NAVA

This dining experience takes us to Nava. Nava is another restaurant that is part of the Buckhead life group. The atmosphere is great. It gives the feel of the Southwest without being cheesy. we decided to dine on the patio to enjoy the nice weather. Our meal starts off with Prickly Pear Martinis. They were pretty good, but a bit strong...which normally is not too bad of a thing but all we could taste was tequila and not the prickly pear.

Our appetizers come to the table and we are anticipating another good meal. The trio consists of a chicken taco in a blue corn tortilla, a crab cake, and a tamale. The chef really kept to the foundation of Mexican cuisine.

Our entrees arrive in short order. Angela got the grilled organic chicken breast with Green chile Mac and cheese with red chile pipian. We were expecting it to be very spicy, but she was pleasantly surprised.
I had the Spiced beef trio with the Nava Chile Spice Blend and the New Mexico Chile Potatoes. It was really good...especially the chile sauce on top of the steak.
We both had the roasted banana enchilada with warm caramel sauce and NAVA graham. We were NOT impressed! It was a bit of a disappointment. The enchilada was the texture of a fruit roll up.

All in all it was a very good meal, and we recommend this place!

Pano & Paul's

I'm trying to think of what word or phrase best describes our dining experience. I'm going to go with "OMG". It was a very good dining experience. We were taking advantage of the Buckhead Restaurant Group's restaurant week which turned into restaurant month.

We started the meal with a corn chowder amuse. It was a wonderful way to start of the meal. This amuse was served in small crock and you could taste the freshness of the ingredients.

Next up was the appetizer course. I opted for the scallops in the butternut squash bisque. This course arrived with two perfectly seared scallops in a bowl. The waiter the added the hot bisque around it. The bisque had ginger and candied pecans...WOW!!!

Angela opted for the salad since she has shellfish allergies...I feel bad for her too!

The next course came... the entree. I am very interested at this point. Angela had the sole. it was perfectly cooked. The capers were a wonderful accent to the fish.

I had the sliced sirloin and the beef cake. I was thinking the same thing that you probably are....what the heck is beef cake? I made sure I asked... it is basically a pot roast made like a crab cake. It was juicy and wonderful!

I am going to forgo pics from desert. It was relatively Blah... I had the vanilla bean cheesecake, nothing to right home about. Angela had the Hazelnut chocolate cake...not impressed. The deserts were pretty good/edible...just OK. On a bright note...we went back, I had the cinnamon creme brulee...VERY GOOD!

Ann's Snack Bar

On 10/18/08 we decided to pay a little trip to Ann's Snack Bar. Ann's is an institution in the area and has won the "Best Burger" award numerous years. With accolades like that and those on the web, we just HAD to stop by and visit. Ann's only seats 8 and you had better wait until someone leaves out before you enter.
After about an hour or so wait, a gentleman comes out to the patio and takes our order. Because this place is known for the "Ghetto Burger", I decided to order it. Angela gets her old reliable burger with a few condiments. When it is finally our turn to go inside, we promptly take our seats and I watch our burgers come together. It was a LOT of meat on that burger!!!

My synopsis:
It was good for the experience to say that I've went. Especially watching others make the same mistake we made...LOL.
I can not say that I was overly impressed or that it was the best burger that I have ever had. It was pretty good, but nothing that could not be easily recreated in your kitchen. I would have to put the Vortex over Ann's.

Pros: You get a lot of burger for your money.
Cons: Parking and the wait.

Food 101

(me & "lil" sis)


This recent Epicurus adventure was at Food 101 (http://www.101concepts.com/). Dave and I are good friends with the chef, Ron Eyester at the Morningside location (Virginia Highlands). We were pleased to have my younger sister, Ronnie, join us for this meal. I really wanted her to get a feel of the level of cuisine that we have grown to love. Chef Eyester really takes the "Farm to table concept seriously. The tomato that you eat more than likely was on the vine 3 days before. Your salmon was swimming somewhere about 4 days before you get it.

We arrive to be greeted by Dave and Donna who always manage to make it to the restaurant 1st. I love that! Dave always has a good wine or cocktail suggestion. What a guy! We are shown to our table. Ron set up the wine room in the back as a chef's table.

Our server takes our drink orders and as I peruse the menu, this "Aviator" drink catches my eye... it was really good!

The appetizers were so good! The calamari was cooked perfectly! Wonderful flavor and not chewy. The eggplant chips were extremely fresh and the sauce that accompanied it was a perfect match. The tostadas with the seared tuna...INCREDIBLE! We also ordered the fried green tomatoes. You could taste the freshness of the tomatoes and the mozzarella was made on site. The pesto was a great touch and the grain mustard sauce added a nice suprise to the dish and a great finish.

I ordered a Duvel to accompany my meal. If you are a beer drinker...it is a must try.

The food comes: as I stated in a previous blog, our food is not our own...it's all shared. This is what we had:

Porter- Braised pork ravioli

Sharon- Shrimp and grits

David- Lamb shank

Donna and Angela- Halibut

Ronnie- Meatloaf

Clyde- Scallops

Here are a few notes about the dinner. EVERYTHING WAS GREAT!! I am normally a shrimp and grits snob comparing to what I grew up eating which was more like an etouffe and grits. It was off the chain. The lamb shank was very good and not too "lamby". The meatloaf was the best that I have ever had. The scallops were dry pack Georges Banks that were perfectly seared and served atop of rice with Bentons bacon and pineapple. (Flashback sigh).

We are darn near stuffed to the gills, but we would be doing ourselves a disservice by not having desert. We ordered the pistachio creme brulee, the chocolate bread pudding and the traditional Belgium waffle. The waffle was a trip! All it said on the menu was Traditional Belgium Waffle. We were all thinking "Breakfast". We were wrong! This was a waffle topped with butter pecan ice cream topped with more waffle topped with more ice cream, topped with caramel... OMG!!!

The entire meal was incredible. The only thing better was the company and conversation.

Blue Ridge Grill

The Blue Ridge Grill. http://www.blueridgegrill.com/
This posh get away was a diner's dream. The cocktails were great, the food was excellent, the service was sublime, and the company was great as usual.

This is another "Crewe" get together. We arrive and Donna and David are "keeping the bar warm" for us...LOL! Dave is drinking a Basil lime gimlet...one sip...now I have one too! WOW!

The decor is absolutely incredible. It has a lodge feel to it. The waiting area was like a really comfortable porch. The place was full of rich woods and calm lighting. I really felt comfortable...with 2 exceptions:
1. The picture of the rabbit in the suit with a shot gun...freaky
2. The table next to us where one lady had no idea what her "inside voice" was. (inside joke laugh with Donna)

The food was "spot on". Biggest onion rings I've ever seen...but they were SO good!
It's hard to tell what one person ordered when we go out. We all share and sample off of one another's plates.

Pros: The Food, the service, the atmosphere
Cons: The lady sitting next to us
Rating: 5 out of 5 Forks
Note: Try that Gimlet!

Silk-Asian

One of the best ways to visit a variety of restaurants without incurring the large cost is to take advantage of restaurant weeks when they present themselves. During the Midtown Restaurant week, we had the pleasure of visiting Silk. From that moment on we were fans. We made the trip again this year and had another stellar meal.

I must admit, good service can add SO MUCH to the dining experience. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and his attention to detail was wonderful. The decor was great for anything from a small intimate gathering to a large dining event. For those that are virgins to restaurant week, the restaurants participating create a 3 course prixe fixe menu for your enjoyment.

We begin the meal with cocktails. She had the caramel apple martini and I, the Lychee martini (pretty darn good). Our appetizers arrived in short order. I had some lobster bisque. Angela the smoked salmon salad.

The 2ND course came. I had the shrimp egg rolls and Angela had the lamb chops (inspired).

The entrees arrived. I had the surf and turf (shrimp in a curry sauce and a petite fillet) and Angela the Asian pineapple chicken.

This prixe fixe menu did not include desert. This was a good move on there part because it increased the ticket cost for the evening. I had the Green Tea ice cream...not really that impressed. It was vanilla tasting ice cream with a slight Green Tea taste. We shared the dipped figi apples. It was a figi apple dipped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate, drizzled in white chocolate and covered in nuts. All I can say is WOW!!

In conclusion, Silk was a GREAT dining experience. HIGHLY recommended!

NOTE: try one of the candies at the hostess table. Our waiter was Matt Vega- Awesome dude!

Setting the Foodie Foundation

Good Soul Food and good Bar-B-Q...two things that are harder to find than a good parking space in Atlanta. Atlanta is a wonderful place to be if you are a Foodie (Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.-Wikipedia). The choices are boundless and the array of chefs that are pushing the boundaries of culinary exploration are many (including two Iron Chef competitors and one Top Chef contestant-that I know of). After getting some bad advice, and being disappointed by biased food reviews, we are compiling a list and critique of some of best spots in Atlanta.

Just so you will not be left in the dark, I'll start by introducing you to "The Crewe":

• Clyde & Angela (Bloggers (us)-engaged)- The "youngsters" of the group and travel buffs
  Clyde-Lover of food,amatuer chef, member of Les Marmitons (http://www.lesmarmitons.org/)
  Angela- willing to branch out and try new stuff and hates her shellfish allergy
  
• David and Donna- The lovable odd couple.
  Dave will try just about anything and Donna sicks with what she knows. A very beautiful couple.
  David-A recent Certified Wine Specialist and the person that introduced Clyde to Les Marmitons (our "Wine Dude")
  Donna: Clyde's co-worker and a real cool chick :-) Loves to travel!
  
• Porter and Sharon- The World Travelers
  Porter-Clyde's co-worker and friend for 7 years. Loves to make breads....and is good at it!
  Sharon- Porters wife and consumate world traveler and experiences cultures through food and local traditions.
  
  Back: Angela, Clyde, Sharon, Porter Front: David & Donna