Cliche Pun on Book Title

The two men behind Fox Brothers BBQ, the Fox Brothers themselves, have opened a new Tex-Mex restaurant in Decatur, Big Tex Cantina. I visited it this past Friday, one week after it opened. Decent wait at 8pm, but expected for a hot new restaurant. We grabbed some seats at the rich, newly varnished bar…and waited 20 minutes to get a drink. All new restaurants experience growing pains, but I would expect a little more from the Fox Bros, considering they already run one successful restaurant here in town. Big Tex needs to staff more than two bartenders on Friday nights.

Despite the wait, the bar had a pleasant atmosphere. Lots of options on draft (Allagash, Terrapin, Dos Equis, Founders, etc). I tried a watermelon margarita, a drink the Brothers have been pimping on Twitter. It was refreshing, but bore little resemblance to a margarita. We wandered into the back where they have pool tables and an area to hang out and drink. I would definitely come back for drinks and a game of pool.

We sat in the main dining room, which is decorated in a bit of a kitschy approximation of a Tex Mex joint- lots of horse hooves, stars, and other Texas errata. Alex commented that he thinks the dining room could look more elegant without the pieces of flair, but we agreed it’s probably not the look the Fox Bros are going for. It’s a restaurant where everyone can feel comfortable.

The food was good, but not amazing. I would absolutely recommend the guacamole, which had more lime than I’ve ever experienced. It was a great pop of citrus. I only had one bite of the queso, but noted it was reddish in color and packed a zing. I ordered the 2-taco basket, which comes with a side. The fried avocado taco was completely different from any taco I’ve ever had- but not necessarily in a good way. You taste the avocado and the fried coating, but it feels like the meat is missing from the taco. Far better was the Tex taco. Filled with brisket, jalapenos, onions and mustard sour cream, it was the uncontested favorite at our table.

Bottom line- give it some time. Big Tex is still working out the kinks, but it’s a great addition to the Decatur scene, and a cheap place to grab some beers and tacos with friends.

Big Tex Cantina

http://www.bigtexcantina.com/

308 W Ponce de Leon Ave

Decatur, GA

Posted at 3:00pm and tagged with: big tex cantina, decatur, restaurant,.

December 15th 2010

Miller Union- lunch

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I felt bad about my first experience at Miller Union. It’s been praised in every publication in Atlanta, yet I still can’t really get behind it. I decided to overlook my initial impression and re-visit for lunch last week.

I arrived before my lunch companion and was seated at an odd table. I’m not sure I can adequately explain it. It’s a hallway with two booths facing each other and four two-person tables in it. It’s the size of an average home’s guest bathroom. And the restaurant expects 8 people to sit comfortably and happily in here? Not even a window? It may be the worst table I’ve ever sat at in a restaurant. I politely asked to be moved, but was told they had no other tables available. I instantly felt awkward as I was basically forced to eavesdrop on the table next to me. I sincerely hope Miller Union will just ditch this seating area entirely. I know every restaurant has good and bad table, but these four are punishing.

We started our lunch with the feta snack. It’s basically some blanched veggies and a feta dip. The dip was tasty, and it was a nice, healthy appetizer.

(Image: AJC)

We also ordered two sandwiches, the fried flounder and the chicken salad. The chicken salad was a little dry, but the fried flounder was exactly what a fried fish sandwich should be. It came with some pretty nice (not excellent, but not terrible) fries as well. I could tell the fries weren’t made fresh to order, and had been sitting under a heat lamp, which I wouldn’t ordinarily complain about- but at this level, it’s a little disappointing.

Overall I had a good lunch, but nothing outstanding. Miller Union is still only an average restaurant to me. I just don’t see the magic everyone else sees, apparently.

Posted at 4:33pm and tagged with: miller union, atlanta, restaurant, two column,.

December 15th 2010

the porter

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Obviously, we all know the Porter has a great beer selection. (or if you don’t know, get there immediately!) I’ll save that for another post.

(image: Creative Loafing)

Less attention has been paid to the awesome food the kitchen is cranking out. I’d especially recommend checking out the nightly specials. There are some crazy-inventive offal dishes, and then just a cool variety of other stuff the kitchen feels like making.

I had the skirt steak tacos the other night and they were perfection. Soft tortillas with high-quality meat, tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro. They had the ideal level of spice, just a slight kick.

I’ll definitely be returning soon to try some of the other specials. Maybe the lamb neck? Bourdain says it’s the new pork belly.

Posted at 4:20pm and tagged with: atlanta, beer, restaurant, the porter, one column,.

December 15th 2010

empire state south

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I visited Empire State South a few weeks ago on a Tuesday night, and the place was still super busy. It opened this past summer, and has probably been the most buzzed-about restaurant of the year. The owner, Hugh Acheson, runs several successful restaurants up in Athens, GA, but this is his first venture into Atlanta.

The restaurant is a little hard to find, tucked away in the ground floor of an office building on Peachtree. The restaurant’s decor will make you feel more like you’re hanging out in a super-chic barn. It was a bit rainy the night we went, but I would love to go back and sip cocktails while playing a round of bocce on the restaurant’s court.

Everything we ordered was prepared well and with wit and intelligence. My favorite thing was probably the “in jars” appetizer. You get 4-6 different jars of dips, spreads etc. (pimento cheese with bacon jam was my fave, also like boiled peanut hummus and the rilettes). The appetizer doesn’t come with quite enough toast points for spreading. We had to ask for extras.

(image: AJC)

I had the pork belly appetizer as well, and it was a preparation I’ve never seen before. It was wrapped in bacon and served with a sriracha-esque sauce.

The wine list is equally amazing, and it contains some bottles I haven’t seen anywhere else in town. Our waiter recommended a good wine for us that went well with food. (I think it was a viognier…don’t remember the name right now).

The service was still a little hit or miss. I’ve read it’s gotten better, but our server was really slow. Little things like not bringing the bread basket until the entrees arrive are pet peeves of mine.

(Also- that bread basket was AMAZING. I actually had a dream about the grilled sourdough the other night. A DREAM about BREAD.)

Be forewarned, it’s on the pricier end for Atlanta dining. A comparable meal at a place like JCT Kitchen would cost about $10-15 less per person.

With all of that in mind, I would recommend Empire State South for a special occasion with friends or family (it’s not fancy dress, but the food is a little expensive for an average weeknight). Bring people who like sharing food and who appreciate a good bottle of wine.

Posted at 4:12pm and tagged with: empire state south, atlanta, restaurant,.

September 13th 2010

farm burger

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Obviously, the burger trend has hit Atlanta full force. FLiP burger was first, up on Howell Mill Road, followed by Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Yeah! Burger, a huge number of others, and Farm Burger.

Farm Burger is the closest one to my house, so I imagine it will end up being the one I visit most often. I’ve already been twice, and both times I loved my burger. Both times I went with one of the recommended combinations, rather than attempting to build my own. With a good number of ingredients, I am afraid of going overboard.

(The #4- burger with feta cheese, heirloom tomato, and Ga Pecan Pesto)

The whole shtick of the restaurant is serving sustainable food. The beef is grass-fed and antibiotic-free. I think it tastes great, but I’ve heard people complain about the grassy beef. For more than you’ve ever wanted to know about why grass-fed beef is better for you, and better for the environment, check out Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma (I’m in the middle of it right now).

I’ve also sampled the fries- found the regular ones to be nearly perfect. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the sweet potato fries. They needed a little more seasoning. The drink selection is good, too. They have a nice variety of beers on tap, and for the non-drinkers, root beer on tap. I do wish they had milkshakes, however.

The only other problem with the place- it’s too popular. The restaurant is relatively small, with only a few tables. It runs on a taqueria del sol-style system: wait in line, order, then stake out a table. But while this system operates near-perfectly at TDS, with a party of 5 at Farm Burger, we were left standing around without a table after ordering.

I’ll definitely be back, but I’m going to attempt to go with smaller groups and maybe try off-hours.

Posted at 10:12pm and tagged with: farm burger, decatur, restaurant, burger, one column,.

December 31st 2009

feast

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This is a hidden gem in Decatur. I have now been to Feast three times, and apparently never blogged about it. Rectifying that situation now. I was there last night for dinner, and it was one of the best restaurant experiences I’ve had in recent memory.

The host/bartender/manager (I’m not sure what his official title is) always greets me so warmly when I walk into this place. I love actually feeling welcomed into a restaurant. Feast is in an old brick building that was formerly an ice cream parlor and a radiator factory. The exposed brick and ceiling beams showcase the building’s history, and beautiful hanging lights and the wood-burning oven in the corner make the space feel warm and cozy.

Every time I’ve come, I’ve had excellent service. Last night was no exception. We were 15 minutes late for our 9pm reservation, and it wasn’t a problem- even though the restaurant was having a small concert that night. The concert actually added an interesting vibe to the restaurant. The owner apparently knew the band, and all of her friends came to the show. This made my mom and I feel like we had stumbled into a neighborhood bar where everyone knew each other. It was a really fun atmosphere. The owner even came over to our table and chatted with us for a few minutes.

Let me rhapsodize about their wine list- it’s suberb for a restaurant of this size. My favorite part about it- they have a whole section of wines by the glass or bottle that are $6/glass, $20/bottle and a section that is $7/glass, $25/bottle, as well as a full wine list. They also have some interesting beers on tap (Left Hand, Brooklyn, Ommegang). I can go on and on, but just check out their website.

The food is so, so good. I literally cannot express how happy my mom and I were last night. We had the crab dip appetizer (lemony and cheesy all at once); a spinach salad with baked brie, pecans, apples and a vanilla bean dressing; and a small plate (basically an entree without any side dishes) that was a trout filet stuffed with artichokes, fennel and lemon and drizzled with citrus butter.

I can’t wait until the next time I go here, and I want to take everyone here. The best part- our entire dinner, plus a bottle of wine, was less than $60, including tax and tip.

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Posted at 1:40pm and tagged with: feast, restaurant, atlanta, decatur, review,.

December 31st 2009

Miller Union

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I visited Miller Union earlier this week with my family. It’s the current darling of the Atlanta foodie scene, and I have to say, I was underwhelmed. The decor by ai3 (they did FLiP and a slew of other new Atlanta joints) was beautiful, but felt very austere. I think they should ditch the tablecloths and some of their other “fine dining” accoutrements.

Miller Union is the marriage of Steven Satterfield (who most recently worked at Watershed, the venerable southern restaurant in Decatur) and Neal McCarthy (a well-known restaurant manager, recently at Sotto Sotto in Inman Park). The service was friendly, but a little slow for our 9pm Tuesday-night reservation. I expect a lot more attention when dining at off-hours.

I wanted to try the dishes I had read about, so we ordered the fried cheese grits and the farm egg baked in celery cream as our starters, the poulet rouge and braised rabbit as our entrees, and the herbal ice cream trio for dessert.

The fried cheese grits were bland. I liked that they were using the stone-ground grits that Watershed uses, but there was no zing in this dish. My former employer- The OK Cafe- does a much better version. The farm egg was good, but it wasn’t the promised “orgy in my mouth” that I had read about on some food blogs. It would be a great brunch dish, but tasted much too breakfast-y for 9pm.

The entrees were sumptuous, and I have to give recognition where it’s due. If I go back to Miller Union, it will be for the braised rabbit over grits. It was creamy, rich and everything I look for in a main course. The poulet rouge involved several small cuts of chicken with crispy skin baked on top. It came with a side of vegetables, and again, Satterfield’s Watershed training showed in his skillful preparation of the veggies. We cleaned the plate.

I had read several people’s account of the herb ice-creams as surprisingly good, and while I found them interesting, it’s not something I’m going to crave. The herbs were thyme, rosemary and sage. I think the dish would be better with smaller portions of the ice creams (I couldn’t even finish mine- three full ice cream parlor scoops…I was expecting quenelles). And I also think adding some food coloring to the dish would help…the only way to tell the flavors apart was the small sprig of each herb placed atop each scoop. Again, an interesting dish, but not one I’d recommend. My mom and brother hated it.

Ultimately, I think Miller Union lacks soul. There were some good dishes here and there, but I didn’t get a great feeling from my visit, and ended up liking Wednesday night’s restaurant much better.

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Posted at 1:20pm and tagged with: miller union, atlanta, restaurant, review,.

September 8th 2009

abattoir

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I’m about 2 months late on this one, so apologies, and bear with me.

This past July I went in to Abattoir, and I had my mind blown. Seriously, make a reservation here ASAP. One of the best new restaurants in Atlanta, for sure.

The restaurant is owned by the same people who own Bacchanalia/Star Provisions. Their concept here is at the same time more and less accessible to the general public. The prices are much cheaper (the night I went, the most expensive thing on the menu was $20), but the food is more exotic than what most people are used to (think: tripe, liver, etc).

The decor is farmhouse chic, and the restaurant is located in the old White Provisions complex, in the same building as the new Room & Board store. (There is free garage parking). I thought the chairs looked a little uncomfortable, but I was sitting in a booth.

I would definitely recommend ordering a cocktail, as they have a fabulous bartender. The beer and wine lists, however, are also lovely and affordable. As I recall, they even have pbr/miller on the beer list.

(note the three different sizes of the same glass)

I would also recommend ordering a bunch of items for the table and sharing them. The portions are not huge, and this allows you to try everything. My favorite item of the night was probably the rabbit rillettes (served with our charcuterie plate, but also available as part of the “food in a jar” section of the menu).

Also some fun, crunchy fried apps:

chicharones and fried ceci peas. Best chicarones I’ve ever had.

The dessert was also excellent. I split a sundae involving lemon and cherry meringue. I’ve also heard good things about the bacon beignets.

I would absolutely love to go back, so please let me know if you’re interested.

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Posted at 11:42pm and tagged with: abattoir, atlanta, restaurant, two column,.

March 3rd 2009

graham elliot

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(I fully realize this is almost a month late-whoops!)

Eric and I went to graham elliot in Chicago for Valentine’s Day this past year. I’ll keep the review succint, especially because I’m starting to forget some things.

There was a nice prix fixe menu with a floral theme. Each dish incorporated a flower in some way. I really loved all of the food we had, but the outstanding dishes were the toasted almond bisque with lavendar marshmallow, green apple, grilled onion and smoked salt; and the braised beef shortrib with black bean, palm heart, young coconut and hibiscus jus:

The portions were all nicely sized, and every dish included a little surprise, whether it was a soba noodle cake under fish, or the candied rose petals with the dessert. I really enjoyed Chef Bowles’s whimsical style.

The only serious downer about our meal was the service. It was possibly some of the worst service I’ve ever had, hands down. I made a joke at the beginning of the meal about how easy it would be to be a waiter on a prix fixe night. Apparently I jinxed us. The servers seemed like they were just having a good time, and if graham elliot wants to be a big player on the fine dining scene, they need to step up their game.

I would recommend going to graham elliot on a slower night where service might be more attentive. The food was lovely, and the atmosphere was downtown-chic.

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Also, I loved the take-home gift of caramel corn. Instead of bread, they bring you gourmet popcorn because Chef Bowles doesn’t think there’s a good bakery in the city. I’d say bake your own bread, but the popcorn was tasty. Eric and I enjoyed the caramel corn later that evening.

Posted at 8:46pm and tagged with: chicago, food, graham elliot, restaurant, review, one column,.

February 8th 2009

Parish Foods & Goods

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After spending the morning at Inman Perk, I decided to walk down the street and check out Parish Foods & Goods. There’s a restaurant upstairs, and downstairs in the back is the market. I had heard good things about the market, so I decided to check it out. There’s a small patio with some outdoor seating.

Inside, there’s a communal table with stools. They have the NYTimes and other papers scattered on the table.

There’s a coffee bar and a variety of fresh-baked pastries to choose from. On display around the room are various home goods. In the back there’s a sandwich bar where you can order brunch and lunch stuff. I had a fried green tomato BLT. Completely delicious.

I’m definitely going to have to come back with some friends for a brunch without my laptop/law school work.

Posted at 3:54pm and tagged with: atlanta, brunch, food, inman park, parish, restaurant, one column,.