Here on Inside The Chef’s Kitchen, we like to branch out a bit and look for people outside the Atlanta restaurant community. For this weeks visit, we have Bradley Rouse, whose serves as the executive chef for the Atlanta Hawks. In his spare time, he also heads up a little venture by the name of All Star Chefs (website), a chef service for athletes.
After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, Rouse went to work for Carbo’s Café, a now defunct French-American restaurant that was quite popular around these parts. Rouse eventually landed at Prime Restaurant as their sushi chef before leaving the Capital of the South for a job a Wolfgang Puck’sGrand Café in Fort Lauderdale.
But alas, the call home was too much to ignore, and Rouse returned home, where he is responsible for feeding employees of the Highlight Factory, our beloved Atlanta Hawks. That’s no sluff position, especially since one of the Hawks is now a restaurateur himself.
So it’s with great pleasure that we’re treated to pictures of Rouse along with a little bit of his time. Hope y’all enjoy … and welcome to ITCK!
Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta’s most athletic foodie (or at least the one paid the best), made at least a few heads turn last year when he acquired Midtown’sEno restaurant. The Atlanta Hawks center promptly renamed it Eno By Zaza (fancy huh?) and has since replaced head chef Eli Kirshtein (of Top Chef fame) with Justin Cox. Today, the USA Today ran a little tidbit on Zaza and his newest venture. My favorite piece of info – Jamal Crawford is the biggest fan amongst the Hawks. Check it out for yourself on 20-second timeout with Zaza Pachulia.
While we were sleeping, aka – over the weekend, chef Eli Kirshtein finally confirmed months of rumors. Known outside the ATL for his recent appearance on Top Chef, he is best known around these parts as the chef at ENO (now “By Zaza”).
Now, Kirshtein has moved on from his post with intentions to take on the Big Apple. While in NYC, Kirshtein plans to work as a “guest chef” at Solo (website) under Hok Chin. I’ve always been intrigued by Solo; it’s an Asian fusion restaurantthat does things Kashrut style. As shocking as that combo may sound, it’s probably not as strange as you’d think. Like the joke goes …
According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5770. According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4707. This means that Jews went without Chinese food for 1,063 years. This period was known as the Dark Ages.
Back on task, Kirshtein has stated that he’s not sure how long he’ll be gone. However, he has every intention of returning to Atlanta so that he can open his own restaurant here. Say what you will about his cooking, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when and if he does return.
UPDATE: It turns out that Chin is no longer the executive chef at Solo. While restaurant will still serves kosher food, the cuisine is “American” based. Also, Kirshtein will start his gig on the 16th of January.
One heck of a weekend if you ask me … lots of football, lots of food, and lots of food news. What else is there? Here are just a few of the rumblings and grumblings that got tossed around this weekend.
Top Chef: Las Vegas Reunites In The Dirty South
Several of the contestants on Top Chef: Atlanta Las Vegas were seen in town this weekend. The group, comprised of ATLiens Kevin Gillespie and Eli Kirshtein, included out of towners Jennifer Carroll, Bryan Voltaggio, and Mike Isabella. The gang was spotted at the Falcons game sucking down some buzztastic grub from the new “it” barbecue joint … known round these parts as Community Q. Speaking of which, I grabbed a meal there last week, and I’ll definitely share in the next day or so (if not sooner).
The fun didn’t stop watching our beloved birds get tarred and feathered. To get the full Atlanta experience, the kiddos spent a good amount of time sampling ATL’s food. They took a trip to Flip Burger Boutique to see TC alum Richard Blais, to Holeman & Finch for some libations, to Pricci, and to each of TC:LVC Atlanta restaurants. UPDATE:Atlanta’s best BBQ blogger was kind enough to recap the events on his blog, pictures and all! Enjoy!
Holeman & Finch To Open Liquor Store
Speaking of H&F, long-standing rumors seem to be getting a little more traction. Several “reliable foodies” have mentioned that the group behind ATLs most notable “gastro bar” are going to expand into the liquor store business. All signs point to Bottleneck as the name of the establishment. Andy Minchow, one of the proprietors of H&F, is scheduled to take the reigns. For all you mixologists-in-training, this will most certainly be your store of choice. The former Repast barista will be there to help you with recipes, ingredients, and drinking gadgets. Atlanta’s masked videographer Rowdy just posted a clip of Andy … check it:
Some Bar In Some Place Opened
Some people just don’t “get it.” They somehow take the idea of underground coolness and screw it up by going the snobby/elitist route. Here’s what I’m talking about:
Everyone wants to be “Milk & Honey” but no one has the balls (or apparently the brains) to actually pull it off the way M&H did. A bar hoping to copy take inspiration from the NYC underground destination is doing its best to do everything Milk and Honey did not. It starts with the press release.
In this waste of digital paper, the owners were kind enough to provide the name of the bar. Then, they told you what area of town to find it (no specific information – just a generic address – it’s a phone booth of sorts btw). Oh, last but not least, they were nice enough to give out the name of their master mixologist (which everyone in the foodie circle already knows). The cherry? There’s a password to get in. However, they won’t give it out.
One of the reasons why M&H succeeded is because they played the game. They weren’t pretentious about what they were, and they didn’t try to have their cake and eat it too. This establishment seems to want its feet on both sides of the line. Not gonna happen here … You want to put out something in a press release … than do it … but don’t half ass it. As such … not even a name mention from yours truly. If you’re reading this and don’t know the story behind Milk and Honey … feel free to email me and I’ll elaborate. And if you’re dying to know what I’m talking about … search some of the more notable food blogs here in town … you’ll find the 205.5 without too much difficulty. They have a website already and … of course … A FACEBOOK PAGE!!!!!! The website actually tells you where it is. Grrrr …
Harvest Midtown hits Sunday, Oct. 4 from 1pm to 5pm (that’s tomorrow as of this writing). The event will be hosted at the Georgian Terrace in Midtown and runs from 1pm to 5pm. This fall festival features a lot of food, wine, and entertainment from around the city.
If ya’ll are looking for full on details, check out Harvest Midtown’s website. In the meantime, here’s a little summary of what to expect in the food & wine department.
Winemaker Mark Davidson will be hosting mini seminars on organic bio demonic wines. They run once an hour on the 30s. If you get a sip of something you like, head over to the Barrelman Wine & Cheese Booth to score some grape juiz.
It’s a place that Atlanta denizens want to love. It’s the type of place we should love. Ultimately, I’m not sure it’s a place that we do love. ENO restaurant in Midtown Atlanta has gotten a lot of attention in recent months. The majority of the hype has come on the heels of executive chef Eli Kirshtein’s recent trip to Las Vegas for season six of Top Chef. The restaurant got it’s second wind when word broke that Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had come out of nowhere to purchase both ENO and the adjunct Barrelman Wine & Cheese Shop. Despite that potential boon to business, things haven’t really changed much recently.
That’s not to say that the restaurant as a whole has remained stagnate since its 1999 opening. Their days as a Mediterranean stomping ground are a thing of the past as the menu is now a cornucopia of highly conceptualized dishes that hint at the elements of molecular cooking. Though the menu is constantly in flux, the backbone of the experience is the wine. It is a constant point of pleasure for yours truly, and I’m not alone in that respect. [Amongst others, Atlanta wine blogger and current Murphy-Goode employee Hardy Wallace loves it!]
Still, this post is a little non-traditional as it is a balance between the singular experience of my most recent trip and the longstanding qualities that have been in place for the better part of the past few years. True to my modus operandi, I wasn’t totally sold on the experience. In fact, I walked away from the meal with one word on my mind: Interesting. Mind you, this isn’t to imply that ENO was a disaster, rather … it just didn’t snap together nice and tight.
Another week comes, another “restaurant week” hits. Atlanta’s Midtown Restaurant Week, which drops for the 4th time, starts tonight (August 29) and runs through Sunday, September 6th. This one features a whopping 43 restaurants (if my math is correct). In what has become formulaic normalcy, you show up at one of the participating restaurants, ask for and order off a special prix-fixe menu, and get three courses for $25. Don’t forget: alcohol isn’t included, and neither is tax and gratuity. If you want the full on onslaught of information, check out the Midtown Restaurant Week official website. Otherwise, just keep reading for the list of menus and restaurants!
Given the recent news regarding chef Eli Kirshtein, I was surprised to find out that ENO in Midtown has adjusted their hours for the summer. Apparently, despite the news about Top Chef, they are now closed for lunch. So if you are trying to avoid dinner prices (and crowds) for some grub, you’re going to have to look elsewhere. No word on when they plan to let lunch-ers get back in there.
They still open for dinner pretty early, so feel free to make a reservation and check them out.
Ah, the joys of being an independent blogger with no editor, no boss, no financial obligations, and nobody to answer to but myself … let’s embrace it!
If you haven’t figured it out yet, let me tell you that I am indeed a fan of Top Chef. While there is plenty of bullshit that goes on behind the scenes, it seems to be one of the only (if not the only) reality show with some actual street cred. That it’s about food is just an added bonus. Actually, scratch that – because it’s about food AND since it seems at least quasi legit – I like it. Because it’s “usually” well done means I really like it.
As luck would have it, it seems that I’ve stumbled upon a little bit of information about the upcoming season. Before we begin, let us get a few things straight. A) I’m not going to tell you how I found out. B) I will tell you that this information did not come from anyone in the restaurant biz nor from one of my fellow bloggers. C) I wouldn’t be writing this post if I was completely full of crap. That said, I may be wrong here. So proceed at your own risk. If it turns out I’ve been misinformed, well – I warned you.
Keeping that in mind, if you want some “off the record dirt,” then read read on. If you like surprises, well, I suggest you stop reading now.
Here on Inside The Chef’s Kitchen, we like to branch out a bit and look for people outside the Atlanta restaurant community. For this weeks visit, we have Bradley Rouse, whose serves as the executive chef for the Atlanta Hawks. In his spare time, he also heads up a little venture by the name of All Star Chefs (website), a chef service for athletes.
