16 Wacky Wine Pairings from Slashfoods

I'm a crazy busy gal this week so for the moment let me just share some wacky wine pairings from Kristine Hansen at Slashfood(thanks to Michael Erickson from Fifth Group for sharing!)

Excerpt from 16 Wacky Wine Pairings:


We got a hold of Stuart, director of wine education at Third Coast Wine Werks and a certified Master sommelier, and picked her brain for some food and wine pairing ideas not on most wine critics' radars. 

Stuart's favorite pairings ...

Gummy Bears: Moscato d'Asti 

Granola with yogurt: "I think Mimosas are great, but some plain Cava works well, too."

Buttered Popcorn: "California Chardonnay ... though popcorn is great with a plethora of wines thanks to its relatively neutral flavor, butter component, and saltiness that heightens the flavors in wine."

Potato Chips: Dry Champagne, "which makes it even harder to 'eat just one.'" 

Olives: "Olives can be tough, but I look to Mediterranean wines (since that is where olives are prominent)," says Stuart. "Greek white wines are great, as are Spanish. Garnacha (red) and Assyrtiko (white) ."

Pesto sauce: Sauvignon Blanc (if the recipe contains more basil than garlic) or Pinot Grigio (preferred pick for a pesto with lots of garlic) 

Ice Cream Sandwich: Late Harvest Zinfandel 

Chocolate-chip cookies: Tawny Port 

Guacamole: Torrontes (mild recipe) or Gruner Veltliner (spicy recipe) 

Fish and Chips: Chardonnay is a wine that Stuart doesn't hesitate to recommend -- as long as it's not too oaky. "Chablis or any other white Burgundy/'Bourgogne Blanc' would work, too," she says.

Pop Tarts: "It's been a while since I had one, but I am thinking Brachetto d'Acqui would be good, especially with berry- or chocolate-flavored."

Hot dogs: Dry Rose if plain, Pinot Noir if with mustard, Zinfandel if with chili 

Peanut M&M's: Tawny Port, a pairing that Stuart confessed to recently indulging in 

PB&J: A jammy Shiraz 

Chicken & Waffles: drier-style Champagne 

Chocolate Chip Pancakes w/ Syrup: Sparkling Shiraz

Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/30/16-wacky-wine-pairings/?sms_ss=facebook#ixzz0sN6PT8Pd

Personally I'm thinking a late harvest zin and an ice cream sandwich sound like absolute heaven!

Atlanta 4th of July Festivities

Mr. AT and I are packing up the car and heading to Hilton Head for the long weekend. For those kicking it staycation style, here are some fun goings-on for you!

At Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highlands, enjoy the 3rd Annual Pig Roast on July 4. A 70 - 80 lb. Riverview Farms Berkshire pig will go into La Caja China, a plywood box lined with metal. Glowing charcoal is heaped on top, and four hours later the pork is fork-tender perfect for the $15-per-person "Meat and Three" deal. Guests can choose pork and/or Big Green Egg-smoked all-natural chicken; three sides of your choice -- house-baked beans with smoked bacon, grilled corn on the cob, Atkins Park's famous potato salad, creamy cole slaw, vine-ripe tomato salad, braised pole beans and macaroni and cheese; Texas toast, three house-made barbeque sauces and a choice of Southern banana pudding or homemade peach ice cream. Seeing that July 4 falls on a Sunday this year, Atkins Park guests also will have the option of ordering from the Sunday brunch menu from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. or from the bar menu all day long. (794 North Highland Avenue; 404-876-7249)

Want to get out of town but not go too far? Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery adds a dash of live bluegrass to its red and white wines to unfurl the 8th Annual Reds, Whites and Bluegrass Brunch in the Vineyards. Celebrate the birth of the United States of America on July 4 over Southern regional cuisine with special wine and gift pricing. $30 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Call ahead to reserve your place at the 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. seating. (180 Wolf Mountain Trail in Dahlonega; 706-867-9862)

Go whole hog and honor Independence Day at the Woodfire Grill BBQ & Beer party from 5:30 - 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 3. Chef and Top Chef runner-up Kevin Gillespie will roast a whole hog. The three-course, all-American dinner is $38 per person (plus tax and gratuity), and SweetWater draft specials will keep beer mugs full all evening long. Beer sale proceeds will pour into SweetWater Brewing Company's "Save the Hooch" campaign for ecological stewardship of the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries and watershed. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. (1782 Cheshire Bridge Road; 404-347-9055)

The Bar at The Georgian Terrace Hotel & Livingston Restaurant will play host to Flux, Bill Kaelin and the DJ Vicki Powell’s two-day event of cocktail sipping, brunch relaxing and pool splashing, Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4, with the added fun of watching the city’s July 4 fireworks from the spectacular vantage point rooftop pool. The weekend kicks off with a party in the bar on Saturday night followed by Sunday brunch specials, including a make your own Bloody Mary bar, and a rooftop pool party until 10 p.m. on Sunday. (659 Peachtree Street NE, Midtown)

Want the traditional Atlanta experience (well at least the traditional one of my 4th of July's past?), head to Lenox Square for the largest fireworks show in the Southeast. On the 4th, enjoy the Kids Zone play area opening at 12 p.m. Musical entertainment from City Heat and Party on the Moon (who I can vouch for as totally awesome) begins at 6 p.m. And, of course, fireworks are scheduled to begin at approximately 9:40 p.m. (Lenox Square, 3393 Peachtree Rd., N.E., 404.233.6767)

Two Urban Licks $21 Fourth of July menu features all-you-can-eat Texas Style BBQ with complimentary beer and wine, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Reservations required.

Calorie Bombs - thisiswhyyourehuge.com

Two weeks of healthier than normal eating (limited alcohol, sweets, bread, etc) and here I am exactly the same. In the spirit of that, here are calorie bombs I wish I could be eating - http://thisiswhyyourehuge.com/. I quite frankly would really like to dive into that PB Tower of Power dessert!

How I long for the days when I dove into my sorority's chicken finger Friday with nary a thought of caloric intake. Seriously getting older is the pits for a variety of reasons, but seriously having to watch what I eat is one of the greatest bummers my world has ever know.

Yeah, yeah, I know, healthy food can taste great, but seriously, I just want to dive head first into a mountain of peanut butter, chocolate, and dulce de leche!

Now off to eat my sensible turkey chili lunch (which is in fact quite tasty and super easy to whip up in a slow cooker!)...

Restaurant Review: Tap's new menu

Photocredit: Our Labor of Love

Way, way back when I had a bad experience at Tap (they dared to charge me for additional pretzels for my pimento cheese dip!) Fortunately those days are long past, and I was very pleasantly surprised when I sampled some of their new menu items at yesterday's media preview.

Pickled cauliflower and carrots are a piquant and addictive bar treat. I could definitely see myself scarfing these down with one of their many on tap brews. Think there's nothing new to do with deviled eggs? Au contraire, Tap's country ham and cheese deviled eggs were certainly reminiscent of the classic but took it to a new level. Don't be surprised if someone smacks your hand out of the way to get to them.

Photocredit: Our Labor of Love

Fried oysters and Rockefeller toast were just as delish as they sound. Maybe not as mind blowing as Serpas' or Holeman & Finch's take, but still so very good. The toast in particular is beyond rich and a nice counterpoint to the crispy on the outside juicy on the inside little mollusks.

My main course was a lamb panini, served with goat cheese, arugula, basil, cucumber, and apple jam. This was one seriously good sandwich. The roasted lamb was tender and thinly sliced, and the apple jam added a wonderful sweetness. I opted for spicy cucumbers on the side. Theoretically a great pairing, although I found some, but not all, of the cukes to have a slightly bitter after-taste. Even better for $10, it's 2-days worth of eating, at least for a not starving diner. I had the leftovers today (minus the post-refrigerator soggy bread), and it was just as good as yesterday.

The chef, Adrian Villarreal, popped by our table. Like others on staff, he was wearing a shirt to support his fave World Cup team - in his case, his home team of Mexico. Must say he was pretty darn cute - maybe an entrant for the next Adventurous Tastes Atlanta's Hottest Chef contest?

So all in all, very impressive. I've been so used to hating on Tap, but it's time to change my tune. I don't work right in that area, so I usually avoid the traffic madness, but for a happy hour or a casual meal, this place is a great option.

Random thought: for those on the prowl, you could head to the bar's bustling scene and snag yourself an oh so successful lawyer from King & Spalding, which is just upstairs. Surely on the rare occasion when they're not tethered to their desks, they pop down for a beer?

If you are heading over, note that they have free valet, so be sure to use that and not the exorbitant parking over at Colony Square!

Tap

1180 Peachtree Street Northeast

Atlanta, GA 30309-3531

To Wait or Not to Wait?

Seeing stories about yet another round of lunatics early adopters waiting in line for the latest and greatest iPhone reminded me of an article in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago about the trend of NYC restaurants not taking reservations. The gist of the article is that many restaurants, citing the expense of maintaining a reservations system, are foregoing reservations altogether.

This is nothing new in the realm of casual dining – nobody expects the Pancake House to hold a table for your Sunday morning carb-binge. However, the article claims that more upscale places are ditching reservations too. As much as I don’t like it, I can’t blame ‘em. In NYC, the hottest restaurants will never run out of customers willing to wait for a table. And if those folks wait while knocking back $14 cocktails at the restaurant’s bar, all the better.

Still, while I may understand this trend, I don’t like it. Exhibit A: while visiting our old NYC stomping grounds over Memorial Day weekend, Lindsey and I visited Torrisi (click here for Lindsey’s full writeup), a hot new Italian place in Nolita, right across from my old apartment. Boasting no more than 20 seats and serving only a prix fixe, multi-course meal, this place doesn’t turn tables over quickly. Easy enough if they took reservations, but Torrisi is first-come, first-served.

Our meal at Torrisi was great, but we had to plan our night by ear because we didn’t know whether we’d get a table, and how long we’d have to wait. That meant making a backup reservation at a nearby restaurant, going to Torrisi, and canceling the backup once we were told the wait would be an hour -tolerable since we were with good company and in a city where a wine bar is never too far away. Still, another restaurant (sorry, Pulino’s!) lost out because Torrisi doesn’t want to bother with reservations. On that same weekend, we tried to get into Wilfie and Nell, another hot new restaurant, and ended up eating at our backup because Wilfie and Nell was a standing room only affair.

On the other hand, though we waited around for our table at Torrisi, it’s quite possible that if they did accept reservations, we wouldn’t have called far enough in advance to get one. It’s up to you to decide which of these is the lesser of two evils, but personally, I prefer the predictability of having a reservation.

I can’t see the no reservations trend making its way to Atlanta. In our sprawling metropolis, people aren’t going to drive 45 minutes to a place like Rathbun’s with no guarantee of getting a table. In addition, my theory is that reservations help lock a diner into a restaurant, making it more likely they’ll show up for their reservation instead of seated in a competitor’s place or on their own couch. In other words, Atlanta’s restaurants can’t rely on walk-ins alone.

So fear not, Atlanta foodies: “No Reservations” is likely to remain nothing more than Anthony Bourdain’s way to remind you that your desk job sucks.

Cocktails at Alto Rex

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Melissa Libby, I got to check out the roof bar, AltoRex, on the roof of the Hotel Palomar in Midtown for cocktails last weekend. Being an not quite young married lady, I’m not big in the bar scene these days, so it was a lovely change from the norm to enjoy such

Fortunately the weather cooled down enough to enjoy a relaxing evening in the lovely outdoor space. The decor is both posh and relaxed, organic and urban. The chic green and white sofas and cabanas reminded me of my beloved Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.

Mr.AT and I settled into a sofa near a dwindling office happy hour. As time passed, the crowd shifted from a post-work happy hour scene to more see-and-be-seen. I chose a Summer Down South, with fresh watermelon juice and cucumber vodka – so refreshing and light. A truly perfect summer cocktail, especially as it was completely devoid of the cloying sweetness of fruity martinis elsewhere. Always the Manhattan lover, Mr. AT opted for a Cherry Apple Sour, mixing bourbon with black cherry jam and apple juice.

Since we’d already had dinner, we nibbled on a plate of cannolis for dessert. No sooner had the plate been sat down on our table, than the greedy little fingers of a lingering happy hour guest swooped in, with an exclaim of, “ooh I love cannolis.” The cannoli was perched perilously between his lips before we could convince him that it was in fact our dessert. Embarrassed he offered it back to us, but call me crazy, but prefer my cannolis unscathed by the lips of strangers!

Alto Rex shares a kitchen, and chef Keira Moritz, with Pacci downstairs, so it came as no surprise that the cannolis were wonderful. Crisp on the outside, and a creamy wonder inside. My healthy eating kick for the week was thrown out the window in favor of these addictive treats. What was surprising, though, is that Moritz herself hand delivered two new cannolis for us to share to make up for the earlier cannoli incident.

Some may recall that Moritz was one of the chefs nominated for Atlanta’s Hottest Chef. Not only is she awfully talented and cute, but she was also very gracious to us, complete with an oh so sweet little Southern accent.  I hear she may have had the opportunity to go on Top Chef but wasn’t enticed by reality fame. But seriously someone put this lady on the show – there is a serious dearth of charming or attractive ladies on there season after season.

All in all a lovely little date night for Mr. AT and me. I’d highly recommend Alto Rex for post work cocktails or even a little evening prowling – it definitely seemed like the kind of place doing a little cocktailing and flirting.

Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week

I recently attended a party to celebrate Downtown Restaurant Week, which has been supersized from a piddly one-week to a whopping two discount filled weeks from July 26 - August 8. At the party, I stuffed my face with tasty treats from the likes of Spoon (technically more west midtown than downtown, but who's counting?), Pittypat's Porch, and Paschal's, and you can too soon enough.

Get 3-course dinners for $25 or $35 at restaurants including:

• French American Brasserie (home of Adventurous Tastes Atlanta's Hottest Chef Stephen Sharp)
• No Mas Cantina
• Peasant
• Social
• Legal Seafood
• BLT Steak (I went for restaurant week last year, and it was delish!)
• Il Mulino
• Sun Dial

...and loads more

I'm always aggravated when restaurants pull out their b-list menu items for restaurant week, but from a quick glance, it appears that many restaurants are whipping out the big guns. At BLT, Ray's in the City, or Ruth's Chris, enjoy steak or select a great piece of fish from French American Brasserie, The Peasant, or Meehan's Public House,or tuck into lobster at Thrive.

See the complete list and menus here.

News Roundup

Now that Truex is at Watershed, Repast is not long for this world. Head there by tomorrow to say goodbye...

Don't forget give props to your dad on Sunday. Relieve him from grilling duty and man the grill for yourself. He's sure to love this, this or this and then cool off with a Gentleman Johnson
or a brewsky sangria.

Don't want to cook? Treat dad to father's day dining at Park Tavern, Two Urban Licks, or Max Lager's.

I'm jonseing for shaved ice.

Everyone's abuzz about the latest burger joints - Yeah! Burger and Farm Burger.

Hands on Atlanta hosts the Great Atlanta CakeOff - June 19

Help Hands On Atlanta celebrate 20 years of service to our fair city at their birthday bash on June 19 at the Defoor Centre and enjoy the first ever Great Atlanta CakeOff. Tickets are on sale at www.HandsOnAtlanta.org.


At the CakeOff you can watch some of Atlanta's best pastry chefs as they design original, multi-tiered cakes. The competition kicks off with a Spectator Exhibition from 2 – 5 p.m. Public tickets are available for $10 each (children under 12 are free). 


For those seeking a more sophisticated evening, patron tickets are available for $125 and include a private fine wine tasting reception at 6:00 p.m. The Hands On Atlanta Birthday Bash gets underway at 7:00 p.m., featuring a silent auction, live music and art performances, raffle and hearty gourmet food and a cash bar. Tickets for the Birthday Bash cost $50.  

Event Timeline:

Spectator Exhibition: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. 
 Private Patron Reception: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
 Birthday Bash: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m 
CakeOff participants include pastry chefs from the Ritz Carlton Buckhead, The Cake Closet, Edible Greetings and Lynlee Cakes.

The Dish (NY Edition): Casa Mono Sweetbreads

Great googly moogly, if Casa Mono sweetbreads don't convince you to that offal can be, well awfully delicious, then nothing will. Mr. AT and I, now two years past our NY days, still discuss these crispy little glands with something approaching worship. Salty, crispy perfection on the outside, rich and creamy inside. It's like fois gras fried chicken. Yes, Virginia, there is a santa claus, and he's dishing up the best damn sweetbreads EVER.

I try sweetbreads every time I see them on a menu in hopes of once again achieving such foodie nirvana, but alas, nary a one has compared. Some serve them too chewy, some under-seasoned, but I've had Casa Mono's enough time to say without a doubt that they are perfection every single time.


And as if that's not enough, the licorice flavor of fennel cuts through the richness and offers a wonderful contrast. Bliss!

A healthier take on eggplant parmesan

One of my childhood fave comfort foods was eggplant parmesan. Alas the fried cheesiness of it isn't quite in keeping with my current efforts to eat a teensy bit healthier. So I was eager to try this healthier take on the Italian classic. It's not fried, lighter on the cheese and includes swiss chard to up the veggie quotient.

Although not all that difficult, this dish was fairly time consuming to prepare, so I'd recommend it for a weekend or prep in advance and cook the next day. As it was, Mr. AT and I didn't sit down to eat until after 9, convincing me that the recipes I'd been picking lately are a wee bit too ambitious for work nights. Now aiming for a much more appealing 30-45 minute maximum time!

Fortunately the result was worth it. Creamy and filling without being gloopy (it's a word if I say it is!). It's no competition for the real thing, but it's a viable stand in if you want eggplanty goodness without the whopping calorie count.

Eggplant Parmesan Rolls with Swiss Chard and Fresh Mint
by Molly Stevens

Yield: Makes 6 servings

ingredients

2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Coarse kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center ribs removed
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 15- to 16-ounce can tomato sauce
1 8-ounce ball fresh water-packed mozzarella,* drained, thinly sliced

preparation

Cover bottom and sides of each of 2 large colanders with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices in each colander, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all eggplant slices are used. Place each colander over large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt; dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Position oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil. Broil 1 sheet at a time until eggplant slices are tender and beginning to brown, watching closely and removing eggplant slices as needed if cooking too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool eggplant while preparing filling.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add chard to pot and boil just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Squeeze chard very dry, then chop coarsely. Squeeze chard dry again between paper towels. Whisk eggs and pinch of coarse salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped chard, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, mint, and black pepper.

Lightly oil 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread half of tomato sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Divide chard-ricotta filling among eggplant slices, placing about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each. Starting at 1 short end of each, loosely roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, atop sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over. Place mozzarella slices in single layer over rolls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake eggplant Parmesan rolls, covered with foil, until heated through, about 30 minutes if freshly made or 40 minutes if refrigerated. Uncover and bake until brown in spots and sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Atlanta dining options galore!

Yeah Burger Opens Tomorrow

Shaun Doty's much anticipated westside burger outpost - Yeah! Burger opens tomorrow - June 10. Next up, his second outpost will open up in the old California Auto Buff space in Virginia Highlands. Burgers, burgers and more burgers!

10th Annual Chocolate 2010

This fundraiser for the  Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) presented by FUZE takes place on Thursday, June 17 at Villa Christina in Dunwoody from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Tickets are $75 in advance and $85 at the door.  An exclusive VIP experience is available for $125.  For more information and to place ticket orders, visit www.chocolateforcf.org or georgia.cff.org, or contact Jennifer Hagen at 404-325-6973 or jhagen@cff.org.  Villa Christina is located at Perimeter Summit at 4000 Summit Boulevard. 

Participants include 4th & Swift, Bacchanalia, Floataway, Pacci and Rathbun's.

Marcus Samuelsson at Macy's North Point Mall

WHAT:
Chef Marcus Samuelsson will give a free lesson in new American cuisine inspired by the recipes from his latest cookbook, NEW AMERICAN TABLE. Following his cooking demo, Marcus will be available to meet customers and sign copies of his cookbook, which will be available for purchase the day of the event.

WHO:
Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden and his international background continues to influence his cooking. When he arrived in the U.S., Marcus made his mark at restaurants such as Aquavit. His impressive list of awards and accolades includes three awards from the James Beard Foundation.

RSVP:
The event is free. Seating is limited. Please call 1.888.MacysNY to reserve a space. For more information, follow @culinarycouncil on Twitter or visit www.macys.com/culinarycouncil

WHEN:
Thursday, June 17, 2010
6:30 PM

WHERE:
Macy’s at North Point Mall

1000 North Point Circle
Alpharetta, GA 30022-4853

MORE INFO:
http://pitch.pe/67036

Food Entrepreneurs: High Cotton Bakery

A dark chocolate muffin vs. stale crackers from last week's lunch? It's an easy choice, right? Fortunately, Virginia from High Cotton Bakery will bring fresh baked muffins right to your office, so you don't even have to stop updating your Facebook status working diligently to enjoy a mid-day sweet treat!

Virginia Abell whips up her muffins at Irwin Street Market, but if you want one, the best way is to have her visit your office. Like a baked good angel, she'll show up just when you're jonesing for a treat to get you through the day.

Forget the dry, dense muffins you find elsewhere. High Cotton Bakery muffins are light and full of yummy goodness - you will definitely not stop at just the muffin top. Sort of like a cupcake minus the icing, which means you can eat it any time of day, right?

Her specialty is classic blueberry, but I liked the dark chocolate coconut even better. Unusual and sweet but not cloying was a bright green pistachio variety. She makes an array of flavors and changes seasonally, so you never know what's coming your way. I hear the fall pumpkin version is to die for! And her chocolate chip cookies are divine, too, if that's more your speed.

Skipped breakfast? Tired of mid-day vending machine trips? Don't need any excuse to eat sweets? Email Virginia and arrange for her to visit your office! 

High Cotton Bakery
virginia.abell@gmail.com
Twitter: HighCotton_ATL

 

Odds and Ends

Lindsey is away on business (in NYC, lucky girl!), so I thought I'd share a few of today's more offbeat food-related stories:

A man in New Zealand crashed funerals for the food. It seems that this Kiwi with a taste for the macabre (har, har) was bringing his own tupperware so that he could take some food to go.

In more oddness south of the Equator, an Australian restaurant has started giving diners who clean their plates a 30% discount. Diners who fail to eat all of the food on their plates not only have to pay more, but are told to go elsewhere next time. Since this restaurant apparently specializes in food that is "free of gluten, dairy, sugar and eggs," people who like their food with flavor will probably go elsewhere in the first place.

Finally, from the land where weird is the norm, it seems that Denny's restaurants in Japan have gone upscale, with a "special truffle menu." The equivalent of $15 will get you "Beef Rossini style with liver pie, a dish of New Zealand Beef topped with foie gras and sliced truffles, served with a red wine demi-glace reduction." Eating foie gras at a Denny's seems like the kind of challenge contestants on a Japanese game show would be subjected to - I think I'll stick with a Grand Slam breakfast.

Upcoming Atlanta Dining Events

A few dining events to tickle your palate:

Aqua Blue Tailapalooza

Just kicked off Tuesday and lasts all month. During this time, the Roswell restaurant features a special menu dedicated to lobster dishes along with its award-winning à la carte and Blue Ribbon Sushi menus. Tailapalooza’s menu begins with some savory starters including roast lobster bisque ($6), Maine lobster roll ($8) and butter poached lobster salad ($9).  This year, Aqua blue is also offering a special Tailapalooza drink specials. Aqua blue is located at 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road; 770-643-8886. www.aquablueatl.com

Supper Club to Benefit Atlanta Food Bank at Shaun's and Yeah Burger
The popular charity dining event is heading to two Shaun Doty owned eateries on on Wednesday, June 16, 2010.Yeah Burger opens June 10 in the White Provisions complex. Dine at either restaurant that night and 20% goes to the Atlanta Food Bank.

Philanthropy Week at Morton's Steakhouse
Both Atlanta locations of the restaurant are partnering with Atlanta charities by offering a special prix fixe menu in addition to the regular dinner menu from June 14 – 18. The special menu will cost $75 per person, and $25 from each of these menus sold goes to the charity chosen for that particular evening. The menu includes the choice of a Caesar salad, Morton’s salad or sliced beefsteak tomato salad; the choice of a single cut filet mignon, ribeye steak, Cajun ribeye steak, broiled salmon filet or jumbo lump crab cakes; mashed potatoes or Lyonnaise potatoes; sautéed garlic green beans or grilled jumbo asparagus; and Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake or New York cheesecake for dessert.

The charity beneficiaries are as follows:

• Monday, June 14: Operation Homefront
• Tuesday, June 15: Give a Lift Foundation
• Wednesday, June 16: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
• Thursday, June 17: Ovarian Cancer Institute
• ·Friday, June 18: Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia

Fried and Gone to Heaven at Ecco
On June 17 head to Ecco for twice fried frites, topped with craime fraiche and caviar paired with five sparkling wines from around the world. All this decadent goodness can be yours for $30 and get 15% off your tab if you stay for dinner.

NY Restaurant Review: Torrisi

And to think, if Mr. AT had stayed in his old Nolita apartment just a bit longer, we could have been mere steps away from a totally kick ass Italian restaurant instead of the slew of craptastic Little Italy red sauce joints. Torrisi didn't open its doors until about 8 months ago - long after my departure - so this weekend was my first chance to dine there.

It's seriously tiny, seating only about 20 people at a time, which for a well-regarded NY restaurant means serious waits. Fortunately they're willing to take your cell number, so we popped over to Epistrophy on Mott St., an adorable little wine bar. Forty-five minutes later we were seated in the quaint, old-school dining room. At Torrisi, there's only one menu on offer - a multi-course, reasonably priced $50/pp Italian feast that changes nightly. Your only choice is between two entrees, typically a meat and a fish.

I must say I love this trend of low key restaurants a la Ad Hoc and now Torrisi that take all the decisions out of the equation and just make one meal really, really well each night. Without fail, these establishments cultivate a you're-at-home-but-better vibe, complete with adorably mismatched dishware. Of course, that could all go terribly wrong if the food is bad, but nary a one of the multiple dishes we sampled was anything less than fantastic!

We started bruschetta and homemade mozzarella - simultaneously creamy and chewy, floating in a pool of olive oil with a heavy dose of salt that just made it all the more scrumptious. Seriously, I want to marry this mozzarella (sorry Mr. AT, it's just that good).

Next up was a fennel and sausage salad of sorts and lightly fried spring onions. The licorice flavor of the fennel, which I sometimes find too much, was an appealing foil to the rich sausage slices. And who knew that essentially tempura spring onions were so darned incredible? Light and crisp with none of the leaden density of onion rings, I could have eaten the whole plate of onions. The spicy remoulade was a decadent accompaniment. Definitely a much more nuanced and compelling take on a bloomin' onion!

The portion sizes were perfect, too. For four people each dish was enough to get the full experience of the flavors without filling up too much for the next delight to hit the table.

The pasta fagioli with miso and maitakes was an unusual combination of flavors for Italian cooking, but worked just the same. The miso broth was wonderfully light and made for a particularly comforting pasta dish, akin to a much more exciting chicken noodle soup. The beans were especially wonderful - huge and hearty but again not overly filling. This is what I want next time I'm under the weather, darling hubby take note!

We all four opted for the island duck and rabe with mulberry mustard over thefish, which was actually skate and not the tilefish listed on the board. Duck is not my favorite protein - too often it's overly fatty for me. But this duck was juicy without being a blubbery mess. The crisp bread crumbs balanced the tender, sweet meat, and I devoured every last bite despite the many dishes that came before it.

Such a remarkable feast wouldn't be complete without dessert. For the final course, Torrisi served up a plate of Italian treats, including cannoli, brittle, tricolors, nutty chocolates, and cream puffs. All were very good, but my personal fave were the tricolors. They were so juicy with the flavors of of amaretto and almond - my kind of combination. I might just need to make some of these myself - here's a recipe I found if you want to replicate!

So if it's not obvious, I can simply not say enough good things about Torrisi. Great atmosphere, great food, great price (for NY at least) My only complaint? I prefer places that take reservations, but I can live with waiting for food this good!

Sigh...can someone please open a place exactly like this in my current hood?

Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry St (at Prince St.)
New York, NY 10012

Ode to a Clinton Street Pancake

Oh sweet Gods of Gluttony how you taunt me. Endless lines of tourists and locals alike stand between me and my Clinton Street pancake -- such a rare treat so deserving of adulation. No menu needed - there is but only one choice - banana walnut pancakes.

They arrive in a warm, tempting stack. How do flour and sugar and banana transcend their ordinary stature to form such an otherworldly treat? Fluffy perfection filled with a shocking delight of creamy banana. Warm maple butter gone all too soon.

Visions of these pancakes haunt me - as I yearn for that first wave of sweet, sweet breakfast bliss to wash over me again.