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!

Dinner and a Movie

My boyfriend and I have "dinner and a movie" down pat. We live 0.7 miles from the Midtown Promenade and it's a beautiful walk. We always eat at Après Diem before the show. This spot has an eclectic atmosphere, exotic clientele, and fabulous patio.

For the most part, the menu does not take part in the “seasonal, sustainable, local”trend and has been relatively unchanged in the few years we have frequented this place. However, the food is simple, consistent, and well prepared. Recently we have been impressed with the fish of the day, always fresh, accompanied with plenty of veggies, and simple but well seasoned.

To support their eclectic and artistic atmosphere, Après Diem hosts an impressive jazz night on Wednesdays. If you like good music, you should definitely check this out.

We were very pleased not only with the food on our latest dinner and a movie night, but also the movie. To Rome With Love was one of the best movies of it's kind I've ever seen. It was beautiful, clever, and witty. The cast was perfect and the writing was even better. Woody Allen is brilliant. Enough said. Click here for more info about the film. Go see it!

Optimistic for the Optimist

The short and sweet of it: Fresh sustainable seafood, good variety in menu but not too much to overwhelm. Unique simple décor, welcoming atmosphere, good use of space.

After being lead through a beautiful dinning room with high ceiling and perfect lighting, we rounded a corner and were sat in a separate area being the main bar. It was a bit too dark and the AC unit above us and kept blowing out our candle. Our server seemed a bit frantic that he was given a new table and didn't stop to greet us for a good 5 minutes. It took a while for things to get going in a positive direction, but it was all uphill from there.


We started off with mussels in a green curry sauce. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a good accompaniment, and one that I've never had.








As a second course we ordered the Little Gem Salad and the Shoestring Fries (unfortunately for my figure, I am a french fry connoisseur). The salad was a delicious “fancy caesar ” with whole anchovies and shaved parm on the top. The fries were crispy and had a great flavor but the fine cut made them cold almost immediately as they hit the table. Their saving grace was the lemon aioli, a unique perfect balance of flavors.


















My entree won the gold medal for the night, although they were both impressive. I had seared rare tuna with charred octopus and crispy potatoes. My boyfriend had wood fire grilled halibut in a red wine fish bordelaise, and it was a close second. Both dishes were simple, fresh, and sophisticated.

We had the lemon tart for desert. I have to say that I left unsatisfied with the last course. It was a bit boring and lacked finesse and creativity.

The wine pairing for the evening was a 2009 Cotes du Rhone. The wine menu was decent but nothing to get excited about. Although I definitely want to try one of their tempting cocktails next time. Needless to say, we will return to the Optimist.

Sometimes You Have To Do It Yourself

As the old saying goes, if you want something done right sometimes you have to do it yourself. I often feel this way with food. My boyfriend and I cook delicious meals that far surpass the food we eat at even the best of restaurants. When you throw in that we can enjoy these meals for under $50, including wine, compared to an easy $150 when eating out, sometimes it just makes more sense to stay home.


In general we try to prepare only fresh, organic and from-scratch food. Our latest masterpiece included a mixed green salad with grilled peaches, sliced almonds, Turkish feta, and a ginger dressing. For the main course we feasted on filet mignon with sides of kale with shallots and garlic and basmati rice with Greek yogurt.

For the dressing I peeled and minced the ginger, squeezed half a lemon, and combined it in a jar with white vinegar and olive oil and shook it up with a pinch of salt and pepper.

I sautéed the kale with minced garlic and sliced shallots with a bit of olive oil and vegetable broth. Kale needs to simmer for quite a while, until dark green and limp. I cooked this one for about 20 minutes.

We tenderized the filet and seasoned it with salt, pepper, olive oil, and oregano. It was first seared on the stove top to get the crispy outside and seal in the juices, then sent to the oven at 400' for about 6 minutes. The steaks came out medium rare plus.

We prepared the basmati rice similar to risotto. We sauté it with a bit of butter instead of boil it. Near the end we add copious amounts of large cracked pepper. (As you can tell, we can't get enough pepper). After the rice is finished we add a dollop of non-fat plain yogurt.

I briefly (about 2 minutes) marinated the local Georgia peaches in balsamic vinegar and grilled them until soft. These were added to the salad along with almonds and Turkish feta. Delish!

 





For our wine paring we sipped on Neprica "Tormaresca" 2009 Puglia - 40% Negroamaro, 30% Primitivo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine went great with the meat. Medium plus body, dark fruit and a bit of spice, overall balance in acidity and flavors.

I Didn't Even Miss The Bread

I invited some lady friends over for dinner this weekend. Since one of them has a gluten allergy, I got to experience cooking my first entirely gluten-free meal. I've had gluten-free food before, but never planned a whole dinner like this. I headed to Whole Foods since they have the most anti-gluten options, as well as stellar fresh veggies and meat.






The meal started out with "Mary's Gone Crackers" with aged white cheddar and a array of delicious olives. These crackers, made with brown rice, quinoa, flax seed, and sesame seed were crispy and tasty - just like crackers should be.




For the second course we had a simple fresh salad of mixed greens, carrots, cucumber, and radish. I whipped up my favorite from-scratch-dressing of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, and brown mustard.

Our main meal included "De Boles" gluten-free multi-grain penne, baked chicken breast, and a variety of colorful veggies: broccoli, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. After we mixed everything together in one pot, it was seasoned with a pinch of salt, tons of cracked pepper, red chili flakes, and oregano. Each plate was then topped freshly shaved parmigiano-reggiano.







Gluten-free pasta definitely tastes different than ordinary pasta. But the difference is not a negative one. I quite enjoyed it. I was pleased and impressed to have eaten such a yummy meal that I didn't even miss the bread!

For tasty gluten-free reciepes visit Why Me? Gluten-Free.