Review Atlanta » Wine

Varasano’s Pizzeria — Brunch

michele — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:43:24 +0000

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

H&F Bottle Shop

michele — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:38:14 +0000

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

Feast

michele — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:10:56 +0000

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

Summer Shade Festival Including Corks & Forks – A Food & Wine Event

michele — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:08:02 +0000

Summer Shade Festival 2009
An artist market & food market with music & 5k run
August 29, 2009 (10am-11pm) & August 30, 2009 (11am-7:30pm)

For Summer Shade Festival Information: SummerShade.org

–And–

Corks & Forks
A Food & Wine Event

Admission: $35 in advance or $45 at the gate

Chef & Restaurant Lineup for:
Saturday, August 29, 2009 — 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Cabot Creamery
Dolce’, Kris Calloway
Geisha House, Kris Calloway
Graveyard Tavern – Justin Bright
JCT Kitchen, Fry Ford
Murphy’s, Gregg McCarthy
ONE Midtown Kitchen, Tom Harvey
PARISH Foods, Nick Melvin
Peasant Bistro, Russell Hayes
Rathbun’s, Kevin Rathbun & Kirk Parks
Rosebud, Ron Eyester
The Melting Pot,
The Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View, Christian Messier
Trader Vic’s, Michael Broderick
Trois, Drew Van Levvan

Chef & Restaurant Lineup for:
Sunday, August 30, 2009 — 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Bhojanic, Archna Malhotra Becker
Cabot Creamery
Canoe, Carvel Grant Gould
Graveyard Tavern, Justin Bright
Holy Taco
Legal Seafoods, John Piper
Livingston, Gary Mennie
Metrotainment Bakery
Rise Sushi, Tony Wang
Serpas True Food, Scott Serpas
Six Feet Under, Nancy Mitchell
TAP, Adrian Villarreal
The Melting Pot,
The Shed at Glenwood, Lance Gummere
TWO urban licks, Cameron Thompson
Woodfire Grill, Kevin Gillespie

For More Information on Corks & Forks: Corks & Forks

Grant Park
537 Park Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312

Abattoir

michele — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:16:16 +0000

Potted Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Pâté with grilled bread

The touch of smoke from the grilled bread play off the creamy richness of the pâté. All at once, rich, buttery, and delicate with an air of sweetness that just barely presents itself. (Possibly from a reduction of armagnac, to dissipate the alcohol.)

Also, noteworthy, the pretzel in the rear was fresh from the oven. Hot, thick-crusted and crisp with a soft, chewy interior, this perfectly fresh-out-of-the-oven pretzel puts the room temperature (resulting in a softer, chewier product) version of this pretzel sold at Star Provisions to shame. But, now I know what a few minutes in the oven can do to these little beauties.

Bread & Butter

Halibut with shaved fennel & chanterelles

This might just be the best halibut we’ve eaten in Atlanta. The harmony of rich butter, the freshness of the shaved fennel and a bit of earthiness from the chanterelles. Lovely.

Abattoir Burger

The blend of beef and pork adds a distinctive richness to this burger. And, a unique mousseline-like quality seems to result from the finely ground meat used in its preparation.

Campuget, 1753 — Earthy, spicy, and complex

Returning Soon — To sample the hazelnut meringue sundae.

Abattoir
1170 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
404 892 3335

2006 Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine Proprietor's Reserve

michele — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:30:34 +0000

The Good: From taste to price, I have a ton of praise for this surprising little wine. I snatched the bottle off the shelf of a local Whole Foods last year. And, instantly forgot about it. My expectations were low given the insanely low price. I’ve never seen an icewine at this price (purchase price somewhere between $15-$20… I can’t remember). Then, I found this bottle hiding on the wine rack. I’ve sampled Pellar Estates, Chateau des Charmes, Inniskillin, Hillebrand, and a couple other less noteworthy. All were over $40 and most were over $70.

First impression: Candy Apple… if that apple were a green apple dipped into a perfectly golden brown caramel candy coating

Then, I taste green apple drowning in sourwood honey. And, finally more complex fruit flavors shine through… sweet apricot, floral honeysuckle, melon, and the ever-present background of sweet syrupy honey with just a hint of barely burnt caramel. The sweetness lingers on your lips long after the wine is gone. Mmm…

The Bad: I notice more late-harvest vidal taste, texture and flavor characteristics than those of the more powerful icewines. But, this isn’t a true negative for me. I like the slightly lighter characteristic of this wine… a LOT. Even so, as an icewine there is plenty of sugar here.

Jackson-Triggs Winery

Wine Tasting by Hemispheres Wine

michele — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:44:46 +0000

Wine Tasting @ Alon’s Dunwoody

Thursday, July 16, 2009
5:30pm – 7:30pm

Cost: $15 per person

For more information & to purchase tickets: Alon’s.com

Alon’s Dunwoody
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30346
678 397 1781

Crane Creek Vineyards Spring Festival

michele — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:11:45 +0000

Saturday — May 16, 2009 — 11:00am to 6:00pm

Crane Creek Vineyards will be serving lunch with wine tastings this Saturday. But, this event isn’t for adults alone. There will be a Kiddie Craft Tent for children and fishing from the pond. Also, local artists will be displaying their work.

For more infomation: Crane Creek Vineyards

Tickets: $20 per person (21 and over) and $10 per person (for those under 21 years of age). Tickets will be sold at the door.

Crane Creek Vineyards
916 Crane Creek Road
Young Harris, GA 30582

Royal Tokaji 2000

michele — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:20:35 +0000

Royal Tokaji 2000

With a taste of honeyed apricots, this is one of my favorite wines. Incredible depth of flavor, it tastes of sweet nectar, reminding me why wine is referred to as the nectar of the Gods. Sourwood honey, apricot, fresh calmyrna figs, a hint of floral orange blossom, orange zest, a bit of tart pineapple, lychee and melon are the most vivid flavors brought to mind by this amazing wine.

Reminiscent of the best Canadian ice wine, but, their cloying sweetness can be a flaw. Royal Tokaji’s strength is in the depth of flavor. Complex layers of flavor prevent the impression of syrupy sweetness. This wine is decadently rich… nearing perfection in my mind. This is a beautiful example of what sweet wines can be… and what others wish to be.