Dynamic Dish: The Tweet Spoke to Me
Dynamic Dish is like the “Mad Men” of Atlanta restaurants. Local food obsessives go bananas for this small, spare, mostly vegetarian restaurant in the Old Fourth Ward. Many consider David Sweeney’s wholly original cooking here an antidote to trendy and overdone food elsewhere.
Dynamic Dish naturally plays to a small audience because of its location (along a transitional stretch of Edgewood Ave. with only limited street parking), its prices (high, because Sweeney cooks almost exclusively with local produce) and its approach to portion size (not huge). But if you want to eat something that tastes healthy, unique and — I know this is a strange word — purposeful, there is no other place like it.
Because Sweeney’s menu changes daily, he sends out Tweets, which I sometimes find enticing. So enticing, in fact, that I feel the need to drop everything and go.
Yesterday this came across my Twitter feed from @dynamicdish:
Special: cauliflower, sweet & mild peppers & emmentaler-millet cakes w/ braised & steamed collards
I just….wanted it. I had no time to eat there, so I got an order to go. For $13.95, I got this lovely box of three fantastic cakes, a pile of tender local collards cut like pappardelle noodles and cooked just to that point of silky softness so unique to these greens, and a gorgeous bonus of roasted baby carrots. The greens had a splash of sweet-tart dressing on them (balsamic vinegar, I think, or maybe even a little saba) that gave the whole dish focus. Knowing my appetite, I also asked for bread and butter — always a treat here.
I’d eat at Dynamic Dish more often if it were less expensive. But I have no doubt that the food isn’t worth every farthing. Sweeney, IMHO, is one of the most thoughtful chefs in the city.
So I have two questions for you:
- Are there any other restaurants that put their daily specials on Twitter?
- How interested are you in vegetarian food? I love it, but I have a hard time gauging how big the audience is for millet cakes.
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11 comments Add your comment
T.Ro.Dub.
December 2nd, 2009
11:59 am
Very interested in vegetarian food. There are not many resources for local veg dishes, so your information is much appreciated.
Nancy G’s Cafe has started using Twitter and periodically advertises specials through their tweets.
Kristin B.
December 2nd, 2009
12:37 pm
Noon Midtown http://twitter.com/noonmidtown
Cami Cakes http://twitter.com/small_cakes
Solstice doesn’t update daily, but pretty close to it http://twitter.com/solsticecafeatl
And yogurberry updates with their new flavors weekly http://twitter.com/Yogurberry
Ganners
December 2nd, 2009
12:52 pm
JK: I have been a vegetarian for 20 years…started when I was 11 years old. I have watched the scene evolve. I use to look at menus as ingredient lists (chains hate me, chefs love me) or just say throw something together with no dead animals and enjoy the surprise. Now, just about any place I go there is something for me. I love Sunflower and R. Thomas….I am a gluton for Mexican food. Watching the move to fresh from farm to table is delightful. I do not fully understand why some places are hooked on making meat out of vegetables–why would I want something that tastes like meat when I do not want to eat meat? Have you seen the shrimp at Chin-Chin they make from veggies? Odd.
Maybe McDonald’s will make us a veggie burger in the future…..
Steven A.
December 2nd, 2009
1:02 pm
Flip posts their “Burger of Today” (BoT) on Twitter, often with a picture: http://twitter.com/flipburger
They can be a little lackadaisical, though, and go weeks without updating.
Darin
December 2nd, 2009
2:27 pm
Regarding the prices at Dynamic Dish — I’m sure they’re justified by the quality of the ingredients and prep, but they’re too high for me to make this a regular on my resto rotation list. Nonetheless, it’s a gem and I hope that it’s doing good business. I’d hate to lose the ability to make an occasional visit for the incredible soup.
Noon in Midtown does a good job of posting their daily specials on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/noonmidtown
I was just at Noon today and had potato & pancetta soup with the three-cheese sandwich. It was great, as usual.
jonnymack
December 2nd, 2009
3:00 pm
I honestly don’t consider the fact that his food is vegetarian. It’s just so damn good that it’s hard to believe it’s vegetarian. I wish I was closer to this place as I would go all the time. The prices can be high but you are definitely tasting the price in the food. His soups are otherworldly.
RK
December 2nd, 2009
4:50 pm
Flip’s mushroom burger is fantastic…
I’d go more vegetarian if it were more…vegetable-based. I tried it a few weeks ago, as an experiment, but I found myself relying on starches, beans, or cheese too much.
bibi
December 3rd, 2009
8:50 am
I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years, and sometimes I feel like a 2nd class citizen-of all the trends that have become hip, such as farm to table or recycling, vegetarianism is still seen as precious or kooky-just too weird to consider, while the damage from over reliance on meat grows, such as pollution and animal cruelty. A place like Dynamic Dish is a god send for fresh vegetables and just delicious cooking-but even they serve meat sometimes, as in the Thanksgiving dinner-they were sure of the source for their turkey. In the end it is a personal decision to cut down on meat or become vegetarian, but I wish more people were aware of all the issues surrounding meat consumption in this country before they do decide.
Erin
December 3rd, 2009
12:13 pm
John, I know I would appreciate any reviews of vegetarian fare, especially at restaurants that aren’t necessarily designated “vegetarian”. I love reading your reviews and other Atlanta blog reviews, but I often wish I could enjoy the food you rave about. Additionally, I do get tired of reading about the same “vegetarian-friendly” restaurants over and over again. There’s not that many in Atlanta! Thank you!
SW
December 9th, 2009
3:00 pm
I had the emmentaler-millet cakes with leeks last time I went to Dynamic Dish, and they were quite yummy! I have been a vegetarian for 10 years and am always interested on new vegetarian friendly restaurants to try.
John Kessler
December 9th, 2009
3:35 pm
Erin: noted.