Hazelnut-Crusted French Toast
With Roasted Bananas, Maple Syrup & Spiced Butter
So, lets just start by saying that the eater of this dish is not a fan of sugary breakfasts & brunches. On top of that, he was already stuffed from the pastry basket. Yet, the first words out of his mouth were something to the effect of, “Oh my god, this is so good.” Both slices of french toast were very generously crusted with toasty hazelnuts.
Hazelnuts and maple syrup, they’re a marriage made in heaven.
Chicken Breakfast Laffa
On the other side of the brunch food spectrum, we have this savory chicken laffa. Top a wrap filled with chicken, charred eggplant, red pepper and lentils with one sunny side up egg. The generous swirl of harissa and yogurt aren’t just garnish. With the bite of freshness from the cilantro leaves, all of the flavors come together. It’s a comfort food feast for your eyes and your belly.
If you’re a savory brunch food person, this dish is for you.
A great cup of coffee makes it all better.
The General Muir
1540 Avenue Place
B-230
Atlanta, GA 30329
678 927 9131
The TGM Pastry Basket
Our basket was overflowing.
When we say overflowing, we mean seriously overflowing.
Even after removing the warm slice of chocolate babka, the basket was overstuffed. Any one of these pastries could easily have been a meal for a hungry adult paired with that delicious coffee.
We each devoured a half share of the chocolate babka and cheese pastry. Both were phenomenally good. The babka was lightly griddled or toasted. This provided the perfect touch of heat to make the chocolate melt in your mouth.
The cheese pastry had this divine swirl of sweet cinnamon in that gorgeously rich, buttery dough. The scent of vanilla filled our senses. Visible flecks confirmed what we already knew. This was one dangerously good danish. We were swimming in a sea of pastry heaven and stuffed to the gills… when breakfast arrives to the table. Oops. Once again, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.
This pastry basket was so good, it deserved its own spotlight. We’ll talk about that breakfast that we could barely eat tomorrow.
(Psst… Even the next day, the buttery bundt cake with cinnamon crumb topping was fabulous. And, the cinnamon bun was tender, chewy and covered with enough crackly sugar glaze to double as a doughnut. Each of these treats were generous enough to be a meal or large dessert. The cinnamon bun was the least rich of the bunch. But, that was a good thing. We were ready to overdose with all of that sweet goodness.)
The General Muir
1540 Avenue Place
B-230
Atlanta, GA 30329
678 927 9131
Lemon Meringue Tart
By far, this was our favorite sweet of the day. It’s not just lovely. It was seriously good. The raspberry was gorgeously fresh, the meringue was perfection touched with the toasty darkness of a roasted marshmallow and the lemon cream was light and refreshing. We would have liked a bit more lemon bite… maybe a touch of zest to add some sweet/tart pucker. Nevertheless, we loved it.
The Matignon
(Chocolate Mousse Cake)
The chocolate mousse cake was a pretty little sweet treat, too. Wrapped in thin ribbons of dark chocolate, light chocolate mousse was separated by very thin chocolate cake layers. This cake is roughly 80% mousse, 15% cake and 5% ganache icing. In the end, we both admitted to secretly wishing we’d gone for two lemon meringue tarts.
Almond Croissant
Thin, crisp layers wrap around the exterior of the croissant. On the inside, moist layers with a delicate chew are buttery rich. Unfortunately, the almond filling is quite bland and used far too sparingly. There is almost no almond flavor on the inside. And, the texture is reminiscent of a gritty pastry cream. We’d be willing to try one of their other croissants. But, we won’t be getting one of their almond croissant again any time soon.
Meringue Bears
Meringue Chicks
Too cute.
Jolie Kobe Bakery
5600 Roswell Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
404 843 3257
Hanger Steak & Eggs
The fried eggs were treated a bit roughly. But, the gorgeous kale and hanger steak made this a meal to remember.
Even with all of the bright flavors on the plate, it was the beefy richness of that hanger steak that we’re still talking about today. It was an incredible piece of meat that was cooked beautifully.
Smoked Trout, Kale & Soba
Yuzu Beurre Blanc, Hijiki, Mushrooms, & Toasted Sesame Seeds, Too
It’s now on the list of our favorite brunches for the year 2013.
Paired with Nakanaka barley shochu, it’s a dish that will keep us coming back again and again. We’re sure of it. There’s so much flavor to wake up your taste buds and no nap is needed afterwards. That’s a real win for a Sunday brunch meal.
It was a lovely day that we’ll remember fondly.
Up next:
Treats from their bakery
Joli Kobe Bakery & Cafe
5600 Roswell Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
404 843 3257
Flying Dog Brewery’s Snake Dog India Pale Ale
Snake Dog IPA
Do you ever purchase your beer based on the unique art on the bottle?
Apparently, we do.
This is a pleasantly bitter IPA with a fresh, tart citrus bite.
Flying Dog Brewery
(We found ours at the Tower on Buford Highway.)
Cheddar Guac Burger with Parmesan Grill Roasted Corn
This was a very big & tasty burger covered with generous amounts of cheddar and guac. But, it was the gorgeous grilled corn smothered with shredded cheese on the side made that made us really happy.
Bourbon Fried Chicken
The extremely crisp and brittle shell on this chicken breast was quite unique. It had a very hard, crisp crumbly crunch. That hard shell revealed a very moist and tender interior. Adding a mountain of mashed sweet potatoes and green beans made this one incredibly hearty lunch.
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
The sweet malt, roasty dark caramel and an oaky background made this one smooth beer that was really easy to drink. It had a good dose of sweetness. But, it wasn’t too sweet.
Comfort food and a good beer, what more do you want? Board games and a comfy room with mismatched chairs and a concrete floor to lounge around in while you eat, drink and be merry?
Check.
Thinking Man Tavern
537 West Howard Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404 370 1717
The Salsiccia
Tomato, Sausage, Ricotta, Parmigiano, Mozzarella, & Basil
In a word? Divine.
This was an absolutely glorious combination of rich sausage, creamy ricotta and delicately charred crust with that beautiful touch of smoky depth. More, please!
The Tartufo
Truffle Oil, Mushrooms, Pancetta, Mozzarella, Garlic,
& A Fine Mince of Rosemary
It was pure delicious decadence at its very finest. Thin slivers of mushroom added to the whole picture. When mushroom slices are too thick they add an unpleasant spongy-ness that’s just too much for a pizza. These were perfectly thin slivers. We loved it. They added to the complexity of the truffle oil without overwhelming it. And, the truffle oil had that impeccable earthy freshness to it that makes it the very special thing that it is.
The Crust
So very good…
It tastes just as delectable as it looks.
The last two pieces were as delicious as the first.
Rosetta
We ordered the Rosetta, too. We wanted to sample even more of that lovely dough. The wood-fired pizza dough is drizzled with olive oil and garnished with a pristine basil leaf. They offered to serve it with more olive oil &/or balsamic vinegar on the side, if you’d like to gild your tasty dough. But, it’s delicious all on its very own.
Red Pizzas
White Pizzas
It was worth every second of our (long) drive to the north. And, we already want more. More, more, more… we mean that sincerely.
Campania Pizzeria Napoletana
800 North Main Street
Suite 100
Alpharetta, GA 30009
770 559 4674
Shrimp & Oyster Po’Boy
What’s interesting about this sandwich? It arrives at the table. You look at it. And, you think to yourself “Wow, look at all those fried oysters and shrimp!” But… wait just a second… what’s this? You go to pick up the sandwich and then you realize all of the stuff that should be in the sandwich is piled next to the sandwich. Yes, it’s a perfectly acceptable amount freshly fried shrimp and oysters. It was just a bit odd. It’s a build your own po’boy. Hmm, we can’t decide if that’s cute, weird, or some sort of sneaky voodoo mind game.
Pretty (and properly cooked) green beans, a slice of tomato, and a shredded lettuce sandwich.
Pasta With 4 Cheese (And Chicken)
It was tasty-ish, we suppose. But, it was $18 of utterly forgettable, too. All in all, we’d say it was better than the food court. So, we win?
(If we did, it was a super small victory.)
The Tavern at Phipps
3500 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30326
404 814 9640
The Merguez Pizza
Merguez Sausage, Artichoke, Ricotta Salata, Mint & Tomato
Every element on this pizza was equally delicious and thoughtfully put together. From the finely shaved ricotta salata that melts away to nothing with your bite to the tender crumbles of lamb sausage to the freshness of the chopped mint, this was a harmony of flavors. And, the crust? It was absolutely divine.
The toppings were generously distributed all about the pizza. But, they weren’t too heavy for that gorgeously airy crust.
The Mushroom
Mushrooms, Garlic Confit, Sliced Onion Tops, Provolone,
& White Truffle Oil
The delicate hand used to apply truffle oil to this pizza was greatly appreciated. It was a welcome reminder of just how good truffle oil can be when it’s used as it should be. The scent of it should fill your senses without overpowering your taste buds. It can be pure heaven when it’s used with a gentle touch.
Fever Tree Bitter Lemon
Lovely and delicate, we could drink this every day.
Cynar Lime Soda
Can they top that with a house cocktail? Yes, they sure did. This Cynar lime soda was even better. It was an addictive blend of cynar, lime, Fee’s orange bitters, sparkling soda and a twist of orange peel. It made for a perfect ending to our meal.
STG Trattoria
102 West Paces Ferry Road
Suite E
Atlanta, GA 30305
404 844 2879
EBO
Eggs Benedict Oscar
Brasstown Beef Tenderloin, Gulf Blue Crab, Grilled Asparagus, & Sage Hollandaise
Each delicate sprig of asparagus was touched with the perfect amount of char from the grill. Adding even more flavor to an already gorgeous dish, we polished off the asparagus with incredible speed.
Both the egg and tenderloin were beautifully cooked.
Add one great cup of coffee, we’re happy brunchers.
BBLAT Club
Pork Belly, Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, & Tomato
There are at least three BLT-ish sandiwiches at Sprig. There’s a Sprig BLT, a pimento and bacon sandwich, and the BBLAT. We didn’t realize until we were bites from being done that we’d accidentally ordered the BBLAT with pimento cheese. It was super, crazy, utterly ridiculous rich. But, it was also super, crazy good. And, there’s a side of fried potatoes, too? Seriously? Someone needed a nap afterward.
One of the drinks on the board was “The Saving Grace”. It’s a blend of Redemption rye, St Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram, ginger liqueur, lemon and sage. MMMmm… We both want one.
Waffle Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise & Candied Bacon
In other news of all things wicked, we were almost tempted into making a meal of that waffle bread pudding.
Sprig Restaurant
2860 Lavista Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404 248 9700
|
|
