Monthly Archives: January 2016

Boeuf Bourguignon & Chocolat Mousse

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First Meal: Boeuf Bourguignon with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Chocolat Mousse dessert.

For my first meal I chose to make something that I knew I would love as to not scare myself away. I’ll start with what I made first for the meal and that was the chocolat mousse the night before. By the end of it I already learned my first lesson! Read the recipe in it’s entirely all the way through. I was on the last step and I completely forgot that I was supposed to whip the egg whites before combining with the chocolate mixture. When I put the non whipped egg whites into the mixture I immediately realized it was wrong. And since I couldn’t start off on the wrong foot I started over….the second time I did it correctly and am so glad I did the chocolat mousse was to die for. It was also a very good idea to make enough for second helpings! I didn’t throw out the first batch as I was interested in seeing how it would turn out. The flavor was good but the texture was definitely not mousse like closer to a pudding I’d say. 

The boeuf bourguignon is something of a French legacy in my opinion. When you think about it it’s really just a wine stew but putting it on a stew level in America would just be wrong. This recipe does take a long time and has multiple steps. In all it took me four and a half to five hours. I treated it as a long therapy season; just me and the kitchen– no music or people to distract me. My kitchen is also small and I don’t have that many pot and pans so I did have to do rounds of dishes but in the end Tom said it was the best piece of meat I’ve cooked to date. The beef was so tender and the broth with the pearl onions went marvelously with the garlic mashed potatoes. 

I’m not sure what is up next but since it’s January and it’s cold it may just be another beef dish!

Something New

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I’ve blogged about 100+ restaurants and while I love eating out I’m going to challenge myself to cook more in 2016. Yes, I am corny and like to make New Years resolutions. Last year I challenged myself to become a proficient ping pong player and this year my challenge is to tackle the cook book: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I’m not naive and think I will be able to make all 500+ recipes in a year nor do I think I am original in this idea, see Julie & Julia, nevertheless I think it will be a fun project! I will blog about restaurants from time to time but for the most part I really hope to share the meals I make and whether they are triumphant successes or utter failures.

 

Old Vinings Inn- Attic Bar

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Old Vinings Inn- Attic Bar, Vinings

I have often driven past the Old Vinings Inn and wondered if it’s an inn, restaurant, or bar but as soon as I’d turn the corner the thought turned into a fleeting one. That is until Tom & I needed a place for dinner in Vinings. We were meeting a friend and thought it best to make the effort and go up to their neck of the woods. So after almost four years of wondering I finally found out that the Old Vinings Inn is a restaurant with an attic bar, which has live music Wednesday- Saturday nights.

The attic bar has three menu’s: it’s own smaller menu, the full menu from downstairs, and if you want food after 10pm a every select menu. I opted for the sliders which were of the fried chicken persuasion , truffle fries, and candied bacon. All of which were on the attic menu. The candied bacon was unreal and truly suggest getting a glass for the table. The beer list is pretty limited but it had some good choices. The wine and cocktail menu looked to be more extensive. The full menu looked awesome with very traditional southern fare and when I return I plan to try their short ribs. Seating can be limited and music does start at 8:30 Friday and Saturday nights so best if eating to get there around 7/7:30. I’m not sure who all plays there but Kurt Thomas was playing the night we went and we heard everything from Zac Brown Band to Bruce Springsteen and just had the best time.

Revival

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Revival, Decatur

Two words. DO FAMILY STYLE. Yes I know that was three words but the two you should remember are family style. It’s really the only way you should do dinner at Revival and while I’m sure you could dine another way you would be missing out. Seriously. All you do is pick the entree you want (1 per person) and they do all the rest. And by “all the rest” I mean they pick the hors d’oeuvres, relishes, & trimmings. We picked the fried chicken and beef and pork meatloaf wrapped in bacon. The hors d’oeuvres that graced our table were the toasted deviled ham tea sandwiches and the kale salad with apples, cheese, & boiled dressing. I knew the sandwiches would be good but I was blown away by the kale salad. So blown a way in fact that I had to ask what they did to it. Turns out they massage it so it becomes tender. Doubt I’ll ever do this at home but at least I know what I would have to do just in case. The trimmings that blessed our table were the hickory-smoked local greens, granny’s pole beans, green cabbage with confit ham, and stone ground grits with caramelized onions. My favorite were the pole beans. And for dessert we had the lemon icebox pie and cinnamon baked apple with streusel and vanilla ice cream. I should warn you this is a lot of food but the idea is to take leftovers home just like you would any family dinner at Grandma’s house. And lastly I must declare we found the best old fashioned in Atlanta. Each of us ordered two it was that good. So run run run if you haven’t tried Revival yet. It will restore your faith in Sunday Dinners.

Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant

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Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant, Morningside

When was the last time you were in a truly old school Italian restaurant?I’m talking red walls, red carpet, red napkins, dark wood bar, and Sinatra playing. These places are a dying breed. New Italian cuisine paired with a bright airy dining area can be great but not always want you are looking for. I wanted to see a Marlon Brando type character as soon as I walked in but alas only saw a smattering of Buckhead Betty’s. We had a bit of a wait but were able to get a seat the at the bar after a few minutes. Instead of being difficult and demanding a wine menu I opted to go with a dirty martini, which consequently makes me more fun anyways! Once we got to a table I did see you can order wine by the glass, 1/2 carafe, and bottle. Since Tom & I were both hungry neither of us held back. Tom ordered 1/2 fettuccine verde, Casalinga & 1/2 manicotti, all Antonio. I got the Godfather, three different types of veal: Francese, Parmigiana, & Marsala with a side of penne bolognese because the veal alone clearly wouldn’t have been enough food… while most would have stopped there we just had to try the tiramisu and very glad we did. And although we both put on elastic when we got home neither of us regret eating and enjoying that much food.