Delicious Day-glo colored Sweets from Royal Sweets
While all the sweets were lovely, we particularly enjoyed the figgy pinwheels. Sadly, we don’t know the name of these treats. Royal Sweets doesn’t label all of their treats. We did find the laddu (toasted wheat and butter balls) a bit too buttery, but, that didn’t stop us from eating them.
Some of these sweets didn’t even make it home.
These might not be the prettiest samosas in town, but, they’re quite good. And, the sauces were some of the best we’ve tasted. (No watering down here) One was the perfect blend of fresh green flavor and full of heat. The other had the perfect blend of sweet tamarind tang, a complex blend of spices & plenty of heat, too. I can’t wait to eat these again.
Royal Sweets
1766 Lawrenceville Highway
Decatur, GA 30033
404 327 5799
Guest Coffee:
Zurikana, Rwanda Bufcafe
$4.25 a cup
wonderfully rich, intricate layers of flavor… love it
Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge
Emory Village
North Decatur Road & Oxford
Alice in Wonderland opens — March 5, 2010!
Down the rabbit-hole
Shortrib & Lamb Pizza
This pizza is full of flavor. Tender, braised shortrib is one of my all-time favorite things. It has a luxurious buttery quality that underlines all the positive attributes of beef. The tender shreds on this pizza illustrate that point beautifully. Coupled with red pepper, crumbled goat cheese and roasted garlic, this pizza is a very good thing. We didn’t notice the lamb… at all. I’m not even sure there was lamb. But, honestly, I’d rather have an extra bite or two of short rib anyway. We can overlook the sogginess issues as they work to perfect this dish.
Seafood Stew
This seafood stew was less successful. The tomato saffron broth was excessively fishy… in a bad way. The scallop were teeny tiny. I’ve never seen scallop this small before. And, most of the protein in the “seafood stew” was actually chicken. Not a fan of this dish. At all. The soft flatbread was on the very far side of soft & doughy.
Nutella Mezzaluna
This looks pretty good…right?
This dough (possibly the same dough used for the pizza?) is stuffed with nutella and drizzled with what I believe is hershey’s syrup. Well, I’m using the term dough deliberately because it is still raw. And, I do mean raw. So raw that when a fork was used to poke at the center, raw dough oozed between the fork tines. When we mentioned this to our server, we were told, “Well, it’s supposed to be doughy.” As a budding bread baker, I’ve never seen raw dough in a finished product… ever. I still have unpleasant memories of biting into the raw dough and the unfortunate gag-reflex it induced.
This restaurant (opened just over a week) is very clearly a work in progress.
Hobnob Tavern Atlanta
1551 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
404 968 2288
S’more Tart
The giant torched coconut marshmallow is the highlight of this tart for me. I’d love it even more if it was torched to order. Rich chocolate is tasty, but, the excessively buttery (greasy) tart crust is too much. This tart is crazy rich. It needs a significantly more delicate crust.
Ham & Cheese Croissant
The croissant is pleasantly light. But, the ham has an odd “meat of unknown origin” feel to it. The odd splat of ham, cheese and mustard on the top is a bit of turn-off, too.
Almond Croissant
I really like the almond topped croissant itself. But, the almond schmear applied after baking doesn’t work texturally for me. It’s too sweet and gummy. It wipes away all the pleasure I could have gotten from the light and fluffy croissant.
We also purchased a giant brioche loaf. It was extremely light and fluffy. So light, in fact, I almost forgot it was brioche. But, it was fine.
Bakeshop
903 Peachtree Street NE
Suite C
Atlanta, GA 30308
404 892 9322
Stocking the Pantry:
Toscano & Sons has a wide assortment of goods. Parmigiano Reggiano butter, a great selection of Italian deli meats & cheeses, coffees, Italian vegetable seeds for planting, chilled Italian sodas for sale individually, chinotto & san bitter by the pack, and too many pantry items to name… I love this charming little shop. And, it’s a good excuse to eat panini.
Panini #1:
The Viola
A tasty blend of mortadella, speck, salami, provolone & olive tapenade. In a word… yum.
Panini #2:
The Porchetta
Tender, succulent pork slices with melty fontina… I can’t think of a better way to stuff a panini. Perfectly simple & perfectly delicious.
Oh yeah, by the way, these panini cost less than $5 each.
Toscano & Sons
1000 Marietta Street
Suite 106
Atlanta, GA 30318
Fried Chicken with bacon bleu risotto
Wow, this is the sort of meal that should require a disclaimer: Don’t make plans for today… you’ll need a nap… soon. The bacon bleu risotto was incredibly rich, buttery, creamy, and smooth. A generous dotting of bacon added smoke appeal and depth of flavor. The genius on the plate was the addition of peppery green beans with bits of roasted red peppers. Fresh peppery beans kept the meal from being unbearably heavy.
Two fried boneless chicken breast pieces were miraculously light by comparison. The golden brown shell crumbled pleasantly in our mouths with each bite. It always amazes me when I can use the term delicate in reference to a deep-fried food. But, it’s true in this case. There was a lovely delicate quality to this fried chicken.
Crawfish Benedict with sweet potato fries
Crawfish cakes were a pleasant change from the more common crab that frequently appears on brunch menus. And, crispy sweet potato fries are always a winner in my book. The one negative: I wasn’t sold on the creole hollandaise. It possessed a cloying thickness that seemed to cover all my taste buds. With a sauce this heavy, it needs to be applied with a lighter hand. On the other hand, my honey had no problem devouring this dish. He ate every bit. So, maybe it’s just me.
Want more?
Random Oenophile gave a nice rundown of wines they sampled at Tuesday’s wine special. (A weekly event, I believe.) They sampled eight by-the-glass offerings a couple days ago. Check out their blog here: Random Oenophile
Feast
314 East Howard Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
404 377 2000
Manhattan Special & the Italian Moka Drink
East 48th Street Market has a bounty of specialty Italian products. Italian cheeses, Italian wines & a small by-the-glass dispenser for a handful of bottles, deli meats & sausage, Sclafani Tomatoes (the best tomatoes canned in America), a variety of dried pasta including fregula, farro, Carnaroli & Arborio rice, refrigerated pasta & goods, giardiniera, sodas, home-made baked goods, Italian sweets (like chocolate covered Torrone… YUM!) and freshly prepared foods made in-house. When the shop opened many years ago (1986 according to the website), it was a specialty & to-go market. But, now, there are a number of tables for dining in the market.
Considering this calzone was pre-made and reheated to serve, it was remarkably good. The seasoned ricotta was full of flavor. And, the red sauce for dipping was a standout. I could make a meal out of the sauce and a crusty loaf of bread.
One of my comfort food favorites… Eggplant Hero. This eggplant hero was ooey-gooey goodness in a soft, fluffy roll.
Great food for Snow Day 2010
East 48th Street Market
2462 Jett Ferry
Dunwoody, GA 30338
770 392 1499
Pleasantly crisp, this cannoli is lightly dusted with cinnamon and the interior is brushed with a layer of chocolate. The chocolate coating provides a barrier between cream and shell. The cream is rich, dense and very lightly sweetened. Simply put, this is a traditional Italian-American cannoli. Personally, I love this simple traditional variety.
Over the years, originating in New York bakeries, the ricotta filling has evolved into a sweeter concoction… sometimes including pastry cream and sweetened mascarpone in the mix. I enjoy both of these varieties, too. But, clearly, these are cannoli altered to meet Americans taste for sweeter treats. The sweeter varieties deviate further from the original Sicilian cannoli. A traditional Sicilian cannoli consists of a fried pastry shell incorporating marsala into the dough. The shell is filled with a dense ricotta cream filling flavored with candied citron, candied orange or orange flower water.
Cross-section of a Cannoli
Buckhead Italian Market & Bakery appears to function as a to-go shop with a number of refrigerated cases holding pre-made dishes and made to order sandwiches. We saw only a handful of baked goods: a small assortment of cookies, tiramisu and cannoli.
Buckhead Italian Market & Bakery
3655 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA 30342
404 467 9217
Silly Cow Farms Natural Hot Chocolate Mix
I’m a sucker for clever packaging.
Three simple ingredients fill this glass milk jug: Cocoa, sugar and vanilla powder.
All you need to do is add heated milk.
Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
419 West Ponce De Leon
Decatur, GA 30030
404 687 1100
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