FoodieBuddha.com

Doesn’t that doughnut look good?  It’s a Reese’s doughnut from Sublime Doughnuts in Midtown.  Now Sublime looks as good on paper (or in this case … the computer screen) as it does in person.  You see, I got a nice little surprise when I dropped in on the Sublime Doughnuts website just a few minutes ago.  Turns out, it got a big facelift and is now all nice and snazzy.  Regardless of who your favorite doughnut maker in metro Atlanta happens to be, Kamal Grant’s place is always in the discussion.  So take a gander at his food porn, and then go get one (or two, or three, or two dozen) for yourself.  For all you digital fiends, it looks like Kamal is updating the Sublime twitter page with some frequency.  Video time:

A little over a week ago, as I scuttled home from the office, I took an unusual turn down Hemphill Ave.  Traffic was thick, and I like to keep moving.  So down the side streets I went and as I peeled off of Northside Dr, I noticed that Jaqbo Bakery & Café had a whole new paint job.  Something was up, so I pulled over.  As I got out of my car and approached the building, a small, solitary word caught my eye: Antico.  Jaqbo was no more!  I had, completely on accident, stumbled upon the newfound home for Enrico Liberato (and on day freaking one no less).

The story goes like this: Liberato arrived in Atlanta just a few short months ago.  Brought in to resurrect the tragically bad pizza that was being served up at Riccardo Ullio’s Fritti, Liberato helped put Fritti back on the map.  Some months later, the marriage was over.  It’s worth mentioning that I think the ‘za is a tad better since Liberato’s departure.  Whatever the reason for the split, word around the campfire was that Liberato had teamed up with a Brooklyn native who got his start in this world back in Naples, Italy.  That much was and is verifiably true.  So here we stand.

I passed on the opportunity to immediately share my delight for a number of reasons.  One of them being that I was confident Antico would remain off the radar for at least a few days.  BUZZ … WRONG!!!  Within a few short hours, news of the place darn dun blewed up and foodies, pizza passionistas, and bloggers alike have started talking up the place like a trending topic over on twitter.  While nearly everyone to write on Antico has painted an idealized picture of halcyon times, in true Foodie Buddha fashion, I can’t say everything is peachy.  That’s not to say that this chat of Antico Pizza will approach any semblance of the tongue lashings I’ve been known to hand out.  If you decide not to continue with this post, take this one opinion with you: this pizza is really tasty.

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Engine 11 is the latest tenant in the cemetery that is 30 North Ave.  Despite being within walking distance of Georgia Tech, the Fox Theatre, and a number of Midtown residences and hotels, this location  has been a death knell for all previous comers.  With a complicated parking situation and a busy roadside, any restaurateur that has taken on Fire Station No. 11 has had a lot of obstacles to overcome.

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Interior & Location: They’ve completely overhauled the interior space. It’s opened up nicely, flows well and is designed to create a calming atmosphere. It’s a much more pleasant interior than the former restaurant (the globe) that occupied the space. 

Food: As expected on a soft opening, the kitchen is still working out it’s kinks. The fried green tomato appetizer was good. It featured goat cheese, roasted red peppers and a sunflower seed pesto. Subtle flavors, but good. The tomato soup was rich and had a good kick of spice. The soup was probably the most pronounced flavor we tasted all night. The trout entrée was a bit disappointing. It was a beautiful fillet of Georgia trout with a bacon topper, but didn’t live up to it’s appearance. Amazingly it needed more seasoning, particularly more salt, as the bacon was very mild. Some sort of acid, lemon perhaps, would’ve helped as well.

The side of mushroom lasagna was very rich. Overall the dish had potential, but it could’ve used a contrast in texture to go with the mushroom lasagna and stronger flavors for the trout (in my humble opinion). The side of macaroni and cheese had great texture, but was once again a bit bland. It used the same bacon as the trout, so I think the kitchen was afraid to add additional salt to any of the dishes containing this amazingly mild bacon. The halibut was well executed. It was perfectly cooked and featured subtle flavors. It was served with cannellini beans in a mild broth with capers and roasted peppers.

The first dessert was a medley of fresh berries with liquor and whipped cream. Deliciously simple. The other dessert was a classic crème brûlée. The custard was a bit runny and the flavors a bit off.

Service: Overall the service was top notch. The kitchen was a bit slow, but that was to be expected on a soft opening. The server was really knowledgeable and truly excited about the restaurant concept (farm to table with dash of environmental friendliness).

Overall: The menu plays it pretty safe. It’s features contemporary takes on classic and trendy dishes. The combinations aren’t new (beet salad with goat cheese for example), but the ingredients are fresh and the execution mostly on par. For a soft opening they handled themselves incredibly well and all the dishes showed potential for improvement as they have a chance to refine. This restaurant should do well. It reminds me of JCT or Dogwood in terms of type and quality of food. It’s a welcome addition to Technology Square and should turn into a good option for midtown diners.

WaterHaven Restaurant Address & Information

75 Fifth Street, Suite 170, Atlanta, GA 30308 // P: 404.214.6740 // WaterHaven Website // WaterHaven Menus

About The Author

This guest post was written by Adam Harrell, a local foodie and interactive marketer. You can find him at www.neboweb.com/blog/

WaterHaven, that new farm to table concept from Joe McCarthy, is set to open at the end of the week.  The restaurant is located in Technology Square in the space formerly home to The Globe.  I’ll be sure to get there this weekend, or the week that follows.  All in, the space holds approximately 300 patrons, so I should be able to find a seat.  I look forward to seeing what Executive Chef Chris Lee can do.

WaterHaven Restaurant Address & Information:
75 Fifth Street, Suite 170, Atlanta, GA 30308

We have our answer as to the name of the restaurant going in at Georgia Tech’s Technology Square.  WaterHaven, with a “chef driven menu of contemporary American fare,” is scheduled to open in mid-May.  According to the information out there, the restaurant is set to be a farm to table concept in a casual atmosphere.

Joe McCarthy, WaterHaven’s owner, previously served as a general manager at Houston’s, a regional manager at Longhorn, and the Southeast director of operations at The Capital Grille.  To run the kitchen, McCarthy hired Chris Lee to serve as executive chef.  Lee has been in Atlanta since 1999.  His past works include South City Kitchen, La Tavola in Virginia Highlands, Sampan, and The Real Chow Baby.

I’ll let you know when a hard date is set.  In the meantime, I’ve made this the first addition to the May Dirty List (a google map of upcoming Atlanta restaurants).

WaterHaven Restaurant Address & Information:
75 Fifth Street, Suite 170, Atlanta, GA 30308