So the gang from Muss & Turners has gotten together and opened themselves a little cocktail bar. Aptly named Eleanor’s (after one of their longtime employees), Eleanor’s is a cocktail bar with some food offerings from the newly M&T’s next door. It’s located right next to M&Ts (and there’s a little connector between the two). Have at it ATL. Details can be found on the M&T facebook page.
Look at it … drool over it … want it. Stare at that tempura batter soaking up the ponzu … crave it. That, my friends in food, is one hell of a dish. Courtesy of Tomohiro Naito at his eponymous restaurant Tomo, lusciously cut pieces of black cod have been tempura fried and left to swim in a garlic ponzu sauce. Grated daikon and sliced scallions round out this tongue puckering example of umami. In a Japanese restaurant where dollars need to be watched with meticulous solicitude, you’ll probably assume the $8.00 price tag exists in err. Hurry now before Tomo-san realizes this gaff; this may be the most under valued dish in the entire city.
Tomo Japanese Restaurant Address & Information
3256 Cobb Pkwy Atlanta, GA 30339 // 770.690.0555 // website
Q: According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5771. According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4707. What do Jews call the 1,064 years without Chinese food?
A: The Dark Ages
As that joke is an undeniable fact, it does beg the question: Do Chinese people love latkas??? While we all ponder who in this world does not love those little fried potato pancakes, I find myself riverside in Sandy Springs. Peter Chang, the mercurial wokman, is back with his crack. As a consequence, I’m eating my traditional Christmas Day meal of Chinese food while in the capable hands of Sir Chang.
But before we get to the end, let’s start at the beginning. Any commentary on Peter Chang MUST mention his time at Tasty China and a few other places. Now that that’s out of the way … let’s get to the good stuff!
Since my introduction to Yakitori Jinbei in late 2009 (thanks Spark Plug), the restaurant has worked itself into my regular rotation. I’ve introduced several people to the joint, told countless others, and return whenever I get a hankering for some ramen. (occasional acts of indiscretion at Haru Ichiban notwithstanding).
Having successfully convinced many a foodie that I am not actually cuckoo for cocoa puffs, the newly minted Ramen Brigade set out late last week for a little Hi, Hello, and some much needed sustenance. Having grabbed Spark Plug and @NoKungFu in route, we met up with Dea (website) and Weigy (website) for some good ole fashion yakitori. Needless to say, I had no business at the table with people who might as well bleed Asiatic cuisine. Still, I managed to sneak a seat, and the Ramen Brigade was up and running.
Buckhead’s sushi scene is about to get a lot more crowded. A few months ago, word broke that Tomo was set to open in The Ritz-Carlton residences building, At the time, owner/chef Tomohiro Naito was not sure if his namesake restaurant would keep its current location in Vinings. Well, according to several of their servers, the Vinings location isn’t going anywhere. As for the soon to be Buckhead joint, the details are still coming together. As for now, Restaurants Consulting Group is handling the design, and they have said that the plans are to make the restaurant into a higher-end sushi bar. There’s no confirmed word yet on an exact opening date, but end of summer was tossed around.
It would seem that The Burger Club has gotten off to a rocky start. First, there was the name fiasco; then the opening date was repeatedly pushed back. After all that, the lukewarm reviews started to come in. Despite these adverse factors, this Vinings burger joint seems like a bustling hotspot; at least that was the case during lunch the other day.
Packed near capacity, families, local businessmen, and a slew of shopping entourages lined up to get their fill of classic American gluttony. Inside this friendly little space, meaty food trays flew about with purpose. Severs and food runners ran around with haphazard fervor and there seemed to be a 50’s diner energy to the restaurant.
I’ve had a few watershed traffic days in my soon to be 12-months of blogging. One of those days came from a little blurb about the devastating flood damage to Canoe, that effervescent contemporary American restaurant which sits on the banks of the not-so-mighty ‘Hooch. While the restaurant may or may not be in your daily dialect, it is almost always mentioned as one of the elite Atlanta restaurants. Further to the point, after roughly 14-years, Canoe has the longest legs in the notoriety department of any restaurant in the Vinings/Smyrna area.
Sure enough, there was a big outcry when word spread that the restaurant was forced to close because of ridiculously high waters (yes … that’s the absurdly high waterline). If there was ever any doubt as to its status in the “pantheon” of the ATL dining-scape, the public support that followed, which was swift AND substantial, would quell most any doubts.
Some two-months later, riding the hardworking backs of executive chef Carvel Grant Gould, special events manager Laurie Vance, and the rest of the team, Canoe is back. The excitement was pronounced enough to draw John Kessler’s attention, he returned to wax-foodetic in his last post of the awesomeness that was 30 restaurants, 30 days series. It’s a great read. Though I didn’t check it out until post meal, I noticed some subtle differences in the mutual dishes.
Anywho, when Papa Buddha and I headed over there for lunch a few days ago, something happened to me. I got all giddy like a school girl. You should consider just how disturbing that statement is … remember, I’m a straight dude. But back on point, regardless of the culinary experience that was immanent, I just got all warm and fuzzy inside. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same would happen for most any “culinarian” with Canoe on their schedule. That alone may make a trip there worthwhile.
Being out of town sucks! It means I don’t have the chance to check out Community BBQ just yet, I am not able to hit the town for more research, and I don’t get to hit up celebrations that I most certainly wish I could attend. Such is the case with Canoe, which was devastated by the Atlanta Flood. So do me a favor, and head over tonight and have one on me (figuratively speaking of course!). The restaurant is back in the game! I strongly suggest you make reservations, I hear that quite a crowd is expected over the next few days.
Canoe Restaurant Address & Information
4199 Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30339 // 770.432.2663 // Canoe reservations // Canoe website // facebook
When word spread that highly regarded Canoe was knee deep in water, Atlanta’s food community took a collective gasp. Now, in just over two months, the staff has put things back together. We can all let out our breath and get ready to visit one of Atlanta’s most notable restaurants. According to the press release, the restaurant will open for business on November 23rd. Congrats to Canoe, they’ve all worked very hard and I, along with many others, are glad to hear the news.
Yesterday’s impromptu post on the unfortunate state of Canoe in Vinings resulted in an unexpected explosion of traffic. As such, I thought I’d take some time to update people on the status of the restaurant. In addition, it looks like Love Is Love Farm has its own share of water damage to deal with..
I received an email from Canoe’s Special Events Manager who told me that they intend to re-open as soon as possible. However, there is no timetable yet as the assessment and repairs are still in their infantile stages. I also caught word from a reader that until things move farther along, they don’t seem to know if they’ll be able to open in full or in stages. I’ll keep in touch with the folks over at Canoe and see what’s what. As an aside (and an important one in that), they took some time in the email to communicate just how sad they are for those who lost friends and/or family members during the past few days. A classy group no doubt.
The above picture comes from Savory Exposure’s via his twitpic account. This past Saturday, Love is Love Farm hosted their Outstanding in the Field Dinner with local chef Kevin Gillespie. My understanding is that the event did go down, but under very wet conditions. Since then, the farm has flooded but I hear that everyone is okay.
Atlanta Restaurant Reviews | Atlanta Food Blogs | Dining in Atlanta
