty boring. Also, it’s hard to cut rhubarb with a fork - if you are going to put it in a tart you should chop it up a little more so you can get that flavor with each bite! Once again a decent pairing with the beer.
Digestif: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
An American Brown Ale aged in Palo Santo wood. Very nice!
The beer dinner experience itself was very nice, mostly thanks to Terrapin and Dogfish Head. Throughout the dinner they had pre-arranged toasts where people would stand up and express their love of beer in a little poem. The main theme was support of the craft beer movement, something I really enjoy. I’ll go back to The Porter for a review of items from their regular menu, but they better impress after the food I had tonight.
Filed under: Learn Somethin'
Tartare – A dish of coarsely ground or finely chopped high-quality, raw meat. Usually seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs.
On Saturday night, some friends and I visited the Six Feet Under on 11th Street (they have another location in Grant Park). I had heard a lot about them and was really looking forward to this trip.
Arriving around 8:30, the restaurant was still packed. We had about a 40 minute wait, but it was no problem cause the weather was nice and they have a patio with access to the bar. While enjoying some delicious Terrapin Rye, I got to enjoy the seafood house atmosphere. It really reminded me of a seafood restaurant I would visit on vacation in Florida, and really made me wish I was on vacation! The rooftop patio might become my favorite place once the weather decides to stay nice.
When we finally got seated, everyone was starving and we wasted no time in ordering. We started off with a dozen raw oysters and their fried green tomatoes. Both were very satisfying. The oysters were served very cold, and tasted very fresh. The fried green tomatoes were good, but they weren’t very green and thus they weren’t very tart. I did get to introduce two of my friends to fried green tomatoes (both are from the South too… I don’t know how that could happen). I also got to introduce them to Siracha – the BEST hot sauce in the world. The flavor is unmatched, and it was perfect on top of the oysters.
Fried Green Tomatoes
For entrees, we ordered the Combo Basket (fried shrimp, oysters, and fish), the Crab Cake Po’ Boy, a Black and Blue Burger, and the Combo Tacos (calamari, blackened shrimp, and catfish). My friends have started doing their research before we go, and heard about the Combo Tacos and the burgers in particular. You always know a meal is going well when everyone is quiet. I asked for complaints and all I could really get was that the Po’ Boy could have used some more acid or sauce. Overall, everything was great. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail cause I’m trying to keep these posts short and sweet.
Crab Cake Po' Boy
Combo Tacos
Let me end by telling you that Six Feet Under really makes a concerted effort to be green. They use a windmill to power the location I visited, have energy-efficient kitchen equipment, and use biodegradable takeaway products. I think this is awesome and you should support this restaurant just for making the effort. Luckily for you, you’ll get a great dining experience to boot.
The good weather is here (kind of)! Get out to Six Feet Under and enjoy it! Six Feet Under has locations at 685 11th St. and 437 Memorial Dr. Entrees range $8-25.
Serpas True Food (see earlier post) is hosting a crawfish boil on Saturday, April 25th from 12-3pm. Reservations are $25 for all you can eat crawfish. They will also have $4 Abita Amber draft beer.
On Saturday, May 2nd Terrapin Beer Company, Leon’s Full Service, and others will sponsor “Decatur Green Fest” in the Old Courthouse Square from 3-9:30pm.
This event will feature live music, fun kids activities, green vendors, and a LOCAL AND ORGANIC TASTE OF DECATUR.
For more information, click HERE
Sweetbreads – Come from the thymus gland (neck/throat) or the pancreas (heart/chest/stomach) of a young animal, usually a calf or lamb. Sweetbreads are very popular in the culinary community and can be found at many trendier establishments around town, probably as an appetizer or special. I had them at Five and Ten in Athens… Very good of course!
Really without planning to, I ended up visiting 2 longtime Atlanta favorites for comfort food (see OK Cafe). Mary Mac’s, open since 1945, specializes more in Southern and Soul food. Yeeee-haw!
Let me set this up by saying that there is a Southern food spot in Athens called Peaches. This is probably one of my all-time favorite restaurants. I would go there 2-3 times a week sometimes when I was at UGA (GO DAWGS!). I can’t name another restaurant I have ever done that with. There are some I would if I could afford it.
So, when visiting similar restaurants, I always compare them to Peaches. In this case, I ordered my old standby: fried chicken, macaroni-and-cheese, and green beans. Peaches, Peaches, and Peaches! Sorry to all ya’ll Mary Mac lovers; maybe you can point me in the direction of some other dishes. I love Southern food. The chicken was moist and crispy, but really had no flavor. I like a little seasoning! The green beans and mac-and-cheese were good, but as I said earlier, it’s hard to make a green bean stand out and theirs didn’t. I don’t think a mac-and-cheese exists that is better than Peaches. When I was done with Mary’s, there was at least 2 tablespoons of oil/grease left at the cup.
I’d also like to mention that the space is a little rundown and could use some renovating. I thought it smelled like pee when I walked in, but it wasn’t as bad in the dining area. Also, there was a woman going around talking to tables and rubbing people’s backs. I am so glad she didn’t come to mine!
As you can tell, I was not impressed. I’ll probably still go back unless I can find something better, but man I hope this isn’t the best Soul food Atlanta has to offer. Mary Mac’s is located at 224 Ponce De Leon Ave, Atlanta. They are open 7 days a week, 11am-9pm. Most entrees are under $10 and include 2 sides and bread.
