Author: John Kessler

Credit: Concentrics Hospitality

This fine fellow striking the classic “Iron Chef” bring it pose is Nick Melvin, who will be leaving his post at Parish Foods & Goods in the Old Fourth Ward to join Athens chef Hugh Acheson in his first Atlanta venture, Empire State South.

A native of New Orleans, Melvin has worked at Bayonna in the Crescent City, and at Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama — good training for a chef who will run the city’s most anticipated new Southern restaurant.

According to Acheson’s press release, his new Midtown eatery will be “
a
 modern
 meat 
n’
 three
 that
 takes
  a fresh and vibrant approach
 to 
Southern 
classics. 
Acheson’s
 vision
 is
 an
 “every
person”
 restaurant,
 where 
simple
 foods
 are 
cooked
 flawlessly.
 Empire
 State
 will 
be
 open 
for 
breakfast,
 lunch 
and
 dinner
 with
 courtyard
 bocce
 ball 
available
 all
 day 
and
 an …

Hot wrap with sweet potato fries

After sampling the new Spicy Chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-a headquarters yesterday, the company’s vice president of brand development, Woody Faulk, escorted me and a colleague from the newspaper to a conference room, where he presented a dozen new products currently in research and development. Some are further along than others, so the chances of seeing these products — even in a test-market situation — are variable.

For instance, the company currently serves three varieties of “cool wrap” made with cold chicken strips and garnishes. But one day we may see this hot wrap filled with fresh chicken strips, lettuce, tomato and cheese. On the side: some very tasty shoestring sweet potato fries. Yet this product isn’t as far along in the testing and development as some others, so we’ll have to wait.

But here are some items that customers may see sooner than later:

• Flavored iced teas and lemonade: On the right is a snapshot of peach tea: a mixture …

Yesterday I spent the afternoon inside the Chick-fil-a sanctum sanctorum — i.e., the company headquarters — with AJC business reporter Jeremiah McWilliams. A large group from the product development, marketing and public relations teams met us in the test kitchen, where one wall was covered with a red tarp to shield it from our view. I assume it was shelving filled with proprietary seasonings and spices, though I suppose it could have been a voodoo altar with pins sticking from a Double Down.

After a thorough presentation of the company’s research and development methodology, we learned how the Spicy Chicken Sandwich came to be. This new product — which officially hits Chick-fil-a’s 1400-plus stores on June 7 — has been on the boards since 2004, and in active development since 2008.

Chick-fil-a is milking the huge anticipation for this product — long requested by customers — for everything it can get. As you’ve probably heard, customers who signed up online were able to …

Atlanta of late is awash in a whole lot of hotel restaurants that don’t want to be thought of as hotel restaurants. They want to be restaurant restaurants.

Brand name concepts (BLT Steak, Craft) and separate street entrances with distinctive architecture  (Pacci, Market) try to indicate that these restaurants exist for Atlantans as well as hotel guests.

The St. Regis in Buckhead draws a good happy hour crowd to its bar — particularly on warm days when the crowd can spill onto the patio. But its grand dining room, Paces 88, hasn’t struck too resonant a chord yet. Recently the restaurant unveiled a more casual menu, with more plates to share, sandwiches and other friendly, accessible items.

I stopped by for lunch with a couple of friends the other day to check it out. We were the only people in the restaurant. The service staff actually outnumbered us, but they didn’t hover at all. In fact, the service was really excellent.

Here’s what we got:

My friend ordered these mussels in …

Pork Tenderloin with cherry-Rioja reduction, spiced walnuts, piquillo peppers and crispy shallots (AJC Staff)

Have you been to the Iberian Pig in Decatur? Do you love it? Or is it not for you? I’m beginning to think the answer to this question says a lot about what you look for in a dining experience.

Three times this week people have told me how much they love this restaurant. When I ask them what they enjoy about it, they tend to respond globally. “The vibe is great,” or “It’s such a nice surprise.”

Do they love the food? Absolutely, even though one fan failed to recall a single dish from the place. Another loved the meatballs stuffed with dates and peppers. A third mentioned the pork tenderloin (above) in cherry sauce.

Then these people ask me if I’ve been to the Iberian Pig. Yes, I respond noncommittally. But only once, so I don’t know it well at all.

In fact, my wife and I live around the corner from the Iberian Pig. We walked over once for some wine and a few small …

Riccardo Ullio (above) just called  to tell me that he closed Lupe Taqueria — his Midtown Mexican restaurant — over the weekend. Beleza, his snacky cocktail bar next door that has been closed for the past three months, will not reopen as previously announced.

“Even though we were breaking even at Lupe, we could not get the bank to work something out on the loan,” Ullio said. Both properties will go into foreclosure.

Ullio also owns Sotto Sotto and Fritti in Inman Park.

While I never made it to Lupe, I always enjoyed the tropical cocktails and the healthy snackums at Beleza.

Will you miss these restaurants?

Donna Rodriguez was kind enough to invite me to talk live on her weekly radio program, the Dishing with Donna Show, which airs every Saturday at 2 p.m., on WGKA 920 AM.

How did I repay this kindness? By showing up 20 minutes late, that’s how. Between closed highway lanes and a highly regrettable “if only I had first looked at a map moment,” I left this poor woman alone to stall until I burst into the studio. Me, I would have been poems I had memorized in junior high school (”Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me…”), or just mumbling. Donna instead was coolly talking about the building blocks of effective food writing.

Anyhow, you can read about Rodriguez’s experience of keeping it together here, on her blog.

I also recommend the show that, as far as I know, is the only hour of broadcast in Atlanta devoted solely to food and restaurants. Rodriguez does a lot of prep before each show, so the conversation moves briskly and with purpose.

Do you listen to …

Mango, raspberry-lime and honey-goat's milk frozen yogurt (AJC Staff)

A few folks have been asking about the frozen yogurt I mentioned in a post the other day. As our friends all know, my family and I eat lots and lots of yogurt during the spring and summer months. Here’s a 2008 story I wrote for the newspaper, with recipes.

A CULTURED TREAT

My first batch of homemade frozen yogurt resulted, I recall, from a creative cleaning out of the fridge, which explains the unusual flavor combination: honey-lime-vanilla-goat.

It was also a bribe for my chore-averse children. If they would not only clear the dinner table but fill the dishwasher and put the leftovers away without bickering or stalling, then I would provide dessert. That seemed fair.

Working quickly, I flavored a half carton of goat’s-milk yogurt (bought on a whim, never finished) with the aforementioned ingredients and poured them into an ice cream maker. I had no idea what I was doing but figured something cold and sweet …

Red sauce galore: Eggplant casserole

Where is E. 48th Street in Dunwoody? You know — east side. Right above 47th Street.

I have to admit that I heard about the E. 48th Street Market from colleagues soon after moving to Atlanta, and for the first few years I lived here I, um, assumed the streets were numbered in Dunwoody. I may even have, um, once gone looking for it and stopped and asked in a gas station where 48th Street was.

It has only taken me 13 years to make it to this delightful, straight-from-the-Northeast Italian deli and market on Jett Ferry Road, and I’m so glad I did.

Named for the address of a New York store run by owner Charlie Augello’s uncle, E. 48th St. Market is the kind of cramped, friendly, mildly chaotic food emporium that will remind you of the way markets used to be. A huge assortment of fresh baked breads and pastries, deli meats, prepared foods, dry goods, frozen ingredients and wine manage to pack into a space where you will, happily, bump into other …

Creative Loafing’s food editor and restaurant critic Besha Rodell has a thoughtful story about the role of anonymity in restaurant criticism in this week’s issue. This has been an active topic in the food world since the New York Times appointed its former food editor, the easily recognizable Sam Sifton, as reviewer. Be sure to check it out. And if you’re a restaurateur eager to find out what Besha looks like, here’s your opportunity. She speaks with vocal timbre of Lurch from the “Addams Family” and dresses like the Black Smoke from “Lost.” If you see this coming into restaurant, sear those scallops to perfection!

Guess what, my bunless brethren? KFC is reporting that nearly 10 million Double Downs — that “Why mess with bread?” fried chicken sandwich — have been sold and that this, um, sandwich, will remain on the menu past its limited time availability.

Here’s part of the press release, lightly edited (i.e., their words, not mine):

KFC DOUBLE DOWN FANS, REJOICE: YOUR FAVORITE BUNLESS CHICKEN SANDWICH IS STAYING ON THE MENU

Originally Slated as a “Limited Time Only” Offer, Double Down Approaches 10 Million Sales Level

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 19, 2010 – America has spoken and the Colonel listened. The wildly popular KFC Double Down™ is going to remain on the KFC menu past May 23, when the “Limited Time Only” promotion for KFC’s first-ever bunless chicken sandwich was scheduled to end.

While the launch of the unique Double Down created unprecedented buzz for the brand, it also received a warm reception from KFC customers. Later this month, KFC will sell its 10 millionth Double …

Hello!

I have a complete and total mish-mosh of dining and cooking tidbits. No organizing principle whatsoever.

First up — great news for east-side fans of fluffy frozen treats:

Suno Dessert Café will open a new location near Emory University, at the corner of N. Decatur Road and Clairmont Road, later this month. The Asian-style dessert features freshly shaved milky ice topped with fruit, powders, beans, syrups, condensed milk and various other options. Here is a strawberry/kiwi cup I ate last weekend at the Suno in Duluth.

Next — Ramen noodle restaurant offers rich broth option:

I have always liked the broth at Umaido in Suwanee just the way it is. But I do sometimes hear from ramenaniacs who find the tonkotsu pork bone broth not rich enough. They should go back and try the “rich” option, now available on all the soups. Here is my daughter’s rich tonkotsu ramen:

And here is the non-rich, extra-spicy ramen I ordered:

The restaurants offers spice levels of 1 to 3. This is 3. …

A source at Feast in Decatur has confirmed that  Ryan Stewart will be the new chef at Farmstead 303 — the new, soon-to-open venture across the street that replaces the defunct Depeaux. Stewart, who is currently finishing up a gig at Mac McGee’s Irish Pub, earned a fan base for his work at the Glennwood in East Atlanta.

In other news:

• The shuttered Eno by Zaza will reopen as 5th St. Cafe in June. Owner (and Hawks Forward-Center) Zaza Pachulia has brought in the team of A.D. Allushi and Chef Ian Winslade (the forthcoming Buckhead Bottle Bar) to rework the vinous concept into more of a French bistro, with a bakery/patisserie where the wine bar used to be.
• Willamette Week is reporting that Brady Lowe — the Atlantan who travels the country with his  Cochon 555 porcine cook-off — landed in a Portland hospital with a leg fracture after getting into a fistfight with local chef Eric Bechard. The chef was apparently upset that Lowe allowed an Iowa pig into the locavore Valhalla of …

Today Watershed restaurant in Decatur announces the appointment of chef Joe Truex as its new chef and operating partner. He replaces Scott Peacock, who left the restaurant in February after 11 years, to pursue a documentary film project and begin working on a memoir. Truex, who has run Repast restaurant with his wife, Mihoko Obunai-Truex, for the past four years, will assume the position June 1.

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to get back to my Southern roots,” says Truex, a Louisiana native. “It’s where I’m at right now in my career and my life.”

While Truex will leave many of the restaurant’s signature dishes — including its iconic Tuesday-night fried chicken — he plans to change the menu more frequently than it did under Peacock’s leadership and to introduce more daily specials that reflect seasonal produce. He will also take a lead role in remaking Watershed’s wine program.

Truex will join co-owners Ross Jones and Emily Saliers as a managing partner. Saliers, who is …

Once, when I was on a flight, I had what seemed to be the bright idea of ordering a can of Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary for my beverage/lunch by proxy. Full flavored, filling, healthy — right?

If only.

That one 12-ounce can contained 1560 mg of sodium, or nearly two thirds of the daily allowance. I was shocked.

Health.com has recently posted a fascinating graphic of 25 Surprisingly Salty Processed Foods. The big surprise is that so many of these foods are purportedly healthy options: 1% milkfat cottage cheese, bran muffins and a Lean Cuisine frozen entree, among others.

I was disheartened to find out that Raisin Bran has twice the sodium of some other popular cereals.

The accompanying story about “salt addiction” is here.

Have you ever had the experience of eating a food that you think is healthy, only to find that “healthy” is a relative term?

Mihoko Obunai-Truex

Mihoko Obunai-Truex announced today that she will take over as chef and owner of Repast Restaurant — a position she has shared with her husband, Joe Truex, since the restaurant’s inception in 2006.

Truex will leave by the end of the month to pursue a new Atlanta-area venture.

“The menu will have a different format with a lot of new dishes,” Obunai-Truex said, “but we’ll still keep a number of the Repast signatures, such as our crab cake and hanger steak.”

I got a look at the new menu, which is a fair bit less expensive than the current menu and thick with small plates and dishes to share. A number of items reflect Obunai-Truex’s Japanese heritage, such as tako-yaki (soft dumplings with octopus) and blistered shishito peppers with Okinawan sea salt. Other new dishes will include pork tonkatsu with shiso cheese, miso-cured foie gras with sansho pepper, and pork belly steamed buns with house-made ramp kimchi. Meat and seafood entrees will be served with sauces …

If you’ve read all you care to about Swedish food on this blog, please move on. But I thought I would share this column, which appeared in yesterday’s print edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I took my travelogue from a couple of weeks ago and used it as a starting point for a geeky meditation on the presence — and absense — of umami in food. I’d love to hear from you if you have any thoughts on the subject.

Swedish food adventure

By the third day in our hotel room I felt like I could use the shower without getting scalded, or frozen, or shooting water out of the weird little side nozzle past my head and into the toilet. The bank of gleaming steel controls on this shower were both beautiful to behold and wholly unmarked. This was, I was beginning to understand, another example of Swedish design.

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I went to Stockholm for vacation and spent a lot of time admiring the way everyday objects were designed. We also admired the food: Amazing …

Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups (Pillsbury)

Oh no! News organizations everywhere are reporting a backlash against the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups earned a cool $1 million and guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show for their creator, Sue Compton. The New Jersey mom combined refrigerated sugar cookie dough baked in muffin tins with chocolate, jam and ice cream for the kind of treat that, well, any 6-year-old could make.

And there’s the problem. Dissenters are arguing the face that these sugar balls don’t involve any actual cooking.

The San Jose Mercury News has a particularly amusing recounting of the kerfuffle.

I’m thinking: People. Get a life. It’s the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

I’m also thinking: Mmmm….mini ice cream cookie cups….

What are you thinking?

MINI ICE CREAM COOKIE CUPS

Prep Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 45 Min

Makes: 24 tartlets

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (16 oz) refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies)

4 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup walnuts, finely …

We have a winner for tomorrow night’s Dinner Party in Piedmont Park. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Here are the answers to the questions. Query: Would you all like to see more food quizzes on this blog even if they don’t come with a prize?

What is the difference between nuoc cham and nuoc mam?

Nuoc cham is a condiment that combines nuoc mam (fish sauce) with sugar, lime juice, chilies and garlic.

Which now-shuttered restaurant was famous for its fried lobster tails?

Pano’s & Paul’s, though one reader says Papa Pirozki’s also served them.

What is a “glorified steak” at the Varsity?

A hamburger with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

Name the last four restaurants at 111 West Paces Ferry Road.

Seeger’s, Posh, Home, Coast Seafood & Raw Bar.

Define umami. Name three foods associated with it.

It is the fifth primary taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Sometimes called “savoriness,” it is all foods high in natural glutamates, such as vine-ripe tomatoes, …

Credit: Wikimedia

The perfunctory FountainSide Cafe in Centennial Olympic Park will be replaced by a new 175-seat restaurant modeled after New York’s redoubtable Shake Shack in Madison Square Park and elsewhere, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. If it’s anything like Shake Shack, expect lines. Serious lines.

In other news:

• John T. Edge steers his New York Times “United Tastes” cruiser to Atlanta to visit my favorite Crawfish Shack Seafood on Buford Highway. He tells the story of why and how Southeast Asian Americans carry on the traditions of preparing coastal Louisiana seafood. Check it.
• Speaking of the New York Times, its star food reporter Kim Severson will be in town Wednesday, May 5, to read from her new memoir “Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life” (Riverhead Books, $25.95). One of those eight cooks was Edna Lewis, and Severson devotes a chapter to her relationship with Lewis and former Watershed chef Scott Peacock. The reading, sponsored by the Georgia Center …