Tablas Creek Winery

One of the perks of being on a winery's mailing list or wine club is often the newsletter sent out at various times announcing an offering or a harvest update. They can range from quirky like Patricia Green or to chatty like Alban or downright educational like Tablas Creek. The latest Tablas Creek had a wonderful essay on the varietal Marsanne, with only 39 acres planted to it in all of California! A bit of an obscure varietal for the US, but nonetheless an interesting read.

Asian Dining in Alanta

Had the good fortune to eat both luch and dinner in Atlanta yesterday and had two very different experiences....

First up was Jean George's Spice Market located in the W Hotel. We've been to the one in NYC many times, and the Atlanta version once prior. The concept is Asian street food..encompassing Thailand to India. The food appeals to us....think of it as asian tapas. The foodies in Atlanta have not really embraced the place. The food was good but the service off. The reservation for a table of 8 seemed to have escaped them, so a brief wait as a table was readied. The lunch at this place is a bento box with several items, but half the table was served and half not. Multiple requests to at least 3 different waiters to straighten out the problem went unheeded...the manager ultimately became involved with some, but not total success at resolving all the mistakes.

We are great fans of Jean Georges various venues...from Vong to JoJo to the flagship Jean George in NYC, and have never once had any issues with service. Hopefully, a fluke, but nonetheless, not a way to impress your guests.

Take 2 was the ever reliable Tasty China for dinner in Marietta...can't rave enough about the food here. Always reliable Fish/Cilantro rolls, pork in Garlic Mud, small fried fish, green beans with pork and olives, dried fried eggplant and a noodle and fish dish or two. A slight redo of the interior since we were last there. The shopping center in which it sits continues to struggle, with the Middle Eastern grocery next door the latest to close. However, Tasty China was doing a good business last night, with 2/3 of the diners asian.

Aria Atlanta: Wine and Salt

A great wine destination, with a pinot noir centric reserve list....but, the restaurant is cramped, loud and the food oversalted. Standouts were a bull's blood beets appetizer. The hyped lobster cocktail was fine, but not memorable. For entrees, our party of four stuck with the recommendations including niman slow roasted pork and the zinfandel beef short ribs. 24 hours later, still have a dry mouth from the out the roof saline content. The hyped cheescake really was a great and unusual presentation, but suffered from the same saltiness and lacked sugar. The dominant sensation on the cheesecake was salt...really odd. The best of the desserts was the seasonal apple tart.

Place was packed so Atlantan's must think they have something good. However, this is no place to return to.

Noma, the World's Greatest Restaurant? Or Hallucination?

This Copenhagen restaurant received its second Michelin star...and it has a rather comfortable, casual feel....almost like one of those ubiquitous seaside seafood restaurants we find all over the US- lots of bare wood, but with a Danish style, chairs draped with animal skins. Its in a non descript warehouse overlooking the water, but any comparison to anything we've ever experienced stops there.

Claus Meyer and Rene Redzepi have created an altar to Nordic cuisine...they've taken the oft used mantra to cook/source local and applied it in a brilliant way...Redzepi spent time with Thomas Keller at the French Laundry and with Ferran Adria at El Bulli.

Hallucinatory? Perhaps thats the best way to describe the experience. Gooseberries, cauliflower, milk skin, beach herbs, fish skin....doesn't sound like a plan leading to a great meal does it? Sounds almost like what you might expect to find at a Danish hippie commune out in the back woods somewhere. Trust me, these ingredients were elevated to unfathomable heights...as you sit and enjoy course after course you shake your head that without foie or truffles or traditional sauces or Kobe beef you are experiencing one of the greatest meals of your life. Many a chef can be creative...but to be creative and to do it with product ignored (and largely unavailable before the opening of Noma) by the local Nordic citizenry is an accomplishment so mind boggling that Redzepi deserves some sort of Nobel prize.

Here was the tasting menu the night we went:

Raw shrimps and green gooseberries
Fresh cream and dill

Shoots and malt
Potato puree

Skate wing and mussel liquor
Cauliflower in different textures

Warm lobster salad
Red currant wine and beach herbs

Kid Goat and dust of thyme
Hazelnuts and mushrooms

Raspberries and beet roots
Marinated rose hips

Blueberries and milkskin
Pickled pine tree shoots and sweet bread

After reading the menu, you probably think I have zero credibility when I say this has to be one of the greatest restaurants on earth. But for us, it easily surpassed French Laundry. Easily. You must experience it yourself to understand it.

Tasty China, Marietta Georgia

This Sichuan style Chinese restaurant is unlike anything we've encountered....a bit of a region of China not represented well in the US.

The famous Peter Chang has long since come and gone, but he left an indelible mark on this restaurant which has received much recognition among food bloggers (check out Chowhound for the most extensive discussion of this place). Basic Chinese restaurant decor with a sometime fish tank in the front entry, its prices are reasonable and the food delicious. BYOB is allowed with no corkage....a riesling would be most appropriate given the heat of the food.

Here is our short list of items to try...don't miss the first five,,,and if "puffy bread" ever makes it back to the menu, try it as well.

Dried Fried Eggplant (a must, and it must be requested as it does not appear on the menu)
Small Fried Fish
Pork in Garlic Mud (Chinese Pork Belly!)
Green Beans with Olives
Fish/Cilantro Rolls
Roasted Fish with Scallions
Beef Scallions Hot Pot
Chow Fun Noodles

Craven Quail Farms

If you are looking for fresh quail eggs in the Chattanooga area, try Lookout Mountain based Craven Quail Farms, phone 706-398-3604. Their E mail address is CravenQuailFarms@gmail.com.  Update:  Now often available locally at GreenLife.

Mitolo GAM 2004

Most of us are buying and drinking less Australian wine these days for a myriad of reasons. Many of us assume that Aussies don't age or lack sophistication or nuance because of their big flavor profiles. Or the fall of the US dollar has made them relatively less affordable. I've not bought much in a couple of years, but have started to realize recently that they still represent a better value and better done than the majority of US syrah. Of course, there are some great US syrah like alban and saxum and carlisle and ojai and tensley. But then we open a bottle of this stuff, which received 97 Wine Advocate points (89 from spectator). Can't say that I've enjoyed a wine more than this in several weeks. Softening, with the alcohol and big fruit flavors starting to subdue (ok,honestly, but still plenty big and inky) and secondary flavors starting to reveal themselves. Liked this better than a 98 Penfolds Grange from last month.

Bottom line: Don't count the Aussies out. With the dollar strengthing, and the Aussies still the masters of shiraz/syrah, they'll be back.

Daniel Lindley, St. Johns Restaurant

Daniel Lindley is unique, a true artist. His style is one in which presentation is every bit as stunning as his flavors and unexpected combinations. He is truly deserving of a James Beard award. His plates compete with those in New York and San Francisco, not anyone in our area. Take a trip to Bacchanalia in Atlanta, the top restaurant there, then to St. John and its clear he possesses something superior...he thinks about food in a unique way.



But he is also smart and savvy in a way that many artistic people are not- he knows his market is Chattanooga and not haute cusine. His restaurant is welcoming, and run capably by his friend and business partner, Josh Carter(who replaced Daniel's brother, Nathan who had worked with Frank Stitt in Birmingham prior to opening St. John). His menu offers many popular and safe choices that cater to this market, especially in the entree section. While they may not be representative of all Daniel can do, they are done very, very well. Concentrate on the familiar and you will have an outstanding dining experience, but you will miss the essence of this man's brilliance and creativity.



To get a sense of his true abilities, look to the appetizer section of St. John's menu where each dish is like a Picasso painting in presentation, and often jarringly amazing in flavor profiles and combination...the sort of thing that makes one sit up suddenly in your chair in utter awe and disbelief. A recent dish of veal carpaccio, with an olive tampenade studded with tiny croutons and mixed with raw egg evoked a sense of umami. Or an unbelievably thin shaved piece of watermelon studded with goat cheese and mint and topped with lobster.



His contemporaries are really New York icons like Jean George and David Bouley. His presence in a city of Chattanooga's size is a boon to dining here. Chattanoogans should count themselves fortunate that they have a restaurant of national caliber right here.

Macphail Pratt Vineyard 2004 Pinot Noir

This is our second bottle of the Pratt, and despite the decidely unelegant name, this wine is an absolutely stunning beauty. Soft on the tongue, lucious on the palate with nice acid and subtle oak, its hard to imagine pinot noir getting much better than this.

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2002

This is a beauty of a cab blend...full floral bouquet, and still full of fine tannin suggesting years to go. No significant tobacco flavors but a bit of tar, espresso, raspberry on the palate. Nice long finish giving one time to contemplate all that is going on here. Superb. If this is wine making by committee, so be it. When they get it right, its awesome.

Erik Niel, Easy Bistro

Erik's redo of the former Easy Seafood has transformed the place into one of Chatt towns top destinations for seafood. Erik often has a light almost feminine touch with fish that would make Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin proud. Too often, fish is disrespected by overcooking....look to the bottom third of the entrees at Easy for the jewels of the place...two or three fresh fish based entrees with terrific accompaniments and sauces. Easily some of the best entrees in town. The sauces are never heavy, frequently change and feature seasonal ingredients, and really serve to frame and elevate the fish. The focus is on flavor, no fancy presentations here.

Desserts are excellent, often with a seasonal cobbler and always with a superb bread pudding.

The wine list is undergoing some changes, and whether Erik would admit it or not, he takes a Frank Stitt type approach to wine...reasonably priced bottles without a huge markup. There's a Rudi Wiest riesling and an Arcadian pinot not seen often in these parts.

This restaurant is certainly now one of the top places to dine in town.

Sine Qua Non 2004 Into the Dark

Well, this grenache based wine is still a bit young and the heat from the alcohol was definitely showing last night. Around the one and a half hour mark is when it hit its stride and its full potential could be appreciated. Great short squat bottle shape, kind of like an old port bottle. The mouvedre which along with syrah has been added to the final blend, was apparent on the mid palate, and you could pick up a bit of the syrah towards the end. Enjoyed this immensely and feel it will hits stride in another couple of years. Elaine and Manfred Krankl do seem to know what they are doing! Thanks.

Highlands Bar and Grill

Last night we ventured to Birmingham on a pilgrimage of sorts. We were trying to understand the influence of Frank Stitt on so many of the good chefs and restaurants in Chattanooga. Its amazing how with one or two degrees of separation only, Mr. Stitt has some connection to what we consider the best of food in Chattanooga. More on this later.

As many of you have undoubtedly figured out on your own, the best way to sample a restaurant and its chef is to do a tasting menu or,as these are infrequently available in most non New York/San Francisco/European restaurants, assemble one when possible from the appetizer section of the menu. Too often the entrees are a meat and a starch and really offer little in the way of creativity. Ordering three appetizers enables a greater sense of place. We chose this route at Highlands last night.

First impression was excellent...greeted warmly and handed the wine list to peruse while the ladies went to the restroom. And, oh, what a list! One of the best lists outside NYC or the West Coast for California wines. Lots of affordable, solid choices. But special treats rarely seen such as the 2004 Sine Qua Non "Into the Dark" that was offered for 195 dollars, significantly less than what it sells for on the secondary market and a little less than a 2 fold mark up from the release price.

Our party sampled eight different appetizers, two desserts and the duck two ways. The dining room itself is not particularly comfortable and the furniture shows some wear and tear. The website notes jackets preferred for men but there were diners in jeans, too. Headlights from cars parked on the street occasionally shined directly into the dining room. Stemware was not of the highest quality and a decant of the wine was not offered, nor did the wait staff seem to know much about the wine we ordered or the rest of the list. A waiter at another table offered only that a chardonnay being inquired about had "a bit of butter." From the list, though, it seems clear that Frank Stitt, at least, is serious about wine.

The beef tartare appetizer was very good with a nice smokey flavor. My recollection was that the menu offered a fried egg with it, but this never appeared and when asked, the waitress noted "it was mixed in with the tartare!"

Beef carpaccio with arugula and parmesan was nice and had a horseradish sauce rather than a more traditional finish. This was one of the best US versions we've had though they never seem to come close to what's offered in Italy...as it should be!

A shellfish and corn chowder really was disappointing, as was a friture de la mer which was served with a very unfortunate choice of remoulade sauce. Franks' students do versions of this dish better in Chattanooga (more on this in a later post). Aioli is a much better choice to accompany and this version was a bit greasy.

A pea cake also was merely ok. A quail appetizer was perfectly cooked, but a bit too sweet of a sauce. The charcuterie plate was outstanding and generous. The duck two ways was nicely prepared as well.

The star of the evening was a Stone Ground Baked grits which was simply one of those dishes that you want to have again and again. Thyme, parmesan, touch of ham, olive oil, butter and wonderful mushrooms made up a sauce that was terrific. Acidity in the sauce nice, probably derived from a bit of white wine, lemon and a vinegar. There is a recipe for this in Frank Stitt's "Southern Table" cookbook, so will post on this later when we've had a chance to try.

Not a restaurant we would return to, and certainly, in our opinion, not the fifth best restaurant in the US. But we also never felt Commander's Palace was deserving of its occasional mention as the top restaurant, either. Frank's focus is on flavor, and presentation is not the strong point of his food. But we had to make this pilgrimage, and it did give us an understanding of how his restaurant has influenced several of the top experiences in our hometown of Chattanooga. It is always an honor to a teacher when a student improves or excels in ways beyond the teacher and certainly thats what has happened in our hometown. It would seem that Frank Stitt, much like Thomas Keller has influenced the next generation of chefs and restaurant professionals in our country. We all owe him a great debt.

E's Food, Wine and Restaurants

Well, its been a long time in coming, but finally gotten aroud to it. Great food, wine and dining out are an important part of life...up there with family and love. Achieving a balance in life is so important...life IS short.

The purpose of this blog is to share experiences regarding great wine and food, and dining out. The blog will be based on personal experience and will, therefore, represent opinion. What is envisioned is restaurant reviews centered first and foremost around the Southeastern US, but will encompass personal experiences in other parts of the US and world. Wine and other food experiences will also be touched upon.