We had a great weekend, full of Atlanta restaurant scouting. It started on Thursday night (even though I still have 7 am class on Friday, Zack has no class so we kicked off the weekend on Thursday night, college-style). We went with the Kansan to a New Orleans-themed place called Parish Foods & Goods. The Kansan is always up for trying anything and he's quickly becoming one of my favorite dining companions. Zack loves the Cajun and Creole flavors he grew up with, but I'm always hesitant to take him to sample these cuisines outside of the Big Easy since his standards are so high. Parish is a stylish, low-lit spot in a two-level restored pipe factory. Upstairs is the dining room, done up with exposed brick walls, gilded chalkboard menus, and enormous chandeliers. Downstairs is the kitchen, plus a really cool little market and cafe that were closed at dinnertime (I caught a glimpse since the bathroom is down there). I can't wait to visit sometime during the day to browse the quirky housewares or sit on the patio with a cup of coffee. Highlights of our dinner included the fantastic ciabatta-like bread that came tucked in a paper sleeve; my "sunflower" salad of thinly-sliced beets topped with baby corn, roasted sunflower seeds and sunflower sprouts in a light corn vinaigrette; a dark, rich sausage-and-andouille gumbo; and a pan of Louisiana-style barbecue shrimp in a rich Worcestershire-spiked sauce. More of that bread was definitely necessary for dipping. The negatives? Insanely slow service, a just so-so muffaletta, and a hefty slice of crawfish cheesecake that we had high hopes for but left us disappointed. Still, despite the quibbles, we really liked the place and will be back to try their much-in-demand shrimp burger. It had already sold out by the time we sat down around 8.
Friday night I went to ONE Midtown Kitchen, which coincidentally is owned by the same restaurant group as Parish. Atlanta is full of restaurant groups--I haven't come across a place yet that doesn't have at least one or two sister spots somewhere else in the city. ONE was the debut restaurant of this group, called Concentrics, and a few years ago the kitchen was helmed by none other than Top Chef's Richard Blais, Atlanta's golden boy. It's in a swanky restored warehouse (as are so many of the city's good restaurants). My friend Melissa, an Atlanta native who now lives in DC, was in town for the weekend and this is her favorite restaurant. We sat out on the back enclosed patio with her family and sipped the dangerously smooth ONE Martinis while passing around appetizers. The highlight was a three-inch thick slice of sourdough bread oozing with goat cheese and topped with truffled mushrooms. We balanced out its richness with a delicious tartare of red snapper with chile and lime. My grouper in a fragrant and vivid green onion broth was also light and tasty.
Finally, on Saturday night, we visited one of Atlanta's most esteemed Italian restaurants with the Kansan and his lady friend, "S-word." Sotto Sotto is an intimate space in Inman Park, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite neighborhoods (Parish is located here, as is Zuma, our sushi bar of choice). The perfect tagliatelle al funghi brought me back to my study abroad days in Florence and Rome, especially with the Italian wine that we happily shared. Zack and I also shared an awesome fish dish called "acqua pazza"--halibut served in a spicy tomato sauce with capers over a slice of rustic bread that soaked up all of the juices beautifully.
We took Sunday off from dining, except for a quick trip to an ice cream shop that I was checking out for Atlanta magazine's blog. Then it was back to school bright and early Monday morning. We've been adding a new knife cut every day and I have found my nemesis: the tourne. They're little football-shaped vegetables that must have seven equal sides. They even require their own little knife, a curved paring knife called (what else?) a tourne knife. I'm having much more fun with the lozenge and paysanne cuts, which we fashioned into these adorable little flowers:
We've had a couple more cooking demos and opportunities to taste. One day, Chef M. showed us two ways to cook a New York strip steak: grilling and searing. Yesterday, Chef L. made us lunch: seared salmon with spicy crab salad, saffron rice, and carrot mashed potatoes. He used all of our not-so-perfect julienne and batonnet carrots to make the mash, so we did participate (a little bit) in the creation of this picture-worthy plate:
Today, we were served lunch at school again after practicing tomato concasse (diced tomatoes that have been removed of their pulp and seeds) and more tournes. Chef M. went with Mexican food in order to use our many pounds of tomato concasse in a fresh salsa. He roasted chicken pieces in a chile-infused marinade and served it in burritos with two kinds of beans, fresh guacamole, chili-and-cilantro-flecked rice, and our contribution: the salsa. The flavors were bright and bold--one of the best burritos I've ever had.
Tonight begins the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. I'll be taking a brief hiatus from my food-focused schedule, because after an early dinner tonight, we fast until tomorrow evening in observation of the holiday. Then it's back to the cutting board on Friday to finish out my second week of Skills 1.
Sara! It sounds like you're having so much fun. Yes, I'm keeping tabs on you on your blog. We miss you around here already, though! Next time you're in town, you will have to cook Lauren, Dana and I dinner and follow it up with McFlurries!
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