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6/17/05 |
It’s prime
time Saturday night in the Vinings. A few band members
klink and klank as they set up stage, an attentive manager
casually checks on a young couple savoring their last few
sips of wine and nearby, a young inebriated twenty something
proudly flaunts her newly purchased, partially robed rack
for all to admire.
The bar is nearly full by now, filled with mostly neighborhood
beer drinkers not willing to risk the drive to Midtown. And really
no need, there’s enough right here to make them comfortable – good
tunes, a laid-back crowd and sufficient beer menu. What else
could you ask for on a lazy Saturday night?
Me, I’m the geek strategically positioned at the back table
nibbling on a heaping pile of Lobster Nachos while sucking down
a pint of ‘Boddie’. I’m happy as a pig in mud – my
nachos are generously stocked with chunks of lobster topped with
slightly spicy pico de gallo, just the way I like it. All brought
together with a thin liquid cheese drizzle and judicious scattering
of black beans.
Turkey scaloppini taking up space on a restaurant menu is a rare
sight. Something we need to see more of, in my opinion. That’s
why at Padriac’s I can’t pass up the Parmesan Crusted
Turkey Scaloppine with wild mushroom Isreali couscous. Growing
up I found comfort in breaded turkey cutlets served with Velveeta
Mac & Cheese. In fact, it was my favorite home cooked meal
as a child. Nothing fancy, just thin, lean strips of pan-fried
turkey helped along by Italian flavored breadcrumbs and plenty
of olive oil.
At Padriac's it arrives piping hot, as comfort foods often do.
The couscous works well with the turkey, but admittedly, and
at risk of offending some, the child in me pathetically desires
creamy Velveeta oozing over macaroni shells.
Getting back to Padriac's; don’t let yourself get too carried
away after one, or even two passable dishes. I’ve been burned
too many times trying to venture my way around this menu. Pork
Tenderloin with creamy polenta might look tempting on the menu
but the meat chews like a leathery boot. Biting into a burger
can be much like getting your teeth kicked into the curb. My
last visit yielded a woefully overcooked patty resting on shamelessly
stale buns. The medium rare burger arrived within moments of
being ordered scorched beyond a punishing medium well. |
Lobster Nachos
Price Range: Apps:
$5.25 - $15.50
Entrees: $8.25 - $28.50
Hours:
Mon - Fri: 11am - 2am
Sat:: noon - 3am
Sunday: noon - midnight
Address and Telephone: 2460 Cumberland Pkwy STE
110, Vinings Tel: 770-433-2398
Notes:
*Drinks and the scene are more consistent than the kitchen
*Nice beer selection, especially for the suburbs
*The wine menu is extremely weak
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Pecan Crusted New Bedford Cod tastes fresh from the back of a
freezer. Although, Chef Glenn’s crazy grits, a hearty
jumble of stone ground grits, duck confit, crawfish, shrimp,
onions and Gouda cheese, make it somewhat tolerable.
Kitchen weaknesses are prevalent throughout the entire menu,
including desserts. Crème brulèe arrives a nice
creamy texture, but the sugary top is soggy not crispy and crackly.
It must have been blowtorched earlier that day then after spending
several hours cooling in a humid refridgerator, served to me.
Come on Padriac’s, crème brulèe torched to
order isn’t too much to ask?
Despite the many afflictions caused by the kitchen, I really
wanna like this place. I searched the menu high and low for something
to hang my hat on. However, there really isn’t much besides
lobster nachos, turkey scaloppini and spicy Cajun mussels. But
I also realize that’s okay – the lobster nachos by
themselves are practically enough to feed two.
Besides, it’s hard to stay mad at this place. Just as my
blood begins to boil – another pint arrives, the band starts
off with a Tom Petty tune and the ditz with the newly acquired
torpedoes starts modeling for every red-hot-blooded male with
a cell phone camera. Honestly, the locals here are entertainment
enough.
No, I wouldn’t recommend Padriac’s to anyone in search
of a stellar ‘foodie’ experience. But stop by one Friday
night – order a cold beer, kick your feet up and watch the
neighborhood unwind.
School is out and the long days of summer are finally here.
Some of you have a little extra time on your hands now, and
will be out and about trying some of Atlanta’s newer restaurants.
One of the following restaurants has already been covered by
me right here on AtlantaCuisine.com, but we’ve now expanded
our audience to The Hudspeth Report. So, call it an update.
New restaurants in Atlanta aren’t opening as fast as they
used to. But a few ‘newbies’ have opened lately – some
making headlines – others aren't so fortunate. One making
waves through the ‘foodie’ community is Co'm Vietnamese
Grill (4005-E Buford Hwy, Atlanta Tel: 404-320-0405), Buford
Highway’s latest Vietnamese restaurant. Com captured the
taste buds of many by simply marinating all meats in fish sauce
then slapping them on the grill.
No tricks here, you really can’t go wrong with fish sauce
flavored anything. I was a big fan to start, but honestly,
the more I go the less I like. Many of my favorite offerings
such as duck and Vietnamese bacon have been discontinued or
are never in stock. Don't get me wrong, I still like this one,
but the diminishing menu is getting on my nerves.
What’s even more unusual about this place is that they
aim to be overly Americanized, despite the Buford Hwy address.
You won’t find any noodle soups on the menu, and if you're
like me and can’t eat with anything but chopstix on Buford
Hwy – you must request them.
I recommend starting with grape leaves stuffed with lamb for
an appetizer then move on to the Flat Rice Vermicelli as your
entree.
If you’ve never been, what are you waiting for?
Eclipse di Sol (640 N. Highland Ave., 404-724-0711), James
Erlich’s new restaurant boasting executive chef Patti
Roth, who is, in my opinion, the most overrated chef in Atlanta.
Roth made her chef debut at Luxe, where she served every single
entrée with a side of dessert for the first two weeks.
That’s right, no veggies and no starches. The first entrée
she ever served me was a lavender honey lamb shank sided by
a slice of cinnamon apple pie. However, two weeks later, more
appropriate sides such as organic greens, began to replace
her ill-advised dessert-like sides.
Shortly thereafter, she created a loyal following with many
touting her as one of Atlanta’s best chefs. Frankly, I
never felt that she had that command of flavors and textures
as the better chefs do. Three visits to Eclipse di Sol and
I see things haven’t changed, the ingredients are top
notch in many offerings, but she fails to make it happen on
the plate.
The lamb sandwich consists of flavorless slices of cold lamb
basking on fresh homemade bread. Cucumber soup is inconsistent;
one day it’s too bitter but the next day it’s much
smoother. Hummus is dull and poorly prepared, but homemade
pita tips are wonderful.
For now, I know I’ll never get a bad meal here, but no
matter how much I root for a memorable one – it just doesn’t
seem to happen. However, there's no doubt in my mind that chef
Patti Roth will someday become one of this city's finer chefs.
And I don't think that day is too far away.
email: tom@atlantacuisine.com |
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