Highlight #131: Why not just eat better - Restaurant: Dynamic Dish

Since my first visit many months ago, Dynamic Dish has gotten much more popular thanks to well-deserved recognition in national magazines such as bon appetit. This past Saturday, I was very happy that Dirty and Tracy, frequent patrons of the place, made a reservation for the six of us (including new blogger friend Jimmy at Eat it, Atlanta and his lovely girlfriend Katie) at prime dinner hour as the place was packed.

Check out the awesome table setup above. Isn't the orange jug just awesome! I had such urge to take it home with me. If you've seen my very orange home, you'd understand. Before getting into the food, we took full advantage of DD's lack of corkage fees and opened up a few bottles of whites to start. Dirty's famous dump bucket and us drank a crisp green apple perfumed 2008 Hanna sauvignon blanc that I shipped back from Sonoma this January, a rather floral 2007 Le Paradou Viognier Vin de Pays Blanc, and a 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett.

We kicked off the food part of the meal with sun choke soups and bowls of steamed local collard greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. As simple as that sounds, this was wonderfully flavorful. For many southerners, it may be a strange idea to eat still crisp collards, but try it, you may just have a revelation, especially when the produce is sourced this well.

The best part about going with a few more friends to DD is the opportunity to try all the pizzas (only available on Saturday night). The favorite of many that night was this Floridian containing roasted corn, chevre, and green garlic. DD is not touting classic Neapolitan or New york style pizzas, these are more accurately described by Jimmy as flat breads.

The other colorful presentations included a Turkish pizza having kale, garlic, and feta, an Italian containing lots of mushrooms, and a Hawaiian that combined fresh pineapples with green garlic. We drank a fruit intense 2006 central coast Marylin Remark grenache and Dirty's cab franc with the pizzas. The earthiness of the cab franc went quite well with the mushroom pizza, while the grenache complimented the sweeter pizza varieties.

Finally I got to taste the chocolate cake that everyone raves about (it ran out the few times I have been there). And it was as good as everyone says. Perfectly moist and tender, the cake body was further enhanced by the not too sweet but very smooth frosting.

The color of this fruit bowl was simply stunning in person. The mango chunks appeared to have been lightly treated with a sweetener that turned them very dessert worthy.

Because Dirty and Tracy are old customers, we got a bit of special treatment in the form of extra little bowls of ice cream topped with broken cookie bits and chocolate sauce. You know me, I can never say no to ice cream and this was very good.

So in the new year, instead of vowing to eat less, how about just make a promise to eat better. DD can keep you on that course if you need some help.

Dynamic Dish
427 Edgewood Ave.
404-688-4344

Highlight #130: perfect snack for the plane from the Ferry Building (San Fran)

I didn't get to do it on this quick trip to the bay area, but on my trip a few weeks ago, I managed to gather the perfect snack for the plane ride back home. Having tried most of the loaves at Acme Bread, my favorite is the olive loaf. Just a little briny from the olives and perfumed with the green smell akin to that of freshly pressed olive oil, a slice of this bread acts as the perfect partner to slices of orange & wild fennel salame from chef Cosentino's Boccalone. Normally I am not a fan of salame for the plane because high salt content food at high altitude turns me into a balloon. But this particular one is very mildly salted and quite uniquely flavored with plenty of orange zest and fennel to stand up to the olive slice.

Bring this on the plane and you'll make those paying $8 for Todd English branded Delta hummus very jealous. :)

Acme Bread and Boccalone
Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, California 94111
(415) 693-0996

Highlight #129: Eating happy and saving money for the firm - Restaurant: In-n-out (Mountain View, Cali)

After wrapping up a client meeting on Monday, S and I found ourselves searching for lunch near Mountain View. Hankering for a fuss-free burger, I quickly suggested in-n-out. S happily agreed without much hesitation. It turned out that S and his wife have long had in-n-out on their to do list, but have yet to make it. I sure hope that his wife will forgive him for crossing it off the list without her. :)

The burger was as I remembered, uncomplicated and clean flavored. The bun was nicely toasted and held the special sauce without problem. The next time I may leave off the onion slice that was just a little too strong in the raw onion flavor and distracted from the rest of the layers. Really, when I want to eat a burger at lunch, this is the kind I generally have in mind. It's not too big, not too fancy, not too messy, and not too extraordinarily rich as to render me useless for the rest of the workday. At $4.50 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink, it's a real bargain even when the firm is not picking up the check. Actually, the firm should thank us for our conscientious eating habits. :P

Highlight #128: Simple pleasures

This blog is mostly about eating out, which I figure would be more appealing to those who read it. But I do cook in and do it often, especially when J is about to go on another long trip to Asia, where he will have little control over what he eats. During these times, we keep it very simple. I'll always put on some sort of meat that is not heavily handled like this simple broiled hanger steak, cook up a large serving of dark greens like collards with lot of caramelized garlic, and an unadulterated pot of plain rice. While J is not picky about food (he will eat anything that you put in front of him, which is why I married him), it took me nearly a year to figure out exactly how he likes his rice. There is no mixing of the rice, no stickiness from too much water, no flavoring from stock or other spices, and no mineral taste from unfiltered water. It's just pristine, soft but resilient, unperfumed yet naturally fragrant short grain rice. I have really grown to love that first whiff of starchy warmth as I open the pot to serve. I miss that smell and the man who is not home for me to feed.

Highlight #127: Not twice as good - Restaurant: Il Mulino New York in Atlanta

Let me just first say that this meal was good, even very good. The only thing that tainted my feelings towards the place is the price tag. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely one who is willing to pay for food and have done many tasting menus that cost much more than this meal. But when a single entree easily cost over forty dollars, it makes me wonder whether it's really twice as good as something I'd get at a number of great restaurants around the city. I mean that entree is more than half the price of a four course tasting menu at Bacchanalia. Is it really worth it? However, like I said, the food was of high quality and the service was of a superior standard.

The staff began to take care of us with little tastings of mussels and fried zucchinis before the menu even hit the table. Upon much pondering, we settled on the nightly special of fresh langoustine as an appetizer. It was easily my favorite thing of the evening. Lightly breaded to seal in the juices, the langoustine tasted like a super concentrated mini lobster. The garlicky sauce further upped the salt level and made the sauteed spinach very lovely.

Here is my bear fist sized veal chop with fried sage leaves. Living up to the restaurant's pedigree, the veal was perfectly cooked to show off a blush pink center and was very tender. One thing lacking was salt, especially without a sauce to flavor the bland center of the thick chop.

Lady J's scallops fared much better, wrapped in salty bacon. Nicely seared, the natural sugar of the scallops formed a very attractive caramelized layer. But if you look closely, this entree arrangement, from the sauteed spinach, the sauce, and even the plating look very much like the that of the langoustine appetizer. This wouldn't be a big deal at a more casual restaurant, but it's noticeable here.

We received no visit from the sommelier that night. Instead, our waiter suggested a bottle barolo to drink based on our food selection of scallops, veal chop, and a pasta. Considering the lighter weight of these items, the suggestion was quite off. But since we didn't request for the sommelier, I wasn't too alarmed. On the topic of wine, the table next to us was celebrating a birthday and decanted bottles of Sassicaia, an excellent super Tuscan, and left an entire bottle open and untouched at the table. I was very tempted to grab it. But it probably did not go to waste in the kitchen. :)

We ended the meal with their trademark tiramisu. Nicely soaked through, but not mushy, the texture was fantastic. Combined with the light sweet cream, this was a winning sweet ending.

Il Mulino New York
191 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 524-5777

Highlight #126: friends are wonderful! - Restaurant: Town (San Carlos)

I really feel the value of this blog when friends take the time to show us places that they love and feel at home in. This happened on NYE when we dropped in on A and M at their beautiful new home in San Carlos. M not only welcomed us warmly, she took the trouble to make a reservation for us to have lunch at one of their local favorites - Town.

The place was buzzing on this holiday afternoon and most patrons were drinking something happy. The lunch combo of an appetizer and an entree looked like a good deal, so we all went for it. My starter was the daily special tortilla soup that was just the thing on this cold and gloomy day. Perked up with plenty of tomatillo, the soup warmed me from within.

For entree, M suggested that I try something with the roasted chicken, which Town apparently does well. Enchiladas seemed the unlikely choice to show off the chicken, but it called out to me. You know what, it was not a mistake. Soft, juicy, and creamy, the chicken filling comforted like my favorite fur blanket. The tangy sauce lightly applied kept boredom at bay. This was a winning dish from all angles.

We ended the meal with a fairly standard sounding warm chocolate cake that was executed well. And, of course, I went all out for the strawberry ice cream as always.

As we walk out, J and I felt all toasty and happy from a simple yet lovely meal with equally down to earth and incredibly lovely friends. The meal provided exactly what we needed to remember 2008 by, friendship and warmth.

Town

716 Laurel Street
San Carlos, CA 94070

(650) 595-3003

Highlight #125: NYE dinner - Restaurant: Jardiniere (SF)

2008 had been a challenging but very rewarding year for J and I. For one, our married life together will forever be measured from this year forward. To say good bye, we gathered with two other couples at Traci Des Jardins's Jardiniere in San Fran early on NYE. J and I had a big party to go to afterwards where magnums of champagne were waiting, so we really needed a good food base.

The dinner started off with a little elegant amuse of caviar panna cotta. The caviar was surprisingly mild on the salt scale and was further tamed by the cool creaminess of the dense panna cotta.

The appetizer course that followed was my favorite of the meal. A small lobster salad captured what I really love about the lobster, it's delicate sweetness. Instead of the mayo that typically holds together a lobster salad, this one was lightly dressed with a citrus infused dressing and was accompanied by crisp stalks of Fuji apple and jewel-like grapefruit sections. The lobster meat was exactly the opposite of mealy and played off its natural sweetness against the slight tartness of the grapefruit and complimented the crispness of the apple. It was a well considered dish.

Next up was a fair sized piece of salmon, slightly seared to crusty on the skin side. Hidden underneath were an abundance of mushroom mix, which included some tasty hedgehog variety. Also in the mix where a bit of greens for color and texture. Most at the table seemed to have enjoyed the salmon immensely. I liked the deep savory flavors very much, but thought my piece was slightly overcooked and flaked a bit less than delicately.

The most interesting dish of the night went to the meat course, a veal dish. The veal was done just right and showed off this protein's trademark mild milky flavor. What really upped the star quotient though was the innocent looking fried cube in the foreground. Without warning, the pierced cube squirted out milk chocolate colored foie gras juice, which imparted an intense earthiness on everything it touched. Completely on the other end of the spectrum from the veal's natural flavor, the combination somehow worked well. Although, I personally enjoyed eating the two separately (just mopping up the foie gras juice with the breaded cube skin).

The sweet ending was provided by the decidedly old fashioned baked alaska. It would have been great to see flame table side, but that would have been a bit too much to ask on this busy NYE. With my ice cream obsession, it's impossible not to love this. The ice cream also hid a thin layer of moist and dark chocolate cake at the very bottom. My devouring the thing led Paula to excited claim that it's the most food she has ever seen the nibbler ingest all at once. I guess that's something. :)

Here is to a wonderful new year ahead. I have a feeling that it's going to be good despite the economy.

Jardiniere
300 Grove St
San Francisico, CA 94102
415-861-5580

Highlight #124: Salted caramel ice cream - Creamery: Bi-Rite

I've been hooked on salted caramel ice cream ever since that first fateful lick at Berthillon in Paris. Unfortunately, the flavor is hard to come by state side. And even when found, most only disappointed. There is, however, one exception. Bi-Rite in San Fran makes a version that satisfies every craving. My finding bi-rite was all thanks to our good friend Ali, who offered us a wonderful tube of the salted caramel from his fridge a few years ago.

This new years day, the streets were quite in SOMA with most shops closed. But Bi-Rite on the 18th was buzzing with lots patrons.

Most had a hard time deciding what to get. I, on the other hard, already had my mind set on the salted caramel with a rum and raisin supplement. After one bite, I regret ed getting the rum and raisin, not because it wasn't good, but because the salted caramel was soooo good. Lightly salty like the sea at first, the salty sensation rapidly folded into rich buttery caramel as the ice cream melted on the tongue. It was an experience hard to resist repeating over and over again.

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street (@ Dolores)
San Francisco CA 94110

Highlight #123: Kuro ramen - Restaurant: Maru Ichi (Cali)

On the way down to Monterey from San Fran, we stopped near San Jose to have dinner with some friends. Lucky for us, right in the same complex as the Ranch 99 where we all met up is Maru Ichi, a ramen shop that pulls their own ramen and serves a pretty unique version of broth.

Of course I had to try the specialty of the house, the kuro (black) ramen. According to the menu, the deep color of the broth comes from a liberal use of browned garlic. It's still puzzling to me how browned garlic can impart such blackness without some coloring, but none of that mattered when I had a sip of the broth. Deep and dark, the intensely savory broth warmed all the way down to the stomach and left behind a hint of sweetness from caramelized garlic. If you love roasted garlic thickly spread on bread, this is the ramen for you.

The housemade ramen noodle held its integrity better than the store version, which tends to turn a bit mushy after some soaking. The pork belly slices were gently cooked and thinly sliced to show off the pearly fat. My favorite was the half egg, one of the things I judge a ramen shop by. This one was properly prepared to preserve a slightly liquidy center like that of a cherry-centered chocolate if you know what I mean. Boiled eggs can be so lovely without the grey ring that often appear when overcooked.

Apparently this Milpitas spot also has a sister place in Mountain View, where the ramen pulling can actually be seen behind a window. Since I come to these parts for work pretty often, maybe I'll check it out the next time.

Highlight #122: Breakfasts in Monterey/Carmel

After a few very exhausting weeks at work, J and I decided that it would be a nice change of pace to spend some time in the bay area. For him, that meant first spending three days racing formula type cars at 100 plus miles at Leguna Seca. My circulation does quite need that intense a wake up call. Instead, I opted for exploring the beautiful central valley vineyards and warm up my blood with fermented grape juice.

To set up my stomach for the wines to come, I started each morning with a hearty breakfast. That meant Katy's Place on the first day in Carmel, where it consistently takes the honor for best breakfast.

Situated in a stylish cottage in the middle of town, Katy's exemplifies the charm of Carmel. Neat, quaint, and comfortable in an upscale sort of way, the cozy place drew lots of patrons at eight on a weekend morning.

Of course people didn't come just for the cheerful space, the breakfasts were as awesome as advertised. I was in the mood for something salty and couldn't resist the corned beef hash, a dish I haven't really eaten since my college days in Pittsburgh. Katy's hash was nothing like the mushy ground pink/brown stuff I had at Eat n' Park ten years ago. The serving ware sized dish held what looked like pounds of chunky beef neatly diced into quarter inch cubes and hashified with mushrooms, little bits of soft potatoes, and, dare I say it, glistening bacon nibs. With two perfectly runny over easy eggs on top, this was the epitome of breakfast comfort. My fruit cup on the side was piled high with plump and firm blue berries, black berries, and raspberries. This was diner experience at its most elegant. After this huge meal, I was set for a whole day of wine tasting without any problem.

The next day found me going to another fan favorite in the nearby Monterey, a much less chi-chi neighborhood compared to Carmel. The Old Monterey Cafe's decor spoke of its down to earth character. On every table, there was a dish of salsa, foretelling a menu heavy on south of the border favorites.

But I was not in the mood for salty this day, instead took the hostess's recommendation and got the buckwheat pancakes. Even my short stack filled the entire dinner style plate. Despite the hefty size, the pancakes were fluffy yet pleasantly resilient. A fork loaded with a bit of pancake, a
chunk of sausage, and quickly dipped in syrup was the definition of a perfect bite.

Stay tuned for much more food to come.

Highlight #121: Birthday at Craft

Girlfriend J had a big birthday this year and, with all her advanced planning, she had forgotten to set something in motion on the day of her actual birthday! So to make things right, I promised to meet her for dinner with husband in tow straight from the airport after a two day work trip. Being in love with the head judge of Top chef, girlfriend J settled on the new Craft for her big day.

Walking in, the intimacy of the interior immediately warmed me up from the drizzly weather outside. Husband J and I had one of our first pre-date meals at Craft New York, so this brought back fond memories.

I have no idea why some of my photos are missing from this evening, but we actually started the night with a good platter of oysters and enjoyed slurping the cool and briny flesh out of the shell. It's so wonderful to have these things that taste like the ocean in a mouthful in the cold winter months. The lovely 1998 Pol Roger Brut Chardonnay supplied some vigorously refreshing bubbles to send the oysters down in style.

What you see above are girlfriend J's delicate scallops. Uncomplicated and well seasoned, the scallop satisfied and comforted. Although I am still not sure about paying almost ten dollars for a single scallop. I guess four years away from New York has made me more resistant to such price scale.

I almost always order sweetbread when it's on the menu. Craft's version is less disguised with breading than most other places. The creamy whiteness of this protein foretold a soft and supple center. This was a large appetizer portion at less than half of the price of the scallop, which considering its richness, was quite economical. :)

The husband was in the mood for duck and it came out beautifully arranged in the largest shinny copper coated pan. Cooked quite precisely from medium to medium rare, its decadence was further enhanced by the ample duck confit underneath. In my book, anything with duck confit is good. Others seemed to agree.

The mixed mushrooms side was, in many ways, the best dish of the night. Embodying the simplicity that unifies the menu, the array of mushroom varieties were pan fried in plenty of sizzling butter and came to the table still sizzling. Salty and fragrant, my favorite was the meaty hen of the woods.

Girlfriend J smiled big with her chocolate thing. Like me, she really enjoys every birthday. Turning a year older just does seem bad at all when one is having a good time in life.

We also asked for the apple pie, because, well, I can't live without some ice cream. The ice cream didn't disappoint and had a wonderful mouth feel. The apple pie looked adorable in its own shinny pan and tasted just like butter, of which it is saturated in a good way. :)

Just before our bill came the cookies, which is always a nice touch in my book. After all, we all need something to ease the shock, especial when one realizes that the restaurant practice of doubling retail wine prices also applies to the bottle of champagne husband picked out (not so shocking when the wine is supermarket price, but much more so when it's a few rungs up...) Then again having a great birthday is really priceless. :)

Craft
The Masion on Peachtree
404-995-7580

Highlight 120: Group eating - Restaurant: Ray's on the River

J threw a holiday party for the company at Ray's On the River this year. Normally, I am not a big fan of dinner party food as it's almost always overcooked and often look old from early preparation. But Ray's proved me wrong on this point. Maybe it's because the choices were rather simple, roasted chicken, which can wait, prime rib, which was held at a perfect tenderness, and salmon fillets that took the longest, but were baked to order. All were preceded by a salad that was satisfyingly large and very fresh.

I asked for the prime rib and was startled by the humongous portion. I had so much leftover, I took only the meat home and it still weighed a pound!

I followed the heavy main with the lighter mousse cake (the other option being the cheesecake). I can't say that it blew my socks off, but it was fluffy and pleasant, which was exactly what I needed.

During dessert, the employees took part in a white elephant gift exchange that saw a nice bottle of bourbon make the rounds across the room. J used the money that would have gone into a corporate gift for him for a good and large bottle of champagne to open when the economy comes back. It may take quite a long time, but a wonderful thought nonetheless. It was nice to see people enjoy themselves again this time of the year.

Ray's on the River
6700 Powers Ferry Rd.
Sandy Springs, GA 30339
770-955-1187

Highlight 119: Not the original but definitely "the taco" of the month - Restaurant: The Original El Taco

Once I got over the awkward name that says the original "the taco," I loved everything about the place. The cheerful and laid back atmosphere was exactly what we needed to counter the depressing state of the economy. Cannot resist the calling of the pork belly on the menu I was delighted receive such a big gorgeously charred piece in my soft tortilla. Caramelized and sticky, it was perfection in such a simply way. The fried chicken taco benefited tremendously from the mayo and lime flavored Mexican corn. I had always loved this stuff from the former Sala and was not disappointed to see the tradition continued in the same space. In fact, I even got a nice side of it for extra effect. At three dollars and change for a taco, this was more expensive than Buford highway, but for the proximity and jolly surroundings, I was happy to surrender to the single digit price inflation.

The Original El Taco
1186 N. Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30306
404.873.4656

Highlight #118: This pasta makes music - Restaurant: La Pietra Cucina

It might not have been wise to follow the yearly turkey coma with a big pasta meal, but I never did promise to be wise. :) The day after big bird feast, Gene of Eat Drink Man, his lovely bride-to-be, and a few other great friends came over to our place for holiday drinks and more turkey-centric snacks (I made a turkey frittata and a mushroom turkey spread). After a few hours of friendly chats, we headed out for more substantial eats at the fairly new La Pietra Cucina.

As many had already commented, the space is pretty weird because guests have to walk through an entirely empty dining room to get to the private dining space in the back. Perhaps having a hostess at the big dinning room door would have helped, but no one was there to direct traffic.

We forgot about that very quickly when the food started to hit the table. Gene asked for the octopus to start and it was fantastic. Not at all chewy, the tender pieces blended superbly with the simple but bright tomato broth that also drenched some very plump couscous.

When our server recited "wild boar ragu" as a special on a pasta, I was sold. Then he said that the pasta was cut from a pasta guitar, and I got super excited. Check out the thickness of that ragu! So loaded with cooked down wild boar, the ragu was the most fitting wintry night comfort food. And the uniquely cut pasta lived up to my very high expectations in its perfect al dente state and lingered on the palate with a slight sweetness. (I don't know if others notice this, but really good doughy things give off a very slight sweetness as an aftertaste because of the heavy starch content). I loved this dish!

Ever since those incredible beignets from Shaun's a couple of years ago, I have been hooked on these things. LPC's version was more cakey and less fried doughy than Shaun's. In that respect, it wasn't quite my favorite. But the very thin slivers of candied orange peels certainly upped the interest quotient.

I forgot what this was called, but it was essentially hot chocolate batter cooked until it was slightly underdone and still very moist. It's hard not to like something like that, but it's a little more simplistic than what I would have liked.

If you haven't given this place a try, you really should. In the pasta area, it's almost like eating at Babbo without the painful reservation (where I believe the Chef had once cooked). Now that's something. :)

La Pietra Cucina
1545 Peachtree St. Ste 101
Atlanta, Ga 30309
404-888-8709

Highlight #117: Sometimes less change is the way to go - Restaurant: Woodfire Grill

And that certainly holds true for Woodfire Grill, where chef Gillespie is carrying on the farm to table legacy of chef Tuohy without missing a beat. The dinning room has changed a little. New table clothes covered up the tables and the walls seemed a little brighter. But overall the feel of the place is still the same. It's cozy and full of warmth, which seemed to radiate from the wood fired grill smack in the center of the room.

Since I am no critic, I have no problem letting you know that this meal was kindly served to us free of charge. But at $38 for a tasting that included three courses (four if you count the extra middle course) of pristine ingredients, a romantic dinner here isn't really out of reach.


We began with a piece of pan fried Georgia mountain trout. The skin sizzled ever so slightly at the table and was my favorite part, boasting plenty of crispiness. My friend J loved the greens that cut through the natural oils of the trout with its tempered bitterness.


Before our main, the chef sent out a few fried oysters for us to try. And they were fantastic. Hot and crunchy, the seasoned batter gave way to juicy innards of natural brininess. They confirmed my new found love for this preparation of oysters that have taken roots in my heart since those earlier bites at Legal Seafood (a few posts back).

My main came out revealing pretty deep pink slices of medium rare duck on a puree of butternut squash. The duck breast was obviously treated with respect in expert hands as none were the least bit tough. The only thing shy of perfection was the level of salt. A heavier hand would have really set it off against the sweetness of the puree.

My friend J receive the fillet. Just like the duck, it was cooked to the right temperature, but was just short of enough salt. Maybe we were both in the mood for something jazzed up with the white stuff. :)

For dessert, I was presented with some sculpted carrot cake that, despite the modern shape, was comfortingly old school. I also got plenty of homemade ice cream with enough butterfat to keep me scooping.

J received a sort of warm pineapple cake with the most adorable mushroom like toasted marshmallow sitting on top a piece of candied sweet potato. For a cold night the warm cake was nice and soothing, but I enjoyed the cream cheese icing of the carrot cake more and three scoops of ice cream is better than one any day. :)

All in all, while the chef may have change at Woodfire Grill, the fresh and clean flavored food stayed in the warm and toasty space.

Woodfire Grill
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road
Atlanta, GA 30324
404-347-9055