The Cellar At Duckworth's - Prohibition Day and New Menu Items

My favorite dish - tuna tartare with guacamole.

I have been meaning to blog about The Cellar at Duckworth's for a while - in fact I have been meaning to blog for a while... forgive me, dear readers!

The Cellar has quickly become one of Charlotte's best dining and drinking destinations, with its speakeasy, 1920's look, fabulous cocktails and delicious food. Some of my favorite mainstay items are the tuna tartare, the flat breads and the brussels sprouts.

Just last week I was invited to come taste the special 21st Amendment Cocktail Menu, which is available TONIGHT, December 5 ONLY! This is in celebration of Prohibition Day.

The Cellar’s mixologist Ron Oleksa has created a menu of exclusive vintage cocktails with a modern-day twist, including: 

The Corpse Reviver #2016, a twist on the popular Corpse Reviver family of cocktails, features Bluecoat Gin with Yellow Chartreuse, Amaro Montenegro, an absinthe rinse, lemon and cherry.

Not-So-Silent Mary Pickford, inspired by the 1920s favorite, includes Mt. Gay Silver Rum with Luxardo Maraschino, Solerno Blood Orange, house-made Grenadine, pineapple, lime, house-spiced cherry and a clove sprinkle.

Brooklyn Bridge, a cross between a Brooklyn and a Manhattan cocktail, mixes Knob Creek Rye with Amaro Montenegro, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth and a lemon twist.

In the photo above, the Not-So-Silent Mary Pickford is on the right, the Corpse Reviver is in the middle and the Brooklyn Bridge is on the left. I enjoyed the Not-So-Silent, which had a lighter and sweeter taste, but my husband favored the other two which were both less sweet and strong!

Tacos including octopus and fish.

New menu item - asparagus salad. I relly enjoyed this dish; the feta and asparagus really go nicely together. We also tried the new ground duck flat bread which I ate before I could photograph! It has a balsamic glaze and was sodelicious. I would definitely order it again.

New menu item - candied jalepeno bacon. This was sweet, yet spicy and savory all at the same time. Delicious - a real treat!

Cardamom Hill - Atlanta

Shrimp Molee appetizer.

Just before leaving Atlanta I had met up with fellow food blogger Malika of Atlanta Restaurant Blog at Cardamom Hill for dinner. The location of this new Indian restaurant which focuses on owner Asha Gomez's native Kerala region is convenient, right off I-75 on Howell Mill and once you are inside it is easy to forget you are in a nondescript strip-mall. Cardamom Hill offers set lunch menus, which change daily and has a full a la carte dinner menu as well. A small bar welcomes patrons near the front of the restaurant.

Service was prompt - in some ways a little too rushed; it was clear the server was ready for us to move along so that he could have another table. This irked me for a place that is so expensive. Nevertheless I found the food interesting and for the most part delicious. Still, several improvements could be made.

The shrimp molee appetizer and the entree vegetable plate were my favorite items that we tried. However, it was difficult to know how to eat the shrimp molee dish - it begged for more appams (steamed rice cakes) or rice for the delicious sauce. The duck and plantain croquettes came in a tiny portion and were ho-hum except for the one piece of dried fig, disappointing after hearing a lot about them. As mentioned the vegetable plate was truly outstanding, with flavors that complemented each other in a satisfying way. The spicy fish curry was spicy, which I like, but the flavor was almost lost in the spiciness and again the portion was quite small for the charge. In my opinion Cardamom Hill needs to work on appetizers fit for sharing and should be a bit more generous with portions; alternatively they could lower their prices.

Duck and plantain croquettes.



Vegetable Plate - my favorite thing - lots of great flavors.



Spicy fish curry, quite spicy and a bit oily.

Thaicoon - Marietta

The Sherlock Holmes Roll - not sure why it is called this but I love this spicy tuna roll topped with more fish and a tiny piece of lemon. Tangy, spicy and delicious!

Recently we dined at Thaicoon in Marietta just before viewing a performance of "The Sound of Music" on Marietta's historic square. This restaurant has a sister located near where I live at the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. For no particular reason, I have not actually had a meal there although I've ordered take out several times. This was a great opportunity to sample the offerings, which are similar at both restaurants. My favorite dishes here include the above fancy sushi roll and the basil duck. The tom yum kung soup was also good. The Panang curry with scallops was too bland for me - one of those instances when the spice stars don't mean a thing - definitely a disappointment after our recent trip to Thailand! Thaicoon was crowded - it was Saturday night - so make a reservation if you're going at a popular time. If you have never tried Thai food this is a great place to start. There is a full Japanese menu available as well including several other creative sushi rolls like the Caribbean Roll, which includes snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Basil Duck - tasty.



Panang Curry with Scallops - not enough spice for me!



Tom Yum Gung - good flavor but not heavily spiced.

Gu's Bistro

Tea smoked duck with scallions and ginger.

While my dad was visiting we took a group out to Gu's Bistro, a fairly new Szechuan Chinese spot just OTP in a strip mall on Buford Highway. This is now one of my new favorites, mostly because of the unique, delicious dishes served and the huge menu. Gu's also offers dim sum set lunch meals available by reservation on some weekends. Once a large enough group makes a reservation, other smaller parties can too and the dim sum is served course by course individually, instead of on carts. I really want to do this soon! The smoked duck and cumin lamb were outstanding as was the eggplant, which had just the right level of spice without the grease that sometimes accompanies this dish. I will definitely be back. This is definitely a fun new destination in the Atlanta area.

Menu - they have a traditional Szechuan menu as well as the American favorites for your non-adventurous friends.



Eggplant with garlic sauce.



Cumin lamb - very spicy and delicious - not for those who can't handle a little heat!



Salt and pepper jumbo shrimp - just wondering, why no squid?!



Chengdu dumplings - Zhong style - delicious and flavorful.

Canoe for Mom's Birthday Dinner

Table favorite: the Duck.

While my mom, stepdad and grandma were recently in town to help me with wedding dress shopping (yes we found something!) we celebrated my mom's birthday with a memorable dinner at Canoe, a restaurant I'd heard much about but had not yet been to before. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, following the extensive remodel mandated by the 2009 flood that put water more than 4 feet up the walls! Somehow I forgot to think of asking for a window view, so we were in the main room near the kitchen. The noise level was not too bad and we could all hear each other. Our waiter was excellent, delivering more of the wonderful bread for us and promptly bringing my grandma a side of mashed potatoes when she didn't care for the edamame hummus served with her halibut (the fish, she proclaimed delicious).

As sunset crept upon us, I couldn't want to go take a look outside at the grounds, including a large garden, several lovely seating areas and the fully stocked bar right down on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. I really enjoyed my dinner at Canoe. More below, in pictures:

Special off-menu salad: heirloom tomatoes with olive oil sorbet.



The menu - lots of great choices!



The bread basket was a highlight for all. Grandma loved the chili-rubbed flatbread and we all enjoyed the fresh based olive bread.



Beet and goat cheese "salad".



Baby arugula salad - tasty but pretty basic.



Rabbit with homemade bacon ravioli - divine and different.

The dish I ordered, scallops over toasted almond and roasted tomato gazpacho, also pleased the palate. Somehow the photo disappeared, but it was served on a long, slender plate for a dramatic presentation.

Halibut over edamame hummus with baby boc choi - the sole disappointment of the evening.



The family outside Canoe.

Once you are inside the restaurant, it feels like you are in another place. It is almost disorienting to come out and see a small strip mall next door - especially one with a weight loss clinic!

Fruit tart with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Cracker Jack with Butter Pop Ice Cream.

The Butter Pop Ice Cream with Cracker Jack = phenomenal and good to the last soupy bite! We also tried the chocolate and salted caramel grotto, which looked nice but was nowhere near as tasty as the cracker jack and butter pop ice cream concoction. I do hope to get back to Canoe for brunch, and this time I'm sitting outside!

Miso Izakaya - Better than Ever

Bun selection - crispy duck and pork belly - these alone are reason enough to visit Miso Izakaya - but many more delicious options are available as well.

Black Edamame.

Back in early June I was invited for a sampling of Miso Izakaya's new menu. I'd dined at Miso about a year ago with a review here, but things have changed for the better since my earlier review. The sushi is now outstanding and the buns are drool-worthy - the pork belly and crispy duck buns disappeared from our table in no time at all. We tremendously enjoyed just about everything we tried and plan to go back very soon. I love that Edgewood Ave. continues to improve its dining scene. Miso Izakaya is definitely worth checking out.

Delicious drinks - selections change seasonally but definitely enjoyed the creative cocktail list and extensive beer list.

Tuna Tartare - spicy with a quail egg on top - yum!

Pressed sushi in the Osaka style - delicious and no seaweed.

Baked mussels - one of the only disappointments; I think the mussels were a bit overcooked.

Spicy glazed Eggplant.

Kyoto Lamb Chop: madras curry with infused lemongrass marinade - another great option.

Tuna roll and salmon sashimi. The sashimi = awesome and salmon is my favorite. Calvin is not usually blown away by sushi but he was amazed by this salmon also.

Seared scallops with sweet creamed corn - one of my favorite dishes.

Lovely Exterior.

Excellent Green Tea Creme Brulee.

Restaurant Eugene

Cured trout tartare and citrus, chili blood orange emulsion, fennel, benne wafer.

My first visit to Restaurant Eugene was a wonderful treat, the result of a gift certificate given to me by some very sweet clients. The meal was special not only because of the solid food and elegant atmosphere, but also because our friend Judith, who runs Love is Love Farm, works there and because we were lucky enough to be invited to take a kitchen tour.

We started with drinks: complimentary champagne given to every guest in April to celebrate the restaurant's anniversary as well as Fever's Cure: Prairie Vodka, Psycharud's bitters, strawberry-rhubarb chutney and Fever Tree Ginger Ale - delicious! Later in the meal I also tried the Eugene homemade ginger ale, which is outstanding.

After an amuse bouche combo of radish and strawberry - interesting but not very memorable - we started with the cured trout tartare and the foie gras tasting - both so delicious in different ways. The trout light and a bit tart, the foie gras rich and sweet. The powdered foie gras is definitely something unique - and while I preferred the roasted version, the powdered really is amazing.

Foie Gras Tasting: roasted, terrine, hibiscus, honey, brioche.



Awesome bread basket and soft poached bantam egg, farro, crisp vidalia, tasso, nettle-black tea.

The famous Holeman & Finch bread as well as the service, stood out as most exceptional to me. The poached egg with farro was interesting and creative with its use of tea as its liquid, but this dish turned out a bit bland for my taste.

Wild morel and nameko fondue, fiddlehead ferns, turnips, garlic confit, mint. Pan roasted duck breast, artichokes, turnips, rhubarb, farro.

The wild morel and nameko fondue was interesting. I suppose I thought with "fondue" we would be dipping the wild morels and namekos into the cheese sauce. This dish, recommended by our waiter, was probably the most disappointing items we ordered - too salty and not containing the cheesiness I was looking for. The duck was solid - very tender meat, served nicely rare.

Pan Roasted Monkfish, Swiss chard, maitake, preserved citrus, fennel puree, morels.



Backstage tour of the kitchen! Amazing what all goes on back here!



Peanut butter pudding with candied bacon, chocolate tuile, whipped buttermilk and cherry ice cream.

I enjoyed the combination of peanut butter, bacon and chocolate - you have to try it before you judge! The ice cream was also quite tasty.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake - specially made compote for us! We also really enjoyed the goat cheesecake.

Restaurant Eugene has made quite a name for itself in a short time. In my opinion it's a stop every Atlantan should make at least once for a special occasion - the bread alone is worth it! I've also heard great things about the bar and the Friday Night Flight, which reportedly "will soon be reaching a new altitude" after tonight.