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

Warm up with porky broth - Restaurant: Haru Ichiban

Once in a while, a craving creeps up on me so suddenly yet so intensely, my life nearly comes to a halt until that craving is satisfied. The cold and gloomy weather last week brought on such an all consuming craving for ramen. Not just for any ramen either, my little heart was set on a steaming bowl of chewy noodle swimming in a rich tonkotsu broth.

For days, I just couldn't get my mind off the luxurious porky broth, almost creamy white from having extracted all the wonderful piggy goodness in the stewing bones, trotters, and other wiggly parts. Sadly, I had nowhere to go near my downtown office or midtown home for a bowl. After failing miserably at trying to fight off the craving, I finally made the long drive to Duluth to get what my stomach so desperately desired.

This would be my very first time trying the ramen at Haru Ichiban. On previous visits, other items on the vast menu such as miso grilled cod always appeared more attractive. On this visit, I was a woman on a mission. Nothing but tonkotsu ramen would do.

The happiness of finally having the boiling hot bowl of salty piggly goodness close enough to give me a facial was only topped by the pleasure of taking that first sip. Intensely savory, perhaps a bit too salty, but with a depth of flavor only the noble pig could deliver. Hog essence, it's a beautiful thing. The add-ins were also good, especially the slightly crunchy bamboo shoots. They introduce a bit of that pickled flavor, which helped to cut through the richness of the broth and textually compliment the chewiness of the ramen. The funny thing was while I get full rather quickly on pasta, I slurped down the entire bowl of ramen without feeling a thing. Go figure.

Haru Ichiban
3646 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 622-4060

To Havana with love - Restaurant: Havana Sandwich Shop

Why did it take me three years to go inside Havana Sandwich Shop when I have driven by it a hundred times? Insanity? Probably not too far from it. This place is awesome! Just look at that Cuban sandwich. The bread alone is worth the trip. So well toasted and crispy, it literally shattered between my teeth. I loved the additional crunchiness from the pickles, which also provided a bit of acidity to the saltiness of the ham. The half sandwich looks tiny in this photo. I regretted not getting a whole one right after the first bite. Although my stomach was relieved that I didn't rush to place a supplemental order. This baby was quite filling with all that ham and roasted pork. I can't remember much about the rice or beans. It's probably not because they were less than good. I might just have been suffering from slight sensory over stimulation after the sandwich. :)

Havana Sandwich Shop
2905 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 636-4094

Feasting in Singapore (Part II)

Often times fantastic street eats go hand in hand with less than desirable eating conditions. This is especially true in Singapore, where both temperature and humidity consistently go into the 90s. Not one to sweat easily, I have no problem tracking down and chowing down at the various legendary stalls peppered throughout the open air hawker centers (congregation of food stalls specializing in various regional Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western eats). This is not to say that I don't appreciate finding exceptional eats in a pristine and air-conditioned environment. I absolutely do, especially when I am trapped inside the vast shopping mecca that is Orchard road.

Stomach rambling, I found myself wondering the Food Republic inside Wisma Atria around 11 am. While most stalls were just setting up, a line ten deep had already formed in front of Thye Hong. Always a tell-tell sign of good eats, I got in line without knowing what food was being served. Luckily the folks of Thye Hong were not shy about self-advertising. Clippings on the stall window soon made it clear that this is the reincarnation of a famous fried prawn mee stall from the well-known Newton circus hawker center. Seeing that everyone in line was getting the same prawn mee, I felt confident doing the same. Boy, was that the right decision. The simple looking fried noodle smelled superbly and strongly of the prawn shell broth used to bring the noodle to al dente. Just enough bean sprouts gave each chopstickful a delightful crunch. And the real star of the dish, the chili sauce provided way more than just heat, but also awesome umami flavor found in the shrimp paste that is the trademark of Southeast Asia.

The above looks like a simple lunch plate. In a way, Nasi Lemak, which translates to savory rice, is a simple composition of rice, chicken curry, ikan bilis or tiny anchovies, hard boiled egg slices, and cucumber. What is not simple about the dish is the taste of the items on the plate. This particular version at Madam Kwan's inside the KLCC shopping center attached to the famous Petronas towers did Malaysia's national dish right. The plain looking rice smelled and tasted unmistakably of the sweet coconut cream in which it was steamed. It went wonderfully with the also creamy dark meat chicken curry. Unlike many ikan bilis served plainly fried, Madam Kwan's version was cooked with generous amounts of onion and mixed with sambal, the requisite chili sauce that often came separately.

Nyonya Kuih (small glutinous cakes of mixed Malay and Chinese origin) is another obsession of mine. The dominating flavors are those of coconut cream and fragrant pandan leaves (what make the cakes green). The varieties are mind boggling and can be found at most hawker centers. My current favorite version of ondeh ondeh were obtained at a hole-in-the wall shop called Galicier, introduced to me by ieatishootipost. What's so great about this particular ondeh ondeh? Imagine the softest sweet potato/glutinous rice mochi covered in grated coconut with a hidden center of glorious liquid gula melaka (smoky dark palm sugar). Upon piercing the outer cover, the gula melaka squirts dramatically into your mouth, onto your face, and down your shirtfront in a great gust of sweetness. That's gooooooooooood!!!!

Escaping the ATL cold spell to feast in Singapore

I make two annual pilgrimages to Singapore, the little dot on the other side of the world to see J's family, to attend lots of weddings, and most importantly, to eat! So let's dive right in!

If the only things you can focus on in the above photo are the scary teethes, then fish head curry is not for you. However, for those who drool at the thought of slurping out all the gelatinous bits bathed in fiery curry inside a fish skull, this particular dish at Ya Kwang, in Singapore's red light district, is sure to satisfy. The coconut milk-thickened curry delivered a dose of sweetness that soothed the throat after the initial intense chili blows. The freshness of the fish head was evident in the creaminess of the surprising amount of flesh found around the neck region. If you love hamachi collar, this melty flesh is a dream. The generous curry were mopped up with hot fried sweet buns. The combination may not be good for the heart, but it definitely was good for the soul.

The same Cze Char (Hokkien for boil and stir-fry) stall also specializes in crabs. Apparently, the stall owner Jason also owns a nearby seafood wholesale, so the freshness of his dishes are not to be questioned. The sauce on the chili crab was so thick from the generous addition of crab roes, I could almost pick it up with chopsticks. The flavor was not dominated by sweetness like at lesser places, but rather delivered a complex combination of spices. Again there was plenty of sauce to dredge more of those fried sweet buns in.

Yup, we got more crabs after the chili crabs. How could we not when such large Sri Lankan crabs exist only in dreams back in the ATL? And this Crab Tang Hoon is a must try course at Ya Kwang. A Teochew (a region in Canton) specialty, the tang hoon noodles acted like sponges to soak up all the wonderful juices from the crabs. The particular tang hoon used here was a bit thicker than what you usually find in similar dishes. A feature I particularly liked due to the extra chewiness.

I absolutely cannot drag myself onto the return flight without getting my fill of roti pratha whenever I am in Singapore. J has raved about Prata Shop outside of his army camp (all Singaporean males must serve for 2 and a half years and are in the reserve until their 40s) many times, but it's out of the way so we have yet to visit after my six trips to Singapore. Instead, we settled on a quick stop at the 24 hour pratha place after long hours of NYE partying. The place was full at 3:30 am! We waited for twenty minutes for our pratha, but the satisfaction was worth every minute and the memory of which sustained me through the 24 hour journey back to the atl soon after. This particular version was not the super crispy type. Instead, many ghee (clarified butter) fluffed layers were hidden under the crispy outer cover. The pockets between the layers were super at absorbing the curry dip served along side. Until the next trip, I'll be living on this memory for a while.

It's hard not to adore a man who hardly thinks about food on his own, but drags his jet lagged self out of bed at 7am to go on a hunt for the perfect bowl of Bak chor Mee (ground pork noodle) for the food obsessed one. Luckily, the perfect bowl is not hard to find at Seng Kee on Changi Road. We opted for the mee pok, a wider noodle than is normally used by this stall in their bak chor mee. The mee pok was perfectly al dente or QQ as the Singaporeans say. The sauce had incredible depth of porky flavor, which is further enhanced by the clusters of ground pork and slices of liver. An additional surprise was the soup served along side. Not at all an after thought, the broth was very savory and again porky but had no hint of MSG.

So much more to eat on my always too short and hectic trip to this part of the world! I'll save the rest for a second post soon.

Tasting the new and rediscovering the old

The proximity of a place to home is often inversely proportional to the time that elapses before we make a visit. Top Flr is close to home, too close to feel like "going out" when an adventure is what we seek. Had our friends not suggested the place to meet, we probably still be waiting for the right time to go.

The upstairs space is small and narrow, but rather cozy. I tucked myself into a tight corner by the door with pillows and felt instantly at home. Service was not particularly speedy, but the food kinks mentioned on the AC forum were no longer apparent. The duck confit on the rustic pizza was succulent as opposed to stringy. The pizza crust was pleasantly puffy and slightly chewy. It's hard to find fault with soft dough, gooey cheese, and salty duck cooked in its own fat. I enjoyed the richness and softness immensity. :)
Despite all the positive reviews written about FAB downtown, the few lunches I had there did not blow me away. Perhaps I haven't ordered the right things. It's hard to be in the mood for super buttery dishes when much work looms in the inevitable future. My opportunity to try something rich came at our Christmas lunch. The intoxicating smell of truffles permeated the dinning room when half of the office received the white bean soup drizzled generously with truffle oil. Salty and thick, the soup satisfied in the way that mashed potatoes do on a cold night, but with a sophisticated flare. The critic reports may suggest that truffle oil is over used in restaurant dishes, but to the average mortal, it's still a treat when paired with the humble beans.
Allegro opened without much fanfare across the street from One Midtown Kitchen. Like Sotto Sotto, where its chef worked previously, Allegro attempts to offer a more authentic taste of the boot-shaped country. Unlike Sotto Sotto, the Allegro space is much larger and darker, and as a consequence, lacked a bit of the warmth that has become a signature of Italian establishments. Our visit was perhaps too early in the life of the kitchen to allow just judgement. Many dishes seemed to have the best intentions, but came through just shy of perfection. For example, the large head-on shrimps in a vibrantly acidic tomato sauce had a wonderful flavor, but were a tad overcooked and took on a rubbery texture. With some time and a sizable crowd, this place may be a gem yet.
C & S Oyster bar evokes mixed feelings among food lovers. There is a bit of an identity issue. It's tough for the restaurant, situated in a Kroger trip mall, to stick to its urban bistro soul, while also please the family-oriented suburban clientele. It does, however, succeed in one area, the seafood platter. The oysters and clams were fresh and unmessed with. The crab legs and shrimps were lightly cooked with no toughness. Sunday supper for two couldn't get better than sharing a platter with some bubbly.
J and I ate our first real restaurant meal in the atl at Dish, the unassuming V-highland neighborhood favorite. It took us almost three years to return, which, in a way, was good timing, as the restaurant's ten year run will come to an end this month. Sad news, especially because the mussels absolutely took my breath away. I swear I have not had such meaty and well-seasoned creatures for as long as I can remember. I am almost afraid to go back before the year end, fearing that I might ruin a perfect memory.
Another veteran of the ATL dinning scene is the dated Buckhead Dinner. From what I heard, the menu hasn't changed much since its opening. The maytag blue cheese potato chips are still on the menu as is the veal meatloaf. Both were good on my visit, if not excitingly new. Then again, who said new is always better. Good is always good.

Open to the unknown in Barcelona

Besides being fun, traveling could also be very stressful if the travelers do not possess at least a bit of that happy go lucky spirit. Plans often don't work out and accidents, well, they often happen. Besides missed flights and lost luggage, we also encountered our fair share of failed fooding attempts on this Barcelona trip. But despite it all, we ate incredibly well, perhaps better than if my plans work out.

On our second night, fresh from a nap and shower, we headed out to the much raved neighborhood nook Bar Mut for dinner at the prime Spanish dinner hour of ten PM. After a brisk walk through the chilly air to arrive at the very adorable, but incredibly small dinner spot, we found it packed to the hilt with locals and no one seemed in any hurry to move. Hungry and cold, I requested that the waitress suggest a place nearby. She immediately recommended what sounded like "cupid," which she described as a "white house with windows" a block and half away.

The place turned out to be Qvid. It didn't look particularly white, but it did have windows, just like all the other buildings along the street. It was clearly a place for locals. Everyone looked up in surprise when we burst in the door. The owner spoke no English, but we managed to get seated after a bit of confusion. We further thrown him off by requesting an espresso with our cava to help one of our companions combat jet lag. We then encountered more issues when I tried to order langostino as a part of our starters. What I thought to be prawns turned out to be a two foot long live orange fish, which he brought to the table on a platter to show us. (I still haven't figured out where we went wrong) All this may have been too much for the man, as he soon suggested, as much as we could make out through gestures, that we trust the ordering to him and he will make sure to include the big orange fish as a part of the deal. We were happy to do so in hope of getting an authentic meal.

The tapas came quickly. We were in awe of the above perfectly grilled plump squid. They were tender, naturally sweet, and not at all rubbery like their counterparts tend to be on this side of the pond.
I had also asked for some mussels, having seen them disappear quickly at a nearby table. Pleasantly salty and garlicky, these little guys were addictive.
What impressed everyone were the salt cod fritters. Tame in salt content, the salt cod flesh was milky, flavorful, and almost greaseless. The chef had done right by this Portuguese specialty.
We all went quiet when our orange monster fish came to the table presented as small fillets atop slivers of fried potato and garlic chips and adorned with hot grease-crisped basil. It smelled awesome. I regretted so much not snapping a picture early for a before and after. The flesh was much more creamy than flaky. A bit of condensed balsamic glaze seriously kicked the flavor up a notch. We stopped talking for the duration of this course. It was terrific!
It's hard to top the fish with the dessert course, so I went for interesting instead. This typical Catalan dessert is essentially bitter orange marmalade topped with a fresh farmer's cheese drizzled with honey and sprinkled with walnuts. It was good in the way that my Greek yogurt similarly treated back home is good. My companions were not terribly impressed, but no one was disappointed sipping a complementary Muscato with it.

First day of awesome eating in Barcelona

A trip to Barcelona is, for most food lovers, a pilgrimage. With all the buzz surrounding the city, it's almost impossible to scale one's expectation to any realistic level. It's then perhaps a great thing that I brought along with me, on this sure to be food filled trip, a man who eats hardily, but cares very little if at all about what or where to eat. We have learned, through our years of traveling together, that as long as I don't stress him out with too much talk of food or what appears to be active food seeking, he would happily ingest whatever we "happen to discover" along the way. :)

Having survived the mad Thanksgiving crowd and a two mile trek to get our messed up tickets reissued in Madrid, we finally found ourselves in Barcelona sans luggages, which are chilling somewhere else in Spain. Ravenous from the ordeal, we strolled to Cerveseria Catalana near our hotel for a drink and some snacks. J ordered a local beer from the extensive international beer list, while I secured my first glass of cava. For nibbles, I was compelled to ask for the sampler plate of Iberian ham, having read and heard so much about it. You know what, the ham did not disappoint. Salty and lip-stickingly fatty, the ham went equally well with J's beer and my cava. My favorite of the bunch was the soft type on the far left. We happily sat around for a few well-deserved leisurely hours nibbling and people watching.
With all that salt on our lips, we craved something sweet and cool to round out the simple meal on this first night. We had no destination in mind (truly for once), but harbored hopes of running into a gelateria, having read that the people of Barcelona are rather fond of this Italian import. Sure enough, we walked right into one within five blocks. It's amazing that J and I never have trouble making a decision in a gelateria when faced with a dizzying range of selection. He always goes with the chocolate and coffee, while I invariably pick dulce de leche, pistachio, and some sort of caramel. The small shop had no seats inside, so we ducked into the glitzy department store across the street to lick our little cup of indulgence in warmth, while ogling at stylish houseware designs.
Jetlag knocked us out early the first night and then rudely drove away the sleeping bug the next morning well before dawn. Unable to rest more, we set out to explore the famous Boqueria market. We found Juanito holding fort at the tiny, but must raved about Bar Pinotxo near the entrance. We snuggled up to the bar to watch Juanito expertly brewed up two hot coffees for us. He also handed me a cute little croissant to nibble on and insisted on snapping a goofy picture for us. Unfortunately, Pinotxo doesn't start any real cooking until an hour later, so we bid goodbye to look for more substantive munchies. We found what we were looking for at the much bigger Bar Central towards the very back of the market. The husband and wife team were already working on the final stage of a fragrant stew when we approached around 7:30 am. The kind faced husband immediately offered up thick pieces of freshly fried bacon for us to taste, while the wife poured two beers for themselves. How could I help but love a good old couple who believe a cold beer is the right way to start a busy cooking day on a chilly morning.

We gladly accepted the wife's suggestion that we share a seafood plate composed of the fresh catch just arriving at the stall. As we watched, the husband tossed an assortment of squid, razor clams, prawn etc. on the sizzling flat top. A few minutes later, we were handed the above beautiful platter of just cooked through seafood, loving arranged and lightly drizzled with a green olive oil. As unconventional a breakfast as this was, it was the most tasty in recent memory. Each piece of seafood tasted so well-seasoned, it's hard to believe that it is dressed with nothing more than salt and a little lemon juice. Much varied in texture, no single piece was overcooked. Simply magnificent.
Very very satisfied, we strolled through the market to check out the fresh fruits. I could not walk pass a large tray of wonderfully dewy figs without taking some back to the hotel. They were a bargain at 2 Euro for a half kilo. Look at that ripe garnet flesh! Can you really fault me for being greedy?

Wonderful nibbles around ATL (Part II)

4. Chicken Liver Appetizer from Shaun's - I have been telling anyone who would listen about this appetizer from Shaun's for months now. I was rendered speechless the first time I laid eyes on this pair of monster rustic country toasts overburdened with the chunkiest chicken liver concoction imaginable. The dish made no apologies for its extremely creamy mayo-centric southerness. I imagine Paul Deen would have let out a giggle upon tasting it. Although I suppose she would have topped the creamy chunks with her favorite green onions as opposed to the high-brow micro greens.

Again, I must go back to the hugeness of this "appetizer." Even J, who I swear has an easily dislocatable jaw, had trouble fitting the whole thing into his mouth. Being the nibbler, I felt, for once, quite normal dissembling the elements and then reassembling my own smaller, but no less complete, version. The taste is incredible, hitting the salty, creamy, even the iron note that's unique to liver at the same time. I loved this dish! It imprinted in my mind the kind of taste memory that I shall use to comfort myself with the day I lie on my death bed with hardened arteries.
5. Oyster with pearls from the now closed Element - Chef Blais may be too edgy for this town in which people flock to the newest glittery dinning room to people watching as much as to eat. Even with all the foodie hype, the oddly decorated Element, where Blais put in a brief stint, never managed to fill the modest-sized dinning room. While the turn out was sad, the food that Blais turned out at Element was some of the most exciting I've seen anywhere in this city. For this early tasting course, the same technique for making Dipping Dots, the less than tasty mall ice cream, was use in creating the bright citrusy pearls. Like a shot of fresh lemon juice, the pearls gave the briny oyster a puckering jolt. Unlike some richer creations that satiate within a few bites, this course left me yearning for more more more.

Not done with the best bites compilations yet, but...

I just couldn't resist putting up a short post for this adorable fella - my pumpkin spice cupcake. This is really not an attempt to jump on the cupcake bandwagon that seem to have finally arrived in this city. This little guy and his friends were the result of some quick thinking when I woke up too late to bake the planned pumpkin bundt cake before work. Thank goodness for the extra sleep. Aside from the wonder it did for my skin, it also allowed me the opportunity to finally put to good use some pretty pretty sugar candy thoughtfully gifted to me.

As for the cupcake trend spreading in this city, I have yet to sample too many as I am no die hard cupcake fan. I never lined up with my fellow New Yorkers in front of the Magnolia bakery at the height of the cupcake craze when I lived there. I have, however, received enough of those famous cupcakes as gifts to know that I don't care for massive amounts of beyond rich buttercream on top of otherwise unremarkable cupcakes. My cupcakes this week had a more reasonable frosting to cake ratio. The mound on top is due more to the natural dome shape of the cake than to the heftiness of the frosting. Though the fluffy stuff did provide a fitting cushion for the cute sugar candies. Based on the good feedback from those who consumed the cakes, there are frosting lovers aplenty out there.

One intown cupcake place I did visit was Sweet Pockets inside the Irwin Street Market. The shop is whimsically decorated with a good size display case lined with darling mini-cupcakes. I couldn't resist buying one of each flavor. Good thing I did because the moistness ranged from rather dry (vanilla) to quite perfect (cookies and cream). The best thing I got, however, was not edible. I picked up a perfect cupcake T-shirt to add to my expanding food shirt collection.

Wonderful nibbles around ATL (Part I)

My recent compilation of best nibbles in the past year seem to suggest that most of the good eating that I have done were all away from the ATL - my adopted home city. This couldn't be further from the truth. My tummy has never been happier anywhere else. Just within the last month, I've sampled some rather memorable eats around town. So while I've still yet to exhaust my list of wonderful nibbles away from home, I'd like to also present a list of great bites in and around town. Again, I list these in no particular order as my mind prefers chaos (my preferred excuse for a lack of organization).

First up is the much hyped tres leches cake from Tierra. Located along a lonely stretch of Piedmont Rd in midtown, Tierra's odd yellow facade always caught my attention, but never looked attractive enough to beckon a visit. After reading much press about the place in the three years I've lived here, J and I finally managed to go for a weeknight dinner this past month.

I wanted so much to like everything about this cozy chef-owned place. Unfortunately, the savory food simply didn't live up to my expectation. My rubbery mussels floated in a rather watery broth, while J's pupusa tasted dry. The turning point of the meal was when the famous tres leches cake came out of the kitchen. The cake had very little adornment and it didn't need any. It was creamy creamy creamy, having soaked through and through with a sticky sweet tres leches mixture. If you haven't noticed, I am fond of creamy things. And that particular night, my sweetness tolerance was way high because this cake doubtlessly measures at the very top of the GI scale. My favorite part was the down comforter looking frosting. It reminded me very much of marshmallow fluff straight out of the jar. If you don't like that concept, then maybe this is not for you. But I happen to find marshmallow fluff quite yummy and very nolstalgic.

I have a weakness for foods exhibiting a savory and sweet combination. Salted caramel, yum. Honey on Stilton, double yum. Adding a stick a butter to this winning combination, hmm, triple yum? You bet! Sotto Sotto's Granny Smith apple sausage ravioli in a sage-laced brown butter sauce is exactly that kind of a dish. The apple note was much more pronounced than in other apple sausages I've experienced. The sweet tart flavor perfectly punctuated the rich flavor of the meat juice and the fragrant butter sauce. Even the nibbler couldn't resist taking more than a few bites.

Few things provide more pleasure than consuming a big plate of slow-smoked bbq outdoors under gently rustling trees. One of those things being also receiving a generous helping of super crisp onion rings with the que. These good sized examples from the much anticipated Fox Bro BBQ on Dekalb Ave. totally overshadowed their plate mates. The slightly sweet crust and addictive crunch will get me to go back even without the que.

The best kind of birthday gifts - wonderful edible nibbles

October is a complicated time around these parts. It's a time to remember a great loss, a loved one much missed. But the month always manages to end on a wonderful note, because, well, I turn a year older this month. And love pours in through my mailbox all month long, in edible forms of course. :)

First to show up was a bag of Garrett's potent popcorn mix from Chicago. Cheddar cheese and caramel may not sound like the dream combination. But Garrett has turned it into an art form. Lightly salty, deeply cheesy, and punched up with a good dose of sweetness. Yum!

Next came a little wooden crate of John & Kira's chocolate covered figs from Philadelphia. These little guys keep a wonderful secret. underneath the Valrhona chocolate robe and the thin fig skin reside a big ball of ganache filling. Silky and smooth. I love little surprises!

Then came my new obsession, Fran's caramels. The precious little gems waltzed into my life via two day air from Seattle and instantly took over my heart. Studded with a little pinch of gray or smoked sea salt, each caramel delivers the ultimate burst of savory, creamy, and sweet. I have no idea why, but every time I take a nibble, I feel as if I am smelling crispy autumn sea air on a cliff with a buttered rum in hand.

Last but most definitely not least, came the love of my life. I may covet the caramels, I may become infatuated with tiny figs, but I will always always LOVE the macarons. This year, these cute representatives came wrapped in what else, but the prettiest boxes covered in polka dots (another obsession). L. A. Burdick in New Hampshire actually calls these Luxembourgers. No matter, they are what they are, delicate little macarons (not macaroons) in my favorite autumn flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and of course chocolate for good measure. About the size of a silver dollar, the cinnamon puff quickly became my favorite for how it disappears on the tongue like a tiny piece of cloud, cloud that tastes like the holidays - of cinnamon, cream, and warmth.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL BLESSED.

Best bites this year (Part II)

4. Grilled ostrich fillet at Five Flies in Cape Town, South Africa - Before I even get to the food, I am compelled to tell you a little about the restaurant. A deceivingly small white-washed building off a quiet street in the heart of Cape Town is home to Five Flies. Immediately upon stepping inside the heavy wooden door, I could feel something special in the air. The unusually high ceiling and wide-planked dark wood floor betray the building's past life as an exclusive colonial club. Many entrance ways open into the foyer, but none so directly as to reveal the rooms and alleys within. One entrance led us to a set of stairs on the side of a beautiful courtyard. A few well-linened tables for two glowed romantically in the candle light under trees that seem to reach, in my memory, all the way to the clearing at the roof of the building. We had a drink at an old school mahogany bar upstairs, while a tall and handsome bartender with ocean blue eyes told small jokes.

Our table was in a private room at a corner of the downstairs dinning room. We had the choice to pick our own courses to construct a three course menu for less than $30. It's a beautiful thing when the dollar is actually strong against the local currency. I didn't come half a world away to eat T-bone, so ostrich seemed like a natural choice. What was presented to me was a revelation. The lean fillet had been expertly grill to a perfect medium rare. Each bite was tender, but greaseless so unlike a steak. Some pan-fried mushrooms tucked under the fillet provided a bit of earthiness to match the pleasant gaminess of the ostrich. The exclamation mark was the pool of port jus. It was assertive without being overpowering. The plate was a harmonious marriage of local ingredients that enhanced each other when eaten together.

5. Pan seared scallops on curried lentils with blueberry glaze at Helene Darroze in Paris - Helene Darroze was the second three stared Michelin restaurant I've eaten at. Actually, it's technically the first, since Le Meurice had yet to receive its third star when I visited last year. Both restaurants offered some of the best and most unique bites I've ever had. It is truly a wonderful coincidence that both also gained their final golden star together in the red book this year.

While Le Meurice extrudes elegant old world refinement like Cathrine Deneuve lounging in a soft cashmere sweater, Helene Darroze shines with a modern edginess akin to Vanessa Paradis walking the red carpet in one of her unusual Chanel couture. This scallops dish exemplified the confidence that is so sexy about Darroze as a brilliant female chef. The flavor combinations were new and different, but well-calculated to balance each other. Backing that up with precise cooking that took the scallops to just off the raw edge, the lentils to just over crunchy, and the blueberry glaze to just thin enough to drizzle smoothly, Darroze created a plate that was a master piece to feast the eyes as well as the palate.

6. Sometimes the best food on earth is the homey fare lovingly prepared in my own orange kitchen and shared with friends. I made this prime rib roast last Christmas after days of marinating and fed it to the teethed members of E's family while little Luke watched us longingly from his boaster seat. Maybe this year, he could gnaw on something I make.

Best bites this year (Part I)

October finds me a year older. Being the strange cookie that I am, I still look forward to turning the page on the calendar year after year. I also enjoy spending some alone time to reflect on the days gone by. Food often plays a major part during that reflection as they are intertwined with my memories of happy times, sad times, and all the times in between.

This year, I found myself revering in the wonderful memories of the terrific tastes that have hit my palate, many of them undocumented on this blog due to my laziness. I thought it would be fun to put together a best bites list to show off all my unused photos. This best bites list is not in any order because, well, I don't keep things in order in my mind. It is also because I am incredibly lazy during my free time. I intend to list three bites at a time. I'll stop when the good eats run out.

1. Pretzel bar from the Chocolate Bar in nyc
The photo above shows the loaded shelf inside the tiny store. The folks there have concocted a dizzying range of nostalgic bars with creative artsy wrappers. My absolute favorite is the pretzel bar, a beautiful combination of salty and crunchy pretzel bites encased in rich dark chocolate.

2. Grilled Hamachi cheek from Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta
What separates a truly talented chef from the mere mortal is the chef's ability to show restraint when faced with great ingredients. In this case, Chef Linton Hopkins prescribed light grilling that brought out the natural creaminess of the hamachi cheek. The yuzu-based dipping sauce added just a bit of fruity acidity to cut through the fattiness.

3. Pan-fried hairy crab soup dumpling from the Whampoa Club in Shanghai
Chef Justin Leung ingeniously hid the aged dark rice vinegar inside the pork dumpling, creating a soup dumpling of sort. The sticky porky mixture oozed out in dramatic fashion with my first bite to flavor the thick sauce laden with the most robust hairy crab roe underneath. For those who know how much hairy crab roe cost in Shanghai and how much cholesterol it contains, the decadence of this dish is astounding and exemplifies the spirit of old Shanghai.

Where the little fishes are plump (New York restaurant: Otto)

If the phrase "Anchovy pizza" conjures up images of hairy brown creatures swimming in little pools of oil on a Domino's pie, you, my friend, have been denied one of the greatest taste pleasures your mouth could ever hope to experience. One remedy for this deficiency would involve a trip to Otto, Mario Batali's cozy pizzeria in New York, preferably for brunch. Without the loud evening wine bar scene, the terracotta/red hued interior, bathed in sunlight from the large windows, extrudes warmth and happiness, the perfect atmosphere for a lazy Sunday brunch.

I am not going to tell you that Otto makes the best pizza in New York, at least not the style of pizza that defines New York. Otto's version exhibits more characters of Italy than those of its resident city. The crust is crisp thin, incapable of the New York fold. It is, however, well charred and serves as the perfect non-distracting vessel for the bright flavors on top. The Otto tomato sauce is distinctly fresh tasting. The vibrant color alone is enough to get me salivating, but it's the sharp acidity that really cuts into and balances the richness of the cheeses.

While a plain cheese pie is a wonder on its own, the anchovy version takes the taste sensation to another level. The plump Italian anchovies adorning the Otto pie come preserved in good olive oil. They bear no resemblance to those tinned hairy bits of the same name found in the canned food aisle of your local supermarket. The heat of the brick oven turns the chubby little guys to an almost melty texture inside, so when your teeth break the fire-crisped skin, the creamy flesh squirt out and deposits a good dose of warm salty juice on your tongue. Ahh... Heaven!
Of course, you can't go to Otto without also trying the excellent gelatos. Get the option that allows you three flavors in one chilled goblet. My favorite is the caramel. Otto doesn't make the salted caramel version that I lust for in my dreams, but I do ask for a bit of good sea salt to put on it myself. The combination is sublime, if not quite out of this world like the salted caramel scoop from Berthillon in Paris. The most unique flavor at Otto has to be the olive oil. It pretty much tastes like wonderful olive oil in sweet and frozen form. Hard to imagine, I know, but incredible nonetheless.