Maybe I Was Wrong

In an earlier post, I cautioned against trying new things when you have already found something you really like (which is also great relationship advice!). My boyfriend and I had previously had a less than satisfactory experience trying new dishes at Ecco, one of our fav dinner spots. After the first bite we instantly wished we had ordered our old faithfuls. During a more recent dinning experience at Ecco, my theory was proved wrong, or at least partially wrong. Sometimes trying new things can be good. Who knew?

 We had consumed a lot of red meat as well as a good amount of seafood in the days prior and wanted something different. I ordered Roasted White Oak Pastures chicken and my boyfriend ordered Grilled Coho salmon. Chicken and salmon in general sound a bit boring to me, so we weren't expecting much. Oh how we were surprised!

The chicken skin was so crispy, the inside so juicy, and the sauce was light and fresh with mint and radishes as garnish. I finished the entire thing and just barely restrained myself from licking the bones.

The salmon was equally impressive. It had the smokey flavors of grilled red meat but the texture was light and flaky. And who doesn't like a dish that comes with roasted chanterelles and a potato puree (aka mushrooms and mashed potatoes)?

Lesson learned. Here is my revised advice on venturing to unfamiliar plates:

If you are going out with a good friend or significant other and generally share your entrees like we do, tyring new things is best done half-way. Meaning one of you order the go-to dish you know is fantastic, and the other one tries a new dish. Next time just switch up who orders the new one. It's less risky and you just might find a new favorite that way.

Oh, and the wine was great too. We sipped on a 2007 Más de Leda Tempranillo. It was an easily-drinkable medium bodied wine with dark dried fruit on the finish that paired well with both the chicken and the salmon.

My favorite app and then some

I recently took my mother to one of my favorite local gems, Top Flr. I love this place for its consistently delicious food. The service can be spotty but if you go early or during the week it's usually pretty good.

This place has one of my favorite appetizers in Atlanta - tuna tar tar on crispy flatbread with avocado, mache, and drizzled with spicy aoli.

Top Flr also has one of my favorite salads in this city, mixed greens, goat cheese, and pistachios topped with a heavenly lavender dressing.

On this visit I tried the sea scallop entree for the first time. They were not the best or freshest scallops I've had but they were cooked well and had good flavor in the absence of a sauce.

To accompany the scallops we ordered sides of quinoa and kale. Of the two the kale was preferred for its flavor and better pairing with the scallops.

Our wine pairing for the evening was a familiar favorite of mine, the Columbia Valley "Lenore" Syrah 2009. It's not fancy, just a decently priced, pleasantly tasting, easily drinkable wine.

Istanbul Not Constantinople

On our first night in Istanbul, we took a boat ride on the bosphorus to dinner before heading out for the night. It was truly a storybook evening.

Iskele, the restaurant where we dined, had amazing food with a view to match.

 Now that the scene has been set, I will get to the food part. Warning: don't read this on an empty stomach. It will be torture.

Our first dish was one the Turkish call lekarda balık. Balık meaning fish and lekarda being the type of fish. This is hands down my favorite seafood appetizer of my life thus far. It's sushi grade, similar to tuna, and melts in your mouth like butter. It doesn't need seasoning or sauce, just a bit of olive oil and the flavor is perfect.

Next we devoured perfectly fried mussels. Light batter, crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. It was served with a horseradish-like sauce on the side.

Most meals in Turkey are served family style, and Iskele was no exception. The dishes just kept on coming. This is definitely my favorite way to enjoy food.

Another star of the table was the calamari grilled in a light brown butter sauce. The dish possessed the perfect amount of sweetness while maintaining a fresh light flavor.

A simple yet great addition to the table was a dish with two types of lightly fried whole fish - barbunya are the red-ish ones and istavrit are the silver. Beautiful presentation and oh so tasty!

With our bellies full of magnificent seafood, our story book evening continued with VIP access to the Pink Martini concert and the same breath-taking view of the bosphorus.

As the Turks say - çok güzel!