Kaleidoscope made a big splash with the hip locals when it first landed on the scene and then tacked on a few fairly good — though, not spectacular — media reviews.

The space is big and bright with attractive patio, but it has that distinct corporate feel. It’s in the air. It’s in the food. It’s everywhere. And, along with that corporate feel comes the “see and be scene” crowd.

My Thoughts on This One
I find the menu to be cluttery and trying too hard to be everything to everybody. Unfortunately, when people operate a restaurant kitchen under this mindset the end result is typically messy.

For example, chicken wings arrive wearing “Kaleidoscope sauce” (described by our server to be Hungarian goulash) and bleu cheese. Now, I have eastern European in my family history and grew up eating Hungarian goulash weekly. The sauce is generally reddish brown, spruced up with plenty of garlic and onions, and mildly spicy from paprika. It’s a stewy comfort food with somewhat bold flavors. This chicken wing dish is a good idea, but it’s just missing a few things, like, uh, garlic …onion …paprika.

Thai beef jerky claims to have spicy chilies, though, I don’t detect the slightest hint of a burn. And honestly, as much as even I like a good soury Southeast Asian fish sauce, this one is far too sour for me. It desperately needs a single note of heat, or something — anything — in the way of complexity to offset that bite.

Even fries drizzled with duck fat and bacon mayonnaise is forgettable. These are two ingredients that make me do back flips. I am baffled.

The most impressive aspect of this restaurant is the beer list. Those wanting to run with the “see me” crowd can at least do so with a freshly poured Delirium Tremens in hand.

Around the corner on Peachtree Rd. heading north is a new strip center called Town at Brookhaven. It’s another one of those Sembler mega complexes. Though, I must say they did an okay job bringing in some local “indie” restaurants.

This complex has a few solid options with There, a bar & eatery (305 Brookhaven Ave, Suite 1200, Brookhaven Tel: 404.949.9677), our city’s newest gastro-pub, being among the best in the area. The top toque is Ryan Hickey, who has punched the clock under local greats such as Todd Ginsberg and Richard Blais.

Hickey is living working proof that “trickle-down” gastronomics really does work. His bison burger is by far the most popular dish on the menu, cooked with added bison fat and topped with cheddar and a roasted poblano. It is quite tasty, but this chef’s skills go way beyond burgers. A deeply smoky smoked oyster chowder is rife with complexity and a mirepoix that yanked me right back to the Blais days at Fishbone.

High quality local ingredients are employed by the kitchen here but I like that they don’t play center stage. It’s the chefs expertly prepared dishes and sharp sense of flavor that steal the show at this gastro-pub with a laid-back lower Eastside personality.

I like this place — A LOT.

In the same complex as There is a third Olive Bistro (705 Town Blvd NE Ste R415, Brookhaven Tel: 404.842.1199) location. Steve Masri (owner/chef) and wife have come a long way since they first opened this restaurant as a funky hole-in-the-wall dive in Little 5 Points.

Fifteen years and three restaurants later, nothing has really changed with the food. There’s still plenty of heart and soul in each and every dish. My favorite here is the garlicky Tuscan beans resting in a pool of olive oil and fresh herbs.

Hummus, tabbouleh and falafel are among the best you’ll find in the city. And, be sure to keep an ear out for Masri’s specials.

Brookhaven continues to grow up as more restaurants are slated for the area. One big name restaurant-to-be is popular Watershed (formerly in Decatur) with Joe Truex at the helm in the kitchen. And there will be others to follow.

So, next time you are in Brookhaven — get your eat on.

But not all is hunky-dory in our local pizza world. In fact, I am alarmed by the inability of many pizza makers to sling a proper dough. And, it’s no fluke. The issues I run into are eerily consistent from one place to the next. Too thick. Too doughy. Too spongy. And a few, including newly opened STG Trattoria (102 West Paces Ferry, Buckhead Tel: 404.844.2879), are inexcusably turning out what I call flat-doughed pizzas.

So, What’s The Problem?
Well, I am not 100% certain but here’s what I think. I believe too many of these guys are simply cooking with their hearts instead of their heads. Listen up, pizza dough is science and it is, after all, the crust that makes up for more than 80% of the pizza experience.

Believe me, I rarely tell a chef to cook without heart, but for pizza chefs these should be words to live by.

Two local pizza makers do get it — and, to no surprise — both are innately creatures of science. I will mention these scientists by name and end it with that: Jeff Varasano of Varasano’s Pizzeria and Joe Amitrano of Verra-Zanno in Duluth and soon-to-be Joe’s New York Pizza in AlphaRoswell. These guys know their dough.

Now back to STG Trattoria, they have a slew of world-class chefs in the kitchen who are incredibly accomplished, yet, they routinely turn out flat pies. Both pies I sampled (margherita and Sicilian sausage) had this issue, which is usually caused by any number of reasons including cooking with yeast cultures that are too young.

And to make matters even worse, the crust of the Sicilian sausage with rapini, roasted tomato and chili peppers quickly buckled under the heft of all those toppings. No surprise, really. When it comes to toppings for this style of pizza — less is more. But again, this is all science.

STG Trattoria serves more than just pizza, and you will fair much better with other items. Unfortunately, the purpose of this article was to take a peek at the newest Neapolitan-style pie in Buckhead.

My advice to the extremely talented chefs in the STG kitchen is simply this: Cook with your heads, not your hearts.

Visit the White Oak Pastures’ site for more info: www.whiteoakpastures.com

It happens Sunday May 6, 2012 in the parking lot at Tasty China II (6450 Powers Ferry Rd., Sandy Springs Tel: 678.766.8765). The top toques from each restaurant (Tasty China and Tasty China II) will lock woks to see who reigns champion. They will be preparing lamb and beef in the parking lot and specialty dishes inside. The people decide which chef walks away with bragging rights. The every day flavors out of these kitchens are deep in complexity and I would imagine they will be pulling out all the stops for this unique event.

There will be a lunch and dinner seating. Lunch is from noon-4pm and will cost $35 per person, dinner is from 6-9pm and will only set you back $55 (adults only).

There will also be traditional Chinese dancing and authentic lion dance act for those seeking culture beyond food.

For more info visit http://www.tastychina-2.com/event.php

“I like Bocado, too,” he replied with a smirk, “so much that I stole one of their chefs.”

No, Brown didn’t snag Todd Ginsberg. But he did steal Ryan Hickey away, Ginsberg’s right hand man. And Hickey is a pretty good land, to say the least. Not only has he worked with Ginsberg, he also did a stint with Richard Blais back in the Fishbone days.

Judging by the dishes we sampled Hickey obviously didn’t just stand around wasting space in other people’s kitchens. Chalk one up for trickle-down gastronomics. Everything was excellent, from the smoky smoked oyster chowder with soft H&F crackers to an oven-warm crab dip served in a blistering hot boat.

The real gem out of the kitchen — and, the most ordered item on the menu — is a bison burger (photo above) topped with roasted poblano, white cheddar, avocado and spicy mayo. It’s actually two skinny patties cooked (a little too well if you ask me) in bison fat to mask the dryness from being overcooked and to lend that certain greasy texture and flavor everybody seems to like so much and confuses with juiciness. If you like the Bocado burger, you’ll like this one — maybe even more.

THERE seems to be received by its patrons as more bar than kitchen, though I find it to be a perfect marriage, and one of the few places I would confidently call a gastro-pub. Most who use that title fail to deliver on the gastro side of things.

The beer list is decent with seven on tap, mostly local, and about 20 bottles — a mixture of American micro and mega brews.

What I really like about this one is the laid back lower Eastside vibe. Combine that with Hickey’s skilled fare and a decent beer list, and I’ll say Brown has a real winner in this Brookhaven eat and drinkery.

If I lived in the neighborhood I’d be a regular.

One of the remarkable things about the beer at the Five Seasons in the Prado is that it is both consistent and true to style. This is no easy feat considering the large variety of beer styles regularly on tap. While many Five Seasons in the Prado fans have their own personal favorites amongst the regular offerings (of Pilsner, Scotch Ale, IPA, Munchener, Munich Helles, Maibock, and Stout) Brewmaster Kevin McNerney works diligently to offer another thirty plus different beers throughout the year. During a recent visit I sampled five of those other beers he had on tap at the time.

McNerney’s Irish Red was an easy drinking red ale. It was well balanced, of medium body, and slightly dry. It wasn’t aggressively hopped which allowed some of the malt’s caramel and toasted toffee notes to show through. Very quaffable, but with enough character to stand alone, this beer would pair well with a variety of foods from calamari to bison burgers.

The Cartoon Brune was an Abbey style brown ale. It was a rich beer with a faint nutty aroma that started off slightly sweet, displayed some fruity banana like esters and finished with a warm roastiness. McNerney did an excellent job of showcasing the attributes of the seven malts used in this complex beer while still maintaining a well balanced bitterness. It was a great example of a rare style done very well.

The Long Strange Tripel was another big beer. At nearly 9% the tripel was of medium heavy body, smooth and full. Initially sweet and slightly cloying this beer has clean breadiness surprisingly devoid of any of the tell tale esters that often plague higher gravity and higher alcohol beers. This would be an excellent after dinner beer particularly paired with vanilla ice cream or a bread pudding.

Fortunately I was also able to sample some of the Heaven Hill Scotch Ale which had been aged in a Heaven Hill Bourbon barrel. Compared to the regularly offered Kiltlifter Scotch Ale the Heaven Hill Scotch Ale had a more peaty slightly smoky character with complimenting notes of vanilla and a bourbonesque char. It was a little smoother and more refined than the Kiltlifter which was slightly more bitter and grainy. Both were good scotch ales but the Heaven Hill was more mellowed as might be expected from the barrel conditioning.

After eleven years and still going strong whatever your beer preferences are you will enjoy indulging them and maybe even expanding them at the Five Seasons in the Prado. I am told that upcoming beers will include a true Czech Pilsner and a Belgian Wit – both of which will be a welcome relief from the hotter weather and summer yard work coming soon.

Today, there are numerous versions of these hearty dough-wrapped patties all over the world. And most importantly, they are readily available all over the Atlanta area.

We all have our preferences when it comes to food, our own likes and dislikes. That being said, here are my go-to empanada spots, neither of which are inside the perimeter.

Mambo’s Cafe
11770 Haynes Bridge Road #601, Alpharetta Tel: 770.753.4352
Alpharetta isn’t typically known for its ethnic cuisine, but this small suburban city will surprise you from time to time. And when it comes to Cuban-style empanadas, the best I’ve had in the Atlanta area are at a small Cuban strip center restaurant in Alpharetta called Mambo’s Cafe. Cuban-style empanadas are usually deep fried shells filled with seasoned meats, and even a chopped olive and raisin for complexity.

Here, the large empanadas arrive piping hot, stuffed with perfectly seasoned ground beef — seven dollars gets you an order of two insanely huge empanadas, which is practically a meal unto itself, so beware all you small eaters.

Order them with the spicy, cilantro-y green dipping sauce that comes with the garlic bread.

Empanadas aren’t the only reason to visit Mambo cafe. The pretty latino servers are as nice as can be and the ropa vieja, a classic Cuban dish, is one of the better versions I’ve ever eaten in Atlanta.

Presto Latin Cantina
1157 Roswell Rd, B Marietta, Tel: 770.973.1285
This Marietta Colombian eatery became popular when Jennifer Zyman (aka Blissful Glutton) made a post on her site declaring it to be the real deal. What a great find, especially if you like Colombian style empanadas. These are much smaller in size — they will only set you back $1.25 a piece — and made of a thick crunchy cornmeal crust and lightly filled with shreds of beef and yellow potatoes, served with a delicious slightly heady, cilantro-y green aji dipping sauce. These are true to style and as you can imagine Colombian empanadas tend to be a heavier, starchier bite than the hearty Cuban and Argentinian versions.

I must say, the entire menu at Presto is rock solid. the only drawback is that service can be little goofy, and sometimes irritatingly slow — even when they aren’t busy. But still, I have never been one to let bad service stand in the way of good grub. I return often. Why wouldn’t I?

Today, the culinary scene in Atlanta has come a long way, and ethnic food is leading the charge. It is what propels us above other great southern cities with strong dining reputations such as Charleston and New Orleans.

What does all this mean? Well, it means that Xiaolongbao is more available than ever in Atlanta. That’s good news for people like me who can’t get enough of those soul-soothing soupy pork dumplings.

And people like me who have become fond of these steamy soup dumplings know there is an art to eating them. First, take a deep spoon and use it to retrieve a dumpling out of the bamboo or metal basket. Next, and it is very important that you adhere to this step, take just a very small bite out of the dumpling so that all the trapped blistery hot, gingery, brothy goodness spills out of the noodle’s skin filling the barrel of the spoon. Wait a moment for it to cool. Then devour.

Below are a handful of places worth mentioning that serve these highly addictive soup dumplings. Some on Buford Highway — some not.

Chef Liu (5283 Buford Highway, NE Doraville, Tel: 770.936.0532)
This Buford Highway eatery is the most popular Xiaolongbao destination in the city. And rightly so, the dumplings are as a good as you’ll find anywhere. Chef Liu is a skilled dumpling artisan who has worked many great Chinese restaurants here in town before opening her own. She has even done time in the kitchen of the infamous Frank Ma. The thin-skinned dumplings here are plump and that piping hot porky broth warms the soul on a cold rainy day.

Tasty China (585 Franklin Rd, SE Marietta, Tel: 770.419.9849)
Tasty China 2 (6450 Powers Ferry Rd NW Atlanta Tel: 678.766.8765)
I have lumped these two together because they have the same owner and now even the same chef. Yes, the rumors are true. Peter Chang is no longer affiliated with the restaurant on Powers Ferry Road. Anyway, who would think to order Shanghai dumplings at this place widely known for it’s fiery Szechuan fare? Me. That’s who. And I do for good reason. These dumplings are daintier, plumper and juicier than any other version in town. Along with Chef Liu’s Shanghai dumplings, these are the best in the ATL.

Tasty China Norcross (5390 Peachtree Ind. Blvd #140, Norcross, Tel: 770.729.8555)
Are you confused yet? No, Tasty China didn’t open a third location in Norcross. Different owners, different chef, an no similarities in cooking style. They have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Despite the weekday buffet loaded to the gills with your typical slutty American Chinese standbys, this restaurant specializes in Shanghai fare. The soupy Shanghai dumplings here are certainly worthy of a mention, but not in the same league as Chef Liu and the other Tasty Chinas. Though good, the skins are tad too thick and the inner broth is a little bland.

Northern China Eatery (5141 Buford Hwy, Ste C Doraville, Tel: 770.458.2282)
I thought long and hard whether or not to include this one hard to spot little eatery. Why? Because I am not a fan. The noodle’s skins are very thick and doughy, the broth has an almost congealed texture that is extremely off putting to my taste. However, some folks prefer these plump, thick-skinned dumplings to the ones at nearby Chef Liu. To each his own, I guess. With Chef Liu so close, I wouldn’t recommend a visit.

Today, I’ve had servers in cheap ethnic restaurants — yes, even along Buford Highway — inform me they are actually employing ingredients such as free range chicken and organic vegetables. Makes sense, Asians tend to be far healthier than Americans.

But far from Buford Highway, and certainly not cheap, we thankfully have options like L’Thai (Tucker and Smyrna) and Erawan Organic Thai (7537 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs Tel: 770.399.3033) — all are organic Thai restaurants. If you notice major similarities between the two — and, you will — that’s because chef Vara (owner and head chef at Erawan) was partner and chef at popular L’Thai Tucker when it first opened.

So basically, if you are a fan of L’Thai you should like Erawan.

I am happy to report that the crispy basil duck I’ve raved about in past columns is also offered here at Erawan. And, curries are every bit as silky and skillfully prepared as the versions we all fell head over heels for at L’Thai. Yes, you’ll even find that same organic brown rice served here.

It should also come as no surprise that Erawan, too, pours organic wine and beer, though the selection isn’t nearly as impressive as L’Thai’s.

Sorry for so many L’Thai references, but the similarities between the two are so scary I can’t help it. Go see for yourself. If anything, the food in itself is well worth the trip.

In previous articles, I have bemoaned a trend among some craft brewers to overuse hops as a cheap marketing gimmick particularly when inappropriate for the style being brewed. As a professed “malt guy,” obviously my personal tastes have something to do with this complaint. I do like hops. My personal preferences tend to lean more to varieties normally referred to as the Noble Hops. I enjoy the spiciness of Saaz or Strisselspalt in a pilsner, the floral notes of Hallertau in a Hefeweizen, the earthiness of Fuggles in a stout. I enjoy the variety of hops particularly when you consider that the varietal differences can be highlighted or enhanced depending upon how the hop is used in the brewing process.

I am not as big a fan of more citrusy hops. The most common are often called “the three C’s” (Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus). All of these hops are all noted for their strong citrusy characteristics and for some beer drinkers these varieties epitomize essential hoppiness. The three C’s (and their relations) are very popular on the west coast (where they were originally developed). So popular in fact that a conservative 60% of domestic IPAs rely predominantly on these varieties. There are some slight differences amongst the three C’s. Cascade tends to be the lowest in alpha acids (bittering potential), Centennial (a hyper Cascade) has a slightly grassier note, and Columbus has a bit of a twang to it. Fans describe their characteristics with terms like “bright, citrusy, resiny, and tropical”. Non fans would add “grapefruity, lemon, green, and pine like” to the descriptions. No matter how they are used in the brewing process the citrus like qualities of these hops is unmistakable. It may be enhanced, highlighted or muted but it is always present.

If you like citrus hops you will probably like the beer at Twains Billiards & Tap (211 East Trinity Place Decatur, Tel: 404.373.0063). Six of the seven beers on tap are brewed using citrusy hops. The Mad Happy Pale Ale, the Langhorne IPA, the Henbragon Brown, and even the Puddinhead Stout all rely on Tomahawk hops (i.e. Columbus). The Tropicalia IPA is based on a New Zealand hop called Motueka (whose flavor profile is best described as lemon lime). The Black Eyed Roasted Rye uses Citra and Armadillo hops — both listed by Hop Union as possible substitutes for Cascade. The only beer on tap that did not have a citrus hop in it was the Aunt Polly’s Porter which was a more traditional porter with a slight chocolate and roasted finish.

Beyond the citrus, both the IPAs and the Pale Ale are very similar, the Langhorne IPA is slightly buttery and the Tropicalia IPA had a slight wineyness. The Henbragon Brown has a both distinctive roasted/burnt aroma and finish that would have been better fitted to the Puddinhead Stout, which itself was slightly thin in body. The nice rye character in the Black Eye Roasted Rye was at odds with citrus combo of Citra and Armadillo hops.

While there weren’t any obvious faults with the beers I tasted, the similarity of hoppiness across all styles was disappointing. Hopefully, I visited at a time when the brewer was simply infatuated with a single type of hop (Tomahawk/Columbus) and future efforts will display greater skills with different hop varieties and malt combinations.