The NOLA Restaurant Awards

A and I had the distinct pleasure of spending a whole week in New Orleans over New Year's. It was a great opportunity to stuff my face at all of New Orlean's best restaurants. Believe me, I took advantage! In honor of my week in NOLA, I thought I would honor the restaurants who so deserved to be honored.

Best gumbo/new restaurant: Sobou

Sobou stands for South of Bourbon. This fantastic new restauant is in the heart of the French Quarter but away from Bourbon Street. We went there for lunch, 3 adults, 3 children. We really had no expectations at all. It just looked cool and a friend in Atlanta had suggested we try it. But he hadn't eaten there either, so we went in blindly. Boy, were we every surprised. Everything we had was outstanding. The kids announced that it was the best place they'd ever been. And the gumbo! Oh, the gumbo. I was a little gumbo'ed out by the time we went to Sobou, so I didn't order it. But, L had arrived that day and had a hankering from some good gumbo. It was cochon de lait gumbo with a dark brown roux. Man, it was good. Still haunts my dreams. We can't wait to return.

Best appetizer/prettiest restaurant: La Petite Grocery

A and I got to New Orleans on Saturday. L arrived Thursday. I had two babysitter nights arranged for Thursday and Friday. I picked La Petite Grocery for Thursday night. It's regularly listed in the Top 10 best restaurants in New Orleans, and in purusing the on-line menu, I noticed they had an octopus appetizer. I love me some octopus. This restaurant was just beautiful, white tableclothes, soft lighting, lots of windows. A charming place. The octopus was the best I've had in the United States (but couldn't compare to the dish I had in Portugal, alas!). Everything was great. In fact, we had dinner at La Petite on the same day we lunch at Sobou. Big food day!

Stupidest Name/Coolest NOLA Vibe: Feelings Cafe

My friend Gina has recommended this restaurant to me a few times. It's in the Marigny, a popular part of town, just outside the French Quarter. She kept telling me it was beautiful and we should go there. I couldn't get past the name, tho. So I put it off. But, for our last night in NOLA (and the remaining babysitter night), the four of us (Gina, her husband Malcolm, L and I) went to Feelings Cafe. It's located in an old house from the 1800's (perhaps older). It's one of those places in New Orleans that make ghosts seem totally plausible. It had so much charm and so much character that we instantly loved it. The food? It was ok. Not as good as either of the above, but decent. But you don't go there for the food. You go there 'cause it's cool as hell.

Best birthday lunch with my darling son: the Gumbo Shop

Nothing spectacular about this French Quarter tourist trap, but A & I had a lovely lunch there. It was my birthday.

Best Overall Restaurant: Herbsaint

I've blogged about Herbsaint before so I won't gush about it again. Suffice to say: that we arrived for lunch on a chilly, busy Friday. The restaurant was full and we strolled in, a party of 6, 3 kids and 3 adults. L was clearly underdressed: not showered, and wearing work-out clothes. The hostess was repulsed by us and told us she could not seat us for at least an hour. L asked if she could turn on the heat lamps and seat us outside. She relented. We sat outside in the freezing cold, shivering away and I said "this is how much I love this restaurant. I will sit in the freezing cold, be insulted by the hostess, if only to eat this magnificent food."

And finally, thank you to Gina & Malcolm, who put A & I up in their home for a whole week. Having guests is never easy, but Gina & Malcolm were effortless in their hospitality. We hope you had as good a time as we did!

Christmas

It has become a family tradition. Without a doubt, it is one of our favorite traditions. Every Christmas, we have brunch at Park 75 at the Four Seasons. Sure, it's expensive. And yes, one cannot possibly eat enough to make it remotely cost effective. But, it is worth it? Oh, yes! It is so much fun. So decadent and such luxury. And they know us now and treat us like family!

L and I started this tradition many years ago, before we were married. I remember that first time vividly. We were so blown away. The Christmas buffet is just awesome and has something for everyone. Of course, they have a traditional carving station with turkey, ham, prime rib, fish, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and the fixings. But they also have a cold salad station, hot pasta station, shellfish, meat and cheese, caviar. And our favorite: the asian station, featuring dim sum, sushi, korean beef, and tempura fried veggies.

This year, the salads were particularly awesome. The golden beet and red beet salads were both fantastic. As was the Morroccan chicken salad. I think the kale and sweet potato salad was my favorite. Usually, I just get a taste of everything, a bite size portion. But this year, I filled my plate at the cold salad station. And that was my first trip to the buffet.

From there, I headed to the pasta station. This is always an awesome station, but you got to be careful here. I loved the bay scallop and butternut squash risotto. And the shrimp and grits is always one of my favorites. L couldn't get enough of the mushroom ravioli. Good stuff was found at the Asian station. I'm always impressed with how fresh the sushi is. But after that, I was pretty much done.

Not L. He had seconds of everything. The man can eat.

And what of A? Was any of this fun for a 5 year old? Well, Santa was there and he came and spent a considerable amount of time at our table. A was concerned about where the reindeer were but Santa and I explained that the reindeer were very tired from the previous night's activities and were at home in the North Pole resting.

And if Santa wasn't enough to keep the boy entertained, there is the dessert station. Really it's whole room. It has gingerbread houses, a train, a giant chocolate fountain, as assortment of truffles, cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, and a chocolate-cherry bread pudding. What did A want? Swedish fish and sweet tart. Oy!

Eventually, A did get bored. He asked if we planned on staying there forever. If only we could.

But we will be back next year. Happy Holidays to one and all!

The COOLEST Restaurant Ever

Atlanta has a pretty decent dining scene. And, when I breifly lived in Manhattan, I thought I saw the coolest of the cool restaurants in the world (it was Manhattan after all!). But, I hadn't seen anything. On a recent trip to LA, L & I went to a restaurant that blew all of the others out of the water with its cool factor.

The restaurant was The Bazaar by Jose Andres (yes, that's the full name), located in the uber-swank SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Paul, my cool Hollywood friend who took me to the Oscars, recommended the Bazaar. He said it was the coolest place in a town full of cool restaurants. And he's a man whose opinion I trust.

When we arrived for our 8:30 reservation, it was still light out, but when we entered the restaurant, it was like it was midnight...and we were in a nightclub. I immediately felt a little disoriented because I couldn't quite process how this was a restaurant and not a nightclub. I didn't immediately see an obvious dining area. What I saw was a very dark open space with a long center high top table and lounge chairs scattered about. Everything was white or black. At the far end, was an illuminated bar. Lots of people were milling about with drinks in hand. We checked in with the hostess and were advised to get a drink a bar.

No problem. At the bar, quite a scene was going on. I noticed what looked like an interesting cocktail in the hand of the beautiful and beautifully-dressed woman next to me. I asked the bartender what it was and he proceeded to tell me it was a specialty cocktail that included a berry grown only in Japan and sold nowhere else in the world because The Bazaar purchased the entire crop. (Note to self: go to Japan and verify this story!) Each berry was marinated in vodka for some ridiculous length of time and then used to make this exquisite martini. So I ordered one of those.

I don't know if L & I actually talked to each other while we hung out in the lounge area. I think we were both too bedazzled by the spectacle unfolding in front of us. I was particularly taken with the roaming bartender who moved about the restaurant with a cart, featuring yet another specialty drink that had some kind of dry ice. Alas, he did not stop near us.

At the perfect time (just as we were finishing our drinks), the hostess appeared to let us know our table was ready. At this point, I still was not entirely clear where the tables exactly were. She led us out of the bar area and around a sort of room divider and there were the tables! Lots of them. And they all seemed to be different looking. We saw all sorts of diners, young, old, families, kids (we could have brought A!), the impossibly rich and the impossibly beautiful. And they all looked to be having the time of their lives.

The two of us were seated at a long table suited for eight. Another couple sat at the far end. This is a restaurant designed for big groups. Slowly, over the course of our dinner, other couples were seated with us. Before we could order food, the roaming bartender appeared and I was finally able to order one of his special drinks. A frozen caipirinha. My favorite drink from Portugal (via Brazil.) It seemed very serendipitous!

And then we got to the issue at hand. Food. It has been my experience that uber cool, trendy restaurants often disappoint in the food area. Not so with The Bazaar. Everything we had was excellent. The menu was all tapas and small plates, divided into traditional tapas and modern tapas. Stand outs were the Iberian serrano, a hard to find (and very expensive) type of Spanish ham, the beet salad, and most importantly the cotton candy wrapped, foie gras lollipops. Sounds weird, doesn't it? Trust me. They were awesome. I don't even like foie gras! This dish was so awesome, in fact, that in the kitchen (which had an army of staff), one person was assigned the sole task of preparing the foie gras lollipops. And she was an expert.

After dinner (and wine), our server asked if we would like dessert. Of course, we replied. She then led us to yet another area of the gigantic restaurant on the other side of the bar (that somehow I hadn't seen at all until that moment!) We were seated and presented with dessert menus. The dessert area was like its own confectionary. We ordered an array of exquisite, house-made truffles.

What a night! What an experience! Next time your in LA, do not miss The Bazaar by Jose Andres.

Hob Nobbing

For A's 5th birthday, I told him we would take him out to dinner at the restaurant of his choosing. Now, my kid is a little foodie in the making, so he thought long and hard about this. Then he said: "Hob Nob, they have milkshakes." Good call, kiddo. Hob Nob is one of our neighborhood joints. It's a place to chill, have a couple drinks, some good grub, nothing fancy, just a good place to hang out. A and I go there fairly regularly on Friday nights when L is working. Nishon, who owns the place with his brother Gilbert (and they own Gilbert's in midtown, too), is an old friend and it's always nice to go there and be treated like family. The night of A's birthday celebration, L was with us. When I told him that A wanted to go to Hob Nob for his birthday, I expected some objection. Don't get me wrong. It's not that L doesn't like Hob Nob. It's just that L really likes fine dining, and I just expected that he would say "awww, come on, how 'bout Bones?" But instead, L said: "Hob Nob, cool. I haven't been there in awhile." And I have to say, that Friday night, L's eyes were opened to just how great Hob Nob is. Nishon was waiting at the door to greet us. (He had seen my name on the book and listed as 3, not 2. He wasn't sure what to make of that. Did L have a Friday night off? Or would I arrive with another man??) We told Nishon how much A was looking forward to a milkshake and the server immediately brought one. With a candle in it, no less! Everything we ate that night was fantastic. We started with the always-delicious hot pretzels and cheese sauce. Mmmmm. Those never disappoint. L had a pizza and couldn't stop gushing about how perfectly it was done. Usually, I can't get past the delicious short rib tacos. But that night, I decided to branch out and ordered a new entree item: lemon herb roasted chicken with coucous and vegetables. Man, it was SOOOO good! I practically licked the plate. A had the kids' chicken fingers and fries. I have to say, Hob Nob has *the best* chicken fingers in town! No lie. The drinks were flowing. The food was awesome. What else could we ask for? Nishon then brought out this crazy delicious dessert. I don't know what the hell it was. Some doughy thing covered in nutella and served with ice cream. Oh. My. God. Tell me again: why is it socially unacceptable to lick the plate?? It was great night. Thank you, Nishon. Can't wait to come back!

Alma Cucina

Wow! Move over Rosa Mexicano, there's a new restaurant in town, and it. is. good. Ok, maybe the gaucamole is not as good as yours, but Rosa, you better watch out.

Alma Cucina opened in December in downtown Atlanta. L & I were eagerly awaiting its opening because it is part of the Fifth Group restaurants (which include our long-time fave, Ecco), and we were told it was going to be a high-end Mexican restaurant. And we LOVE Mexican food. So we had high expectations.

We went for the first time one Sunday in January. Unfortunately, I had been sick all weekend and that day was no exception. But I had been so looking forward to brunch, that I dragged my sick, feverish ass out of bed, got all dressed up and went to Alma as planned with my two favorite men. I was too sick to really enjoy much of anything. L immediately fell in love, tho. I think it was the house tequila that sold him. Apparently, the owner flew down to Mexico to try different tequilas and ended up having a tequila made specially for the restaurant. It's a smoky tequila aged in giant barrels. You can't get it anywhere except at Alma and they will not sell you a bottle. (L thinks if he's patient and spends enough money at the restaurant, eventually he will be rewarded with a bottle of their private stock. I'm not so optimistic.)

And the restaurant itself is beautiful. It occupies a space at 191 Peachtree, which formerly housed Il Mulino. It has a cool, comfortable Mexican-vibe. Lots of browns and oranges, bronze fixtures, leather seating. The downtown location (I've lived in Atlanta for 17 years and downtown remains no man's land) and parking are a bit of a pain the ass, but the restaurant itself makes up for those inconveniences.

On that first visit, I had fried avodaco tacos and some delicious lamb meatball soup. All very good, but as I explained, I was very sick. So we went again recently. This time I wasn't sick. Oh man, oh man, oh man! First of all, the drink list is incomparable. Escorpion (another excellent Mexican restaurant in town) may have started the trend of really creative tequila-based cocktails, but I think Alma Cucina has raised the bar (so to speak.) The Najaranita (a blood orange margarita) is, so far, my favorite. But I do intend slowly working my way through that cocktail list, just to be sure.

And the food! I have to tell you that a little pet peeve of mine is when people eat at a
Mexican restaurant and complain that is was "too expensive for Mexican food" because it didn't cost 30 cents for a taco. Yes, we can all agree that, back in the day, when you got Mexican, you expected it to be cheap but decent. Let's face it, tho, it didn't blow your socks off and your chances of getting food poisoning were probably pretty high. And sure, you can still go to those hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants and get good, cheap Mexican food. You can also get a burger at McDonalds for $1.00 or you can go to a more upscale establishment and spend $10.00. It's apples and oranges, people. Not all Mexican food is cheap fast food.

And Alma Cucina is of the fine dining variety of Mexican food. At our second visit (or my second, L had been back several times between my fist and second visit), I came to more fully realize how fantastic the food is. For an appetizer, we got these little mini green chorizo slider thingys, topped with mango. They were little bitefuls of deliciousness. For entrees, L got duck confit chilaquiles (pictured above). Now, you really can't go wrong with chilaquiles, even the fast food variety, but this was so much more than that. OHHEMMMGEEE!! Although the portion size is more than enough for two, L scarfed down the whole thing, just because it was too delicious to stop eating. I got the rock shrimp hurachacha (also pictured above) and I think that may have been one of the best dishes I've ever had. Certainly, a top 2 best Mexican dishes. And those little green wedges you see in the picture? That's roasted avocado. Mmmmmmmmm.

Even A enjoyed it. He had some delicious and creative fruit juice (I think it was lime/rasberry) and a chicken quesadilla. Our child is always up for Mexican food. We have taught him well. A couple mornings later, while lying in bed, A said to me "can we go back to that place where we had lunch the other day? That was so much fun."

Oh yes, A, we sure can!

The Red Carpet

So there we are, walking down the red carpet. Lights flashing, fans cheering. When I hear a sudden commotion behind me, I turn and see George Clooney himself! Suddenly, I'm shaking his hand!!

Wait...what's going on here? Is this a dream? Someone pinch me please! It's not a dream. This is really happening! L & I are walking the red carpet at the 84th Annual Academy Awards. How the hell did I fall down this rabbit hole?

To answer that, I have go back to high school Spanish class. I sat next to a boy named Paul and we became fast friends. Who knew that he would end up being a very successful talent agent in Hollywood! And it was because of him that L & I ended up with tickets to the Oscars and the famed and exclusive Governors Ball. Now, that's a good a friend!

The Oscars were cool, no doubt. Walking the red carpet, even cooler. But the ball...that was a spectacle! About half the Oscar attendees get the privilege of attending the ball. It's in a giant ballroom adjacent to the Kodak Theater. Wolfgang Puck prepared 50 different entrees which were passed around on trays through out the night. Baby lamb chops, pizza topped with salmon and caviar, a baked potato stuffed with caviar, mini kobe beef sliders, lobster tacos, skewered shrimp tempura, lobster with coconut/curry sauce over jasmine rice..to name a few. Upon arriving at the ball, we had some difficulty getting any food (and we were starving after 3 plus hours of Oscar!) But eventually, things settled down and the food started coming quickly. We also found a giant sushi bar with fresh octupus sliced to order (Oh my god, that was cool!) And the dessert bar..whoa! Gold dipped chocolate Oscars, a chocolate mousse dessert done in 3D..that was pretty spectacular. My one regret is that I didn't eat more desserts! (Damn obsession with not gaining weight!!) Of course, the alcohol was flowing. But the best of the drinks was the Moet-Chandon Nectar Imperial! Mmmmmm.

Celebrities were floating around and I was floating on air. Tony Bennett said "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." L & I stayed still the very end and then Paul dragged us to another Hollywood party. This one, not as elaborate but a younger, little bit wilder of a scene.

What a night to remember! What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I'm not sure exactly what I did in high school to earn Paul's enduring friendship and generosity, but I'm sure glad I sat next to him in Spanish class. Muchos gracias, mi amigo Pablo. I am forever indebted to you!

Looking Back on 2011 & Forward to 2012

Some great dining memories were made in 2011. For example, every single meal in Portugal, including the unforgettable Gambrinus, where we had the best meal ever. But I also can't forget Cafe Paris in Sintra, where I had a mouthwatering grilled octupus; or the Portuguese stew we had in Belem, and I must give a shout out to the caipirhina and the ubiquitous delicious custard-filled pastry. Mmmm. Portugal was also the place that ignited my love for black pasta. Upon our return to the US, I procured a jar of squid ink and L now makes a fantastic squid ink risotto.

Sure, we had the worst meal ever in Curacao, but the retelling of that particular experience has brought alot of amusement to my friends (and readers.) And the goat stew we had at Jaanchie's in Curacao almost makes up for the worst meal ever.

We also had a wonderful experience at Galatoire's in New Orleans, and what may have been a last supper with friends at Herbsaint. We fell in love with Holeman & Finch in Atlanta, continued our love affairs with La Pietra Cucina, Ecco, and Rosa Mexicano. And, we finally dined at Abattoir. On the home front, I became obsessed with Marcus Samuelsson's African cookbook (The Soul of a New Cuisine) and, I'm proud to say, have learned to make a kick ass Ethiopian Shiro!

At the end of '09, I made of a list of restuarants I wanted to go to in 2010. I didn't complete that list in 2010. It wasn't until the end of this year that I finally made it to Abattoir. And that may complete the '09 list. But I forget all the restaurants on the list, so I'm not quite sure. So what's on the agenda for 2012? Today, we had a spectacular brunch at Barcelona. I expect it to become a regular thing. Hopefully, we can get there at least once during the year for a date night! STK just opened and I can't wait to check it out. It's either going to totally rock or lay a giant goose egg. We will see. I also need to check out No. 246, Cakes & Ale, Local 3, Southern Art, Alma Cucina and I'd like to get back to Bacchanalia & Aria just once in 2012. So, here it is January and my restaurant dance card is already full. Happy New Year to all!