R. Rice Wok Grill Sushi in Atlanta

Massaman curry with scallops.

While I was still in Atlanta I was invited to a special tasting at R Rice in Dunwoody. This pan-Asian restaurant's byline: "wok, grill and sushi" understates how huge its menu is - and there truly is something for everyone! The menu contains a variety of traditional and innovative sushi combinations, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cuisines and even tacos. The location off Hammond Dr. is easy to miss although it's near the corner of Peachtree Dunwoody and Hammond and there is ample parking once you find the right lot.

My overall favorite dishes include the massaman curry (above): a huge portion with good spice and flavor; and the salt and pepper soft shell crab. Get the crab over the calamari - it's something different and it's better. The special sushi rolls we tried were also tasty. R Rice uses some unique sushi wrappers including soybean paper and cucumber, although I love the traditional seaweed wrappers personally. Several in our party tried the cocktails, which came in an array of rainbow colors and were determined to be on sweet end of the spectrum - good for those who enjoy fruity drinks. The fried green tea ice cream was a nice end to the meal - I'm a sucker for green tea ice cream so I knew this would not be a bad choice! If you are in the area, you should give R Rice a try - you will definitely find something you enjoy!

Agedashi tofu.



Salt and Pepper Calamari.



Salt and pepper soft shell crab.



Shumai: steamed shrimp dumplings.



The King and Queens' Crown - king crab with house seasoning and crunchies wrapped in avocado.



Sushi Dinner.



Hawaiian roll.



Tuna Pizza.



Lollipop roll.



Fish Katsu.



Fried green tea ice cream - deliciously sinful!



Bar, dining and kitchen areas in the open restaurant.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

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.

Midwood Smokehouse - Charlotte

Carolina Pork Plate with fries and slaw. All plates come with hush puppies and pickled onions.

Midwood Smokehouse is a welcome addition to the Charlotte BBQ scene. Located in the ever burgeoning Plaza-Midwood neighborhood, Midwood delivers on the 'Q while at the same time adding modern flair with dishes like smoked vegetable bruschetta, smoked turkey and sausage and a Cuban sandwich. The pork BBQ was smoky and delicious and I love that they have 4 sauce options to choose from. The mac & cheese was a standout side and the hush puppies were tasty too. I look forward to going back to try the ribs, the pimento cheese fries and the desserts.

Smokehouse Bruschetta made with goat cheese.



Midwood offers decktop, patio and indoor seating and has a full bar.



Special of the day: Fried smoked wings - you can get the smoked wings anytime and on the side, bacon wrapped jalepenos, available as an appetizer or side.




Sauces: Mustard, NC Vinegar, Midwood Signature and Spicy. I liked combining the vinegar sauce with the spicy sauce - yum!



Smoked half chicken Midwood Style with BBQ baked beans and mac & cheese.

Anniversary Dinner with Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious

White gazpacho with grapes and almonds - so delicious!

For our 1 year anniversary I decided to do something unexpected: no big fancy dinner out; instead a delicious dinner cooked at home by the lovely and talented Chef Stephanie of Dishes Delicious. I met Stephanie at a food event last summer and having always wanted to do a meal at home prepared by a chef, decided to do this for our first wedding anniversary before we moved out of Atlanta.

Stephanie was fun to work with on the planning front - we discussed the menu and settled on the below, which she even put onto a special menu card for the occasion. Since we had bar stools in our Atlanta kitchen we were able to watch Stephanie do the final preparations and the cooking, which made it even more fun - your very own chef's table at home! Everything she prepared was awesome - in particular the white gazpacho. Superb. If you need a private chef for any size home party, I wholeheartedly recommend Stephanie!

Crispy wild mushroom and onion grit cakes.



Sea bass with guava cream and roasted new potatoes.



Chef Stephanie. She can be reached through her website Dishes Delicious.



Lemon curd crepes with raspberry sauce.



One year down!

The Capital Grille - New Additions to Plates Menu

Shrimp and Piquillo Peppers with Crisp Bomba Rice with grilled spring vegetables on the side.

I was recently invited to sample The Capital Grille's new Spring Plates Menu. The new additions feature asparagus soup (hot), fresh spring vegetables and a tasty shrimp and rice dish - the perfect light lunch for spring. The asparagus soup (below) was particularly tasty and the "Bomba" rice served with the lightly spiced shrimp reminded me of risotto.

The New England clam chowder, a long time offering on the Plates menu, is another item I had not tried previously. The chowder was creamy and full of clams and potatoes as it should be. The Plates menu at The Capital Grille continues to be an affordable means of enjoying the upscale atmosphere and delightful view at Atlanta's Buckhead location.

Delicious asparagus soup.



Lobster roll with truffle fries.



New England clam chowder.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Season's 52 Spring Menu

Artichoke & Goat Cheese Flatbread.

I was recently invited to check out the new spring menu at Season's 52 in Buckhead. There are some very tasty selections offered right now. I particularly enjoyed the tomato and avocado salad and the trout. The trout is so pink and tender you'd think it was salmon. The rice, veggies and delicious lemongrass sauce make it worthy of ordering.

Season's 52 is also featuring several new cocktails: Strawberry Kir Royal (Fresh Strawberry-Infused Prairie Organic Vodka, Organic Agave Nectar and Zardetto Prosecco) and Strawberry Basil Fusion (Fresh Strawberry-Infused Prairie Organic Vodka, Fresh Basil, and Organic Agave Nectar).

Go try the new menu and let me know what you think.

Artichoke-Stuffed Artichoke Leaves.



Tomato & Haas Avocado Salad - my favorite!



Spicy Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms.



Columbia River Steelhead Trout with spring vegetables, basmati rice and lemongrass sauce.



Lamb T-Bone Chops with asparagus, truffle mashed potatoes and red wine glaze.

Disclosure: The meal reviewed in this post was complimentary.

Comminity Foods - Fresh Delivery in Metro Atlanta

Delicious, fresh chicken ready to be cooked!

Recently I was offered a 40 lb. box of fresh, hormone-free chicken from Community Foods. Community Foods is a local Georgia company that sells and distributes wholesale, top quality, fresh food, direct from the farm to the consumer. Products include chicken, lean ground beef, tilapia, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.  By eliminating the middle-man of grocery stores andwholesale clubs, and delivering to common pickup points within the community, Community Foods is able to bring customers better prices than they would be able to find anywhere else. Community Foods sold these chicken breasts for $1.69/lb.

I selected my pickup point and easily found the local church in Decatur closest to my home on the appointed day. Kevin Campbell, the president of Community Foods, greeted me and helped load the 40 lb. case of chicken into my trunk. It was surprisingly compact for such a large amount of chicken!

When I returned home I divided the butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts into freezer bags and even had enough to give away to friends and family. I cooked some delicious orange chicken, some chicken salad and chicken with apple chipoltle barbecue sauce - yum! Community Foods is a great resource for obtaining fresh, quality foods at convenient locations and great prices.

The truck with boxes of chicken loaded up.





Big bowl of chicken!

Five Napkin Burger

Original Five Napkin with onion rings.

I was recently invited to come check out Five Napkin Burger, which opened a location last year at the corner of 10th St. and Piedmont Ave. With four New York City locations and locations in Miami and Boston, Atlanta is the first true Southern city outpost. Although the specialty of the house is obvious, they also have sushi, which we did not try on this visit. I do like the concept though, since you can bring a carnivore and a pescetarian and both be happy :)

We arrived just as the restaurant opened for brunch and had a nice booth near the window. The space is modern and bright, with a full bar and high ceilings. We started with the pork taquitos, which are cute mini pork tacos in hard shells - tasty and not too filling, a good thing with what we had coming next! I had to try the Original Five Napkin burger, which is a whopping 10 ounce patty of custom ground beef with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary mayo. It really hit the spot and is everything a big juicy burger should be. Some of the other burger selections like the Piedmont with pimento cheese, griddled onions and pickled jalepenos as well as the ahi tuna burger, sounded great as well - next time!

My favorite menu item was actually the lobster sliders. Calvin and I have looked long and hard for a good lobster roll in Georgia. It just isn't happening. While the sliders are a bit of a different take on the traditional "roll", they were warm, buttery and delicious. Definitely a repeat order for me. We also tried a side of the mac & cheese, which was creamy although not as heavy as some versions.

Pork Taquitos.



Butter poached lobster sliders with sweet potato fries - yum!



Macaroni & Cheese.



On our way out we took milkshakes to go. They were really tasty as well, making for a nice sweet end to the meal. Five Napkin is a neat addition to Midtown. If you are in the area it is another good place for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Disclosure: The meal reviewed in this post was complimentary.