Monthly Archives: March 2014

Bar Meatball

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Bar Meatball, Virginia-Highland

Holy balls or holy meatballs I should say this place is only three blocks away and could become dangerous. Bar Meatball was once Pazole but after 8 years the owner decided to make a change; he’s first generation American so many of the recipes come from this mother and grandmothers. The pictures on the wall are also of his actual family members. Sorry Bucca di Beppo this guy has you beat with authenticity. To be clear come for the meatballs, there are five on the menu along with a daily special. You can either choose a meatball, sauce, and a side or can go with one of the already crafted combinations. Regardless of what you choose go with your side “down low” as this assures the best sauce to item ratio. The cocktail menu looked artfully put together but I stuck with a carafe of wine, which if you’re going to drink two glasses buy the carafe as it is more economical! We went with the restaurant only being open a week but I didn’t notice any major kinks. The owner was walking about and welcomed every table. He told us once the place gets going they might do wine & meatball dinners on Sunday nights and my table assured him that would be a great idea. Taylor and I both ordered the Sausage & Pepper Meatballs with classic tomato sauce and rigatoni down low. Kiffy ordered the #3: Chicken & Rosemary Meatballs with mushroom gravy and parmesan mash down low. This was honestly thanksgiving with Italian flavors all in one bite. If you want something a little lighter they also have sliders that come individually. Next came dessert, Kiffy got a Root Beer Float and Taylor and I shared an Ice Cream Sandwich, peanut butter cookies and vanilla ice cream along with an order of Zeppole, which are light fluffy Italian donuts with powder sugar that come with a Nutella dipping sauce. This place rocks old school flavors and has a super comfortable vibe. If you come hungry you will without a doubt leave happy.

Rathbun’s

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Rathbun’s, Inman Park

Alas, restaurant week in Inman Park meaning I can eat out during the week for no particular reason without the guilt! Sir Rathbun needs no introduction in the Atlanta Restaurant Community. He’s a frequent guest on Atlanta Eats, was on Iron Chef, and has countless awards for this restaurants. While I often choose to go to Rathbun’s Steak I thought I’d take a walk on the wild side on this particular Monday and head over to his namesake instead. I cozied up to the bar and got right to business. I had two menus to choose from and  although I was tempted by the beef carpaccio on the regular menu I decided to pick from the prefix instead. Warning I did not take this meal lightly and fully enjoyed every bite. I started out with the Crispy Calamari, then had the Hanger Steak with roasted garlic polenta and Asiago crust, and finished with the Salted Caramel Pot de Creme with pretzel crunch. I liked the calamari but it wasn’t particularly special. The Asiago crust gave the steak a good crunch and paired well with the creamy polenta. The dessert was the one that blew me away. I’m not a huge fan of caramel but for some reason I wanted to try it. I thought if I’m going to like it anywhere it’s going to be at a Rathbun establishment! Having never had a bad dish or experience I can fully endorse any restaurant Mr. Rathbun cultivates but I will say go when you can go all out or during the restaurant week since going on a budget just wouldn’t be as fun.

Dave’s Cosmic Subs

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Dave’s Cosmic Subs, Emory Village

I’m not sure if I wanted to go to a place that reminded me of my job in college or perhaps just eat one meal for the whole day. I’ve heard of Dave’s from friends in and around the Cleveland area and after driving past the one on the Emory campus a bunch I decided to take the plunge one Sunday. I ordered the Dave’s Best Meatball Ever sub (#17). Warning do not order this if you A) need to impress some while eating this or B) care about looking good while eating this. The meatballs are huge and due to this it can be an experience eating this sub. The options are endless (for meat eaters) but the chips and drinks are straight to the point. This is a funky joint and all in all I’d say I’m a fan. Also, if I need to for some reason want to feel like I am in the 60’s  I will know where to go.

Miller Union

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Miller Union, the Westside

“New American” is becoming a synonymous with restaurants in Atlanta but I won’t complain because while many have similar takes all have a little twist that makes them stand out in their own way. I went to Miller Union with Kiffy and her mom, Patti. While I didn’t know this Miller Union is also very aware of their carbon footprint and try to limit in every way possible including what they print their menus on. This may not be a factor to many, however, I think it’s super cool to have a restaurant care that much. Now back to the food! Their cocktail menu was impressive and one of the things that made me want to come. I ordered a Miller Thyme that really was too good as it went down rather quickly. As a table we shared the Feta Snack & the Farm Egg baked in celery cream served with grilled bread. Warning if you happen to be lactose intolerant these are not the dishes for you because holy dairy both were superb! Kiffy then the got the Country Captain Chicken, which came with almonds, coconut, and chutney. Patti ordered the Ribeye with fingerlings, Vidalias, and mushrooms. I ordered the Seared Duck Breast with farro spaetzle, buttered cabbage, and duck sausage. And now this is where I wished we stopped the meal. Up until this point we were not disappointed. The desserts did look pretty unique but I don’t think we really thought about it. We ordered the Beet Red Velvet Cake with goat cheese and tarragon ice cream and the Chocolate Ganache Cake with peanuts and fig-balsamic ice cream. While certain parts of the desserts were good I couldn’t fully recommend either but at least I know that I do not like beet red velvet cake. I do consider myself lucky though because I eat out a lot and am normally not this surprised with the actual outcome. This restaurant is constantly being raved about and I am now glad I can say I’ve been!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floataway Cafe

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Floataway Cafe, North Druid Hills

While I realize that I won’t be a regular at Bacchanalia anytime soon I can be comforted by the fact that Floataway exists and is less formal along with being much more affordable for a twenty something. This French cafe is tucked away in North Druid Hills and in a renovated warehouse. I went with two friends and we shared the Maplebrook Burrata  to start that we needed a spoon to eat it because it was that fresh. Taylor got the Roasted Chicken over polenta, Joel the Porkchop with cabbage and chutney, and I got the Gnocchi with lamb ragu. We all shared a bottle of Malbec that was reasonably priced and enjoyed by all. For dessert we ordered the Toffee Cake with caramel sauce and the Chocolate Gateau with Chantilly cream. While we didn’t need to we finished both since they were outstanding. I never like ranking my courses but these two desserts really hit the sweet spot (pun intended)! Honestly, the service was great and the ambiance suited the food very well. I’m not sure why or how one wouldn’t have a good experience here.

St. Cecilia

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St. Cecilia, Buckhead

Ford Fry does not disappoint; St. Cecilia is his fifth restaurant in Atlanta since 2007 and is no exception. The restaurants main focus is seafood from the coastlines of Spain, France, & Italy. I went with my friend, Susan, who lives close by and was curious to finally be able to see the inside after seeing the many months of construction. I started with a dish from the Crudo menu: Nantucket Bay Scallops with green apples, fennel, & pine nuts. These were amazing and I would have never thought to put apples with scallops. Susan got the Maine Sea Scallops, which are quickly becoming their top seller and I got the Block Island Swordfish. The swordfish came with tomatoes & olives which if you like Mediterranean flavors you’re in for a treat. The thing I often appreciate about seafood is that while you can be full you typically don’t leave stuffed plus this allows you to order dessert! My eyes quickly found the Nutella Torta with burnt milk gelato. My dining experience suddenly went from wonderful to flat-out fabulous. We went on a Sunday night and I was expecting a lighter crowd but that was mistake since this is Buckhead and a Ford Fry restaurant. The restaurant is truly beautiful and the food delicious, if you’re looking to celebrate look no further than St. Cecilia.

 

 

Seven Lamps

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Seven Lamps, Buckhead

This has been on my list for a while now and I’m glad I finally made it! My friend Kiffy and I went on a Monday so it wasn’t crowded but we still enjoyed a lovely dinner. This place is known for “craft food & drinks” as it says on their website and it didn’t disappoint. I’m only bummed that I couldn’t eat more!

Like all good meals Kiffy & I started with the cheese plate, we picked three: Delice de Bourgogne, Stilton, & Dancing Fern (all cow’s milk). The third was our favorite but I also enjoyed the delice de bourgogne because a triple creme is always music to my taste buds. Next I ordered the Steamed Lobster Bun and Kiffy the Cottage Fries, which came with a duke’s mayonnaise and were awesome. While we should have stopped there the feast was far from over. We ordered with our eyes and ate as much as we could. Kiffy was smart and ordered the Tortellini stuffed with butternut squash & paprika that was good left over but I was not so smart and ordered the Maine Mussels & Smoked Andouille. I do not think I miss  ordered as I throughly enjoyed the mussels I was just sad that I couldn’t take them with me. The food was fantastic but I would recommend coming with more people so you can try multiple things on the menu, trust me you will want to!

Next time I go I’ll check out the cocktails and stick to the small plates as those were the most exciting but who knows maybe next time I go the menu will be different and I’ll have to over indulge once again.