Author: John Kessler

The James Beard Foundation has released its list of semifinalists for its restaurant and chef awards.

Nominated to the list of 20 chefs vying for best in the Southeast are perennial recent candidates Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens. Joining them for the first time is Billy Allin of Cakes & Ale in Decatur.

Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill got a nod as “rising star” chef, Miller Union likewise for best new restaurant, and Pano Karatassos, owner of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, for best restaurateur. Scott Peacock of Watershed was nominated for best chef, nationally.

Judges will vote and narrow the list down to five in each category; the finalists will be announced March 22.

The full list of regional semifinalists is below. The full list is here.

BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST

• Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, GA
• Billy Allin, Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA
• Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
• Tyler Brown, The Capitol Grille at the …

People walk by fast food restaurant in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010. For post-communist Romanians a Big Mac and soda meant much more than a meal: It was a culinary signpost from the free and capitalist west a sign they too, at last, had arrived. But modernity requires something different today: the Balkan country is moving to join the health conscious 21st century by proposing taxes on burgers, french fries, soda and other fast foods with high fat and sugar content. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The Associated Press is reporting a fascinating story about the Romanian Health Ministry’s attempt to tax fast food consumption in the Balkan country. Since the nation has emerged from its communist past, obesity has become a major public health problem, in marked contrast to the past. About half of its 22 million people are now overweight.

“We have to relearn how to eat,” said Health Ministry official Adrian Streinu Cercel.

You can read the story here.

This story gives new meaning to “Tabby Treat.”

The Times of London is reporting on its Web site, Times Online, that a well-known television food personality in Italy has been indefinitely suspended from his job for recommending a recipe for cat casserole, which he claimed to be a specialty of his home region in Tuscany.

Beppe Bigazzi, the 77-year-old TV personality, says cat meat is better than pigeon (who knew?) but must first be soaked for three days in spring water.

Bigazzi explains how to prepare Puss ‘n Beets below:

Bigazzi has since recanted, claiming it was all a joke.

(Readers coming from the Food and More home page can see the video after the click through.)

Whataburger — the San Antonio-based burger chain — will soon open its first metro area location in Duluth at 3780 Old Norcross Road. (I have a query out to the home office for the official opening date.)

This is one of those fast-food chains that makes people weak at the knees with burger lust and abject nostalgia. Trolling around the Internet, I’ve found stories of displaced Texans loading up bags of Whataburgers on visits home. There are three branches of the chain in south Georgia.

So, can anyone tell me what a Whataburger is?

And what other burger chains do we need in Atlanta?

In-n-Out? Jack in the Box? White Castle?

Nucci pie at Varasano's

The nation’s two top pizza mavens — Adam Kuban and Ed Levine of the Slice blog – traveled the country for “Every Day with Rachael Ray” magazine in search of America’s best pizzerias. The result, which hits newsstands next week, are now online.

Varasano’s Pizzeria — former software engineer Jeff Varasano’s labor of obsessive love — was named one of the top eight in the nation. The top prize was awarded to Phoenix’s storied Pizzeria Bianco.

Kuban and Levine organized their meals in 64 of the nation’s top pizzerias like the N.C.A.A. brackets, with four divisions. Representing Atlanta in the South-Southwest division were Antico Pizza Napoletana and Varasano’s. Other top scorers included Di Fara Pizza of Brooklyn, Pizzeria Mozza of Los Angeles, and Flour + Water in San Francisco.

Kuban and Levine are answering lots of questions over at Slice.

(Disclosure — I did accompany Levine on his pizza-eating swing through Atlanta and am still …

Pizzeria Vesuvius in the Old Fourth Ward is one of those restaurants that is appealing for its oddness. It occupies the vast yet choppy top floor of the space that was home to the Bureau — a star-crossed gastropub that opened and closed relatively quickly.

The sign out front, which depicts an erupting volcano and lava-like letters spelling out “Vesuvius” seriously looks like it announces a circa-1979 head shop rather than a pizzeria.

The parking on its stretch of Edgewood Ave. a block east of the highway overpass is sketchy at best.

Yet it is cheap, fun, stays open throughout the day, offers free WiFi and features some interesting things to eat. As one friend says, it’s a great restaurant to hide out in.

I like the specialty pizzas, which have a crisp crust and all kinds of fun flavor combinations. The medium pizzas ($10-$12) offer eight generous slices each.

The Vesuvius ($11, pictured above) is a hilarious take on Buffalo chicken wings, with smoked chicken, blue cheese, …

This post begins with an admission.

I have been known to (ahem) forget to pay the water bill and not discover the oversight until the county cuts the utility. But I learn from my mistakes! As soon as it happens, I explain to the children that not showering is fun, and you can always brush your teeth with one of those big jugs of spring water that daddy rushed to the store to buy.

The last time this happened, the utility came back on a mere four hours after it was cut, and we had several gallons of spring water left.

I decided to use some of this water to make a pot of coffee, and let me just say: wow, wow, wow, wow.

The coffee tasted so fresh and clean. We had two whole-bean blends in the house (Batdorf & Bronson’s Dancing Goats, and Peet’s Major Dickason Blend), and we could really taste their distinct differences like never before. The Dancing Goats, which we often buy, reveals a lively sweet note when made with spring water. The Major Dickason tasted more smoky.

We’re never …

Johnny di Palma — the 9-year-old son of Antico Pizza Napoletana’s Giovanni di Palma — shows a CNN crew how to toss a pie. He’s a regular Margherita off the ol’ peel. Buon appetito.

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The Standard in Grant Park is under new ownership and will stay closed for the time being, emerging from its cocoon in spring as a redesigned and changed restaurant.

The restaurant was the site of a horrific crime, just over a year ago, when bartender John Henderson was shot to death during a robbery. This incident brought to light the resurgence of crime in central Atlanta.

Here’s the notice from the restaurant’s Web site:

The Standard would like to thank Grant Park and Atlanta residents for their continued patronage and support. We are under a new ownership makeup and will be making exciting new changes over the next few weeks that will improve our ability to serve you better.

Please check our website and Facebook page for updates on our progress. Thanks again, and we look forward to serving you again very soon!

Miles MacQuarrie at Leon's Full Service (AJC Staff)

I know it’s a little early, but is anyone up for a cocktail?

Well, if you want a handcrafted cocktail-culture cocktail — the kind made with gin from a micro-distiller, Italian marasca cherry liqueur and artisan vermouth — you may be in trouble. Creative mixologists, such as Miles MacQuarrie at Leon’s Full Service (left), are bemoaning the dearth of specialty spirits in the Atlanta market. Demand has far outstripped supply.

This was the subject of yesterday’s Sunday column.

Trendy spirits run dry

The “Easy Street” cocktail at Leon’s Full Service is anything but. Mixologist Miles Macquarrie concocted this retro-modern libation with Lairds Bonded apple brandy, almond-infused Prunier V.S. Cognac, Carpano Antica formula vermouth, green Chartreuse, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. Macquarrie is among a new vanguard of barkeeps who have turned their backs on the house gin and soda-gun tonic in favor of small-batch spirits, …

Here’s a disturbing update on the 911 Reservations story:

I got an email from Louise Maurice, who purchased a Valentine’s Day reservation at Repast restaurant from 911 Reservations for $40. That amount was charged to her credit card through the service’s PayPal account.

I also spoke to Repast’s owner, Joe Truex, who said that he spoke on the phone to a man who tried to reconfirm the reservation and expressly told him that it would not be honored.

When I spoke with Gwinnett County district attorney Danny Porter about the legality of this service, he said it was fine as long as the administrators didn’t sell a reservation they knew wouldn’t be honored.

That begs the question: Does this sound like a case of theft by deception, pure and simple?

(UPDATE: At 4:25 p.m., Maurice received an email from 911 Reservations with a refund.)

(Full disclosure: I do know both Maurice and Truex socially.)

Ryan Hidinger (left) and his sous-chef Ben Barth (AJC Staff)

Freelance writer (and beer deity) Bob Townsend wrote a fascinating story about the emerging culture of underground supper clubs in Atlanta.

Has anyone been to one of these events? Worth it?

All associated Web sites are down, and I received this statement from the publicist who had circulated a press release about the service:

Restaurants irate over seats-for-pay

John Kessler / Staff

Jennifer Boozer, the marketing director for the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, began plowing through 100 or more e-mail messages Wednesday morning when one stopped her cold. It was a promotional letter from a company called 911 Reservations, offering tables at “the swankiest restaurants in the city” on Valentine’s Day — for a fee.

“It just seemed really strange to me, ” said Boozer, who clicked through to the associated Web site and …

Fried pickles with honey mustard and ranch ($4)

What it is: A casual restaurant with extremely friendly prices and huge portions. West Cobb Diner opened in a former Atlanta Bread Company in mid December and has been packed ever since. Set about 4 1/2 miles west of Marietta Square, it’s a part of town that has long needed better dining options.

Who’s there: Who isn’t? Lots of older couples, lots of young couples. But the main constituency seems to be families of all ages. It was big news on Yelp.com and the diner’s Facebook page when changing tables were installed in the restrooms. The weeknight rush seems to crest between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. If you arrive after 7:30 p.m., you’ll have better luck getting a table without waiting.

Fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade ($5)

Crab cake sliders with remoulade ($8)

What the room’s like: Bright, and really not a lot different from its former incarnation. The waiting area in the former cafeteria line is kind of a holding pen. Best to …

Yesterday saw a whirlwind of coordinated effort among area restaurateurs as they discovered that a Web site called 911 Reservations was selling hundreds of  Valentine’s Day reservations online.

Administrators of the site had surreptitiously made the reservations under scores of different names several months ago and then began selling them online within the past two weeks, according to area restaurateurs. Though the Web site focused on the Atlanta area, it also sold reservations in Miami, New York, San Francisco and the California Wine Country.

The reservations — valued anywhere between $25 and $100 for top draws like Woodfire Grill and Quinones at Bacchanalia — could be purchased with a remittance to a PayPal account. The reservations cut a broad swath through the city’s top destinations, including Repast, Rathbun’s, Bacchanalia, Chops and Craft.

The initial Web site went down some time around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, though a clone has surfaced under a related URL. This …

Appetizing?

How to keep landfills from piling high with discarded food packaging? Eat it.

The Atlantic Food Channel has a fascinating story about new developments in nanotechnology that is making possible the development of thin, perfectly edible starch-based sheets that can wrap food.

Of course, this has its own set of complications:

“The most promising answer to this problem is one that’s sure to provoke a range of reactions: edible packaging. This idea has been around since the 1960s, but only recently have companies begun testing the commercial waters. The gist of edible packaging is to wrap food—in most cases, produce—in a starch-based film that can be eaten, which helps food last longer while obviating bulky packaging. The potential downside, however, is that this opens the industrial food system to what many see as the dubious promise of nanotechnology.”

You can read the story here.

Courtesy of roadfooddigest.com

Two venerable barbecue restaurants — one Southern, one Korean — have decided to expand to the suburbs.

Harold’s Barbecue, a Southside Atlanta fixture that has long been a favorite with local politicians, will open a branch next week at 2054 Highway 42 N in McDonough. Owner Harold Hembree, Jr., passed away in 2008, but the restaurant continues to be a local draw. The new location will duplicate the menu, down to the cracklin’ cornbread.

Han Il Kwan, one of the best Korean barbecue restaurants on Buford Highway and in the city, has opened its second location in the former Seoul Garden at 3040 Steve Reynolds Boulevard in Duluth. More and more, Duluth is the place to be for Korean dining.

Being the plus-one in my wife’s Canadian family has its advantages:

• I know what curling is and can speak with authority when the Winter Olympics start.
• I get butter tarts at Christmas.
• Exciting new North Country foods come to my attention.

To wit: My brother- and sister-in-law were waxing nostalgic over the holidays about Red River Cereal — a hot breakfast they both love and my wife dismisses as vile, mushy porridge that she was happy to leave behind, along with Ontario winters.

Well, not only has winter followed her to Georgia this year, but we also got a box of Red River mailed to us, courtesy of our relatives.

LOVED it. Seriously — this nut-brown cereal cooks up quickly and contains nothing but cracked wheat, rye and flax seed. It cooks up like oatmeal, but naturally sweeter and more interesting. Add a little milk and brown sugar or maple syrup, and it’s a fantastic and healthy breakfast.

Does anyone know where to get this in Atlanta, or do I have to write away

Ryan Aiken and steak galore

In my haste to post yesterday’s item about the alternative cuts of steak at Buckhead Beef, I neglected to mention that the visiting chefs stayed for a tasting of all these hangers, Spinalises and rib eye filets, along with both grass-fed and milk-fed veal chops. The in-house chef is none other than Ryan Aiken, whom some of you may remember from his East Atlanta Village spot, Burrito Art, as well as Misto in Collier Hills and Saba in Emory Village.

The steaks look good, no?

I wasn’t able to stay for the tasting, but i can attest they smelled awfully appetizing.

This morning chef Brett McKee and his business partner Steve Palmer led a group from their Charleston restaurant group to their Atlanta-based meat supplier, Buckhead Beef, to check out alternative beef cuts.

McKee and Palmer made their names at the grand, successful Oak Steakhouse on Broad Street in central Charleston and then opened the more casual and inexpensive farm-to-table concept, 17 North Roadside Kitchen, on the city’s outskirts.

McKee and Palmer were mainly interested in finding tasty but value-priced beef cuts to serve at their second restaurant. I came along to observe and got lessons in both restaurant economics and butchery.

As Buckhead Beef’s Chad Stine walked them through the possibilities in the 30-degree meat-cutting room, a butcher tore into vacuum-packed sub-primal cuts and went to work with a ferociously sharp knife to demonstrate the possibilities.

First off, the butcher cut thick New York strips — trimming away the fat cap, the uneven edges and the side …