The Capital Grille - New Summer Plates Menu

Seared sea scallops with sweet and sour tomatoes.

I was recently invited to sample the new Summer Plates menu at The Capital Grille. Now that I am in Charlotte, I was able to try out another Capital Grille location and enjoyed a lovely lunch with my mom in uptown Charlotte. This outpost of The Capital Grille was bustling before noon on a Monday. Many business meetings and lunches are held here and the obviously enthusiastic staff kept things running smoothly and truly went above and beyond even with a close to full a house. At lunch parking is validated for the lot behind the Dunhill Hotel, making it a reasonable $2.

The Plates menu features choice of a soup or salad, an entree and a side dish for a set price of $18 at the Charlotte location. For the summer menu, a new entree of seared scallops with sweet and sour tomatoes is available. I love how the scallops are served with a grilled lemon wedge for a citrus taste that goes perfectly with the beautifully presented and cooked shellfish - delicious. The other new additions to the menu include a carrot ginger soup (hot) which I also really liked (the tasty classic New England clam chowder is still available as well) and a tomato and watermelon salad with feta cheese - a refreshing option for a side dish. The Wagyu beef burger with fried egg and crispy onions is back on the menu following multiple requests after it was featured last summer and then removed. My mom ordered this and LOVED it - and she is not usually a fan of burgers at all. The truffle fries go great with the burger, which is really a treat.

The Plates menu is a truly exceptional value for lunch at The Capital Grille. Give it a try this summer while the Wagyu burger and seared scallops are still on the menu.

Outside The Capital Grille - Charlotte.



Carrot Ginger Soup.



Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese.



Clam Chowder.



Wagyu Cheeseburger with Fried Egg and Crispy Onions and Truffle Fries.



Grapefruit soda - love that they have an different non-alcoholic option.



Mini-sampler of tenderloin and lobster roll - the chef was kind enough to do this so we could taste these items along with our lunch choices. Both of these are available in larger portions on the Plates menu.



Coconut cream pie - a delicious, rich dessert option with lots of whipped cream!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Calabash Seafood Hut and Calabash Creamery + Crabbing

Platter of fried goodness (and cole slaw!)

In early June we spent a wonderful week at an oceanfront house on Ocean Isle Beach complete with sun, sand, waves and crabbing. We cooked up fresh boiled shrimp most nights but one evening we did venture into Calabash for some fried seafood. Calabash Seafood Hut is classic Calabash fried goodness and the tiny dining room was filled to capacity by 5:15 PM. The shrimp and oysters were my favorite; the hush puppies could be better.

After dinner, despite being stuffed, we headed over to Calabash Creamery where they serve up delicious ice cream with creative flavors. I enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter and we had fun resting on the creamery's rocking-chair filled porch. A fun evening for all!

Sunset view from our house.



Basket of hush puppies.



Clam chowder.







Cute front porch of the creamery.

Calvin crabbing!



Crabs we caught!



Crabs we ate!

Rosa Mexicano's Foods of Baja

Conejo de Fideos - deliciously different!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to try Rosa Mexicano's special Foods of Baja menu, which features culinary advisor Jonathan Waxman's special Baja-influenced menu from now until July 1. I dined at the Atlanta location, which recently welcomed Executive Chef Brad Weideman to the team. Foods of Baja features a fun menu with several really interesting dishes worth trying. My favorites include the lump crab meat tostadas - so much crab meat with interesting flavors that add just the right amount of flavor without being overpowering - and the fideo pasta - special Mexican dried pasta with rabbit, chicken and portabella mushrooms in an wonderfully spicy habanero chile-roasted tomato salsa. This entree is delicious and unusual - definitely a good choice.

All three desserts that we tried were fantastic as well, including the special Baja menu dessert of plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana - very creamy and fruity with crunchy crust bits on top. The churros are seriously one of the best things I've eaten in quite some time (see last photo, below). Calvin also really enjoyed the special drink (Miel de Toronja) with its unique smoky flavor and we had wonderful service from Ramon - what a great waiter! If you are looking for something different to try during the rest of the month, definitely check out the Flavors of Baja menu at Rosa Mexicano.

The Miel de Toronja (left): Herradura reposado tequila, Vida mezcal, honey, fresh grapefruit and lime.



Amuse bouche of seared scallop with slow braised beef short rib - Mexican surf and turf.



Tostada de Jaiba con Coco. One of my favorite menu items!



Zucchini a la Parrilla. Loved the most chile cornbread.

Tacos de Camarones de San Felipe (shrimp tacos)



Our expert guacamole maker.



Spicy guacamole - you can't eat at Rosa without ordering the guacamole!



Salsas and bottomless rice and beans, which accompany every meal.



Compota de Ciruelas y Zarzamoras - tasty plum and blackberry compote with crema catalana.



Pastel de Queso - apple cheesecake with cajeta and candied pecans.



Churros.

Awesome churros with three dipping sauces: chocolate, caramel and raspberry guajillo. We almost didn't order these but luckily Ramon talked us into it and we were not sorry - these are very good. The presentation is also nice - the churros come in a bag with cinnamon and sugar which Ramon shook table side to ensure each churro was coated with a nice layer of sweet goodness. The caramel sauce was my favorite but I also love that the raspberry guajillo has a serious kick!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

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.

Park's Edge

Fabulous appetizer special: fish tacos - these could definitely be made into an entree as this portion was huge!

I was recently invited to sample the newly revamped menu at Park's Edge in Inman Park, which was updated following the taping of Chef Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show, set to air on Fox Network February 2012. My favorites among Chef Jorge Pacheco's dishes: the fish tacos (a daily special but should be added to the regular menu) were huge and delicious, although a bit messy, the lobster mac and cheese and the white chocolate bread pudding. Park's Edge has a reputation as one of Atlanta's best brunch spots. I look forward to trying brunch another time soon.

Park's Edge also has a neat cocktail menu including the midnight martini - served with blue cheese stuffed olives and a blood orange mojito (my favorite!). We also tried the strawberry basil caipirinha, which was also quite tasty.

Scallops served atop sweet corn puree with crispy maple bacon.



Bone-in Pork Chop with sweet potato puree, spinach and apricot pistachio relish. A tasty combination - love meat served with sweet sides.



Shrimp & grits. A bit bland for me but big, tasty shrimp nonetheless.



Lobster mac and cheese - as tasty as it sounds with herbed breadcrumbs.



White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bread Pudding - one of my favorite parts of this meal.

I'm not usually a white chocolate fan but this bread pudding with raspberry compote ended the meal on a high note! Park's Edge is a bit hard to find so be sure to check the map here before you go.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary

Chicken and the Egg Revisited

House made Pimento Cheese and Buttermilk Fried Oysters with Creole Tartar Sauce - a wonderful start to the meal. We were even able to pack up the leftover cheese to take home!

We recently went for a second visit to Chicken and the Egg in Marietta after being invited back to try the entire menu. Our dinner at the Friends & Family night was superb so we expected nothing less. I am pleased to say that this newcomer delivered once again. We were seated in a comfortable booth in the center of the far wall - a great place for people watching and seeing the workings of the entire restaurant. It was a Friday night and it was busy - I suggest reservations for sure on weekends. Again, service was stellar and we were lucky enough to get to talk with Chef Marc Taft and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, who are the co-owners as well as manager Tom Foust. It is evident that all three really care about the dining experience of each visitor and that means a lot. If you haven't been yet - go soon. I hear there is a new fall menu now. I can't wait to try the new fall menu as well as brunch one of these weekends!

Specialty drinks by mixologist Brandon King include creative cocktails and tasty non-alcoholic "mocktails" which are just my speed! Left, the Strawberry Pie non-alcoholic and right, Calvin's Grilled Peach Manhattan, which includes infused bacon!

The restaurant has moved from the mini-corn muffins to the above spoon rolls, which are equally wonderful if not better with the molasses butter.



Special of the day: Hanger steak with black garlic puree and potatoes. I adore black garlic and have used it in cooking at home after my mother included it as one of my Hanukkah presents. I found it really neat that Chef included this ingredient in such a traditional dish. The meat was also very tender and the potatoes were great for soaking up the sauce.



Seared Sea Scallops with Pimento Cheese grits, charred onion, baby arugula and chili oil. I really enjoyed this dish, especially more of that wonderful Pimento Cheese. The one issue was that the arugula was overly salted. With the other great flavors in this dish, the greens could really go without any salt at all.



Praline Bread Pudding with caramel ice cream and Rhubarb Streusel Tart with brown sugar-sour cream ice cream. I think we got the last rhubarb of the summer season! The bread pudding really hit the spot - delicious!