White Horse Pub and Tavern, Bermuda

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Remember that time 3 years ago when I went to Bermuda for a family vacay?

In case you don’t, here’s a blast from the past:

For all things Bermudian and gustatory,we headed to White Horse.

This casual waterfront  pub has been open since the 1930s, and where it used to be solely a watering hole, now has a large menu full of classic Bermuda favorites.

But for dinner we went to a veritable establishment of Bermudian casual dining.

 

 

 In anticipation of the seafood stew we ordered as one of our appetizers, we got  large cruets of rum and sherry pepper sauce.

 

These cruets of sherry pepper sauce and rum lined the tables. That’s because almost everyone orders one of Bermuda’s most famous dishes:

 

 

Unlike any fish soup I have had before or since – it’s really complex. It is fragrant with sweet and hot spices, and is filled with sweetly sauteed carrots and onions. The tomato broth is acidic and light, picking up on the sweet rum and tangy pepper sauce (not really hot, just zesty). The fish is mild and moist; briny without being overtly seafood-y.

 

The rum makes a huge difference in the soup. It really adds a round, deep note that enhances the light, brothy dish. This is most similar to Manhattan clam chowder, but it’s really its own entity.

 

Conch fritters

I could much these like popcorn. Imagine the moistest, most buttery, most flavorful Thanksgiving stuffing you have ever had.  Now imagine that someone dropped it in the deep fryer just until the outside got  crunchy and the inside became moist and soft. .  Now imagine putting cayenne and lime spiked mayo on it, just enough to coat the pillowy innards of the fritter.

 

 

I couldn’t taste any seafood here at all. That was weird, but not bad. It really just tasted like deep fried stuffing. Covered in spicy mayo.

Why isn’t that a thing in NYC?

 

 

Almond crusted rockfish with Bermuda carrots and rum
banana flambé

 

 The only true miss of the night. The fish was actually covered in rum, bananas, and some sort of sugary glaze. That’s right, that’s what the FISH was covered in. Ugh. Too bad, because the fish itself is light, moist, and flaky. The carrots are wonderfully sweet.

The topping simply isn’t wonderfully sweet…it’s dreadfully sweet.

However, the rest of this meal was wonderful. Casual with great service and an unbeatable view on the water. Be forewarned - Bermuda is the most expensive location I have ever visited, because if it doesn’t grow, walk, fly, or swim near the island, it all has to be shipped in. So even a casual meal like this is on the pricier side of things.

In summary: Bananas on fish = bad and alcohol in soup = so, so good. 

Filed Under: Beyond

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon – Laid Back Michelin Star Dining

March 22, 2013 By 3 Comments

Eating at Joel Robuchon at The Mansion is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I doubt that I will soon, if ever, experience that kind of luxury, attention to detail, or service, again.

But I had the famous chef’s food just last weekend, in a far more casual setting at far more reasonable prices.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is Robuchon’s workshop. It is where his executive chef and the team is allowed to play with flavors, textures, and ideas, offering them to the public at prices that might make the wallet whine but not scream. Here is where you see more avant garde food, fewer suit jackets, and many more dining options. It’s not just one set menu – you can order a la carte or from several set menus, none topping $160 (which includes 15 courses, by the way).

The feel of the restaurant is hip and sleek, with its pops of red against shiny black. The place to sit is at the counter, where you can see the chefs preparing your food, but if you want a table, just say so at the time of making your reservation. We chose this option, and it worked out well so we could all talk. We also made our own tasting menu instead of going with one of the prix fixes…because we wanted all the foie.

Bread

The bread, though it doesn’t arrive on a bejeweled cart in 14 different varieties, is as faultless as that found in the parent restaurant. The baguette, in particular, is crusty without and slightly sour within. It’s crumb is fine and it is served warm, ideal with the rich, unsalted butter.

Amuse Buche – Foie gras and Parmesan parait

Um, yeah. Foie and Parm. Umami to the max. This tiny shooter is liquid foie and airy Parmesan foam, served warm so that the foie melts into an unctuous with a savory Parmesan cap.  Salty, a little sweet, and creamy, this is one of the hits of the night.

Iberican ham with pan con tomate

Not much to say about this except damn…the ham is (as always) soft, pleasantly fatty, and deeply p0rky, but the bread is really the star of the show. Lightly toasted bread is covered with such small, even dices of tomato that it seems like tiny elves must be working in the kitchen. The bread is rubbed with a garlic cove so it is perfumed with garlic instead of overpowered by it. The tomatoes are, even at the tail end of winter, are  juicy and sweet against the melting fat of the ham.

Carpaccio – Seabass with citrus and chiles

The best crudo I have had in awhile. The seabass is sliced so thinly that it is like a sheet of velum, milky pink against the white plate. It is dressed, but not saturated, in olive oil and the smoky, late-blooming heat of espelette pepper, bright lemon, and basil. The fish comes through fatty and moist and it is so good that you might not want to share.

I certainly didn’t.

Le Teriyaki – Kobe beef over sushi rice and spicy avocado

This is where Robuchon’s playful side shines. He takes the sweet-salty Asian flavor of teriyaki and sushi rice, then fuses it with French technique. The beef is seared to a perfect rare, with the inside warm and dry but still beautifully red and tender, the avocado is sliced so that it melts into the sushi rice, and the whole plate is perfectly balanced. It isn’t totally French, but nothing here is. It’s all about French technique and global ingredients.

Les Ravioles – Foie gras ravioli in chicken broth

These ravioli are ethereal and buttery rich at the same time. Imagine this: you are eating your Bubbe’s chicken soup. It is comforting and warm, your favorite chicken broth. Then imagine that she used fresh herbs (other than dill, fresh herbs are NOT the Jewish grandma’s MO). Licorice-y tarragon, fresh mint, and fragrant basil bringing Southeast Asian and French flavors to the soup, like a Vietnamese mash up. Now imagine that you put one of her famousfkreplach into your mouth. Except, this kreplach isn’t filled with beef. It is filled with a small nugget of foie gras. Not pate, mind you – pure foie gras. Molten, liquefied foie that thrills you to the tips of your carnivorous toes. It is a shock of richness against the wholesome broth, and the dumpling skins are so light that they are almost nonessential. This is a sleeper hit on a menu filled with exotic sounding dishes.

La  Langoustine – crispy langoustine fritter with basil pesto

One of my tablemates said that this might be the best bite that he had ever put into his mouth.

That’s what she said.

Langousitnes have the texture of shrimp with the buttery taste of lobster. This langoustine is expertly cleaned and prepared and is SO rich and meaty that you might think there is more foie gras in there! Wrapped in a single sheet of crunchy, greaseless phyllo dough, it is served with both an herbal pesto and entire leaf of basil, lightening up an extremely dense, rich dish. This is butter overload, so don’t order it if you don’t like butter.

In fact, don’t read this blog if you don’t like butter.

La Caille – free range quail stuffed with foie gras, served with pommes souffles

First, the quail: Decadent. An exquisitely deboned quail, served medium so it is earthy and slightly funky, like wild boar. Stuffed with a cylinder of warm foie gras, melting into the quail, picking up it’s salty, crispy skin and tender meat. This is seasoned only with the quail and foie fats, salt, and pepper. It’s ideal.

And the pommes souffles…they are Robuchon’s calling card. He invented them by using half as much butter as potatoes  That’s enough butter to get a gal into trouble. Add some fragrant troubles, and she is a goner.

I am so, so weak against butter(with a few potatoes mixed in there).

Le Burger et Frites – beef and foie burgers with caramelized bell peppers and spicy bell peppers coulis

Not your average slider. The patty is thick and very mild, probably from a cut like filet mignon or a style like Wagyu that is very fatty and moist. The slider is – here’s that word again – rich, punctuated by the sweet and spicy bell pepper jus. I still prefer the one at DB Bistro, but this slider is a decadent and delicious way to end a meal.

Oh yeah, and the fries may be the most perfect specimens I have had in America.

The word rich came up many times in this review. However, you don’t have to be rich to eat here. You have to save up for a while, but you don’t have to lust after it without any payoff. It is pricey but attainable fare in a relaxed, cool setting with excellent service. It’s all the foie you can handle. And it’s from the chef of the century.

Chef Robuchon, you have done it again.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Tagged With: ,

Lotus of Siam, Take 2

March 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I have been to Lotus of Siam before.

I have waxed poetic about the juicy stuffed chicken wings and sweet, sticky mee krob. I have talked about the large dining room that is so comfy that you might think you are in your grandma’s homestyle restaurant. I have talked about its many accolades and its legions of fans (This visit, Jim Belushi dined there the night that we did, this time).

What I might not have mentioned is that the menu has seemingly thousands of options. It’s a little intimidating and requires some research and multiple visits to try all the dishes for which the eatery is famous.

So consider this review number two in a series of posts that are sure to come about this truly astonishing restaurant.

Nam Kao Todd –  Crispy rice mixed with sour minced pork sausages, green onions, fresh chilis, ginger, peanuts and lime juice

Thank you, Serious Eats, for pointing me in this direction. The rice is fried until it puffs and pops like salty Rice Krispies cereal beneath your teeth. The sausage is in tiny, ham-like dices; bright and acidic. Tiny peanuts echo the slightly fatty taste of the sausage and the whole thing is liberally sprinkled with dried and fresh chiles. The dried chiles are smoky with a back-of-the-throat burn and the fresh chiles have a high, almost electric lip-singeing quality. They each play their part, and that’s the takeaway from this dish. Every ingredient plays its part to create one cohesive, multi-layered taste. This dish’s report card would read: “plays well with others”

Nam Prik Ong – Red chili dip

Described like a spaghetti meat sauce on the menu, this was a fan favorite. The dip isn’t spicy at all, just zesty and aromatic with ginger, onions, and garlic. It is thick enough to scoop up with the raw veggies of a handful of delightfully glutinous sticky rice and the sweet tomatoes contrast nicely with the grassy coriander and ground pork. Speaking of pork, these pork cracklings are the first ones I have ever had that I actually like. They are not overtly “barnyard-y” or brittle, they are just insanely light and crispy – almost like a Pop chip, but with no salty, chemical-y aftertaste.

Thum Ka Noon – Shredded and pounded young jackfruit

This was the one dish that divided our table. Half of them hated it – called it mushy and tasteless, with the texture of cat food and an insipid flavor. The rest of us (myself included) LOVED this dish – it was my second favorite dish of the night. It is soft and homogeneous  but I didn’t find it mushy or cottony. It reminds me of pulled chicken or pork tempered with fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and the hit of diced chiles. The jackfruit was, for me, totally textural with no real taste of its own – it was ideal to pump up the volume of the dish without distracting form the pork’s flavor. I loved this with crunchy cabbage and sticky rice, and I hope that you do, too!

Penang Curry with chicken

`I love massaman curry as much as the next gal, but every now and then you have to branch out, right? This is massaman gone Wall Street (the original movie) – fast paced, high end, and a little dangerous. It is creamy from coconut milk and has a burnished color from the dried and fresh chiles, bu that is where the similarities between the two curries end. Whereas massaman is zesty and comforting, like a ginger tinged creamy chicken soup, the penang is lively and downright aggressive with its spices. If you like spicy food this won’t set you on fire, but if you aren’t used to it, this will probably build up a sweat on your brow. The fresh slices of jalapeno have a vaguely grassy, lemony taste that they pick up from the creamy and smoky chile gravy. The chicken itself is juicy and tender, filled with aromatics and sweet, spicy flavors that I can’t even begin to dissect. This had even the most spice-phobic people at that table clamoring for more, pouring the sauce over sticky and jasmine rices, swiping the bowl with fingers. If you like massaman then you may LOVE this – just be prepared for a bit more heat.

This ain’t the last Lotus of Siam review. I am going to go there every time that I visit Vegas until I get through the entire menu. Or at least until I faint from too much sticky rice. Hey, it’s the best Thai restaurant in America (some say int he world), it’s reasonably priced, and I haven’t even scratched the surface of the fabulous menu options.

Don’t worry, next time I go, I promise to say hi to Jim* for you.

*Jim Belushi, remember?!

 

Filed Under: Las Vegas, review Tagged With: ,

Three “Don’t Miss” Vegas Dishes

March 20, 2013 By 1 Comment

I’m back from the motherland.

No, not Israel.

Not even Paris.

I went on vacation to Las Vegas.

Where else can one sleep in world-class hotel suites for the price of a hostel in most major cities? Where else can one see a $90-a-ticket Cirque de Soleil show and then walk through a shopping mall with a yard long drink that involves frozen soda and cheap rum? And where else can one lose more money in an hour than she makes in a week?

Clearly, this city speaks to me.

Though I ate mostly at old favorite restaurants, there are a few new dishes (and restaurants) that I tried that really deserve mention!

Sliders at She

If you find yourself a little peckish and in the mood for an upscale midnight snack,  head straight to She at Crystals shopping center. This sezy steakhouse by Mortons has all of the serious beef offerings of its parent restaurant but adds a young, hip vibe with a catwalk straight down the center of the restaurant. Enjoy burlesque performances and sideshow acts like belly dancers, sword swallowers, and extremely flexible, scantily clad jugglers.

If you like the ladies, this restaurant is for you.

And even if your taste runs to John Hamm instead of Christina Hendricks, this restaurant is worth a stop for the comfortable outdoor seating and the awesome sliders.  Juicy and coked to a rosy pink with a soft texture, they are served with sharp cheddar cheese, creamy Russian dressing, and some tangy pickled onions. The brioche buns are soft and eggy but still stand up to the patties’ ample juices. This restaurant isn’t cheap but during happy hour, these sliders are offered at a significant discount, as are crisply fried tempura shrimp and a bevvy of cocktails. She is a welcome addition to the Strip as a place to sit and relax outside while enjoying some really quality bites.

Huevo frito con caviar at Jaleo

Yes, Jaleo again. It was just as  vibrant, as exciting, as mouth watering, delicious as it was the last time I visited. This time, my sister was wise enough to order the egg-on-egg combo that brought our table to its knees. The egg arrives gently fried so that the white is firm bu the yolk is thick and gooey. The caviar is in an ebony pile on top promising salt and brine.

When the server cuts up the mixture and instructs you to spread it on the pillowy toasted bread, follow her instructions. The bite will be rich, buttery, salty, and very savory. It isn’t fishy or bitter at all – just like the world’s best poached eggs on toast. The little pops of caviar under your teeth are a wonderful counterpart to the silky fried egg and you may find yourself begging for extra bread to swipe the bottom of the bowl for any remnants of this deeply satisfying dish. 

Club Sandwich at Cafe Vettro

This is the place you visit when you just came off of 2 four hour flights that started at 3 am 3,000 miles away. The 24 hour restaurant in the Aria is more than the old fashioned Vegas coffee shops that are known for piles of mushy home fries and questionable clam chowder. Cafe Vettro is light, modern, and the food is downright craveable. The club sandwich is among the best of an excellent and huge menu. The house roasted turkey is juicy, the veggies are crisp, and the mayo is plentifully applied. The fries are salty and hot, and the whole plate can easily feed 2 people. This is a fantastic lunch option, and the staff is commendably efficient, helpful, and friendly.

Wanna know where else I worshipped during my visit to the motherland? Head back tomorrow for my re-review of what is heralded as the best Thai restaurant in America, Lotus of Siam.

Filed Under: Las Vegas, review

Secret Pizza in Las Vegas

February 1, 2013 By 3 Comments

Remember that time that I ate that incredible meal at e? Remember how it was so many courses, so many flavors, an experience like none other?

Well, there is a dirty little secret about that…I left a little peckish.

I couldn’t help it…I really needed a little something else to finish off a meal that consisted of about 1800 tiny bites.

Luckily, in the Cosmopolitan, there is a secret pizza joint. An unmarked  place down the hall from the Marquee nightclub, where, if you go down the narrow passageway, you are transported to a 1980s pizza joint, complete with an arcade game and a whole row of freshly made pies.

Order a slice from the ready-made pies or have one made specially for you (you might have to wait for a few minutes for one of those).

The pizza here is really tasty! Not as good as a New York slice, but VASTLY superior to most slices on the west coast. A thin, tender crust with an oregano heavy sauce and enough cheese to provide a creamy, stretchy quality without making the crust overly floppy. It is just greasy enough, just salty enough, and just filling enough to make the perfect midnight snack.

Upskirt shot, showing nice char.

This place is a quick service restaurant, so be prepared to eat it standing at the counter or take it back to your room in the standard paper box.

The pizza is cheap, it’s fast (don’t worry if there is a line, it really moves), and it’s just what you want after a tasting menu.

I ate a snack after a 3 hour tasting menu. I officially have no shame.

Filed Under: Las Vegas, review

Top Notch Breakfast at the Hob Knob

January 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Okay, it’s time for just one more Martha’s Vineyard restaurant.

It isn’t really a restaurant, it’s the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast where my mom, sister and I stayed while we were there.

The Hob Knob is an adorable bed and breakfast in Edgartown. It has individually decorated rooms, luxurious linens and bath products, and a nearby farm where it gets nearly all of its produce and dairy.

Plus, there is wifi in every room. This is a bed and breakfast done right.

Especially the breakfast part.

Each stay here includes the first meal of the day in the room price, and with a meal this good, it really is the most important one. Check out the food porn:

Fresh Fruit

As you sit in the eccentric-upscale-homey (yes, that’s actually how I would describe it) dining room, you will be brought fruit. It isn’t anything exceptional, but he attention to detail and presentation is lovely.

Blueberry scone

Don’t bother to count carbs here. The scones are things of beauty. Soft, airy, and served warm, they are on the sweeter side of scones. They taste like the top of a blueberry crumb muffin – sugary, buttery, perfect with a pat of melting butter.

Eggs and bacon

The soft boiled eggs, served in vintage egg cups, are served alongside sourdough bread and thick slices of salty, smoky bacon. Like all the meat here, the bacon is locally produced and the eggs are procured from the farm down the street. They are truly delicious – creamy, firm white surrounding a fluorescent orange yolk, intensely buttery and rich.

Rum Soaked French Toast

The french toast is custardy and almost spicy, spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. It is served with coarsely ground sausage that is moist and porky without being overly greasy or fatty. Dunk  a piece of the toast in the real maple syrup and the spicy, sweet, intense taste of the rum fairly explodes.

The Mag-a-Muffin

This take on eggs Benedict is a little lighter than the original. Fresh farm eggs are poached and served atop ripe tomatoes, Canadian bacon, and an English muffin. It’s satisfying without being heavy and it’s very tasty. That’s what having such fresh ingredients does – it elevates everything. All the tastes are crystal clear and sharp – rich egg, sweet tomato, salty meat, and yeasty bread. Totally in sync and totally delightful.

The entire Hob Knob experience is totally delightful. It isn’t cheap, but the service is excellent, the rooms are lovely, and the food is really delicious. The next time you head to Martha’s Vineyard, book yourself a room here, because the only way that you get the breakfast is to book the bed.

Filed Under: Massachusetts Tagged With:

Sway with Me

December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I hit the jackpot again when I was in Atlanta. Not just with dining, but with where I was dining. The Hyatt Regency’s restaurant, Sway, was not just a good hotel restaurant, it was a great restaurant worth seeking out!

Don’t come here expecting great atmosphere – after all, it is a hotel restaurant. It is nice enough, but rather institutional and boring.

However, the food more than makes up for the uninspired decor.

How about some…

Hot deviled Carolina crab dip with house-made crackers

One of the best iterations of crab that I have ever enjoyed. The crab arrives bubbling hot in its own tiny pot, complete with a crusty, bubbly crust. Break though to the creamy, spicy dip, laden with huge hunks of buttery, sweet crab. Spread on the crackers, this is a decadent and delicious starter. The crab is so rich, and the crackers are so sparsely flavored in comparison that it is a really well balanced dish.

Pimento cheese with crackers and crudites

Though not as delicious as the pimento cheese at West Egg, still a damn sight better than any of the stuff offered north of the Mason Dixon line. Creamy, smooth, and flecked with bits of soft pimento, this is the kind of food that I want to stuff into a baked potato and eat while I watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

In a Snuggie.

Buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy

Oh so THIS is why my friend Amanda goes home faithfully every year for Christmas  This is why Scarlett loved the South. And this is why I can’t seem to lose that last 5 lbs.

This chicken is… mindbogglingly good. Does it really come out of a hotel kitchen or does someone’s sweet old granny fry it at home then deliver it via paper bag,  complete with a crock of the smoothest mashed potatoes on the side? Is the skin really that thick and crispy? Is the chicken really that moist and savory,  tasting so familiar and comforting?

Are the mashed potatoes really that buttery and is the gravy really that flavorful, redolent of thyme and sage, echoing the chicken’s natural woodsy flavor? Yes to all of these questions…except of course, to Granny cooking it. Bravo, Sway.

Bravo for so many reasons. For having an impeccable staff  For serving food into the very late hours. For not rushing us when we were the only ones dining late that night after a convention. And for making hotel dining, however overpriced, still a tasty and enjoyable experience.

Filed Under: Atlanta Tagged With:

Flip Burger Boutique – Where’s the Drama?

December 13, 2012 By 4 Comments

During my trip to Atlanta, I ate a lot.

Well, I guess I should substitute “trip to Atlanta” to “life,” but you get the picture.

One place I was dying to check out was Richard Blais’ molecular gastronomy influenced restaurant Flip Burger Boutique. This Top Chef contestant had always made really cool and unusual food on the show, and when I heard about tableside frozen nitrogen shakes and burgers with blue cheese foam, I knew I had to check it out.

The feel of the restaurant is very cool and sleek, like something you might see in Santa Monica. You could get a cozy booth or be sat at one of the long communal tables. The server we had was extremely efficient and friendly – we had, in fact, only exemplary service during our whole time in Atlanta. The food came out quickly.

Butcher’s Cut with Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Soy Truffle Vinaigrette, Frisee, Pickled Shallots, and Red Wine Jam

This burger was only good where it could have and SHOULD have been great. It was brought down because it was overcooked, so the meat was bouncy and a little tough. It was brought down by a very sweet jam that overpowered the umami, salty vinaigrette. It was elevated by the tangy shallots, tender frisee, and delightfully soft, absorbent bun. The cheese was very good – creamy and funky without being overwhelming. It just…could have been so much better. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be.

Fry sampler with sweet potato tots, onion rings, and French fries.

The sweet potato tots were greaseless, sweet, and spicy with cayenne. The onion rings, while a bit heavy on the batter, were fresh and piping hot. Now that those are covered, let’s get to the important stuff. The fries are some of the best in recent memory. Fried in beef tallow, they have a very hearty, deep taste that positively reverberates in the mouth after the first bite. The fries themselves are crispy and hot, and dipped in the blue cheese foam (airy and funky – one of Blais’ molecular touches) or the house made ketchup they are excellent.

Foie gras milkshake

I know what you are thinking – this is going to be awesome – fatty, creamy, faintly heady with the taste of foie echoing in the background. Kinda weird, kinda gross, TOTALLY awesome.

SO NOT WHAT IT WAS.

I mean, it was good. It was a very nice, thick, cool vanilla milkshake. Fragrant…with vanilla. Tasting…of vanilla. Where was the foie? And where was the tableside liquid nitrogen pouring? If they stop doing the tableside presentations, they might as well just do old fashioned milkshakes.

Nutella and toasted marshmallow shake

Less disappointing, though the lack of chemical mixing at the table was still a letdown. Nutty and a little bitter, it was balanced out by the sweet marshmallows. Recommended.

Flip burger confuses me. The food is good, and some of it is great. However…where are Blais’ sensibilities? Where is the drama, the molecular gastronomy, the sense of the weird and wonderful? My guess is that he has toned this all down in hopes of attracting more people to his restaurant, but sadly, I think that it might attract fewer.

Bring back those milkshakes and I will gladly return to try other burgers on the menu – I think that they have a lot of potential!

Filed Under: Atlanta Tagged With:

West Egg is a Good Egg in Atlanta

December 12, 2012 By 2 Comments

There are so many things about West Egg that are absolutely right, I think that we should just do this in list form:

1. Any breakfast place named after The Great Gatsby is automatically cool, regardless of the food that it serves. So I was predisposed to like this spot.

2. The line outside meant that there was a half hour wait. The coffee that I could get in the meantime and the enthusiastic looks on the faces of people who were finished eating meant that I waited on it.

3. Industrial casual cool. Spacious and comfortable, with a great, welcoming server who was quick on coffee refills.

Fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and bacon

4. Why don’t I eat pimento cheese every day? I mean why on earth not? This pimento cheese is the best I have had. Creamy and sharp and salty and studded with velvety pimentos. It melts just slightly on the sour, juicy fried green tomatoes,  its creaminess cool against the hot tomatoes’ acidic tang. The bacon is thick cut and smoky, and the swath of ranch dressing on the bottom provide a mild, cooling aspect to the dish. I cold eat this thrice a day, every day, for about 5 months.

As my charming dining companion said ”These are as good as jalapeno poppers without the embarrassment of actually being a jalapeno popper.”

Well said.

5. My friend’s salmon cakes Benedict looked delicious and he said it was fantastic.

This is the friend who came up with the jalapeno popper line, so you can imagine how discerning and elegant his tastes are.

Huevos Tejanos – eggs scrambled with jalapeño, onion, tomato, chipotle salsa, and sour cream, with roasted garlic grits

6. Almost as good as the huevos rancheros at Cookshop, and that’s saying a lot. The salsa is even better than that at Cookshop – smoky, spicy, full of deeply roasted tomato flavor and plenty of spicy garlic. Speaking of spicy, they really load up the jalapenos here, seeds and all. I didn’t even  need any hot sauce for my eggs, and that NEVER happens. Juicy tomatoes  finely diced onions,and a dollop of smooth sour cream rounds out this excellent egg dish. The grits along side are a superstar – creamy and thick without being gloppy. Filled with sweet roasted garlic flavor and enough black pepper to stand up to the spice and heat of the eggs.

 7. West Egg has delicious food, excellent service, and fair prices. It also serves brunch till 10 pm on Sundays  Need any more reasons to come here?

Oh yeah..it is also named after The Great Gatsby. That should do it.

Filed Under: Atlanta, review Tagged With: ,

The Varsity – Disappointing Burgers with Awesome Sides

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m totally unprepared for how to start this review.

I am used to recommending delicious food and unmissable experiences. I have no problem suggesting that you take out a mortgage on your home to enjoy a fine meal or travel 400 miles for the perfect slice of pizza. But, how can I recommend mediocre food?

And yet…I am.

The Varsity is the world’s biggest drive in. Though this Atlanta institution has been open since 1928 (with a few locations around town, now), precious little has changed in the decades that have passed. The menu is still short and sweet, the prices are still cheap, and carhops still come to your vehicle announcing “what’ll ya have?”. That’s the battle cry here – it is found at the counters and from the carhops, and though I have heard that there is a special ling that you must use to order, I just went up to the counter and winged it and did just fine.

Though the original location seemed totally packed, the ordering process went quickly and easily, with some totally kind and competent cashiers.

Onion Rings

A standout of the meal. Thick cut and freshly fried, covered in a batters o light and crisp that it actually has a pocket of air between the onion and its coating. The onions are sweet and steamy, an ideal counterpart to the lightly crunchy, wheaty breading. It feels somewhat ridiculous to be this obsessed with onion rings, but…honestly? They are totally awesome.

Chili Cheese Slaw Dog with Mustard

I wanted to love this…but it isn’t up to the standards of my favorite dog. The hot dog itself lacks snap and spice, the slaw is rather insipid, and the chili has only the faintest touch of spicy-savory flavoring that the best hot do g chili should have. The bun is cottony and though the whole dog is certainly tasty enough, it is in no way the best hot dog I have ever eaten. Tasty enough to eat, not tasty enough to build a shrine to.

Chili Cheese Burger

Also disappointing – can’t hold a candle to Merritts. Dry patty, somewhat grainy chili, and a spongy bun. Not bad, not good. Totally forgettable – which is NOT what I expect from the world-famous varsity.

Frosted Orange
Luckily, things look up with dessert. The frosted orange is heavenly – like what I imagine an Orange Julius might taste like. Creamy and cold, the first taste if of sweet, rich vanilla. Then, there is the final ending note of orange, citrusy and fresh. It is lighter than a milkshake but heavier than a soda – the prefect addition to a meal.

Fried Peach Pie

And this. Get it. McDonald’s should be embarrassed for selling the swill that they call fried pies. This is the queen of fried pies. A flaky, none to sweet shell that MUST be made with lard or some other oil unknown to us poor Yankees. It is just that crisp and rich. It is filled with smooth, sweet peaches that while some might see as slimy, I know to be luscious. This is one of the best treats on the face of the planet, and THIS I can heartily recommend.

The other stuff? Not so much. Yet, I ate the hot dog. I scarfed down the burger. And the fries looked so good that I wished that I had more room to try them. And, more than that…it’s The Varsity. It’s an institution, it’s cheap, and everyone in Atlanta eats here. There is no better way to really become part of the city during your short visit there, and the vibe is so laidback and fun that I can’t help but recommend it.

Filed Under: Atlanta, review
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