New Burger Night at Serpas and Fried Chicken Night at Tavern 99

Two fun new weekly events launching...

Serpas is launching a weekly "Patty & a Pint Night" beginning Tuesday, December 6 from 5:30 to 10 pm. Chef Scott Serpas will be dishing out his Big Papa's single beef patty (a blend of chuck, sirloin and brisket) topped with homemade red wine dresing, lettuce and pickles and served with fries and a choice of draft beer from a rotating list for $10 every Tuesday night. It's dine in only at the bar or chef's counter. You can also customize your burger with gourmet toppings and accompaniments. I haven't been in a while, but I've always been a fan of their burger, so this sounds pretty darn good to me!

Feeling in more of a poultry mood? Then check out Tavern 99's fried chicken deal on Thursday nights. For $12 get Chef Rice's buttermilk marinated cornflake fried chicken, a side salad, mac & cheese, collard greens and a primo view of Thursday night football.

Twitter Fued!

In my old job, I had the chance to spend some time studying the behaviors of "Millennials" (born between 1981 and 2000), and suffice it to say they were notably different from my own cusp of Gen X habits. One of the most fascinating peccadilloes of these wee things is that they love to live their life in public. Ever wondered why anyone would post an embarrassing video of themselves on YouTube? Classic Millennial. In fact, as a generation, they simply aren't living unless everyone, and I mean everyone, knows what they're up to.

Granted I blog, and I love me some Facebook, but when it comes down to it, I still like my privacy, too, particularly when it comes to the less savory aspects of life, namely humiliations, petty feuds and anything else that I wouldn't want anyone else knowing about.

So I was delighted to see today that a albeit one-sided Twitter fued erupted between two local bloggers who also happen to be Millennials and former blog partners.

And this isn't the first time. Just weeks ago (from Eater Atlanta):

"This brand reminds me of a certain Atlanta blog... #ImitatedButNeverDuplicated" - Eli Zandman on a photo of Skechers shoes, seemingly dissing his old partner and current competitor, Caleb Spivak of What Now, Atlanta. The public rivalry continues


Heck, this rivalry is so fierce that I haven't seen them at an event together since they parted ways a couple years back. Their public fued even merited a "Best Local Blogging Rivalry" award from Creative Loafing.

Fighting with a friend is the worst, so I can't imagine having it all play out on a public stage. Maybe I was just born a few years too soon for that to be palatable! Come on, guys, make up (or at least take it outside!)

Alma Cocina Opens Dec. 6

I'm a big fan of Fifth Group. They manage a group of restaurants with varying vibes and cuisines and create enticing enough experiences that you forget they're not independently owned and operated. With Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean and Southern under their belts, they're opening their first downtown spot focusing on Latin American cuisine on Dec. 6. Taking over the spot previously held by NY transplant, Il Mulino, Alma Cocina will fuse contemporary Mexican with flavors from across Latin America. Executive Chef Chad Clevenger has done stints with some Mexican cuisine guru Rick Bayless and previously worked at the renowned Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe.

The menu includes items such as cachaca braised short rib with Bazilian fejoada eans, chicarrons and cilantro chimichurri ($9), pork cheek arepa with black beans, pickled apple guasaca, queso de mano and micro cilantro ($7); and Mexican style charred corn on the cob with garlic aioli, guajilo chile powder, quesa cotija, queso fresco, lime, cilantro and epazote ($4). The Mexican corn at El Taco is one of my fave dishes, so I have high hopes for this version!

No Mexican inspired resto worth its salted rims could exist without a kick*** cocktail list. At Alma you can sip Latin favorites such as Pisco, Cachaca and Mezcal, and I kid you not, there's even a "specialty ice cube program that explores the nuances of hand selected tequila paired with infused ice" as well as blending up the perfect Havana Daiquiri or Brazilian fruit smoothies. What is specialty ice you ask? The 2010 Single Estate Tequila Ocho, “Los Corrales” – a unique, small batch tequila will be served with an ice selection of seasoned coconut water or fresh pineapple. With everything being "house made" these days, is anyone really surprised that even ice is special now?

I'm looking forward to checking Alma Cocina out soon. Downtown needs some exciting dining options, and I trust Fifth Group to get it right!

Alma Cocina 
191 Peachtree Street NE  (in the One Ninety One Peachtree Tower)
Atlanta, GA

Portland Dining: Pok Pok and Whiskey Soda Lounge

A few years back Food & Wine did a piece on Andy Ricker's Pok Pok calling it one of America's best Thai restaurants. How could I not check that out? Turns out even though it's not the new kid in town any more, you still can't get a table, so even on a Sunday night we were faced with a 2.5 hour wait. Bananas right? The restaurants was technically supposed to close in less than 2.5 hours, so this did not bode well for us.

Fortunately Pok Pok's sister restaurant, Whiskey Soda Lounge, is just across the street and shares some of the same menu items minus the monster crowds. Not to be missed are Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. These pungent little babies pack some serious flavor. Sticky, salty and sweet, these aren't your daddy's buffalo wings!

I washed down all that fish saucy goodness with one of their famed drinking vinegar cocktails, the Apple Gin Rickey. According to their website, drinking vinegar have been around for ages and were in the past enjoyed for their medicinal benefits. Today they just make for a damn fine cocktail, with the tartness of the vinegar cutting the sweetness of the apple. You can buy your own here. We were tempted to try jelly beer, which is apparently a super cold beer slushy, but ultimately decided it sounded cooler than it was likely to taste. 

Apple Gin Rickey

Right about when I started getting full of wings, we actually got a table back at Pok Pok. I wasn't going to let a little thing like having a full meal keep me from trying the restaurant I came for! 

Maybe I was just tired and a little too full to still be eating, but nothing else quite lived up to the glory of the wings. The eggplant salad was quite different with a smokiness uncommon in American cooking but after a while it was too much of a good thing.

Yam Makheus Yao (Smoky Grilled Eggplant Salad)

They were out of the Kai Yaang, rotisserie game hen, which I'd heard was a must-try, so that was dismaying, but at 10:30 on a Sunday I was lucky I was getting anything. We tried a meat dish, too, but to be honest, I can't even remember what it was. Not that memorable I suppose!

Oh well, I guess I'll just had to head westward on an empty stomach again sometime so I can get the true Pok Pok experience. Until then, I'm excited to make some fish sauce wings at home - yum!

Turns out vinegar drinks are making a comeback - read more about it here. Now I'm thirsty!

Pok Pok

3226 SE Division Street
Portland, OR


Whiskey Soda Lounge

3226 SE Division Street

Portland, OR

News Roundup Talks Turkey

Rather watch parades and leave the turkey and trimmings to somebody else?  Creative Loafing has you covered with a list of restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner.

Prefer to eat Thanksgiving dinner in front of the TV in your undies? The AJC has a list of take-out options for turkey day.

Covered Dish talks to rising star and Miso Izakaya-owner/chef Guy Wong about his involvement in Yum Bunz.

Ex-Decatur fried chicken purveyor Watershed confirms its Spring 2012 re-opening in the netherworld between Midtown and Buckhead.  I think that area is officially called "Brookwood," but who says that?  Anyhow, Eater has the deets.

And finally, any guy who has ever been out to eat with a woman can appreciate this hot topic on Chowhound.

Atlanta Thanksgiving Options

Gobble gobble, peeps. It's almost turkey time. We're doing the traditional family thing but if you're feeling like you don't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen, other options abound. Here's a roundup of a few Thanksgiving options from local restaurants:

Serpas
Pre-Order Thanksgiving from Serpas. You can enjoy a pre-made 3-course Thanksgiving feast including options such as butternut squash soup, bacon braised collard greens, pecan pie, and of course herb garlic roasted turkey. Download the order form here and reserve your menu by Monday, Nov. 21, by phone at 404.688.0040, by email at info@serpasrestaurant.com or by fax at 404.924.6209. Orders will be available for pick-up on Wednesday, November 23 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Ted's Montana Grill

Ted’s Montana Grill will be serving up a three-course classic turkey meal. The meal starts with a side salad or a cup of creamy tomato soup or Karen’s “Flying-D” Bison Chili, followed by oven-roasted turkey and gravy with garlic mashed potatoes, herb dressing, country-style green beans, “Aunt Fannie’s” squash casserole and cranberry sauce, and Apple Pecan Crisp. Ted’s Thanksgiving meal is $23 per person.


Star Provisions

The take-home menu includes everything you could want for an upscale holiday meal. Choose from multiple "happy turkey" options (that means free-range, organic, antiboitic free) including Eberly turkeys, Bell & Evans turkeys or Heritage turkeys raised by Good Shepherd Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas. Side options include cranberry orange relish, Yukon gold potato puree, buttered rutabaga, braised local collard greens, roasted root vegetables, and yeast rolls. Orders must be placed in advance in-store or by calling 404.365.0410.

Thumbs Up Diner

The five local outposts will be selling Lou’s legendary Spiral Cut Maple Smoked Ham and Whole Maple Smoked Turkey, prices starting at $45. Each weighing in around twelve pounds, you can feed approximately ten.


Rosebud
Hosting T-day for the first time? Never fear, Atlanta's own Angry Chef, Rosebud's Ron Eyester is teaching a Thanksgiving cooking class at the Cook’s Warehouse in Midtown from 7-9 on Nov. 14. The class will feature Thanksgiving dishes such as house-made pickled vegetables, morning-after turkey chowder, Rosebud’s own mac & cheese, brioche herb stuffing and Mexican Coke braised local greens with smoked ham bone. And it's for a good cause - proceeds go to the Atlanta Community Food Bank so the less fortunate can get into the holiday spirit, too. The class is $55.00. Go to www.acfb.org/events/simple_abundance for more info.

Yum, now I'm craving turkey and cranberry sauce! It'll be here before you know it, so plan now!

Toronto Dining: Okonomi House Restaurant

I've been awol from the blogosphere as of late due to a flurry of business and personal travel. Last week saw me in Atlanta, LA, NYC and Toronto! With all that travel comes all sorts of interesting dining.

I'd always heard Toronto had a culturally diverse dining scene so I set out in search of something unique and ethnic. In the Yorkville neighborhood I stumbled upon Okonomi House Restaurant. To most, Japanese food means sushi, hibachi, or maybe izakaya, but not so at Okonomi House.

"Okonomi" is Japanese for "favorite," and the favorite here is a stuffed pancake of sorts - Okonomiyaki. There are a variety of choices including bacon, seafood and veggies. I opted for the pork. It's an eggy pancake with crispy edges, a sweet barbecue-like sauce and a dollop of a mayo sauce.

One is is more than enough, and much like I do with traditional omelets, I ran out of steam before I was done. There's just something about all that egg that fills me up rather quickly. Not to say it wasn't good though - I enjoyed the unusual combination of flavors and left plenty full for less than $10 USD. If I had it again, I might ask them to go a little easier on the bbq sauce so I could distinguish the other ingredients more.

This strikes me like an interesting recipe to try at home, too. Quick dinner, eh? (yes, I'm getting into the Canuck spirit!) Lo and behold, I've found an entire site dedicated to the okonomiyaki. Get the recipe here.

The restaurant is also a perfect spot for a solo diner. In fact there were three others flying solo while I was there. I was bummed that I didn't get to try one of Toronto's more renowned spots like Black Hoof or Note Bene, but there's always next time...

Okonomi House Restaurant
23 Charles St W
Toronto, ON M4Y

The Dish: Katsu-Ya's Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna

I love sushi. Having lived in LA and NY, I also know what truly melt in your mouth fresh and flavorful sushi tastes like. Surprise surprise, here in landlocked Atlanta, we are not getting fish on par with my former coastal homes. Don't get me wrong, I love Sushi House Hayakawa and frequently enjoy local faves like Zuma (minus the gobs of mayo they normally put on everything), but for truly epic sushi, LA is where it's at.

So while the Mr. and I were kickin' it west coast style this weekend, we made a bee-line for an old favorite, Katsu-Ya. Not only did we get our first celeb siting of the weekend (Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie - yes Ms. Duff is still eating sushi while prego), but we also go to enjoy my favorite Katsu-Ya dish, crispy rice with spicy tuna.

A symphony of textures and temperatures, this dish is quite simply a party in your mouth. I love the combination of perfectly crispy hot rice, the spicy kick of the jalapeno and oh so fresh tuna. Bliss! Alas, at $14 for just four pieces, it's gone all too fast. Now I'm left to fantasize about it until my next annual westward journey. Oh my, is anyone making this dish in Atlanta? I'm jonesing again already!

We went to the Brentwood outpost, but in my mind, for the classic Katsu-Ya experience, you have to head to the valley to their Studio City location.

Katsu-Ya Brentwood

11777 San Vicente Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049

Katsu-Ya Studio City

11680 Ventura Blvd. 

Studio City, CA 91604