Highlight #153: Beautiful blog luck and celebratory eats - Restaurant: Market

It's a beautiful thing to wake up and realize that March 5 not only marks the 3rd anniversary of this blog and our six months anniversary of being married, it is also the day that site meter registered 30,000 visitors here. If that's not some extraordinary blog luck, I don't know what is. On such a sunny day, I am feeling grateful and happy. 30,000 visitors over a span of 3 years may seem rather trivial on a high traffic site, but to think that so many have came here and shared a little piece of MY LIFE is rather significant in the existence of this nibbler. So thank you all for making my day and supporting this hobby of mine!

J and I asked for no wedding presents six months ago because I absolutely cannot deal with "stuff" and our condo was already filled, if not over filled, with everything we could ever want. But we couldn't stop people's generosity (luckily most people refrained from the giving of "stuff" or picked out wonderfully indulgent things that we wouldn't otherwise splurge on. Thank you all so much!). Even six month after the wedding, we are still receiving treats, like the great dinner the Ramettas took us to at Market.

First, I still can't believe that Mrs. R, being my age, is the mother of three children and look this good! Time and again, people around me just insist on setting the bar very very high. That aside, I am so glad that the Rs took a night off from the little ones to enjoy some "adult conversation." :)

Before we got into our extra lively conversation, we all noted how "retro" Market looked, from the neon light decor to the sometimes neon-colored food presentations. But our service was definitely not old school. The staff all had a good sense of humor and attended to us closely without hovering.

Our first appetizer was my pick, the truffle pizza. Crusty and light, the dough was on the thin and crunchy side. The truffle smell definitely made a statement, but was not overpowering. We all quite loved this.

The prosciutto salad, however, was a disappointment. As you can see from the photo, the salad was pretty much drowning in a tangy white dressing that was too tart for my taste. My J devoured most of the greens, while the rest of us picked off the prosciutto. I am not saying that he loved the salad, but he was taught well by his mom to always eat lots of greens. :)

The most highly recommended dish, the roasted cod, let me down. While my first taste of the pureed peas and potatoes proved flavorful in their retro presentation, the cod itself was too firm and crusty for my liking. The seasoning was fine, and I didn't mind the neon look. It sort of glowed under the colored lights. What I really missed was the tender and flaky texture.

The other recommended dish, the short ribs, lived up to expectation. Fall apart loose, it was executed as it should. My little bite with mushroom was very satisfying.

The best dish of the night went to husband J's skate, which he picked without assistance. perfectly pan-fried with just a faint crust, it flaked beautifully. But it was the superb sauce that wowed us. I tasted a good quality fish sauce with all its nuances, which was balanced out by a little sweetness and perked up with some nice red pepper flecks. I couldn't help but sticking my fork over to J's plate again and again.

Mr. and Mrs. R are definitely dessert people. While they got the sharing memo, they didn't take it to mean that we don't each order one. :) Of the four we received, the panna cotta won on my score card with its lemony tartness and macerated berries.

The chocolate thing was a bit tiresome and slightly dry.

Mrs. R took to the very light cheesecake that came with some pretty wine jelly. It was certainly the most interesting of the bunch.

My order of banana cake was a failure with very dry crumb. No one ate more than a tiny bite of it. Although the wonderful salted caramel ice cream saved the whole dessert from being shunned.

Overall, the meal was the most enjoyable because of the company and the conversation. The meal itself provided some high points, but also a few let downs. If one navigates well, a very delicious meal is definitely possible.

Market at W Buckhead
3377 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326