Atlanta New Year's Dining and Partying Options

I'm officially too tired and too stressed from a profoundly busy month at work to even try to write anything clever. So instead I'm going to share with you some of the fun New Years festivities that have shown up in my inbox. Way back when I was a wee single lass partying it up with gal pals and hoping to have someone to kiss at midnight, I used to enjoy events like the annual parties at the W or Park Tavern, but I outgrew those a while back. This year, Mr. AT and I will likely have friends over for a dinner party. But if you are looking for something a bit wilder, here you go...

EAT

Big Chow New Year's (OK I'm not going to lie, are there seriously people who are spending New Year's here? Perhaps if I had kids I might think this was a good idea?! If you think I'm crazy and nothing sounds better than stirfry for your New Year's, enjoy a $25 per person menu including Asian inspired appetizers, unlimited trips to the Stir-fry bar, a dessert platter for the table and a champagne toast.

4th and Swift

Ring in the New Year with a seasonal five-course New Year's Eve menu from chef Jay Swift complete with amuse and dessert. Our prix fixe menu features the freshest ingredients from local and regional sources and sustainable farmers. Celebrate the holiday and your dinner with the wine-pairing option for only $35. $70 per person. On New Year's Day, get your fill of pork, greens and everything in between with our take on traditional New Year's favorites and our expansive Bloody Mary menu to please all tastes. We will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., offering our traditional dinner menu in addition to the festive menu specials

Abattoir

Savor the unique flavors of the whole animal cuisine prepared by executive chef Joshua Hopkins, named one of the country’s four chefs to watch in Esquire, at Abattoir. Ring in the New Year feasting on house-made chicharrones, creamy potted chicken liver with apple butter, veal sweetbreads with radicchio, capers and pancetta and Nantucket Bay scallops with sunchoke, arugula and beets in a casual rustic atmosphere with a lived-in, European elegance. Call 404.892.3335 to make a reservation. Abattoir will be closed New Year’s Day. 

Bacchanalia

Ring in the New Year with a memorable New Year’s Eve dinner at Bacchanalia. Chef Anne Quatrano’s four-course prix fixe menu features appetizer, entrée, cheese and contrast and dessert made of the freshest, seasonal and local ingredients, many of which come from her own organic gardens. Select the perfect pour from the extensive wine list, or let the chef and sommelier create the ideal pairing for each course. Reservations can be made by calling 404.365.0410. Bacchanalia will be closed on New Year’s Day.

BLT Steak

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style at BLT Steak, Downtown Atlanta’s modern American steakhouse. The restaurant will be open from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., serving its regular menu of succulent steaks, delicious sides and a variety of raw bar offerings, as well as holiday blackboard specials. Continue ringing in the New Year in the Living Room or Drinkshop in W Atlanta Downtown. Call 404.577.7601 to make your reservation today. BLT Steak will be closed New Year’s Day.

Diesel

Hung over? Enjoy at Fried Egg BLT or other morning treats during all-day breakfast at Diesel in the Highlands.

Dogwood

Usher in 2011 with a memorable meal at Dogwood. Guests can select from delicious three-course or four-course prix fixe menus featuring sophisticated Southern dishes that showcase the seasonal ingredients of the New Year. Signature offerings will include lobster chive hushpuppies with asparagus fries, dry aged New York strip au poivre with butter braised fennel, royal trumpet mushrooms, smoked fingerling potatoes, blue cheese fondue and tomato jam and a decadent take on coffee and doughnuts with cinnamon sugar beignets and coffee pot de crème. Guests can select either a three-course menu for $50 or a four-course menu for $60. Reservations can be made by calling 404.835.1410.

Eleven

Savor exceptional cuisine and the festive atmosphere of a New Year’s Eve dinner prepared by our chef, Olivier Gaupin and at Midtown’s newest hotspot, bar eleven. Local producers, seasonal products and organic produce find their way to the innovative menu.

Enjoy a live band and dancing in bar eleven with two dinner seating options in the restaurant starting at 6pm to 8:00 pm first seating and 8:30 to 10:30 pm second seating. The first seating will be a four-course chef menu with a champagne toast for $65 per person. The second seating is a five-course dinner for $75 per person with champagne toast.

Floataway Café

Say farewell to 2010 with a relaxing dinner at Floataway Café. Enjoy fresh seasonal cuisine created with country French, Mediterranean and Italian influences in the menu featuring fettuccine with veal and ricotta meatballs, san marzano tomatoes, parmesan and basil, wood-grilled Georgia quail with wood oven-raosted Bartlett pears, arugula and balsamic and wood-fired pizza topped with roasted African squash, toasted pumpkin seeds, parmesan, parsley and vinaigrette. Call 404.892.1414 to make a reservation. Floataway Café will be closed New Year’s Day.

Goin’ Coastal Seafood

Those wishing to ring in the New Year in the comfort of their own home can turn to Goin’ Coastal Seafood to ensure they usher in 2011 with a memorable (and sustainable) seafood meal! Goin’ Coastal is offering fresh, steamed, whole Maine lobsters along with coleslaw and roasted garlic mashed potatoes to-go for just $15 per meal! Please call 404.941.9117 to place an order at the Virginia Highland location or 770.479.3737 to place an order at the Canton location. Lobster meal orders must be placed by Wednesday, December 29. Guests will be given a scheduled pick-up time when their order is placed.

INC. Street Food

Historic Roswell is a New Year’s Eve destination for those who are looking for an in town atmosphere close to home. Head to INC. Street Food for your last dinner in 2010 and then stay for the festivities, beginning at 10 p.m. Enjoy a night of music, cocktails, party favors and a toast at midnight to celebrate the New Year!

MARKET Buckhead

What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

Ring in 2011 with dinner at MARKET Buckhead. They will be serving a special $75 five-course dinner inspired by Jean-Georges. Each dinner will include a glass of Champagne. Click here to book your New Year's Eve dinner reservations.

New Year’s Day - Get Ready for a Rehab Brunch!

Everyone needs a little “rehab” after New Year’s Eve! To aid you through your post New Year’s Eve recovery, MARKET Buckhead is hosting a Rehab Brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Recuperate or continue the party at MARKET with brunch and $11 bottomless Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas! The brunch will feature a DJ spinning hot beats to usher in 2011. You don’t want to miss this! Call now to make your reservations!

The Melting Pot

Cheers to a New Year with friends and loved ones this year at The Melting Pot from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Guests will enjoy their choice of cheese fondue, a salad course, intermezzo, an entrée of Maine Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, Ahi Tuna, Chicken Provencal, Roasted Garlic Shrimp, Duck a l’Orange, Ratatouille & Goat Cheese Ravioli, and finally for desert, decadent chocolate fondue for only $75 per person. For an additional $24 guests can also enjoy delicious sommelier suggested wine pairings for each course. Seating is limited so make your resolution to make a reservation with The Melting Pot today! And don't forget to ask about our "Preferred Reservation" special offer - our five-course fondue experience with wine pairings for only $75 per person!

Ri Ra

Celebrate New Year’s Eve Emerald Isle style! Join Ri Ra, the upbeat Irish pub in Midtown, for a tacky Christmas sweater party on Friday, December 31. Enjoy live music and pub fare alongside an impressive beer list and best tacky Christmas attire, and the best outfit will win a $100 gift card to Ri Ra!

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Four Metro Atlanta Locations – Buckhead, Centennial Park, Sandy Springs, Kennesaw

Ring in the New Year with a little New Orleans flair at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. All four metro Atlanta restaurants will be serving their traditional award-winning dinner menu on New Year’s Eve. Reservations are available online at www.ruthschris.com or by calling the restaurants directly.

Salt Factory

For those who live outside the perimeter in Roswell, stay in the neighborhood and ring in 2011 pub-style! Join Salt Factory Pub on New Year’s Eve beginning at 10 p.m. for a celebration! There is no admission and the evening will feature music, cocktails, party favors of a count down to the midnight toast! Be sure to dine at The Salt Factory for from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. prior to the celebration for a one-stop party hop!

Serpas True Food

Ring in the New Year at Serpas with a prix fixe menu of true food favorites! On New Year's Eve, sample the neighborhood cuisine, complimentary Champagne toast and enjoy a variety of comfort cuisine with an edge. To reserve your New Year's Eve experience, please call 404.688.0040 or click here.

Tantra Restaurant & Lounge

Visit for a Tantra treat at Midnight with a champagne sobering and midnight toast! Enjoy the full menu or a dinner for two from chef Terry Dwyer featuring champagne, Gigamoto oysters and caviar, a 14 oz. Kansas City Bone-in Strip Steak with Blue Prawn shrimp, chocolate truffles and coconut milk and cardamom rice pudding. Call 404.228.7963 for reservations. $80 per person ++

Village Tavern

Village Tavern, Alpharetta’s neighborhood mainstay, will be serving a special four-course prix fixe dinner for $50 per person, not including alcohol, tax or gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling 770.777.6490.

PARTY
W Atlanta Midtown New Year's Eve Offers NYE Package:

Enjoy your New Year’s Eve at W Atlanta – Midtown from the moment you arrive with complimentary valet parking. A bottle of bubbly with an upgrade to a Wonderful Room cap this package off in style. This package starts at $294.

Yum Package:Experience the ultimate epicurean delight of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market with a special three course pre-fixe dinner for two. Complimentary valet parking, a bottle of bubbly and a Wonderful Room top off this package and give you something to sink your teeth into. This package starts at $424.

Celebrate Package: Party in VIP style at Rande Gerber’s rock ‘n’ roll glam lounge, Whiskey Park, located inside W Atlanta – Midtown for the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience. Whiskey Park’s New Year’s Eve event rolls out the red carpet for guests with unlimited cocktails for two from 9 pm to 1 am. Complimentary valet parking, a bottle of bubbly and a Wonderful Room will also give you something to cheer about. This package starts at $464.

Indulge Package: Created for the ultimate insider, get the entire New Year’s Eve experience to help make the new decade fabulous with a three course pre-fixe dinner for two at Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market. The night continues in VIP style at Rande Gerber’s Whiskey Park. Whiskey Park’s New Year’s Eve event rolls out the red carpet for guests with unlimited cocktails for two from 9 pm to 1 am. Complimentary valet parking, a bottle of bubbly and a Wonderful Room will make this New Year’s Eve extraordinary. This package starts at $559.

Visit www.watlantamidtown.com to book any of the offers listed above.

Just want to hit Whiskey Park? DJ Nica will be spinning as of 9PM and discount tickets are available at www.nyehotelatlanta.com

W ATLANTA – BUCKHEAD New Year's Eve Offers
NYE Package: Pop the cork and celebrate New Year's Eve at W Atlanta - Buckhead. Your experience begins with complimentary valet parking as you are whisked away to a room you’ll love complete with a complimentary bottle of bubbly. This package starts at $399.

Celebrate Package: Party in VIP style with access to Rande Gerber’s rooftop oasis, Whiskey Blue, located inside W Atlanta - Buckhead for the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience. Complimentary valet parking and a Wonderful Room will also give you something to cheer about. This package starts at $409.

Indulge Package: Created for the ultimate insider, get the entire New Year’s Eve experience to help make the new decade fabulous with an indulgent dinner for two at Jean Georges Market. The night continues in VIP style with access to Whiskey Blue. Complimentary valet parking and a Wonderful Room will make this New Year’s Eve extraordinary. This package starts at $539.

Visit www.watlantabuckhead.com to book any of the offers listed above.

Head to www.wanttickets.com/wbatl for the Whiskey Blue party starting at 8. Prices go up after today.

Park Tavern

Enjoy Yacht Rock and a DJ at this all-inclusive event. Tickets are $125 and coer food and drink all night, starting at 9PM. Once upon a time my friends and I tried to leave this party in a taxi only to be dropped back at the bar by our driver because none of us could tell him how to get us home. Oops!

Dinner Date: Park Tavern Skating and Sushi

Nothing says cozying up to your sweetie on a cold winter's night quite like sushi, right? It may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it turns out that Park Tavern has an exciting array of delightful sushi and sashimi options in addition to its other wide ranging options.

First, work up an appetite at the Park Tavern's skating rink. The rink is under a tent in the area where outdoor dining and weddings are typically set up in warmer months. It's lit for day or night skating, and for you and your sweetie's comfort it's heated with music playing. It's just $10 to skate and $5 for skate rentals. You can order your tickets in advance right here.

Once you've worked up a (frozen) sweat and hopefully avoided sustaining major injury, you can dine right next to the rink. To be honest, my expectations for Park Tavern sushi were extremely low. I have always pegged Park Tavern for the type of place that banks on its amazing location and doesn't care much about food quality. So color me surprised, it turns out they have quite an elaborate sushi and sashimi program.

Park Tavern's Sushi Chef Chapin Vilasineekul shows us the spread

The fish is flown in fresh from Hawaii daily, so what you're eating was swimming in the warm seas near Waikiki just a day ago. The seared rare kobe is 100% waygu beef, one of only a few restaurants in the entire country serving 100%. Now this was pretty unexpected...who would think that Park Tavern was serving such rarefied beef?

Each sushi roll and piece of sashimi I tried was ultra fresh, flavorful and practically melted in my mouth. Having lived in both NYC and LA, where sushi is light-years above what you can typically get in landlocked Atlanta, I was pretty darn impressed.

Sashimi searing on a Himalayan Salt Block

If you really want to impress your date, you can order the Salt Block Experience. For $29 per person, you can sear your own sashimi grade fish and tender wagyu beef on a hot Himalayan Salt Block. It's served with seaweed wraps, sushi rice, and various sauces so you can build your own hand rolls. Much like fondue or Korean BBQ restaurants, half the fun is in engaging with your food, rather than just shoveling it down. The salt block cooks pretty slowly, so I preferred to just lightly sear my fish and enjoy its ultra fresh taste. Granted at that price point, it can get a bit pricey for a meal that's not especially filling, but it's yummy and fun, so it's perfect for a date that aims to impress and entertain.

Turns out I way underestimated you, Park Tavern. Well played! 

Park Tavern
500 10th St.
Atlanta, GA 30309

News Roundup

Pretty soon your phone can sample your wines for you. Until then, at least let it open the bottles.

A thoughtful and entertaining summary of the year in food.

Apparently some people are pro salmonella and e coli.

I'm rooting for Blais to bring it home for Atlanta on Top Chef All-Stars. In the meantime, he's going all Mr. Wizard on us.

Speaking of Top Chef, this week showcased the height of foodie douchebaggerie.

And a little wedding love for Mr. AT and me.

Have a great weekend!

Holiday Gifts for Foodies: Cookbooks

Still Christmas shopping? Get the home cooks in your life some of these awesome cookbooks. Support Adventurous Tastes by purchasing them from my Amazon shop.

Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented

From the celebrated owners of Brooklyn's Baked comes a new cookbook reinvents beloved desserts from around the country. The 75 recipes include such favorites as monkey bread, whoopie pies, and banana cream pie.  Everything I've ever read about this bakery assures me that their treats are both quirky and delicious!

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Mr. AT's parents gave us an early Christmas gift - a Zojirushi breadmaker. Much to my chagrin, I'm supposed to cut back on white carbs, so I figured a breadmaker would allow me to still occasionally indulge in bready goodness since I can know exactly what goes into my recipes. I came across this cookbook and think it's a perfect source for healthier breads. I tried their olive oil whole wheat bread recipe this weekend, and it was so easy and yummy. There's nothing like fresh baked bread! I still don't own this cookbook, so if anyone is dying to give me a gift, here it is...

Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours
Dorie Greenspan shares her love for French culture and cooking in this cookbook complete with beautiful photography. There are several cooking groups online that specifically focus on cooking their way through her cookbooks. Check out Tuesdays with Dorie and French Fridays with Dorie to get in on the action. Serious Eats has a simple and delectable looking recipe from the book - Salted Butter Breakups.

The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual
Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo eponymous Brooklyn restaurant, Frankies Spuntino, is all the rage. Seriously, is everything awesome in Brooklyn these days? The pair specialize in Italian classics remade with modern sensibilities and greenmarket ingredients in mind. Their entire menu is reimagined for home cooks in this book. No great Italian-American cookbook would be complete without a meatball recipe. Check The Frankies Sputino take here.

Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table
This one isn't new, but the most impressive home cook I know, my darling friend James in LA, loves it, therefore, I do, too. Suzanne Goin is a culinary star, and Lucques is lovely and always spectacular. This book contains 132 recipes arranged into 4-course meals and organized by season. This is a cookbook that every serious home cook can enjoy. A take on Lucques short ribs here.

Happy shopping, cooking and eating!

Breaking News: Craft and Craftbar to Close

The AJC is reporting that Top Chef's Tom Colicchio is packing his knives and going for good. Word is Craft and Craftbar, located a the Mansion on Peachtree, are closing soon because they couldn't reach a deal with their landlords, but that sounds fishy to me in a city jam packed with empty buildings. More likely, once again our market can't seem to sustain anywhere fancy. Boo, man cannot exist on moderately priced farm to table alone!

The Christmas Cookie Cookbook: Review

 

Now that it's cold outside and Christmas is almost here, spending the afternoon baking sounds just about perfect. Ann Pearlman and Marybeth Bayer's The Christmas Cookie Cookbook offers plenty of options for festive winter baking.

The book's emphasis is on holiday cookie exchange parties, offering tips on everything from how to get started to how to package them for gift giving. In the era of even so-so home cooks obsessing over Bon Appetit and regularly entertaining, it's a bit funny to have to read about how to set a date (they suggest picking the same date annually) or ground rules (no chocolate chip, no gooey icing). I've never had the pleasure of throwing or attending a cookie exchange party, but they do sound delightful!

As I read through this book, I envisioned Ann as a sweet little grandma. The tone is warm and fuzzy, and she shares anecdotes about the people who created some of the recipes. But occasionally she would catch me off guard with a line like, "Occasionally we have a cookie virgin at the party. Initially, new cookie bitches can be a little intimidated by the rules and worry that their cookies won't be "good enough." Love it...who's grandma says stuff like that?!

Turns out Ann is indeed a grandmother, but not quite what I would have imagined. A quick Google search turns up that she's in addition to this cookbook, she's also written books about gang bangers, how to keep the fires burning at home, and even her own experience with infidelity. Cooking and eating together is really just a form of therapy, so it's fitting that she's a licensed psychotherapist. I bet they have some awesome conversations over those seven layer bars.

The book has a wide variety of options, so there's something for everyone - including drop cookies, hand formed, candy, and even savory appetizers. I was baking cookies for my office, so I needed a gluten free option for one coworker, opting for the Chocolate Chip Kisses. For the other batch, I figured the rest of us where chocolate-fiends, too, so George's Love Cookies were just the thing. Even better, I had all some of the ingredients for these cookies in my pantry so I didn't even have to face the freezing weather!

Since I didn't have a party planned, I figured I could at least have some company, so the little sister joined me as I baked. Alas, my focus is lousy when also talking so I made a few mistakes, starting with halving some of the ingredients for George's Love Cookies and not others. I had to do some last minute scrambling to add in the lacking ingredients, including having to use some salted butter when I ran out of unsalted. The perils of baking without grocery shopping first! Fortunately both batches of cookies came out well and they were quickly dispatched with at our office today.

George's Love Cookies

Ingredients
12 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Cream the butter with the sugar and add the milk and vanilla. Beat in the cocoa, egg and the flour, salt, soda. Stir in the chocolate chips. Add walnuts or pecans if you wish. Drop rounded Tbs. of batter on cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes, remove from sheet and cool completely.

Because I used some salted butter, I left the additional salt out. I'm not a huge fan of nuts in cookies, so I opted out of those, too. These cookies weren't my favorite as they were more cake-like than I prefer, but still they were simple to make and had great chocolaty flavor. Their resemblance to cake certainly did not inhibit me from eating plenty of them!

Chocolate Chip Kisses

Ingredients

2 2/3 cup shredded sweet coconut

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (oh, I forgot that part, no wonder they got stuck!) In a medium bowl combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla. Stir in chips.  Drop a well rounded teaspoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes  or until edges are slightly browned.  Cool before removing. Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch cookies.

I ran out of vanilla during the recipe halving incident above, so I just made this recipe without it. These were even easier and delicious despite missing one out of four ingredients. I love macaroons, and these are like a simpler version or a fresh baked mounds bar. Either way...yum!

So invite some gals over and start baking. Christmas is a perfect excuse to bond over shared love of sweets.

News Roundup

Key lime pie beer? Yes, please.

New on the dining scene, Creative Loafing checks out Local Three

I discovered a delicious not breaded eggplant dish from Figo. Lunches at the office will never be the same.

Celebrated San Fran/NY Chef Nate Appleman is dishing out burritos at Chipotle?!

Real Chow Baby is open on Ponce.

Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

With Christmas just around the corner, your chance to bake with pumpkin is quickly dwindling. I for one love me a good pumpkin dessert and after years of experimenting with more adventurous fare like pumpkin ice cream pie, I decided to go classic this year with a spiced pumpkin pie. Not content to deliver something that seemed too simple, I added a homemade cream cheese ice cream, too.

For the pie, I opted for the recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Pie I listed in my pre-Thanksgiving article Pies, Pies, Pies. Alas, I had too much mixture for my pie shell, and as I tried to get it into the oven it went sloshing out over the edge. I wasn't worried (yet!) because I had even more left in my bowl. Little did I realize though that the crust that got wet during the sloshing would disintegrate while the pie was in the oven, and at the halfway point, I looked into the oven to see a molten wave of pumpkin pie filling pouring out over the edge. After some expletives and frantic cleaning efforts, I left the pie to finish baking a wee bit lower than I'd intended. Fortunately the mess didn't impact the taste, and the pie was rich and smooth with a complex blend of spices adding depth.

While the pie was good, it was the ice cream that blew me away. Most ice creams take quite a while to make because you have to let the base freeze before it goes in the ice cream maker, so the magic of this recipe is that you can skip that step.

Cream Cheese Ice Cream  

Gourmet | April 2003

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes freezing) Yield: Makes about 1 qt   INGREDIENTS 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup heavy cream Special equipment: an ice cream maker PREPARATION Blend cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in cream. Freeze cream cheese mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours. Let ice cream soften 5 minutes before serving.

It took a bit longer to freeze in the ice cream maker than I'm used to, but just let it go until it's solid enough. I found that an old yogurt container was a perfect vehicle for freezing and protected it from the icy top layer I sometimes get when using Tupperware.

Some describe this ice cream as tasting like frozen cheesecake. However, you describe it, it was delicious and so easy to make. The tartness balanced the rich creaminess of the pie and took dessert to another level. This recipe is perfect for playing around with, too. Imagine how delicious some baked cinnamon apples, berries or cherries would be mixed in!

Atlanta Dining News

Decatur's Sprig is now open for lunch Wednesdays through Sundays.

Tantra, a new South Buckhead restaurant inspired by sensual foods is now open. Not sure what sensual food entails? Be on the lookout for alluring dishes such as foie gras, pomegranate braised boneless beef short rib, and grilled ostrich with eggplant caponata and caramelized cipollini onion. Still confused? Me, too. Actually, years ago I dined at an aphrodisiac restaurant in Buenos Aires, Te Matere Ramierez (Spanish for I'm going to kill you, Ramierez) and it involved an X-rated puppet show. One can only hope!

Watershed is now doing high tea Thursday through Saturday from 3-5. For $15 enjoy tea and a tiered stand of toasted pecans, cheese straws, tea cakes, pound cake and selected sandwiches, such as curry shrimp, goat cheese and cress, and pimento cheese. Whenever I visit London, I'm a sucker for high tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace. There's just something so very elegant about tiny crustless sandwiches and pastries piled high. I'm hoping to lure my mother ITP one of these days so we can go!

News Roundup

OMG, was this week exhausting or what? Maybe it's an extended turkey hangover, but whatever it was, it's left me too drained to even think about food (crazy, right?)

Here's some easy reading to keep you informed...

Get your Gallic cuisine on with French restaurant week. Délicieux, non?

Drinking 200 year old shipwreck champagne = AWESOME

It's Hannukah, so get your latke on. I love these bad boys with sour cream and apple sauce. Yum!

The NYTimes says Pies are the new Cupcakes and apparently even articles about bacon jumping the shark have jumped the shark. So meta! (Don't know what jumping the shark means? I love any phrase that has its origins with the Fonz!)

Revisiting Ray's Killer Creek

Top Chef alum Tracey Bloom has taken over the helm at Ray's Killer Creek. Rarely can I be enticed OTP, but in this case, visions of a comped steakhouse meal beckoned. I've covered Killer Creek

before, but instead of their classic dishes, we dined on a tasting menu of Chef Bloom's new items.

There's just something about a traditional steakhouse vibe that makes you feel all cozy and sophisticated, and Killer Creek is no different. Attentive and somewhat formal service also adds to that vibe, especially with the black coats the waiter wear.

Chef Bloom came by with each course, and it was apparent that although she is proud of her new dishes, she is so very NOT into chatting with diners. If you recall her, and her shall we say distinctive voice, from Top Chef you can imagine that she's not a shmoozer. Still it was a nice touch for her to come by the table, and I'll give her extra props for doing something she probably hates!

A flatbread appetizer was redolent of truffle oil, which is always a good thing in my book! Given its size, we scooted most of the prosciutto, cheese and red peppers onto one half and ate just that. Definitely a bit cumbersome to eat, but it's hard to go wrong with that combination of flavors.

A potato soup was served in a teeny tiny cup, which was a good thing on a multi-course menu, but it was kind of hilarious trying to eat soup from something a child might use at a tea party. It was thick and hearty, perfect for a winter day if you're in a carb loading kind of mood.

A salad of pears poached in red wine, cinnamon and vanilla, with pecorino and arugula offered a lighter counterpoint to the soup and an appealing balance of sweet and salty.

My favorite dish of the meal was surprisingly enough a pasta. They thick house-made tagliattele noodles were served with a rich veal Bolognese - serious comfort food. Fresh pasta is one of the big things Bloom is doing that's new, so look out for other such dishes.

Lest we leave a steakhouse without any red meat, our final savory course was a tender short rib. Given the ubiquity of short ribs on menus these days, I'm not surprised to see a version here. Although short rib is nearly always a tasty bet, I think I still prefer the more standard rib-eye I had on a previous visit based primarily on the level of seasoning. I suppose I just like my red meat to be seasoned with a very heavy hand and this dish was fairly mild. Still it's short-rib, so it was enjoyable all the same.

The surprise highlight of the evening was actually the sommelier. The OTP crowd isn't as adventurous when it comes to wine, but that isn't stopping Killer Creek from stocking some more adventurous wines. When we weren't sure what glasses to order, he brought out numerous bottles and orchestrated an impromptu tasting for us of various varietals and vineyards. How rare is that level of service, for by the glass orders no less? We ultimately selected a 2006 Rombauer Cabernet and a 2006 C. Donatiello Russian River Valley Pinot. The Rombauer had the black cherry and chocolate flavors I most love in a cab and is well worth the splurge for a fairly high by the glass price.

I admire that Chef Bloom is trying to challenge the suburban steakhouse set, but I am also glad to know that she's keeping the standard fare the restaurant does so well, too. In the end, what made the night for us, though, was service. The entire staff is finely tuned to keep you happy, and we left feeling pleasantly full, tipsy and well taken care of.