Birthday weekend in nyc - Restaurants: Annisa, Resto, Katz's Deli, L'Arte del gelato, Grom, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Ippudo, Lady M, and Blue Hill

It's simply amazing how much two people can consume over a single weekend in the name of a special occasion (J turned 31). Truth be told, J and I don't even need the excuse to eat up this much most of the time. What's more scary is that this is only about 70% of what we actually ate... (comments to come soon)

Cooking and eating with gusto - crawfish boil

It's good to have friends. It's infinitely better to have friends who cart back 60 pounds of crawfish from their family farm and invite me over for a spontaneous boil in true convivial Louisiana style.

The subject of the feast were kicking vigorously in their temporary confinement when I arrived at the A's sun-drenched deck. A turkey fryer has been set up a few feet away from the crawfish and were already generating whiffs of the intoxicating spicy low country aroma. C laughed heartily to a guest inquiring whether she kills the crustaceans. "Oh no honey. We don't kill them! We just boiling them"!!! We all fell back in laughter. As always, C's energy and enthusiasm for a good time infected us all in no time and got the party started.
Time passed quickly in merriment. Before we know it, the little things turned bright orange red in the big pot and were transferred to a cooler for more seasoning, which I was asked to add "aggressively." After a few minutes of steaming, we got what we came for - a feast.
For those uninitiated, C gave a hands-on demonstration on proper peeling techniques as well as sucking methods for getting to the tasty brain bits in the head ("with gusto"). (I reserve this space for the lady herself to provide the instructions.) I patted myself on the back for having had the foresight to dress in a red print. This was messy eating at its best and no one should expect to come out unspotted, not unless one intends to have no fun at all. I certainly had fun, having ate for a straight four hours as shells piled up like little mountains in front of me. C and C, the super gracious hosts, never got tired of the boiling, seasoning, and distributing routine. I waddled out of their place to a setting sun, full as a drum and content as the laughing Buddha.

Little bits of tasty things for lunch - Restaurant: Spice Market

A bahm mi from Buford highway is certainly a tasty bargain, but it requires quite a drive from my downtown office and lacks somewhat in the atmosphere department. The bento box at Spice Market, on the other hand, isn't dirty cheap at sixteen dollars, but deserves to be honored as a great lunch bargain. The various nibbles in combination with the setting delivered on taste, presentation, atmosphere, and the possibility of a wine pairing (when one is not expected to return to work or at least to work effectively). And if the above photo doesn't convince you of the value here, they also throw in a great house-made box of ice cream. Now, that's value!

At a recent birthday lunch, I was surprised and impressed by the elaborate ceiling treatment and the live bamboo and orchid details scattered throughout the space. Considering that it is located inside a fairly old building in the area, the decor succeeded at reminding me of some upscale colonial Singaporean venues.

For food, I chose the pork skewer bento box. An actual box did not materialize. Instead, I received a combination of nibbles presented in little plates and bowls on a platter. The abundant sunlight made photo taking somewhat difficult, but certainly enhanced the tropical feeling. My pork skewers on the left were very tender and well seasoned with a hint of sweetness. The only thing missing was a bit of the charcoal grilled street flavor I so adore. The pickled cauliflower in the center were light and refreshing. The miso-based soup included a wonton. It was flavorful, but the wonton wrapper was a tad bit thick for my liking. One the right side, there was the avocado salad with fried onion rings. I liked both for their lightness and contrast with the sour sweet sauce under the avocado. The cod on Malaysian chilli sauce on the bottom right took the honor for being my favorite on the platter. The cut of cod was deceivingly similar to a large scallop, but the texture was very different, being much more fatty, which I love. The cod was lightly seasoned, the right thing to do considering the abundance of umami flavor in the chilli sauce. The color and texture of the sauce resembled that of a tapenade, but the flavor profile was very different. For one, there was the unmistakable chilli padi taste that is very southeast Asia. (This is probably a good place to say that going to Spice Market should not be viewed as a trip to taste authentic Southeast Asian food. For that you might as well save some money and head to Penang on Buford highway, which is where my Singaporean half of the family go when they are in town. Jean Georges, to his credit, doesn't claim to present authentic foods from the region, but rather strives to provide his own takes on foods inspired by those flavors. For one who is not into fusion food, I have to say that his stuff at Spice Market were executed with style and skill. I might as well also add here that I like this place so much better than its model-mobbed sibling in New York. There is something to be said for being able to enjoy ones food in peace sans a scene.

The dessert, as mentioned earlier, came in the form of a pint sized Chinese takeout box. You have a choice between sorbet and ice cream. Let's just say that I can't comprehend why anyone would get sorbet when there is the option of ice cream. I got Vietnamese coffee as my flavor and very much appreciate the pronounced, but not overwhelming coffee flavor tempered with a good dose of condensed milk. Yum.

Spice Market
188 14th St. NE
Atlanta, GA 3030

Baby pig not safe here - restaurant: CityZen (DC)

I have a love hate relationship with DC. I hate the traffic and streets that refuse to go straight (squares may have been a good idea when horses dominated the roads, but they are terrible for regulating aggressive automobiles). I have a hard time dealing with the grumpy people stuck in traffic, whose collective grumpiness even show on their license plates, which proudly coins the essence of DC as "taxation without representation." One the other hand, I love the gazillion free museums, the sea of spring cherry blossoms around Lincoln memorial, and blue crab season near the Chesapeake bay. These were loves developed during my teenage years living in the area when I had no money to experience the finer things. Now that I have a bit more spare cash, the love side has begun to outweigh the hate side with every good meal in the capital.

CityZen provided the best bite on my recent trip in what is arguably one of the best bargain meals of the year. Tucked behind a wall on one side of the Madarin Oriental Hotel, CityZen wowed with its impressive spacial scale, but warmed with a comfortable elegance. I opt to sit at the bar, having already made up my mind to try the three course bar tasting menu.

The bar was no less impressive. In fact, the architecturally interesting band of fire behind the bar illuminated the bottle display and mesmerized me during much of the meal.
Settling in with a glass of bubbly, I nibbled on a cute mushroom fritter sent out by the chef. Nothing remarkable here, just comforting shroom flavor captured in a fluffy bite.
I went whole hog this night, literally, starting with a crispy tete de cochon. As the server so honestly and eloquently put, this was essentially head cheese deep fried with a thin coating. Since I love the porky pig and all things gelatinous, especially those from pork cheeks, I waited for this plate with great expectation. CityZen not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. The coating was crunchy, but not too thick. The head cheese held together beautifully with bits of the glistening jelly interburst throughout the cheek meat. It was lip-sticking good. Another great element of the dish was the little poached quail egg sitting on top. It had a perfectly runny yoke that ended up coating the already rich bites with an additional layer of richness. I imagine a whole chicken egg yoke would have been too rich, so the quail egg was just perfect.

Had the meal progressed directly to dessert from the rich appetizer, I would have been satisfied. But I said I went whole hog earlier, so the rest of the porky pig was still to come. Boy did it come. Behold the best bite of the evening at the top of the post, a braised shoulder of Kanagy farms shoat with russet potato gnocchi and spring peas and asparagus. I couldn't have conjured up a better dish for pork-loving me even in my dreams. All my favorite elements were present. A nice fatty cut of pork, oh yeah! And it's from a shoat, a baby pig. Sounds cruel, but I am Chinese, we eat baby things and love them. This dish reminded me of one I had at Bouchon in Vegas almost a year ago. But this version tops the Bouchon pork shoulder with the shoat tenderness factor and the very very light gnocchi. It would have been very easy to eat plates of the gnocchi without stopping. Luckily there was the rich shoat shoulder to distract me. Then of course, my favorite veggies. Nothing beats spring peas and asparagus when they are at their peak and they were here. All around, just wonderful.

It's not a proper end unless there was dessert, which I chose to have with a banyul. The server delivered the Pave of Valrhona chocolate sans foam to the bar then proceeded to put it on. I was very tempted to stop him, but held my tongue. Truth be told, I am a little tired of foam. It has this way of distracting from the main event without delivering much impact on its own. In this case, it made the photo come out bad, but did no other harm. It was minty and played nice with the warm chocolate. The whole combination was tasty and well executed. I just wished that Cityzen would break away from the warm Valrhona chocolate cake/tart/pave norm and do something original.

All in all, for fifty dollars, this bar tasting menu was pretty unbeatable at one of the top tables in DC.

Favorite Restaurant Pasta - Agnolotti - Restaurant: La Tavola

If I see agnolotti on the menu, I order it. The trouble is I don't see it often. Overshadowed by the popular ravioli and tortellini, the half moon shaped agnolotti is like the ignored step sister of Italian filled pastas. Maybe for that reason, I particularly want to love it and the version at La Tavola more than justifies my affection.

Wonderfully flexible, La Tavola allows me to order the agnolotti in appetizer size, leaving room for a second appetizer, and of course dessert. The little ones came four in a pack, resembling more of Chinese dumplings than their Italian siblings. The half moon shape provided a balanced ratio of toothsome shell to innards. In this case, the innards composed of a well-seasoned combination of very tender braised beef and veal. The sauce of thyme and butter formed a luxuriously sticky coating, which was cleverly counter balanced by an acidic red wine reduction. the appetizer portion was perfect for satisfying a craving while still leaving me wanting.

I followed up with a second appetizer of mussels steamed with tomatoes, red onions, parsley, oregano, and thyme. The liquid had the right amount of tang and savoriness without overwhelming the taste of the chubby mussels. Amazingly, each mussel stayed in its own shell with no absentee or random floater.

Satisfied but not stuffed, I demanded the homemade ice cream of the day. Not lacking in butter fat content, the generous scoops provided a pleasantly creamy and cool ending to a very enjoyable and relaxing meal.

With a good selection of half bottles to accompanying a not overly indulging meal for two, La Tavola remains one of my favorite places for an unhurried dinner with someone good for a chat.

La Tavola
992 Virginia Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404)873-5430

Best pizza in the USA? I have to check and get back to you - Restaurant: Pizza Bianco (Phoenix)

"Pizza Bianco has the best pizza in the US." Had anyone else uttered these words, I might have laughed them off. But this wasn't the statement of just anyone, but the words of Serious Eats, the all food all the time community headed by Ed Levine. From overnight delivery of New York bagels to same day pick-up of Thanksgiving pies, Ed had never led me astray. Still, these were fighting words, inviting disagreement or at least confirmation. Having eaten my share of great pizzas back in the big apple (Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, Joe's, John's, etc.) and having sampled a few on my trip to Rome (Pizzeria da Baffetto), I was ready to do the comparison myself.

The Pizza Bianco building was surprisingly small at only the width of a roomy two car garage. It was located in a strange part of town where a few isolated brick houses share the same large park area that surround the huge science center. At 4:00 pm in the afternoon, the tables immediately outside of the pizzeria were already populated by waiting patrons. Within half an hour, the line stretched beyond the front door and around the corner (below). Luckily, we arrived just in time to grab the last two seats under the shade.

The only saving grace for the waiting and wanting, especially for those standing, was the fact that Bar Bianco in the next building opened at 4:00 pm to provide much needed hydration.

Five o'clock on the dot, Pizza Bianco swung its doors opened and seated the head of the eager crowd unhurriedly. Fortunate for us, we got the last two top in the corner near the window, close enough to observe the remaining crowd gazing in longingly.

To prolong our waiting even further, we opted for two salads to start. The caprese was fresh tasting, but not too special. The tomatoes were far from mealy, but somehow still lacked the bright flavors from the heat of summer.
The special salad of the day contained surprising gems uncaptured by my photos. The red jewels hidden beneath the arugula were thoroughly red strawberry slices as large as apple rings. Bursting with juices, these babies were awesome.
Finally, our pizza, plain margerita on one side and with added house made fennel sausages on the other. Properly charred bottom, check. Lack of excess gooeyness in the center, check. Crispiness on the edges, check. Tenderness within and throughout, check. Bright acidity in the sauce, check. Fresh cheese in balanced amount, check. Fault? I really can't come up with any. Enjoyment, 100 percent. Was it the best I've ever had? Best I've had in a very very long while, I'll give it that. But in the back of mind, I hold on to memories of exquisite pies ingested in Rome and a few years back at Lombardi's. Perhaps the special surroundings at both of those places contributed to my enjoyment. Perhaps memory has a way of distorting reality to enhance the experiences. But I really just can't say without a direct comparison. What I can and will do is go back to Lombardi's in May to run a quick taste update. Rome may have to wait a couple more years. In any case though, Pizza Bianco lived up to every bit of my expectation, unexpectedly.

ATL version of the Otto meal plan - Restaurant: Floataway Cafe

When I was a little worm living happily in the Big Apple, one of my favorite weekend lunches was at Mario's pizzeria Otto (See post here). Shortly before noon, one could often find the place quiet and filled with sunlight, a very different scene from the buzzing wine bar it morphs into after sunset. Much good memories were made around the big corner table in the back sharing hot pizzas among friends. As good as the pizzas were, the best part about going to Otto was always the gelato. I never deviated from the combination of caramel with fleur de sol and olive oil. I miss those good old days!

Lucky for me, I now how a fix when such craving strikes. Last week, while out celebrating E's birthday, Floataway delivered the essence of what I loved about those meals at Otto, a wonderfully charred pizza finished off with salted caramel and olive oil flavored cold treats. The pizza had a well-developed dough that was neither tough nor soggy. The red sauce was bright and the cheese not overwhelming. The constrained effort gave the pizza exactly what it needed without offering more.

Then there were the soft serves. I am totally biased when it comes to these, being the kind of girl who would follow any stranger with a DQ cone. I will, however, say that these were crystal free and dressed lightly with great quality chocolate sauce, salted caramel, and green-tasting olive oil. In other words, great stuff!

Floataway Cafe
1123 Zonolite Rd NE # 15
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 892-1414

New carb-loading destination - Bakery: Shilla Bakery

In this down-turned market, it's comforting to see new places pop up, especially when they offer tasty carb-loading options. This past Sunday, some friends and I happened upon this bakery in a new development off of the main Pleasant Hill artery in Duluth. Not ones to pass up a chance for loading up on baked goods, we looted the place despite our full bellies. The selection appeared a bit more interesting than the larger chains like White Windmill and Cafe Mozart. I filled my bag with a big flat rice cake chock full of chestnuts, walnuts, and dried fruits, a matcha cake, a savory donut filled with egg salad, a rice ball (filled with what I will determine tomorrow), and a curry custard bun.

We attacked the donut at the bakery expecting sweetness (it was not labeled). The savoriness surprised us at first. But once I adjusted my expectation, the taste appealed to me. It's hard to hate a fried dough puff filled with mayo moistened egg pieces.

I devoured the matcha cake today between breakfast and lunch, intending at the time only to eat half. Unlike the typical spongy Asian cakes, this little green one was very moist with a distinct matcha flavor. Not weighed down with butter, it was the perfect mid-morning treat.

I came home to J munching on the curry custard bun. Knowing that it takes me ten bites to equal his one, he generously offered me a taste. It was awesome! Creamy with a vibrant curry flavor, the custard complimented the eggy and slightly sweet bun very well. We'll certainly go back for this one again.

There were still many other options to try as you can see below. Some interesting sounding ones include a mulberry cake and a pizza bun.

Shilla Bakery
3473 Old Norcross Rd. #208
Duluth, GA 30096

Bewitching Sandwiches - Restaurants:Quoc Huong (Atlanta), La Bombonera (San Juan), Carousel Bakery (Toronto)

Looking through my photos from the last few months, I noticed a collection of breakfast sammies very much deserving of their own post. These sandwiches hailed from both near and far, but all shared a common theme - every one of them deviated from the egg McMuffin norm.

Near, there was a fat banh mi from Quoc Huong on Buford highway. It accompanied me to the traffic court on a recent morning and I turned out to be the happiest wrongfully-accused civilian there. How could I not be, munching on a Vietnamese baguette that was cottony soft in the middle but shattered with a delightful noise upon every bite (something wonderful happened when rice flour was mixed into the dough). The whole package was made even better by the stuffing of "an everything" mix of pork, pate, head cheese and a pickled veggie mix. In the meat department, the pate provided the most silky mouth feel and the head cheese the most interesting texture. Had the pickled veggie mix of carrots, daikon, onions, and cilantro not being by the meats' side, the sammy would have suffered from over the top richness after the first few very good bites. The presence of the pickled veggies effectively cut through the richness of their meat companions and kept the flavors well balanced. It was a sammy worth eating even when one is not wanted in court.

To the south, there was a sinful mallorca sandwich at La Bombonera, the old San Juan breakfast institution. Behind the shelves of enticing pastries, we found a bustling dinning room, full of activity at 8 am on a rainy February morning. Locals and tourists alike ordered up the same breakfast staple, the mallorca. A sweet roll texturally somewhere between a yeast doughnut and Parker House roll, the mallorca heading my way was buttered with a heavy hand and pressed with a filling of ham and cheese between a large flat press. Hot off the press, the crunchy creation received a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar. For the duration of consuming this sandwich, I alternated between licking hot cheese dripping down my arms and powdered sugar stuck to my fingers. So very finger-licking good!

Up north, there was a peameal bacon sammy at the famous St. Lawrence market in Toronto. As you can see, peameal bacon is not what we call bacon this side of the border. The awesome lead actor in this sammy was actually salt and sugar cured extra lean ham rolled in corneal. So deceivingly simple, the country roll was appropriately soft and distracted not at all from the pealmeal bacon, which was surprising in its tenderness. I could have gotten some mustard in my sandwich, but it was completely unnecessary as the peameal bacon provided all the seasoning I needed. More salty than sweet, the ham had just enough brine to provide savoriness to the bun, but not too much to send me running for water, which often happens when I eat corned beef sandwiches. This one wins hands down for its super tasty simplicity. Go Canada!

Quoc Huong

5150 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340

(770) 936-0605

Eating like the Irish for a day - Restaurant: Brick Store

The bar may not be Irish, but one day a year, the Brick Store serves up some terrific Irish fare to help soak up the excess beer. This past Monday, there was a very savory, but not too salty corned beef accompanied by a nutty and dense dark bread.
There was also a rather sorry but perhaps authentic looking lamb stew that tasted much much better than it appeared, especially when mopped up with the dark bread.There was also a roast beef sandwich with a hidden layer of sweet relish, adding welcoming contrast to the sharp Irish cheddar.

But most of all, there was what's arguably the best beer list in all of Atlanta. The main bar downstairs serves up 17 draghts and 75 bottles, while my favorite Belgium bar upstairs keeps 8 draghts and 120 Belgian style bottles in rotation. On days when I don't feel like beer, there is even a very respectable wine list to keep me happy. The only thing that this great pub didn't have and hopefully will never have is green beer.

Brick Store

Decatur Square
125 E. Court Square
Decatur, GA 30030

Crave worthy little guys - Restaurant: Cypress Street Pint & Plate

I ate at Toast a few days before it closed last year. The almost empty dinning room extruded a cold somberness very much at odds with its cheerful tangerine color. What a difference a few months makes. Walking around the corner to the new incarnation Cypress Street Pint & Plate in the same space, I was pleasantly surprised to find a jolly crowd making merriment over pints of Flying Dog in the courtyard. What's more lovely was finding a roaring fire in a stone covered fire pit among the tables in the back, adding warmth and a wonderful glow to the comfortable outdoor space.

The menu looked simple with not more than a dozen items in each section. Nothing in the food section appeared super creative, just classic examples of pub grub. We ordered a set of three meatball sliders with our drinks, tickled by the option to order them in a "six pack." While waiting for our food, girlfriend J and I enjoyed some prime people watching. Let's just say that we had no clue dog walking in midtown was such a "scene."

The sliders came looking very adorable in their miniaturness. The bun was yielding to the touch, but held the meatball, arugula, and marinara sauce together surprisingly well. The first bite had both J and I in awe. Slightly sweet and very soft, the bread gave way to a very supple, not at all dense meatball. Well-seasoned in and of itself, the meatball played off the slight tangyness of the marinara and picked up the pepperiness of the arugula. But most of all, it was the texture that took the gold. Suffering none of the denseness that tends to plague its kind, this meatball slider shot straight to the top of my pub grub list. My man J arrived just in time to prevent me from devouring his claim. Finishing in two bites, he declared that ordering a "six pack" is a brilliant idea.

The debut - Kudzu Dinner

Friday night marked the debut of Kudzu dinners, a series of ten "secret" gatherings masterminded by the Taste Network to realize the vision of farm to table. The concept is for the guests to sign up for a dinner without knowing the "secret" location, which may be either inside the city or on a local farm. Each dinner strives to marry the talent of one local chef with the season's best from a number of local farms. The dishes are paired with wines selected by the Taste Network, in some cases to showcase the wines of a particular maker.

Twenty four hours prior to dinner, an email revealed a house in Vi-highland as the "secret" location for this first meal featuring Adam Biderman of Star Provisions. I turned up, along with twenty plus other guests, at the fantastic-smelling venue to find not only Adam, but a team from the wonderful Bacchanalia, including Anne Quatrano herself, in the kitchen. With a glass of Henriot Brut in hand, we observed the chefs at work while munching on D'Avignon radishes with sweet butter and sel gris.

After making some fast friends, we got seated for dinner with a glass of Henriot Rose Champagne. To pair with it, Adam introduced a first course of roasted Woodland Gardens baby beets, beet chips, Sweetgrass Dairy chevre, beet sorbet, and citrus emulsion. My photo (above) falls way short of illustrating the beauty of this dish, especially the beet sorbet, which was of the prettiest shade of deep fuchsia. To my untrained palate, the sorbet seemed far richer than the pedestrian sort. It was very creamy with a smooth and rounded mouth feel. Somehow it also retained the refreshing tart qualities despite the creaminess. It fast became my favorite on the plate. Around me, I heard many compliments for the roasted beats, some from self-proclaimed beet haters.

Poached Georgia white shrimps came up next paired with a rose, a 2006 Prieure De Montezargues Tavel to be exact. Not the least bit rubbery, the shrimps were delightful to chew on, overshadowed only by the great rose, which, to my unsophisticated palate, the best sip of the evening. This wine was far more robust than any rose I've sampled in the past and presented layers of flavor. I loved it!

Anne introduced the main course, Riverview Berkshire porchetta, braised Crystal Organic farm greens, and baby carrots in a lamb broth, apparently a change from the initially planned lamb dish. Anne explained that the change was warranted when the lamb failed to show-up, an important lesson one must learn in cooking fresh from the farm: the menu must remain flexible enough to anticipate the unexpected changes such as ingredient alterations. While Anne said that she would have liked more time to brine the pork prior to dinner (which I learned, from my own experience with the Zuni Cookbook, could make a world of difference), I found that the pork in this dish suffered very little in its shredded form. My heart, however, belonged to the greens accompanying the pork. Perfectly tender without being mushy, the greens exuded their own savoriness beyond what's imparted by the broth. This savoriness is a dimension I find often robbed from the supermarket variety. Whenever I experience it in vegetables, I am transported back the dinner table of my youth where my mom served her vegetables from the morning farmer's market. While my mom's kale hailed from the soil a world away in central China, I found the same deep savoriness perfectly resonated in the southern greens from Anne's farm. What I never had growing up was the wine. The 2004 domaine Bouchard pere et Fils was flirty. It played with the pork, made eyes at the greens, but also stood up to their strong flavors. It was a playful combination that worked.

Younger brother to the 2004, the 2005 Domaine Souchard pere et Fils, in my opinion, surpassed its older sibling in finesse and depth. I have heard that 2005 was a better year in most regions of France, but have never tasted any wine vintaged a year apart side by side to experience the difference. This was a very interesting presentation by Brady of the Taste Network. I certainly loved the 2005 more, perhaps a bit too much to also equally appreciate the cheeses, a valencay, a Camembert, and a Bonrus (from right to left).

The sweet ending came in the form of an old fashioned caramel cake paired with Panorama apple farm's warm apple pie cider. The cake was served simply in giant slices. I could barely finish a corner. The corner I got was a tad dry but not too sweet. I am no expert on cider, but in this case, the cider was made special by the fact the people who made it also sat at the dinner table. Somehow a meal has a way of tasting better when the person who grew, cooked, or labored over what went into it sat next to you and spoke lovingly of it, which is, well, the point of this whole experience.

Dare to be simple - Restaurant: Watershed

Many menus today are so verbose, I sometimes wonder if I am being charged by the word. Perhaps I am. After all, someone has to pay for the PR firms and menu consultants to generate the right prose. Considering the trend, it was so refreshing to read the simple, almost sparse, menu at the restaurant I call "the happy place."

Watershed is its name (after a song by the Indigo Girls to which one of the owners owes her fame) and the nationally acclaimed Scott Peacock its chef. Walking into the restaurant, you would hardly suspect its pedigree. Housed inside a former gas station, the restaurant was awash in sunlight on a Saturday morning. A few pink tulips provided the only pop of color against the soothing pistachio walls. The lunch menu was fittingly simple, mostly sandwiches and salads. I picked the roasted pork and chicken salad sandwiches to share with mom. I can't describe the meal any better than what Watershed already says on its website. "The food is fresh, wholesome, and soul satisfying . . . Chef Scott Peacock's dishes will take you on a fresh culinary journey or bring you back to the comfort and warmth of your grandmother's kitchen." The only problem I had with this description was, well, my grandma was not Edna Lewis. Maybe a Chinese version of Edna, but not Edna. I had no mayo in my diet growing up! Don't you feel sorry for me now? :)

I never skip dessert at Watershed . . . or anywhere else, come to think of it. The point is when the menu says "very good chocolate cake," it does not kid around. Watershed's chocolate cake is among the best if not the best I've ever had. Except, this time, we didn't get the chocolate cake. J beat me to the punch and ordered "fresh baked cookies and milk." I am all for simplicity, but cookies and milk? A little too simple, maybe? Well, he was right and I was wrong. The cookies were the best, THE BEST, cookies ever!!!!! Just very very slightly crispy on the outside and impossibly warm and gooey on the inside. I ate mine and my dad's and wanted MORE! That's really saying a lot, because I am the nibbler and I really nibble when not faced with these cookies!


Watershed
406 West Ponce De Leon Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
(404)378-4900

Happy 2nd Anniversary! Restaurant: Repast

While everyone is out celebrating love this Valentine's day, Repast, my favorite neighborhood restaurant is simultaneously celebrating its 2nd anniversary. My calling Repast a neighborhood restaurant may be inaccurate considering that it has garnered numerous favorable reviews in both local and national prints. More recently, the kitchen has also housed one of the new Top Chef contestants. I call it a neighborhood restaurant only because, well, it is located in my neighborhood, in the next building from my loft to be exact, and because Joe, the ever present half of the husband and wife team, never fails to make me feel at home.

Neighborhood or not, the food at Repast is consistently good. My friend J had long ago crowned the pork belly scallop preparation shown above the best that she has ever tasted. A half portion of this generous dish is shown in the photo. You know a restaurant is special when the server goes out of his way to separately plate a split portion without having been asked.

Taste wise, this dish is awesome in a number of ways. First, it has pork belly. That fact alone is enough to make me drool. :) The fatty rendering from the caramelized pork belly provided an excellent coating for the lean scallops. In my opinion, the scallops really benefited from the glistening fat coating because, in combination with the tender scallop flesh, the whole fat coated package took on a mouth feel shockingly similar to that of creamy lard. And yes, having grown up with a Chinese grandmother who loves to render her own lard, I do know what creamy lard feels like in the mouth. :) What's also excellent are the accompanying shiitake mushrooms, which provided a deep flavor and chew that contracted well with the scallops. If I am not wrong, the mushrooms were cooked in soy souse from their dried form. My mother uses this trick to coax flavors out of dried shiitakes in hotpots while preserving their shape and chew during long stewing. Perhaps the Japanese half of the husband and wife team contributed to this aspect of the dish. For the health conscious, there were also a few baby carrots that added some color. All in all, this was a perfect dish for those near freezing days we've been having.

Repast

620 Glen Iris Drive

Atlanta, GA 30308

(404)870-8707

Show a little love for Hue - Restaurant: Huong Giang

Buford highway is peppered with dozens of Vietnamese restaurants. Walking into any of them, one is practically guaranteed to score a bowl of pho, the noodle soup that has come to represent the nation. Huong Giang used to be one exception, where dishes tend to stay true to the flavors of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Instead of pho, there was bun bo hue, a thicker and rounder rice noodle served in a red broth bursting with notes of lemongrass and red chilies. Unlike with pho, where one gets to pick the additions like beef, seafood, etc., Huong Giang's bun bo hue came standard with slices of beef, poached cubes of pork blood, and sliced pig trotter for protein, and amaranth leaves and thinly sliced banana blossom for fiber. In a sea of restaurants offering a largely standard Vietnamese menu, I admired HG for doing something different, and doing it pretty darn well.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment a few days ago, when I returned to HG to find a banner outside and a special menu on each table claiming that pho is now being served. It seems that the restaurant had finally gotten tired of customers asking "where is the pho"? Luckily, the old menu is still intact for those who want to try something different. The bun bo hue was still as excellent as ever. Assertively flavored with lemongrass and chilies, the broth nevertheless managed to extrude a long cooked beefy essence. The generous helpings of pork trotter slices and congealed pork blood added contrast in texture and offered a chance to boast both collagen and iron level for skin beautification, as my Chinese doctor mother used to say.

Another specialty that should not be missed is Banh La Cha Tom, a flat rice flour cake steamed in a banana leaf. They came in a pack of ten. The unwrapped cake was as pretty to look at, studded with bits of ground shrimp and pork, as it was good to eat dipped in a sweet and slightly tangy sauce. The whole eating process was addictive if one is fond of the gelatinous texture.

All in all, while Huong Giang had caved under the pressure to join the pho camp, its hue specialties remain the draw for food lovers.

Huong Giang
4300 Buford Hwy.
404-929-9838