As the first Chocolate Stout I’d ever tasted, I was amazed by the rich and complex flavors. The scent of chocolate is clearly present as you take your first sip. Then, flavors of malt, hops, and bitter caramel emerge. Rich and layered, different flavors course through your mind as you take each sip. Hints of sweet chocolate play off the bitter caramel and hops. The sweet and savory flavor of chocolate also helps to minimize the bitterness of the hops. The combination makes for a very well rounded flavor… not too sweet… not too bitter.
The one negative is a slight chemical taste. It’s a taste that I can’t quite put my finger on… but, luckily it is very mild.
The sweet and savory exchange has been most suitable for use in cooking and baking. I’ve yet to drink a whole bottle. It’s a bit much for that. I prefer to drink half of a bottle and then cook with the other half.
Grade: A-
The Setting: Simply decorated, this restaurant is set in a new strip mall on Buford Highway. The dining room is lined with partially enclosed tables for a more private dining experience.
The Staff: Incredibly friendly, helpful and inviting
The Food: In a word… Outstanding!
On a recent visit to Bakery Cafe Maum, we saw the interesting pie wedge shaped smoker. The smoker was filled with skewered ducks and emitting the most tantalizing scent of wood and smoked duck. Demanding our attention, we had to give this place a try. And, we are so glad that we did.
As a party of two at lunchtime, we weren’t up to gorging on a whole smoked duck. Noticing our hesitation at the size of the offerings on the BBQ menu, the staff quickly offered serving one half of a smoked duck. Perfect! With all of the accompanying side dishes (banchan or panchan), 1/2 of a duck was the perfect serving size for two.
The smoked duck was arranged over the red hot grill, smoky duck fat aromas were soon filling the air. We waited patiently as the slices of smoked duck trimmed in a decadently rich fat reached a perfect golden brown on the grill. It was worth the wait as we sunk our teeth into the first bite. Perfectly crisp, succulent and tender, we knew instantly that we would be visiting this restaurant time and time again. Piece by piece we would pull a slice off the grill and dip it into the Bavarian style mustard or pair a slice with the thinly sliced onions marinated in a drizzle of seasoned soy sauce. Grilling each slice of duck to the perfect shade of gold was the perfect diversion, allowing us time to linger and savor each slice of the rich smoky duck.
Slices of king oyster mushrooms were also provided to grill alongside the duck. Slow grilling these generous slices of mushroom concentrated their savory flavor. These hefty slices of mushroom might be our favorite companion for the duck.
We alternated between tastes of duck and the small dishes of sweet glazed potatoes, stir fried tofu, kimchi, sweet pickled beans, mung bean sprouts marinated in sesame oil, tiny dried fish, marinated bitter greens, and daikon in vinegar. At first glance, we were unsure of pairing rich smoked duck with the banchan. But, it turned out to be the perfect foil for the rich meat. The smoky sesame oil and bitter greens were a particularly flattering pairing for the duck.
Star of the Day: Oak Smoked Duck! It’s all about the smoked duck at Nak Dong Gang!!
Nak Dong Gang (Korean Duck Restaurant)
7130 Buford Highway NE
Doraville, GA 30340
The Setting: A charmingly decorated bakery situated at the end of a new Buford Highway strip mall.
The Staff: Friendly
The Food: While the prices rival some of the higher end bakeries around town, the flavors are a bit simple… bordering on bland and most offerings have a higher fat content than I enjoy. Also, a number of the items listed on the website were not present on the Saturday morning of our visit.
Sweet Potato Tart — The only flavors I could detect were the sweet potato itself and butter.
Raisin Bun with Coffee Buttercream — I am unsure what was used in the making of the buttercream, but, very little sugar (if any) was used.
Chocolate Muffin — Chocolate chips decorate the top of the muffin, but, are absent in the muffin itself. And, the chocolate flavor is far too mild. For such a dark muffin, it’s surprising that there is so little chocolate flavor.
Almond Tart — A cake-like filling has only a hint of almond flavor, but, an incredibly high fat content.
Corn and Chestnut Pound Cake — Very unusual, the corn flavor is quite strong and a bit shocking in this cake with a texture similar to angel food cake. The whipped egg whites give this cake a bit of a tough and squeaky texture. I’ve never understood the use of whipped egg whites in a pound cake. The delicate crumb that I expect in a pound cake is impossible to achieve when stiffly beaten egg whites are incorporated.
Iced Green Tea Latte — A recent trip to New York City (where I’ve sampled some of the best green tea of my life) has me spoiled… I was hoping for more.
Additional Noteworthy Info: Sandwiches are not available on the weekends. We found this incredibly odd.
Star of the Day: Sadly, none…
Bakery Cafe Maum
7130 Buford Hwy
Doraville, GA 30340
Now Playing — Thru February 22, 2009
Written by Julia Brownell
Directed by Jeremy B. Cohen
Starring: Rebecca Blumhagan, Courtenay Collins, Dori Garziano, Larry Larson, Nancy Lemenager, and Blake Lowell
Julia Brownell won the Kendeda Graduate Playwright Competition with this comedic play. And, this is the first comedy to win the competition. This tale focuses on Cookie, a New York socialite, who’s world turns upside down when her son and girlfriend throw her into unknown territory. This play runs 1 hour and 35 minutes with no intermission.
Alliance Theatre
Patton Oswalt
Saturday — February 7, 2009
The Earl
488 Flat Shoals Ave.
East Atlanta, GA 30316
Seafood of Southeast Asia
By Alan Davidson
Binding: Softcover
Type of Cookbook: The first 50% of this book is a catalogue of fish and shellfish species native to Southeast Asia. Simple black and white illustrations accompany each type of fish and shellfish. The remaining 50% covers a listing of 150 authentic recipes listed by country. Recipes from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore are included.
Photography: None (simple black and white illustrations only)
Level of Cooking Skills Required: Basic to Intermediate… Creativity and a willingness to make substitutions with local seafood are also required.
Contents: 368 pages — approximately 115 pages of recipes
Pros: The recipes are incredibly effective in creating unigue and complex flavors with authentic ingredients and techniques true to their origins.
Cons: Asian markets or a really good farmer’s market will be mandatory to find ingredients like cilantro with the roots still intact, water spinach, and makrut lime leaves. Also, a good fish market is mandatory to find ingredients like fresh grouper roe and fish livers.
Favorite Recipes: Grouper in banana leaf, spicy snapper with candlenuts, and snapper in a Malaysian curry
Verdict: This a great cookbook for someone willing to search out specialty ingredients and fresh seafood from a well-stocked fish market.
Savoring Southeast Asia
By Joyce Jue
Binding: Large Softcover
Type of Cookbook: A “Best Hits” of Southeast Asian cuisine, this book glimpses into the cuisines of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. And, I do mean glimpse. While 130 recipes may sound comprehensive, spread over 9 cuisines it’s just enough to give you a taste of each.
Photography: Many breathtaking shots of Asia illustrate this book in addition to the food photography. And, the food photography is mostly top-notch.
Level of Cooking Skills Required: Mostly basic… The real challenge for some might be obtaining specialty ingredients.
Contents: Over 256 pages, 130 recipes and coutless photographs grace almost every page.
Pros: Authenticity and approachabilty are the hallmark. The recipes are relatively easy and explicit. And, the gorgeous food photography jumps off the page, begging you to try and taste. I was motivated to try and recreate a number of the recipes.
The “Best Hits” approach of featuring restaurant favorites of 9 countries make this a go-to book. And, if bookshelf space is limited, this is a priceless addition to your cookbook collection.
Cons: Recipes are listed by type (Small plates and soups, Vegetables and Salads, Rice Noodle and Breads, Main Dishes, and Sweets) instead of ethnicity. And, there is no recipe list by country in the index. So, looking for a particular recipe requires searching through the appropriate section. The index could also be more thorough.
Another issue may be finding specialty ingredients. Even in Atlanta, I might have trouble finding fresh Pandanus leaves (but, I do know that I can find the extract) or prahok (a Cambodian fish sauce). Personally, I enjoy the challenge to seek out these ingredients by exploring every ethnic market in the city or scouring the internet.
This isn’t a comprehensive catalogue of recipes. It is more of a scenic guidebook to Southeast Asia with recipes. Most of the usual suspects are represented and executed astutely. But, some countries get more attention than others.
Favorite Recipes: Cashew Salad, Fried Shrimp with Tamarind, Stuffed Crab Soup with Bamboo Shoots, Festive Golden Rice, Stuffed Gold Purses, and Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf.
Verdict: This is a great cookbook with beautiful photographs and authentic recipes.
The Setting: An American memorabilia theme decorates the Lawrenceville location. A bar with booths, tables and a huge American flag made out of painted baseballs greet you as you enter. It’s a bright, casual and inviting restaurant that has a tendency of being a bit noisy. This is a family friendly restaurant, likely to be filled with young children and toddlers.
The Staff: Friendly
The Food: The burgers are the star of the show here. With about 15 traditional-style burgers and even more options for those seeking a lighter alternative. You’re sure to find a combination of toppings that you like. We’ve tried a number of the options available.
Our favorites:
Royal Red Robin Buger: A cheeseburger topped with a slice of bacon and an egg. *Note* This is not the best option for the calorie conscious. But, it is insanely hardy and delicious.
Bleu Ribbon Burger: Topped with onion straws and crumbled bleu cheese. YUM!
The 5 Alarm Burger: Topped with pepperjack, jalapenos, salsa and a chipotle mayo, this burger has a bite. The salsa has a vinegary tang and a good dose of heat.
Sante Fe Burger: This is easily my favorite of the bunch. Topped with a roasted Poblano pepper, guacamole, sauteed onions, pepperjack, and just enough fried & shredded tortilla strips to add a pleasant crunch. This unlikely assortment of toppings work surprisingly well on a burger. Also, the bun is noteworthy with a bit of cornmeal added for texture and a fine dice of peppers for flavor. This burger has a wee bit of heat, but, still offers plenty of flavor.
Other noteworthy features: All burgers are accompanied by an endless order of fries that they call “bottomless steak fries”. They’re quite good. Thickly cut fries are served up in heaping portions to accompany the burger. I have no idea how you’d order a refill without bursting at the seams.
Star of the Day: Sante Fe Burger
Red Robin
Lawrenceville
1250 Scenic Highway, Suite 1500
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
Sun-Thu: 11a-10p, Fri-Sat: 11a-11p
Newnan Crossing
202 Newnan Crossing Bypass
Newnan, GA 30263
Sun-Thu: 11a-10p, Fri-Sat: 11a-11p
The Avenue Forsyth
370 Peachtree Parkway
Cumming, GA 30041
Sun-Thurs: 11a-10p; Fri-Sat: 11a-11p
Apparently Hardee’s have been making buttermilk biscuits “from scratch” for over 30 years!
A hectic weekend had us searching for a fast breakfast option. We wandered into a Hardee’s and got in line. As we were waiting in line, we saw a man in the back rolling out biscuit dough. We looked at each other in amazement and instantly we knew what to have. We ordered a biscuit, a cinnamon raisin biscuit and a pork chop biscuit.
The Biscuit: Golden brown, large, and brushed with butter, it was a gorgeous biscuit. And, as we tore it open, we knew it would be good. The crust was perfectly crisp and the interior was fluffy. The flavor is rich and buttery. The only negative is a slight doughy taste. But, these biscuits are far superior to any other fast food biscuit we’ve tried.
The Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit: Even better! Layers of cinnamon swirl through the biscuit. And, raisins dot the fluffy interior. A drizzle of powdered sugar glaze complete the picture. One or two of these with a cup of coffee are an amazingly generous meal.
The Pork Chop Biscuit: A lightly breaded & fried pork chop(a real pork chop) and gravy fill this sandwich. We weren’t particularly fond of the gravy. But, the pork chop was surprisingly good. When ordered without gravy, this is probably the best fast food sandwich we’ve ever tasted!
Sadly, the biscuits are only available for breakfast.
The Verdict: If we need to eat a fast food breakfast, Hardee’s will be our #1 choice. Now, if only they’d make better coffee…
Hardee’s — Conveniently located throughout the city
Big Tree Farms — Single Origin Peppers
While shopping at Alon’s Bakery prior to Christmas, we found a box of these gorgeous long peppers. The smell emanating from the box was powerful and rich. We had no doubt to the freshness of the long peppers inside.
I was unable to find the long peppers at my last visit to Alon’s. But, luckily, Big Tree Farms has a website selling four different single origin peppers, Balinese sea salt and single varietal tropical honeys.
Big Tree Farms
|
|
