The Half Moon Dolce (Fontina, Capicola, Dates, Walnuts, Honey & Minced Rosemary)

This pie was practically begging for a glass (or bottle) of wine.  Sadly, we were too early.

Note to self:  Delay all future brunch meals til noon or later.

It felt a bit lonely.  But, [...]]]>

The Half Moon Dolce
(Fontina, Capicola, Dates, Walnuts, Honey & Minced Rosemary)

This pie was practically begging for a glass (or bottle) of wine.  Sadly, we were too early.

Note to self:  Delay all future brunch meals til noon or later.

It felt a bit lonely.  But, it was still delicious.

So, we reverted to another pair of vices.

Caffeine meet sugar, doughnuts (or, sweet pizzettes) meet coffee.

Chocolate & Nutella Dusted With Cocoa & Powdered Sugar

Lovely.

Caramel & Pecan

This one was a bit too sweet, but, still wickedly tasty.

That didn’t stop us from devouring every super-sweet bite.

Varasano’s Pizzeria
2171 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30309
404 352 8216

Bundaberg Guava Sparkling Soda

We’re fans of just about all things guava.  And, we were drawn to the gorgeous pinky peach color of this soda.  We weren’t disappointed.  This is guava in a bottle with a nice bit of fizz.  The one downside?  It is super sweet.  That’s ok.  We’ll [...]]]>

Bundaberg Guava Sparkling Soda

We’re fans of just about all things guava.  And, we were drawn to the gorgeous pinky peach color of this soda.  We weren’t disappointed.  This is guava in a bottle with a nice bit of fizz.  The one downside?  It is super sweet.  That’s ok.  We’ll just treat it like a sweet snack or…. better yet, it’s perfect for cocktail time.

Our Favorite Cocktail of the Week:

Guava Soda with Vodka
makes 2

2 ounces of your favorite vodka
1 bottle guava soda
ice

Toss some ice in two rocks glass, add one ounce of vodka to each glass.  Fill with soda.

Cheers!

(We found this 4 pack at the Buckhead location of Cost Plus World Market.)

Next time, we’ll be grabbing a pack of Bundaberg’s Lemon Lime & Bitters.

World Market

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Barolo Chinato (Antica Ricetta di Giulio Cocchi)

This Barolo Chinato was an instant grab.  Instant Win.  Cocchi Barolo Chinato makes a lovely after-dinner digestif to sip… as well as a delicious addition to many cocktails.  The sharp (yet well-rounded) bite it adds can make a great cocktail even better.  Or, it [...]]]>

Barolo Chinato
(Antica Ricetta di Giulio Cocchi)

This Barolo Chinato was an instant grab.  Instant Win.  Cocchi Barolo Chinato makes a lovely after-dinner digestif to sip… as well as a delicious addition to many cocktails.  The sharp (yet well-rounded) bite it adds can make a great cocktail even better.  Or, it can be sipped while eating a square of high quality chocolate.  This makes a simple, yet elegant dessert.

Bitter, touched with syrupy sweetness (in a good way), mellow old world spices with sweet cinnamon leading the way to other more delicately controlled spices in the background.  Rich & old-fashioned… in the best possible way.

Currently stocking a handful of bitters, mixers, aperitifs, digestifs & plenty of wine, we’ll be adding Holeman & Finch’s bottle shop to our list of must-stop shops for our wine and cocktail buying needs.  We can’t wait to see the addition of even more spirits to this lovely little shop.

H&F Bottle Shop
2357 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
404 841 4070

Amargo Chuncho

One of the mandatory ingredients in a Pisco Sour.

Pisco Sour serves 2

4 ounces Peruvian Pisco 1-2 ounces simple syrup 2 ounce lemon or lime juice 1 egg white dash of chuncho bitters

Combine all in a bar shaker with ice and shake vigourously.  Strain and pour into two [...]]]>

Amargo Chuncho

One of the mandatory ingredients in a Pisco Sour.

Pisco Sour
serves 2

4 ounces Peruvian Pisco
1-2 ounces simple syrup
2 ounce lemon or lime juice
1 egg white
dash of chuncho bitters

Combine all in a bar shaker with ice and shake vigourously.  Strain and pour into two old fashioned glasses.

(Or, combine all ingredients in a blender with just enough ice to chill the mixture.  Liquify.)

Chuncho, Fee Brothers, Bar Code & more

Party season isn’t over.  There are plenty of gift swaps, white elephants, Super Bowl parties, and your every day sort of get togethers left to attend.  And, Toco Giant has a nice assortment of bitters to splash into those cocktails that you’re bound to serve.

Toco Giant
(or Toco Hills Giant Wines)
2941-A North Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404 320 9330

This pizza is full of flavor.  Tender, braised shortrib is one of my all-time favorite things.  It has a luxurious buttery quality that underlines all the positive attributes of beef.  The tender shreds on this pizza illustrate that point beautifully.  Coupled with red pepper, crumbled goat cheese and [...]]]>
Shortrib & Lamb Pizza

This pizza is full of flavor.  Tender, braised shortrib is one of my all-time favorite things.  It has a luxurious buttery quality that underlines all the positive attributes of beef.  The tender shreds on this pizza illustrate that point beautifully.  Coupled with red pepper, crumbled goat cheese and roasted garlic, this pizza is a very good thing.  We didn’t notice the lamb… at all.  I’m not even sure there was lamb.  But, honestly, I’d rather have an extra bite or two of short rib anyway.  We can overlook the sogginess issues as they work to perfect this dish.

Seafood Stew

This seafood stew was less successful.  The tomato saffron broth was excessively fishy… in a bad way.  The scallop were teeny tiny.  I’ve never seen scallop this small before.  And, most of the protein in the “seafood stew” was actually chicken.  Not a fan of this dish.  At all.  The soft flatbread was on the very far side of soft & doughy.

Nutella Mezzaluna

This looks pretty good…right?

This dough (possibly the same dough used for the pizza?) is stuffed with nutella and drizzled with what I believe is hershey’s syrup.  Well, I’m using the term dough deliberately because it is still raw.  And, I do mean raw.  So raw that when a fork was used to poke at the center, raw dough oozed between the fork tines.  When we mentioned this to our server, we were told, “Well, it’s supposed to be doughy.”  As a budding bread baker, I’ve  never seen raw dough in a finished product… ever.  I still have unpleasant memories of biting into the raw dough and the unfortunate gag-reflex it induced.

This restaurant (opened just over a week) is very clearly a work in progress.

Hobnob Tavern Atlanta
1551 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
404 968 2288

Wow, this is the sort of meal that should require a disclaimer:  Don’t make plans for today… you’ll need a nap… soon.  The bacon bleu risotto was incredibly rich, buttery, creamy, and smooth.  A generous dotting of bacon added smoke appeal and depth of flavor.   [...]]]>
Fried Chicken with bacon bleu risotto

Wow, this is the sort of meal that should require a disclaimer:  Don’t make plans for today… you’ll need a nap… soon.  The bacon bleu risotto was incredibly rich, buttery, creamy, and smooth.  A generous dotting of bacon added smoke appeal and depth of flavor.   The genius on the plate was the addition of peppery green beans with bits of roasted red peppers.  Fresh peppery beans kept the meal from being unbearably heavy.

Two fried boneless chicken breast pieces were miraculously light by comparison.  The golden brown shell crumbled pleasantly in our mouths with each bite.  It always amazes me when I can use the term delicate in reference to a deep-fried food.  But, it’s true in this case.  There was a lovely delicate quality to this fried chicken.

Crawfish Benedict with sweet potato fries

Crawfish cakes were a pleasant change from the more common crab that frequently appears on brunch menus.  And, crispy sweet potato fries are always a winner in my book.  The one negative:  I wasn’t sold on the creole hollandaise.  It  possessed a cloying thickness that seemed to cover all my taste buds.  With a sauce this heavy, it needs to be applied with a lighter hand.  On the other hand, my honey had no problem devouring this dish.  He ate every bit.  So, maybe it’s just me.

Want more?

Random Oenophile gave a nice rundown of wines they sampled at Tuesday’s wine special.  (A weekly event, I believe.)  They sampled eight by-the-glass offerings a couple days ago.  Check out their blog here:  Random Oenophile

Feast
314 East Howard Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404 377 2000

Chips & Salsa

Tacos filled with crab balls and blackened fish

I’m not a huge fan of tacos.  And, the tacos here aren’t Tex-Mex or even Tex-Tex, for that matter.  They’re just stuff stuffed inside flour tortillas.  But, it is tasty stuff in generous quantities.  The blackened fish was [...]]]>

Chips & Salsa

Tacos filled with crab balls and blackened fish

I’m not a huge fan of tacos.  And, the tacos here aren’t Tex-Mex or even Tex-Tex, for that matter.  They’re just stuff stuffed inside flour tortillas.  But, it is tasty stuff in generous quantities.  The blackened fish was my favorite… if you can call it that.

My hon’s wacky trio:  thai chicken, fried crawfish and gyro

Definitely not my cup of tea, he later agreed that this particular combination was strange.  But, sampled individually with much drinking in between, they were each tasty enough on their own.  (I was told.  I had no desire to try them.)

Roast pork & blackened tilapia with red cabbage slaw

On a second visit, I ordered the Wyatt Earp and The Baja(pictured above).  And, my hon ordered the crab balls (Wild Alaskan), fried crawfish tails, and something else that I just can’t remember.  (He ate them before we could take a picture.)  We both enjoyed the second visit more than the first.  The Cactus (a prickly pear margarita) increased my enjoyment level significantly. (And, we both love that they’re open late.)

Twisted Taco
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road Suite 32
Atlanta, GA 30346
770 399 0991

This might not be the best cup of coffee in town.  But, it’s strong & better than diner coffee.

Potato Cake Benedict with a side of more potatoes

Some might find this to be excessive potato usage.  But, I enjoy simple food for breakfast (especially after [...]]]>
Single French Press Pot

This might not be the best cup of coffee in town.  But, it’s strong & better than diner coffee.

Potato Cake Benedict with a side of more potatoes

Some might find this to be excessive potato usage.  But, I enjoy simple food for breakfast (especially after a crazy night).  So, this was just what the doctor ordered.  And, the potatoes were crispy on the outside and tender in the middle.  I couldn’t ask for more.  The one thing I would ask for next time?  Properly cooked poached eggs.  Both poached eggs were over-cooked with hard yolks.  Mmm… (not) I’m really not a fan of hard-cooked eggs.

Saving the best for last… Irish Breakfast!

Now, these eggs were perfectly cooked.  At first glance, they appeared a bit overdone, but, they weren’t.  Everything on the plate was cooked beautifully with nice golden brown edges & bits.   Even, the black and white puddings were nicely pan-fried and enjoyable.  Irish black pudding with the addition of sweet spices is one of the tastiest varieties.  The plain white toast was the only disappointment here.  We weren’t offered an alternative… I hope there is one.  We’ll definitely ask next time.  I can assure you… there will be a next time.  And, we’ll both be ordering the Irish Breakfast.  An entire day’s worth of food on one plate, we love it!  Why waste your time eating all day when you can get it all done in one sitting?

Ri Ra Irish Pub
1080 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1
(corner of Crescent & 12th Street)
Atlanta, GA 30309
404 477 1700

Hours: Mon-Sun 11:00am to 2:00am

St George — Absinthe Verte

We first conducted a limited tasting of absinthe in June of 2008 with the candidates at our local wine shop.  We tasted Lucid and Kubler.  Now, every time we step into the shop, we see a new offering.  St George will be [...]]]>
St George

St George — Absinthe Verte

We first conducted a limited tasting of absinthe in June of 2008 with the candidates at our local wine shop.  We tasted Lucid and Kubler.  Now, every time we step into the shop, we see a new offering.  St George will be next on our absinthe tasting list.  We’d like to add one more label to the lineup list.  And, our next tasting will include a revised tasting of the first two.

As a fan of old movies, the first scent out of the bottle brought back memories of my introduction and appreciation of classic cinema.  In my teens, I had zero appreciation.  The lack of color, hokey accents and magnified personalities were laughable to me.  But, over the years, I’ve [...]]]>
Creme de Violette

As a fan of old movies, the first scent out of the bottle brought back memories of my introduction and appreciation of classic cinema.  In my teens, I had zero appreciation.  The lack of color, hokey accents and magnified personalities were laughable to me.  But, over the years, I’ve come to appreciate classic cinema.  It transports us to a different time.  A time that we will never know.  But, we are granted glimpses into the past through cinema.  A heightened, idealized version of the past… but, a version nonetheless.

Creme de Violette is a blast from the past.  I can envision a time when this liqueur might have graced the shelves of every well-kept bar.  A time when ladies of the past might have enjoyed cocktails laced with the sweet flowery scent of a perfume that once held favor.

Now, the art of crafting cocktails has re-emerged as an important element in dining and entertaining.  Creme de Violette will fill a niche in a well-stocked bar.  Straight out of the bottle it is overwhelming.  Incredibly sweet and flowery,  you can’t help thinking its edible perfume.  But, used sparingly, this can add lovely elements to a cocktail.  And, I can imagine any number of uses in the kitchen.  Baking, preserving, and candy-making are a few that spring instantly to mind.  Tonight, we’ll be trying The Toulouse.  Vodka, vanilla and a hint of violet…  I’m very optimistic.

The Toulouse
adapted from Haus Alpenz website (see link below)
1 1/2 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Creme de Violette (we’ll be using much less… maybe 2 tsp)
1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 tsp  Absinthe
ice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker.   Shake.  Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a skewer of fresh blueberries that you’ve frozen.

Check out this website for more cocktails using Creme de Violette:  www.alpenz.com