In Georgia, hard liquor cannot be purchased at a supermarket. Instead, it is sold at designated package stores. Why is it called a package store you may ask? Because the booze they sell must be given to you in a package, or a paper bag. Yeah, that's not to stop the bottles from breaking (ok, maybe it is), its the LAW.
Now while this law is sometimes annoying (not the paper bag part, the part about not getting booze in supermarkets), it has engendered the great people of Georgia to build some truly fine liquor selling establishments. While this may seem like a strange observation, in most of Los Angeles, where liquor is sold in super markets, liquor stores are nothing more than glorified convient stores. They have crappy prepackaged food, toiletries, dog-food. Then the have beer and wine, and behind the counter theirs the hard stuff that you need to ask the attendant to get for you. The environment is bad, the service is unfriendly and sterile, and the selection is poor.
Now in Georgia, where the state motto is "Justice, Wisdom, Moderation," that just don't fly ya'll. You see when I or a fellow Atlantan is fixing for the good stuff, we want selection, cleanliness, and good service. (Unless its Sunday, the Lord's day, where you can't buy alcohol in this state except at a bar or restaurant. But that's another entry). And where's the best place to get all three of those things: the North Decatur Package Store.
The selection at the North Decatur Package Store is unmatched. While some other package stores in Atlanta may be larger, they don't fill that space with anything of value. Here you can find all your old favorites, along with new offerings across the liquor spectrum. They also carry an impressive amount of Belgium/Belgium style beers and a large selections of wines.
But the service is what I love most about it. Do you want to buy your booze from an upstanding, smartly dressed individual? Or do you want to buy it from a 6'3" 250 pounder, with the ever classic balding but long hair, and an ear ring? And while his appearance is endearing, so is his attitude. He's given my friend Leon at least a dozen glasses (some of which I've taken). And the other guys working their are characters as well, missing teeth and/or sporting haircuts which weren't fashionable 30 years ago.
When its all said and done, I think we should be able to purchase alcohol wherever we want and whatever day we want (but alas, I digress). But, if your state requires that you buy and sell liquor in a special store there's a right way to do it. And the North Decatur Package store does it right.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Is tuna replacing salmon as the default fish?
Almost all restaurants tend to carry at least one fish dish. And for years its seemed that the "default" fish dish for most restaurants has been salmon. As a Salmon lover, this was always disappointing: salmon is a great fish, flaky yet firm, with great natural flavor which can hold up to many sauces and preparations. Nevertheless, most restaurants haven't given it the love it deserves, and have subjected it to boring, generic preparations and flavors.
In the past few months, I've noted an alarming trend. Tuna, another one of my favorite fishes in its various forms (Ahi, Albacore, Yellow Tail, Blue Fin, and the bacon of the Sea, Toro) has seemingly started to replace Salmon as the default fish of most restaurants. Tuna is meaty, with a fresh clean flavor: a canvas upon which a great fish dish is made. However, that doesn't mean that the only way to prepare it is with a sesame crust, a soy/ginger reduction, rice, and bok choy. And I understand that the reason why this preparation is so prevalent is because its good. But look, try to show some creativity. Mix it up for crying out loud.
Let me give you two examples of mixing it up, one good, one horribly wrong, from a weekend of fine dining last week in San Jaun, Puerto Rico. First the good: "Pegao" tuna with chipotle chili from Pikayo. Pegao in Puerto Rican cooking refers to the crispy rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan after cooking stews and other rice dishes. In this deconstruction of the Puerto Rican classic, tuna tartare sits on a thin, crispy fried rice cracker, with a a chipotle aoli on top. Chipotle is a great flavor to pair with tuna (one I had never had before) because it has the distinct chili flavor with mild heat so as not to overpower the subtle taste of the tuna. The meaty tuna was delicious with the creamy chipotle and the rice cracker added great texture.
The bad: at BLT (Bistro Laurent Tourondel) I had the barbecue ahi. I was drawn to this dish because I saw a preparation I had never seen before and I appreciated the creativity, at least in theory. When I ate my dish, however, I realized that the Ahi was merely drenched in a overly smokey steak sauce. Whats great about barbecue flavors is that the inherent flavor of meat can hold up to the intense smokiness. The Ahi, could not. What I first thought was a creative twist, turned out to be another example of this disturbing trend—ahi as a default fish, with uncreative preperations.
Tuna and salmon are delicious fishes and neither should be a default on any menu. Tuna shouldn't replace salmon as the default fish. In fact, no fish should be a default fish.
(Fish=multiple Fish, Fishes=multiple species of fish)
In the past few months, I've noted an alarming trend. Tuna, another one of my favorite fishes in its various forms (Ahi, Albacore, Yellow Tail, Blue Fin, and the bacon of the Sea, Toro) has seemingly started to replace Salmon as the default fish of most restaurants. Tuna is meaty, with a fresh clean flavor: a canvas upon which a great fish dish is made. However, that doesn't mean that the only way to prepare it is with a sesame crust, a soy/ginger reduction, rice, and bok choy. And I understand that the reason why this preparation is so prevalent is because its good. But look, try to show some creativity. Mix it up for crying out loud.
Let me give you two examples of mixing it up, one good, one horribly wrong, from a weekend of fine dining last week in San Jaun, Puerto Rico. First the good: "Pegao" tuna with chipotle chili from Pikayo. Pegao in Puerto Rican cooking refers to the crispy rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan after cooking stews and other rice dishes. In this deconstruction of the Puerto Rican classic, tuna tartare sits on a thin, crispy fried rice cracker, with a a chipotle aoli on top. Chipotle is a great flavor to pair with tuna (one I had never had before) because it has the distinct chili flavor with mild heat so as not to overpower the subtle taste of the tuna. The meaty tuna was delicious with the creamy chipotle and the rice cracker added great texture.
The bad: at BLT (Bistro Laurent Tourondel) I had the barbecue ahi. I was drawn to this dish because I saw a preparation I had never seen before and I appreciated the creativity, at least in theory. When I ate my dish, however, I realized that the Ahi was merely drenched in a overly smokey steak sauce. Whats great about barbecue flavors is that the inherent flavor of meat can hold up to the intense smokiness. The Ahi, could not. What I first thought was a creative twist, turned out to be another example of this disturbing trend—ahi as a default fish, with uncreative preperations.
Tuna and salmon are delicious fishes and neither should be a default on any menu. Tuna shouldn't replace salmon as the default fish. In fact, no fish should be a default fish.
(Fish=multiple Fish, Fishes=multiple species of fish)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Madison, Wisconsin
When I visited my brother in Madison, Wisconsin last year for Holloween, I was expecting a good time—light beer (which I don't particularly enjoy, but it has its place), football, and costumes generally translate to a great time. What I wasn't expecting was some of the best food I've eaten in the United States.
Dinner 1: The Old Fashion
As the name would suggest, this restaurant and BAR offers a fine old fashion Wisconsin style, made with brandy isntead of bourbon (don't worry, they also have one with bourbon). They also have a list of about 30 premium beers on tap. But the drink is really just a wonderful compliment to the fantastic food.
Lets start with the beer battered, deep fried cheese curds. Look, anything beer battered and deep fried is gonna be good, but this is especially so. When they're deep fried they don't melt, just take on some heat and crunchiness. Delicious.
For dinner I had a deep fried (this will be a reoccurring theme) walleye sandwich with a fried egg. The crunchiness of the fish was really complimented well by the silkiness of the egg.
Breakfast: Brokaw
Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and two perfectly poached eggs. Jonah got french toast with caramelized fig compote, Jaberman got french toast with a blueberry compote and a honey ricotta sace (and three eggs, and hashbrowns), and Ethan got a sweet-potato, feta quiche. Usually at a meal like this I would be jealous of somebody, but it was all just too good.
Dinner 2: the Blue Marlin
At this point I was the only one left in town with my brother, and we had a truly memorable dinner. Well, at least a truly memorable side dish. You see, the fish we had was fantastic, but the butternut squash coquettes completely overshadowed them. Perfect crunch on the outside, and creamy and buttery on the inside. (Great wine list too—Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, possibly the greatest white wine on the planet.)
I talked to my Mom about a week after I got back and told her about the food and how surprised I was. She said, ofcourse it had good food, its the capital of the state. To which I said, so are you saying Lancing has good food?
Dinner 1: The Old Fashion
As the name would suggest, this restaurant and BAR offers a fine old fashion Wisconsin style, made with brandy isntead of bourbon (don't worry, they also have one with bourbon). They also have a list of about 30 premium beers on tap. But the drink is really just a wonderful compliment to the fantastic food.
Lets start with the beer battered, deep fried cheese curds. Look, anything beer battered and deep fried is gonna be good, but this is especially so. When they're deep fried they don't melt, just take on some heat and crunchiness. Delicious.
For dinner I had a deep fried (this will be a reoccurring theme) walleye sandwich with a fried egg. The crunchiness of the fish was really complimented well by the silkiness of the egg.
Breakfast: Brokaw
Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and two perfectly poached eggs. Jonah got french toast with caramelized fig compote, Jaberman got french toast with a blueberry compote and a honey ricotta sace (and three eggs, and hashbrowns), and Ethan got a sweet-potato, feta quiche. Usually at a meal like this I would be jealous of somebody, but it was all just too good.
Dinner 2: the Blue Marlin
At this point I was the only one left in town with my brother, and we had a truly memorable dinner. Well, at least a truly memorable side dish. You see, the fish we had was fantastic, but the butternut squash coquettes completely overshadowed them. Perfect crunch on the outside, and creamy and buttery on the inside. (Great wine list too—Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, possibly the greatest white wine on the planet.)
I talked to my Mom about a week after I got back and told her about the food and how surprised I was. She said, ofcourse it had good food, its the capital of the state. To which I said, so are you saying Lancing has good food?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quesonachorito
Whenever I go to the local burrito shop, I have to make that agonizing decision: burrito, quesadilla, or nachos. Now, I love my local Atlanta Burrito spot, Willies, but nothing on their menu helps make this decision any easier.
Free Birds (in Texas and in Santa Barbara, CA) has given us the quesonachorito to remedy this conundrum. They start off with a normal quesadilla but then they open it up, and fill it with the standard burrito accoutrement plus delicious homemade corn chips. One part quesodilla, one part nachos, one part burrito. Awesome.
Lets put the awesomeness in perspective. I was back in LA and a friend from Florida was visiting. Me, my friend, my brother, and my cousin drove up to Santa Barbara (about an hour and half) on the pretense of visiting a friend of ours. However, we didn't leave LA till about 3:30. We all new why we were really going. We got to Santa Barbara, parked our car, went to Free Birds, ate our quesonachoritos, and left. Extremely satisfied. More than happy with how we had spent the day.
When I told my girlfriend what I had done that day, she scoffed at me for driving over 3 hours so that I could have a burrito. Shes unenlightened. She doesn't know—not just any burrito, the quesonachorito.
Free Birds (in Texas and in Santa Barbara, CA) has given us the quesonachorito to remedy this conundrum. They start off with a normal quesadilla but then they open it up, and fill it with the standard burrito accoutrement plus delicious homemade corn chips. One part quesodilla, one part nachos, one part burrito. Awesome.
Lets put the awesomeness in perspective. I was back in LA and a friend from Florida was visiting. Me, my friend, my brother, and my cousin drove up to Santa Barbara (about an hour and half) on the pretense of visiting a friend of ours. However, we didn't leave LA till about 3:30. We all new why we were really going. We got to Santa Barbara, parked our car, went to Free Birds, ate our quesonachoritos, and left. Extremely satisfied. More than happy with how we had spent the day.
When I told my girlfriend what I had done that day, she scoffed at me for driving over 3 hours so that I could have a burrito. Shes unenlightened. She doesn't know—not just any burrito, the quesonachorito.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Fuck Hot Dogs
When it comes to delicious, fast street food, most Americans think of the New York hot dog.
And to that, I have but one thing to say--fuck hot dogs. When I'm walking down the street looking for a fast, cheap, tasty snack, the last thing I want is an 800 calorie, sodium packed casing of cheek and ass meat that's gonna make me bloated and gassy the rest of the day.
Give me a plastic bag full of freshly cut fruit. Watermelon, mango, pineapple, cantelope, cucumber, hikama. With salt, lime, and chilly powder. Sweet, salty, sour, spicy. Delicious. Mouth watering. During the warm months in Los Angeles (which is most of the year) I crave my bag of fruit from the fruit cart on La Cienega and Pico. When its hot outside, nothing is more satisfying.
And to that, I have but one thing to say--fuck hot dogs. When I'm walking down the street looking for a fast, cheap, tasty snack, the last thing I want is an 800 calorie, sodium packed casing of cheek and ass meat that's gonna make me bloated and gassy the rest of the day.
Give me a plastic bag full of freshly cut fruit. Watermelon, mango, pineapple, cantelope, cucumber, hikama. With salt, lime, and chilly powder. Sweet, salty, sour, spicy. Delicious. Mouth watering. During the warm months in Los Angeles (which is most of the year) I crave my bag of fruit from the fruit cart on La Cienega and Pico. When its hot outside, nothing is more satisfying.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Fairfax Circuit Part One
A strip of Fairfax Avenue is home to some of the premier watering holes in Los Angeles. Nothing fancy here, just a few establishments committed to the art of fine dranking. My friends and I like to start at Cantor's Deli Kibbitz Room. Admittedly, the full bar attached to the famous deli is pretty hick, but it still captures the spirit of Los Angeles. For example: a middle age man with a horn earring yelled at us "where yall from, no way, you guys are local." As it turns out, were all born and raised in L.A. and so was our friend embodying the forever young L.A. spirit. No fancy drinks, but their drinks always come with a stiff pour. Great pregame before heading across the street.
Across the street is venerable Dime. Somewhere between bar and lounge/club (no cover), this bar is usually packed, even on weekdays. Good drinks, but the stinger here is the music as there's always a creative DJ spinning; I once heard an electronic remix to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Great atmosphere to, really a cool place.
A few doors down from Dime is Damiono's Mr. Pizza, open until 7 in the morning. Lets get one thing straight about Mr. Pizza. The best thing about it, is that its open late. Maybe the pizza is good if you get it during normal restaurant hours, but when we go (usually midnight at the earliest) it tends to be a bit crunchy (not to be confused with crispy) and littered with air bubbles. But when your drunk its fantastic. Cheap, great toppings, and fairly quick. Great beer selection. A full menu of other Italian food too (not that I've ever had any of it). And a really good house salad with tons of different Italian antipastas on it.
Continue down the street for more drinking and local fair . . .
Across the street is venerable Dime. Somewhere between bar and lounge/club (no cover), this bar is usually packed, even on weekdays. Good drinks, but the stinger here is the music as there's always a creative DJ spinning; I once heard an electronic remix to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Great atmosphere to, really a cool place.
A few doors down from Dime is Damiono's Mr. Pizza, open until 7 in the morning. Lets get one thing straight about Mr. Pizza. The best thing about it, is that its open late. Maybe the pizza is good if you get it during normal restaurant hours, but when we go (usually midnight at the earliest) it tends to be a bit crunchy (not to be confused with crispy) and littered with air bubbles. But when your drunk its fantastic. Cheap, great toppings, and fairly quick. Great beer selection. A full menu of other Italian food too (not that I've ever had any of it). And a really good house salad with tons of different Italian antipastas on it.
Continue down the street for more drinking and local fair . . .
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