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It’s not unreasonable to say that San Francisco’s Mission Chinese is currently the most buzzed about Chinese restaurant in the entire country.  Seriously!  Head cookmeister Danny Bowien has taken a dumpy, otherwise un-notable Chinese eatery, hidden himself in its kitchen, and promptly turned the food world on its head.

Right around the time I dropped in on San Fran, Bon Appetit declared Mission CF the second best new restaurant in the entire country.  By then, New York based Serious Eats had already gone gaga and the NYT had said its piece.  Long after my visit, Bowien himself showed up in Martha’s kitchen.

As is usually the case before an initial restaurant trip, I had not actually read what had already been written of  MCF.  However, by the time I left Atlanta for my West Coast trip, I was well aware of the chatter.  Mission Chinese was hot … and I knew it … and so I waddled in there (literally in fact) as the clock ticked down on my San Francisco stay.

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So after yesterday’s post during which I took the opportunity to question restaurants, restaurateurs, and chefs motives and decisions to out anonymous folks, it’s only fair that we discuss the impact on the average diner, their need to expose someone, and where I fit in on all this.  It’s not that I’m at the crux of the debate, more so, I’m just sick of people in the media referring to the media in the third person.  It’s only fair that I acknowledge my role in this and why I happen to have the feelings that I do. Continue reading…

The debate between those who wish to remain anonymous (like me) and those hell bent on exposing us rages on.  Seemingly everyday, more and more anonymous journalists, critics, and bloggers are being ousted from their bat caves and into the limelight.  Many, whether they are directly affected or not, seem to have an opinion on this topic.  As with most every debate I’ve ever come across – there are different perspectives, each often valid in their own right, and this is no different.  These points can be argued, and we can easily turn this into the slippery slope that it is.  But for now, just hear me out if you’d be so kind.
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Call it a flash mob or perhaps an underground supper club. Whatever the term du jour, Feast Noir (website) is/was a type of gorilla warfare meets civilized tea time under admittedly friendly circumstances.  The Atlanta dinner, which took place last night at Atlantic Station, is a self-admitted homage to the 23-years and running Dîner en Blanc (website), a pop up event that started in Paris and has made its way to NYC and Montreal.  For its part, Diner en Blanc (which translates to dinner in white) has drawn upwards of 10,000 crazed and intentionally uninformed gourmands who are then dumped into a handful of large public spaces by way of a highly restrictive reservation system and a very very secretive game of telephone.

Table leaders basically serve as the gateway into the event and from what I’ve read, those events all seem to go over very smoothly, even if only accompanied by taciturn approval by those with the power to arrest and ticket.  So noteworthy are these dinners that the NY Times recently published a very interesting article on Diner en Blanc.  Who’d have thunk that 10,000 folks in all white would catch someone’s attention?  But back to Feast Noir, yet another Atlanta spin-off of a trend from far far away.

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John T. Edge has been showing up all over the place lately (and quite a bit in my twitter feed).  The guy just rocks it.  Just a short time ago, Edge’s article on Atlanta’s own Big Green Egg hit the New York Times.  For those that don’t know, Ed Fisher used to sell kamados (a traditional wood or charcoal cooking apparatus).  Anyway, a little creative marketing and American ingenuity … and the rest is history.  After you give that article a little glance over, check out CDA’s post on the Big Green Egg Academy.

Big Green Egg Website

[via NYT]

“Restaurant Wars” is almost always the most popular episode during any given season of Top Chef.  Though the bar has been set remarkably low throughout Top Chef DC, I’m pretty sure that last night’s episode scored the highest ratings to date.  Honestly, it’s been a crapfest of a season … but I watch anyway.  I guess no Top Chef is worse than crappy Top Chef.

So yeah, Restaurant Wars was last night.  Former NYT food critic Frank Bruni added some teeth to the judges panel, but he didn’t bark as much as I had hoped.  The creativity was in the pits and as such, my list for “What Was That Ingredient?” is particularly short and unimpressive.  However, my mom taught me to persevere, so here I am!

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Just a few days ago, I stepped back into Hankook Taqueria and had a fairly flat experience.  I’m actually working on that post as we speak.  However, owner Tomas Lee just got a whole heck of a lot of attention for his Hankook Taqueria and their Yumbii Taco Truck that is sure to bring them a lot of attention.  The chef was the lead chef mentioned in today’s article in the New York Times about Korean Tacos.

While the article doesn’t actually review the quality of the food at the various establishments it mentions, it’s a good summary text for those not familiar with the Kogi BBQ story.  My favorite part of the article is the supplement slideshow, though Hankook is nowhere to be found there.  The picture above is from my meal way back in the day.  You can see all the pictures from my meal at Hankook here.  I’ll have some more pictures up soon as well.  Oh, by the way, the author was none other than John T. Edge of Southern Foodways Alliance fame.  You ought to follow him!

Georgia has long been unofficially known as the Empire State of the South.  Now, it looks like we’re finally ready to make that official (at least in the restaurant world).  Empire State South is set to be the first foray into the Atlanta dining scene for the accomplished Hugh Acheson.  Sporting a progressive take on Southern cuisine, Empire State is destined to add a whole new class level to the meat and three concept.  Meanwhile, it will serve as the anchor restaurant for the 999 Peachtree Street office and retail building in Midtown, Atlanta.

For the better part of a year, we’ve known of Acheson’s intentions to open Empire State South.  Initially, the opening date was identified as Spring 2010.  Now, according to the restaurant’s website, that season has been narrowed down to April of this year.  More details after the jump!

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You don’t go to China to enjoy great pizza (though I’m sure it can be found somewhere in the Middle Kingdom).  Similarly, you don’t go to Florida for good Tex-Mex.  No, if you find yourself around 25th parallel, you best ought to stick to the fruits de mer.  So while I dug around Key West early last week, the Unabomber’s girlfriend and I decided to hit up (but not blow up) B.O.’s Fish Wagon, a seafood shack well known around those parts for its kitschy decor, come as you are attitude, and approachably delicious food.  Popular enough to get a shout out in the NY Times and a visit from Bobby Flay (via Food Nation), it was high times that Buddy Owen’s Key West institution tried to take down the Foodie Buddha.  All in all, this was an enjoyable experience, even with some shortcomings in the grub.

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                                                                                                                    (the dining room at Abattoir)

In today’s edition of the NYT, Shaila Dewan decided to talk up the burgeoning art scene on the west side of Atlanta.  Despite a few journalistic faux pas, it’s a nice summary piece on the neighborhood.  What’s especially neat for us foodies is that Dewan took the time to point out some of the ‘hoods culinary adventures that have garnered so much attention locally.

In the spirit of the article, I must say that if forced to identify the in-town neighborhood with the most action, it would undoubtedly be the Westside.  Centered around the intersection of 14th street and Howell Mill, you’ll find casual eateries, upscale dining options, and several of Atlanta’s hottest new restaurants.  The article draws special attention to Octane, Flip Burger Boutique, Abattoir, Hop City Beer, and Sublime Doughnuts (with a nice quote from owner Kamal Grant).

The article is really just the tip of the iceberg.  If you intend to spend anytime over in that neck of the woods, then you’ll also find the highly regarded Antico Pizza, sandwich shop Tiny Bistro, and popular breakfast spots like The West Egg and The Silver Skillet.   And that list is far from exhaustive.

So if you’re a bit of a homebody and looking for something new … take some of your free time and donate it to the Westside.