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'05,
A Year in Review12/15/05 |
At
this time every year, I pause to reflect over the past
twelve months. 2005 brought with it many new dining experiences – some
good and others not so good. And much like previous years,
we’ve witnessed ongoing trends, highly anticipated restaurant
openings and heartbreaking casualties.
For me, personally, one of the most devastating blows came in
October when owner, Kevin Tran, announced he’d be closing RiceSticks for
good. I routinely stopped at RiceSticks to get my caramelized
pork clay pot fix – a dish I’ve described here previously
as being like hot and steamy sex, but with a long time partner.
Hey, it can happen.
Our city’s south side took it on the chin this summer with
the fall of Oscar’s, College Park’s only claim
to ‘true’ chef-driven cuisine. Sometimes, being a pioneer
takes its toll.
Speaking of pioneers, many would argue the demise of Iris was
the most heartfelt casualty of 2005. And, honestly, who can dispute?
Chef/owners Nic Bour and Lein Shoe kicked out consistently smart
bistro fare to a hardcore cult-like following. That was until
this fall when criminally high gas prices put an added strain
on its already poor location. Ultimately, it proved too much
for this intimate East Atlanta eatery to overcome.
Iris, you will certainly be missed, but not forgotten.
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Chris Reid decants a bottle of wine
at Old Vinings Inn
Where are they now?
Nic Bour to Mid City Cuisine
Shaun Doty to Table 1280
Richard Blais to ONE.Midtown Kitchen
Gary Mennie opens Taurus
Chris Reid to Old Vinings Inn
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Where are they now?
Through all the chaos and toque swapping, I’ve learned to
remain optimistic and try to remember that all great beginnings
must come from some other beginning’s end. And sometimes,
even I get lucky. Nicolas Bour recently filled the chef vacancy
at Mid City Cuisine (1545 Peachtree St. Tel: 404-888-8700),
located less than two miles from my front door. Looks as if East
Atlanta’s loss is my gain.
Bour, now working with a more spacious kitchen, better equipment
and deeper pockets to back him, is cooking on an entirely different
level. Think your favorite dishes at Iris on steroids. Welcome
to the ‘hood, Nic!
But things don’t always pan out as we hope. Take Blais for
example, his landing at Bob Amick’s ONE.Midtown Kitchen (559
Dutch Valley Road, Tel: 404-892-4111) has been anything but inspirational.
Over the years I’ve been an outspoken fan of Blais’ work
as he made his rise to stardom. But this year, I’ve become
his toughest critic.
Three recent visits to OMK were anything but Blais-like. Ordering
off the regular menu makes me believe Amick is inevitably winning
the sourcing battle. Product tastes of questionable quality and
execution is shockingly full of flaws, including a disturbingly
textured butternut squash soup. Find the recipe and burn it!
In ’06, it’s going to take a little less rock star
and a lot more chef in the kitchen to get me back in his corner.
Why is it that we rarely see our wine directors mentioned by
the mainstream media? After all, they can play such a significant
role in a patron’s over all dining experience. Chris Reid,
arguably this city’s most knowledgeable wine director, was
quickly offered a position at Old Vinings Inn (3011 Paces
Mill Rd, Tel: 770-438-2282) shortly after the doors closed on
him at Iris. Vinings area winos now have good reason to get giddy.
In one of the higher profile moves of the year, chef Gary Mennie
of Canoe opened his own venue named Taurus (1745 Peachtree
Rd, Tel: 404-214-0641) – his take on New American Chop House.
And despite Mennie’s excitement, I find the food acceptable
but grossly unimaginative.
So dull, I literally dozed off mid meal. Like the restaurant’s
slogan says, “No Bull.” Melanie nervously held a mirror
under my nose to make sure I hadn’t passed on to that great
big sushi bar in the sky.
Sorry Cliff, But I Think it’s Here To Stay!
Yep, that relentless tapas trend fiercely hangs if only to torture
you, and I see no end in sight. Two major tapas concepts to open
this year were Piebar (2160 Monroe Dr. Atlanta Tel: 404-815-1605)
and M!X (1441 Dresden Dr. Suite 100, Atlanta Tel: 404-969-3250).
While Piebar made a muck of things, M!X showed us how it’s
supposed to be done.
Remarkably, Cliff spoke highly of both.
‘05 – A Fine Year for Specialty Shops
Muss and Turner’s (1675 Cumberland Pkwy, Smryna Tel:
770-434-1114) took the Sminings area and the whole city by storm
with their sizzling hot sandwich and specialty shop. I could
happily consume a lamb burger a day for the rest of my gluttonous
existence.
Hats off to Savor Specialty Foods (3187 Roswell Rd, Buckhead
Tel: 404-869-0070) for bringing unique and interesting products
to Buckhead . Not sure how she does it, but January (co-owner)
always has some sort of obscure morsel on hand that I’ve
yet to try.
Those in Alpharetta might finally have something to rejoice about – Adriano
of Zola (14155 Hwy 9, Alpharetta Tel: 770-360-5777) has
informed me of his recent plans for expansion. He’s added
to the current location by acquiring the vacant slot next door
and this spring will be selling quality meats, cheeses and fresh
breads.
Some Predictions For ‘06
Atlanta will maintain its course to become one of our nation’s
top three restaurant cities. Currently, we rank fourth behind
only San Francisco, New York and Chicago.
I also vision many of our finer restaurants cracking under
my unremitting pressure and finally start offering us a more
thoughtful beer selection. It just makes sense.
And lastly, I glance into my trusty crystal ball and see the
eccentric Richard Blais create the world’s most perfect
meat & potatoes foam.
Why?
Because it just makes absolutely no sense at all.
Happy New Year!
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| Contact Tom: tom@altantacuisine.com |
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