An open letter to Atlanta chefs
Dear Atlanta chefs,
I write this letter with respect and admiration and, in some instances, love for all the hard work you do. But I have to deliver a tough message, and it is this: You need to up your game.
Four months ago I started dining out again as a restaurant critic for this newspaper after a five-year hiatus. I haven’t hit every major restaurant yet but have been to enough to witness a real change from my last go-round at this job. The standards aren’t what they used to be.
The economy hasn’t been nice to the restaurant community. In particular, the decimation of the top tier — the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Seeger’s, Joel — means fewer young chefs get the kind of exacting, old-school European training they need to run their own kitchens.
This May, thousands of visitors are going to descend on our city for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, and they will be eager to see the vibrant, exciting contemporary Southern cooking that we’re known for. Let’s show it to them. But first, consider these 10 requests — pleas, really — that will make Atlanta a better place to chow down.
1. Please work on your execution: Set high standards, train your cooks well, and if you don’t yet trust them to execute the food as well as you do, don’t leave the kitchen. I can’t tell you how many good restaurants have served me limp salad greens, pan-fried fish without crisp skin, steaks without sear and seasoning that is all over the place.
2. Dazzle us with your finesse: People go out to restaurants to eat the kinds of dishes they can’t make at home. We want to marvel at how you cut that amazingly tender braised short rib into such a perfect square or how you coaxed that infinitely velvety texture from a parsnip.
3. Think about our health: When I look to the stars, it appears the heavenly body that brought us this Age of Meat is in retrograde. People are starting — gingerly — to speak of vegetables and sensible eating again. But the “gluttony-is-good” ethos just won’t go away. Pork fat and bacon are delicious — even more so in moderation. I hate that feeling of going home clutching my stomach, even after leaving half the food on my plate.
4. Show some wit: Each dish should be a story well told, even if it’s one that has been told many times before. Maybe you are making a beet and goat cheese salad, or macaroni and cheese. Instead of cutting the beets into wedges, you might sliver them into carpaccio rounds. And with so many La Brea truffle oil pit versions of mac and cheese around town, wouldn’t it be fun to envision one that is surpassingly light and delicate?
5. Don’t be afraid of sauce: I don’t miss the days of sticky and overly salty reduction sauces with meat and wading pools of butter with fish. But I do long for dishes with a small pool of sauce bridging the flavors of protein and garnish — those bites of food that register on the palate as three-part harmony. These days I see many dishes that are damp and greasy with butter, but none have that one perfect spoonful of beurre blanc that clings to a perfectly warmed plate and resonates with the flavors of shallot and wine.
6. Be casual in the right way: I’ve eaten a lot of simple down-home food from gorgeous plates in design meccas of urban rusticity in this city. Now I’d like to eat an amazing plate of thoughtful food in a crappy little room with mismatched chairs and plates. Don’t set the stage for casual; just be casual and cook like there’s no tomorrow.
7. Work toward the new fusion: Atlanta is one of the country’s best cities for new immigrant cooking. Our mainstream restaurants need to better reflect the reality of today’s multiethnic South. Have you heard of the Indian vegetable called drumstick? It can be as delicious as artichokes. Have you tried mashing boniato sweet potatoes, which are as white as clouds? Have you ever tried a sprig of fresh fenugreek at the DeKalb Farmers Market? Might you consider trying local goat for a winter special? If you like to go to Korean joints on Buford Highway, do you ever think about how to incorporate those flavors (chile, garlic, sugar, fermented vegetables) to a smart, wine-friendly dining sensibility?
8. Make one thing really well: This whole food truck mania is not about the pleasures of diesel fumes and plastic forks. It’s about young cooks who make brilliant pizza, or serious ice cream, or bizarrely original tacos. Every chef needs a signature dish that is all hers or his, a lure to the restaurant, a mouthful of nothing-else-like-it that diners dream of days later.
9. Surprise us: I recently went to a restaurant I really like and have to say my heart sank a bit when the waitress said the soup special was butternut squash. What’s special about that? Everyone makes it. Is anyone trying a cream of turnip, or kohlrabi, or escarole, or carrot with cumin, or Sea Island red pea with country ham, or wild lamb’s quarters with black cardamom and ginger, or …
10. Finally, show us your unique POV: I know many of your customers want a burger, or a steak, or the same sorry dish you’ve been making for 10 years and, well, sure: The customer’s always right. But you went into this line of work to show us who you are as a chef. Show me something that you, personally, in your most uncompromising state of mind, want to eat. Try and advance the agenda. This city needs you more than ever.
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251 comments Add your comment
Logical Dude
January 18th, 2011
12:11 am
Rik,
I’m just the opposite. When I try a new restaurant, and it has a house special that I’ve never tried before, I’ll try it. It is extremely rare that I’ll be disappointed, so usually I am pleasantly surprised.
You might be surprised at what you like!
Otherwise, for the food critic to toss the gauntlet down to the restaurants. . . who do you want to read this article and get anything out of it? Chef’s ARE creative, and sometimes they are successful, but usually are not. Based on blog comments, it’s the eaters that define much of the cuisine. Since I don’t read the food critic, I don’t know which restaurants are the usual kind that get reviewed. Do you review only the top tier restaurants so that those who can afford the $50-$75 entree know the best places to go? Or do you review more causal places where anyone around Atlanta can afford any given month? ($20-$35 per entree)
Hey, I’m fine with a bunch of tacos from the cheap taco shop around the corner, but I would like to know who has the BEST tacos in town, for a reasonable price. No way I’m spending more than $20 for plate of tacos, no matter how much the chef works at it. Now tell me where I can spend $20 or more for a plate of tacos and say “okay, THAT was worth it!”
Mike
January 18th, 2011
12:12 am
Joe (12:20pm) – the customer IS always right. If they don’t like what a restaurant offers, they go somewhere else.
Harry Selfridge died broke because he kept living a gilded age lifestyle through the Depression. Selfridge’s is still around and still highly regarded for its merchandise and service.
The Chicago store where he got his start, unfortunately, has been bought out by a Cincinnatti group whose slogan seems to be “the customer is an annoyance.”
I get tired of the mantra that something has to be new and edgy to be any good. There are a lot of good restaurants that have been around more than 25 years. In the last few weeks, I’ve eaten at La Grotta, Trader Vic’s, and the Colonnade, and I’ve never had a bad meal at any of them. If I want “trendy,” I’ll go to Atkins Park for “small plates” and a microbrew.
Kaiser Souze
January 18th, 2011
12:18 am
Betti,
Must be keeping it real right? Not being mean, just being honest right? Smack of BS Betti and just guessing here but I think Mike D Harrison got tired of your weak a__ wit. Now go make me a sandwich! Selah!
jd
January 18th, 2011
12:26 am
Give it a rest, Kessler! Your requests are so general as to be meaningless. The fact is that Atlanta fine dining is non-existent, no matter how much you and Meredith try to pretend it exists. Case in point: Miller Union–the most hyped restaurant in Atlanta in 2010. Went there two months ago. Tiny bar with no space to stand. Unappealing decor. Bad industrial area (yeah, near Bacchanalia, where I wouldn’t eat either). The rabbit dish was served to me SWIMMING in juices. I nearly fell out of my chair. You recdommended it along with 10 other entities. Pathetic. Not only does Atlanta suffer from bad dining choices, it also lacks PROFESSIONAL food critics.
SophyB
January 18th, 2011
12:37 am
@Sam Bruni
I think if you read back over the comments making the “Delta is ready…” statement, you’ll find they’re responding to someone making a “dumb Southerner, hick, redneck” remark most of the time. As a native Atlantan, I have no problem with the majority of the people who have moved here from other parts of the country (I’m married to one) and appreciate all the jobs they brought with them. Southerners react when they are stereotyped, as most people will. Not all of us are redneck, grit-loving, hog jowl sucking morons, just as all New Yorkers and Chicagoans are not sophisticated, art-loving high brows (I’ve had the displeasure of living by a few VERY low brows). I honestly think the worst comments are from trolls, e.g. Jason, just trying to stir things up; it’s best to just ignore them, folks. Of course trying to maintain a civil discourse on the internet is pretty much impossible no matter what the topic.
That said, I agree with your last paragraph. Both diners and chefs need to be open to new ideas and new things. If Atlanta is ever going to be a true food destination, the chefs in particular need to step out of the box, but diners also need to willing to support them. If you truly love a place, eat there, take your friends there, and talk it up! Don’t cry over a closing when you weren’t in there laying down the bucks.
Bette Harrison
January 18th, 2011
12:43 am
My name has been posted incorrectly by AJC, it is
BETTE HARRISON
GingerBoy
January 18th, 2011
12:48 am
Thanks Sophy – I feel more welcome already!
Speaking of Jason, where the h*** ARE your from, man, that’s so great and wonderful compared to here? I’ve been here 5 years and like it a lot. The weather’s generally great, most people are friendly, I like a lot of the restaurants here and it’s not too far from the mountains or the beach. Now the traffic and the sports teams are pretty sorry, but I like Atlanta and I LOVE what I paid for my ITP house!
theArsonist
January 18th, 2011
12:57 am
I just returned from Chicago after cooking at a restaurant that was Michelin recognized. Chicago has plenty of mediocre, if not outright awful, restaurants. Yes, it has Alinea, Trotters, L20 and Blackbird; but they are at best yearly destinations. Chicago, LA and NYC all have 10 million plus in their metro area; Atlanta might have 5 million tops. And there traffic is 10 times as bad (there is a reason why they call it Chicagoland). While the top restaurants in each of these cities are beyond what is currently going on in Atlanta, I can confidently say that any of our monthly destinations can hold their own against theirs.
Bill Ficke
January 18th, 2011
1:09 am
John:
Perhaps you are missing the point!
In the last however many years you since have actually visited and rated restaurants in the Atlanta metro area is that things have changed and what really rules is ethnic food from all around the world!
My wife has (2) Thai restaurants, one for (11) years (both OSP) that are not pretentious, but serve really good food!
When ever we go to dinner we explore the full spectrum of restaurants, not based on the particular location or chef, but on finding something unique!
Bill
Menu Makers
January 18th, 2011
1:15 am
John, you act as if simply putting something on a menu is going to make people try something. You have to realize that the menu is made by chefs but staying on the menu means that more than one food critic and his far and few between followers is going to have to order it. Kohlrabi? Might as well call it turnip and cabbage soup. Yuck. Sure, a few folks will appreciate it while the rest of it spoils in the walk-in. You can’t run a business like that. Restaurants are not in the business of making food for its own sake. They are trying to make a living for the owners and their employees. You can criticize the average consumers palate all you want, but in the South we love our comfort foods. You being all high-and-mighty isn’t going to change that. Me? I’ll try anything once as long as someone I trust recommends it. Heck, I even tried natto when I was in Japan. Try getting away with that in any American town. Sorry, we don’t eat mucus that smells and tastes like gym socks. It’s a fact. Your article does little more than incite the faithful few that don’t understand that you write about restaurants but don’t know jack about running one.
artist
January 18th, 2011
1:25 am
Can someone define Atlanta Cuisine?
Chicago meat & potatoes.
San Fran, LA mostly California Cuisine.
New York about anything you want.
What is Atlanta’s Cuisine? By defining it we can better assist people from other areas to understand it. But if we’re not sure ourselves than how can we compare ourselves to other cities.
Are we southern / not southern? Low brow / high brow? Comfort food / sophisticated dining?
Just a big bowl of everything?
Even Charleston, which is a smaller market, has a defined coastal Carolina cuisine.
New Orleans, cajun & creole.
What are we known for?
Andy
January 18th, 2011
1:27 am
John, if the point of your critique is to start a discussion on the state of the restaurant industry. Good job. Clearly, reading the comments there’s lots of strong feeling on both sides. I don’t really have a problem with the sentiment of the review. But I would like to take issue with the specifics.
Is it right to generalize to this degree? All Atlanta chefs? Really? 4 months, 13 weeks, 3 or 4 restaurants a week. So what’s your sample, 50 or 60 restaurants, maybe a 100 meals? So you can really give a state of the business review? Zagat’s Atlanta review has 700+ restaurants. That’s a lot of places and dishes you haven’t considered.
Sure there is lack of execution and finesse, nobody is perfect. I know there are plenty of places with high standards and good training that shoot for constant improvement with their food and service. To think otherwise is ridiculous.
Most if not all restaurants have incorporated healthy choices into their menus. Could there be more, sure. That being said, menus of successful restaurants reflex what people will buy and not what they won’t. If guest demand healthier choices chefs and restaurateur will offer them. If you eat so much you’re uncomfortable, pretty sure that’s on you, not the chef. Eat less, have the leftovers for lunch. Some folks might consider that a good value.
If I hear one more expert carry on about “the narrative” of this or that I think I’ll lose my mind. Will the beets tell a better story in rounds as opposed to wedges, I doubt it. Technique, ingredients, presentation, seasoning, this is what make a dish special. Is the story better with poorly prepared fresh local organic beets and local goat cheese, as a opposed perfectly executed fresh beets and goat cheese from Sysco?
Sauce? Atlanta………the city that can’t make a sauce. Not sure if this is puerile, maybe. Or perhaps some of that wit food critics break out from time to time to tell their “story”. Maybe those out of town chefs at the Food and Wine Fest will show us shoemakers how to make a passable beurre blanc.
Make one thing really well? Or maybe take a risk with with ingredients that you and your guest may not be familiar with? Tough questions. How about execute what ever your serving, well! People want choices, and they want the choices they want. If it’s butternut squash soup, so be it. There’s room for creativity, but you better know your guests. People vote everyday at restaurants on what they want, with their wallets, and chef and owners ignore them to their detriment.
It’s great to have a POV. If you’ve been serving the same “sorry” dish for 10 years, maybe you’re doing something right. Might even be your signature dish. I’m sure there are dishes that chefs are tired of serving, but their guest demand them, so you better leave it on. The POV that is important in this economy, is staying in business, turning a profit, and keeping folks coming back. If you as a chef are in a position to experiment, be super creative, introduce your guest to new ingredients, you are in the minority and in a great situation. When high profile chefs choose to close cutting edge restaurant or not to open fine dining places, and decide to do upscale burger joints instead, there’s a POV there too.
Nothing wrong with much of you criticism, but I think you’re missing a big part of the picture. 5 years ago, there was lots of money, restaurant companies were growing, owners and customers had money to spend. It was a very different environment. Now restaurants have been struggling for several years. Chefs have been asked to do more with less. Less expensive ingredients, less employees, less sales, less everything. Except hours worked and businesses shuttered. That the industry is struggling is no surprise. Hopefully times are getting better. I imagine they are. But there are changes that may be permanent. Is the demand going to be there in fine dining that we’ve seen in the past? I don’t think so, but hopefully the shake up will improve the food and service of the restaurants that make it. It is already making chefs think about ways to offer creative, less expensive, delicious options. Can Atlanta restaurants improve? Of course. Are they as bad as you think? I doubt it. But you’ve certainly made people in and out of the business think…..and that is a good thing.
Eat Me
January 18th, 2011
1:32 am
This guy is an idoit. Terrible article. There is many great restaurants around, just don’t be overly picky. And this whole article is about an arrogant critic who is probably not good enough to cook anywhere and complains about anything that is put in front of him. If he knew anything about a true kitchen, he would be a part of one instead of tearing everyone down. Critics need to get a life and find a real job. Cat people suck! Also, take a SEAT!
Doggie
January 18th, 2011
1:32 am
Sander — Not sure which reality you’re dining in, but 4th & Swift and Local Three (both chef’ed by Chris Hall) have mastered the art of over-salting dishes. Seafood or otherwise, Chef Hall’s creations have left a lot to be desired. His staff has screwed up the rest of the experience. Pass.
Ron
January 18th, 2011
2:27 am
Enter your comments here
Bette Harrison
January 18th, 2011
5:00 am
@Eat Me -This guy is an idoit. Terrible article.
LOL I have been a writer all my life (inc AJC) and never have seen the term “idoit”. But I digress. The article is superb! If you do not believe it is so, email Cliff Bostock of Creative Loafing/Atlanta my very close friend! Who among you can can supply my level of insight?
bgreek
January 18th, 2011
5:19 am
This isn’t a terrible article, and I’m sure the writer has had experience working/running restaurants in the past…which is probably why he is writing about this topic. Food critics are odd people…period. I wonder how many really good restaurants have had their reputation tarnished by some snotty “food critic” ?
schippe1
January 18th, 2011
5:27 am
The best Restaurants in Atlanta for eating out are W/H and Mickey Ds. With so many people out of work, AJC spends time writing about eating out. Get a life!
David Beall
January 18th, 2011
5:44 am
Are you serious? The song “Too Much Time on my Hands” by Styx comes to mind.
BOO GOT SHOT
January 18th, 2011
5:49 am
snarky comments for the snobby crowd that would eat fired goat nuts if someone told them it was trendy!!!
Stephen
January 18th, 2011
5:49 am
As a longtime Atlantan, it’s been a pleasure watching our dining scene grow and diversity. In the era up until the Olympics, it seemed like the only trajectory was upward.
The economy has reminded us that scenes can move downward, too.
I think much of what John wrote about was about realizing of potential, not about a lack of talent. We’ve seen what talented people can do in this town and it has been rightly celebrated.
Blogs and comments have resulted in a new democratization of food discussion, and revealed a “just gimme the basics” mentality that has always been present among a certain segment of the town.
But a huge part of Atlanta’s growth and culture has been its aspirational nature – we aspire to take our place among the great cities of the continent. Maybe we’re having a few bumps in the road right now, but the talent (and the foodies) are still here, and both want great things. I think John’s comments were focused on getting us back to that.
LizinSarasota
January 18th, 2011
5:56 am
Oh, oh, oh. I was back up in Atlanta after a hiatus of 10 or so years, and was too disappointed to find that both Bien Thuy and August Moon were gone.
Who out there still remembers Honto?
Perhaps it’s the nature of restaurants, but even the great ones up on Buford Hwy. always seem to go the way of the condor. Still, what I wouldn’t do for salt and pepper squid and panfried pompano from Honto. I can still taste it!
bgreek
January 18th, 2011
6:01 am
This article is a joke. This is how YOU should run YOUR business lol….
John's Girl
January 18th, 2011
6:15 am
Can we puh-LEASE get away from serving good food in MONSTROUS portions? I’d rather have excellent food and just enough of it. Marietta Diner has some excellent, interesting and unique dishes but it’s always enough for an army. Always leave ‘em wanting more….
stephen
January 18th, 2011
6:38 am
I would also add two things: 1. Please serve your wines at the correct temperature. 2. Look at your wine lists and serve more than a Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and a cheap Merlot.
BIRDAWGONE
January 18th, 2011
6:54 am
LizinSarasota: I remember Honto and August Moon (ate my first meal there in 1983), good memories.
Ted M
January 18th, 2011
7:00 am
August Moon is still there at least it was a few months ago. I remember Honto’s… I liked the mussels in a hot pot but I think the health department closed them down.
I Hate Com Grill
January 18th, 2011
7:15 am
Its the service I think has taken a turn for the worse lately. Com Grill in Dunwoody for example. Food is iffy, mainly because the fish smells like it might have come from the Georgia Aquarium., but I’ll never go back because they are the rudest people I’ve ever seen restaurant workers. Avoid Com Grill!
Bill Johnson
January 18th, 2011
7:18 am
Y’all pay waaaaay tooo much for food in those places.
Ronnie McDonald
January 18th, 2011
7:23 am
This article should be titled “Tips for Going out of Business but Getting a Good Review in the AJC on Your Way to Chapter 11.” Isn’t it interesting that all the restaurants that you used to love and that made fine (see expensive) food are out of business? We are in a recession. Our real estate market is a mess. People haven’t gotten a raise in two years assuming they are lucky enough to still have a job. But butternut squash soup is the real problem. If only they would have made something more exotic like turnip green soup with raccoon meat balls for $35.00 to start your meal, the city would be a better place.
drew
January 18th, 2011
7:25 am
Totally agree. I used to go out at least twice a week to eat out – about six years ago. Now, I maybe go out once every two months. I certainly can afford it. But, I make better food at home with ideas from watching the Food channels. So, why bother? Also, I cannot remember the last time I was served a CRISP salad. Everyone’s salad is so drenched in dressing it’s a soggy mess.
Baltisral
January 18th, 2011
7:28 am
John…..very interesting and spot on article. I most liked #10. Keep your special steak and hamburger but show us a twist of your Chef majic. Meat and 3’s do keep the lights on. Can’t forget, you must stay open!!!!
susan
January 18th, 2011
7:31 am
Wow- I think Atlanta has some great restaurants and some not so hot but to group them altogether is grossly unfair. I agree that as diners people need to be more open to new things but the wait staff can play a big part in that by knowing what they are serving, trying it themselves so they can make intelligent, informed suggestions. It’s hard to get excited about anything when the wait staff is uniformed. I love to try new and different things but I love my comfort food too. I don’t think we should have to chose between the two..Atlanta needs both and they need good choices for both.
PepperIsACondiment
January 18th, 2011
7:33 am
As well as lower salt, some people don’t eat pepper. Have you tried to find any food in ATL that isn’t covered or battered or crusted in pepper ? Enough already. There’s a shaker of it on the table, let them add it if they want it. I can’t stand pepper.
Ted M
January 18th, 2011
7:36 am
I’ve never had butternut squash soup is it good?
Try “Silk” downtown. I had this 5 coarse meal called something that translates to “chef’s choice”. Very good.
Lobosolo
January 18th, 2011
7:38 am
Didn’t mind that five year hiatus from your pretentiousness one bit there, John… Reading books and taking a short course do not a chef make… get over yourself…
Ron Mexico
January 18th, 2011
7:42 am
Great article!
Jim R.
January 18th, 2011
7:50 am
Bottom line..If you like a place tell your friends about it and go back as often as you can. If you don’t like it don’t go back. Nuff’ said.
Bette Harrison
January 18th, 2011
7:55 am
My EX Mike D. Harrison ate at Honto…and died of heart disease. Let’s spend a moment praising Honto. NOT.
Ted M
January 18th, 2011
7:56 am
What does “Meat and 3’s” stand for?
Sonny
January 18th, 2011
7:57 am
Hmm..so the ATL at one time was a mecca of fine dining? And we need to return to the halcyon days? Hmm…Interesting or weird? Hmm… Oh well, I guess I’d be a little worried too if I was a big Foodie and was getting ready to host a big frou-frou. Maybe we should just invite Paula Deen and quit trying to be so pretentious. Good luck!
Alecia
January 18th, 2011
8:03 am
I am tired of getting a salt bath on my food. Yesterday I went out to eat and the vegetables had so much salt on them that no other flavor was distinguishable. What’s the deal with the salt? Also, please don’t over cook the vegetables into oblivion or consider gobs of cheese a cure all. I have been to a few places in town that consider their signature dish a baked chicken breast with 3 melted slices of provolone on top. Also, we can tell when the chicken breast came from a frozen bag and popped into the microwave. As I tell my husband, there’s grub, food, and cuisine. Most restaurants nowadays are serving up grub.
Mrs G
January 18th, 2011
8:04 am
Great article! Keep us restauranteurs on our toes!
Come up to Hendersonville NC to sample some of the things you talked about. Our restaurant uses rice instead of bread crumbs in our meat loaf, making it great for gluten free diets. An easy fix and has brought us some great publicity!
We also have a fabulous assortment of vegetarian dishes. Butternut squash soup? No way. We did a Butternut Squash and Peanut Stew. Got lots of compliments, many thanking us for doing something OTHER than soup with the butternut squash.
We now think outside the box. That, combined with good price points (in this economy) means we are seeing sales increases every month!
@Hcat
January 18th, 2011
8:07 am
Honey, you are one bitter wench. Maybe you need to go back to your meth-smoking roots in the kitchen.
GK
January 18th, 2011
8:15 am
Great letter! Like some have said before, my complaint isn’t as much with the food but with the condescending and arrogant service. I ate at WD-50 in New York last month and expected the same dismissive treatment that I receive in Atlanta – but the service could not have been better. It was obvious that the servers were not just extremely well-trained but truly excited and inspired by the unique dishes on the menu. I don’t dine out very often in Atlanta anymore – primarily because I’m tired of being treated like I’m intruding on something.
Jules
January 18th, 2011
8:18 am
This dude is a perfect depiction of the Atlanta restaurant scene. All over the place without any clear focus. First he tells reader that Chefs need wow us with exotic ingredients and complex preparations. Then he states that diners want value. Sorry John, the 2 don’t go hand in hand. When you cut a shortrib into a perfect square, you waste a lot of meat. Someone has to pay for it and it ain’t going to be the restaurant.
Example 2. He first tells readers that diners want food that they can’t cook at home and then he acknowledges the growing popularity of the simple burger. So John, which is it? Cause even a mediocre home cook can put together the most exotic of burgers.
The reality is this. Atlanta dining scene has shift away from exotic foods and fancy white table dining. In today’s economy people want value out of their hard earned dollars and that value better not be wasted in a fancy sauce or some geometrical cut of meat. Things like burgers, tacos, hotdogs and gourmet pizzas are coming back in a big way. This is because those dishes are economical, cost effective and when well prepared quite satisfing.
Cayce
January 18th, 2011
8:20 am
While you have some good points, I simply don’t think you can level those charges at all of the high end restaurants in this city and I actually believe they’re better and more interesting across the board than when I moved back to Atlanta 6 years ago. Just as an example, there’s not a night of the week where I wouldn’t be happy to eat at Cakes and Ale.
I do, however, look with weariness at #7 – the supposedly “new” fusion. After living in LA & Vancouver BC through the 90’s and early 2000’s, I don’t care if I EVER see another plate of Asian, Southeast Asian, whatever Asian fusion food again. There’s nothing new about this and unless you live in an area blessed with bountiful seafood, it’s just an attempt to mimic the flavors of other regions.
From reading your column, it’s clear you like Asian food, Korean in particular. That’s fine. But go to restaurants that specialize in it instead of asking the chefs from the local food scene to cater to your desires. What I really like about the current restaurants is what they’re doing with food they could have been grown out back. While that might seem limiting to you, it’s an honest and harmonious pursuit. It’s also one that’s likely to work in the long run in this city. There’s a reason why Seegers, Joel and the Dining Room are no longer with us. It simply wasn’t worth it to most people to go there on a regular basis. If everything they were doing was so right, then what went wrong?
Carla
January 18th, 2011
8:38 am
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? I’m PROUD to be born and raised in the ATL and I LOVE my city…warts and all. I was raised by simple people with simple tastes…flavoring food exsisted in the form of salt, pepper, fat back and bacon grease. The first time my mom made spaghetti it was out of a chef boyardee box and we thought we were really living. Fast forward to today…I started expanding my tastes as soon as I had my own income and have tried all kinds of new things…some I like, some I didn’t. With this economy my family just cannot eat out like we used to. However, when we do..we try to frequent the few small, privately owned restaurants around our house. We live OTP and just don’t see a reason to go downtown to eat. Our favorite breakfast spot was (just closed) in a small little strip next to a gas station. And the best tacos I’ve ever had we found in a mexican convience store…they have a little market and sell fresh meat and at the back of the store they have a little spot to order and eat and you can have taco’s made with anything from steak and chicken to tounge and intestines if you are so inclined. My advice is look at the local scene…there are people out there who know how to do it right.
Haywood Jablowme
January 18th, 2011
9:19 am
John you remind me of that kid at school whose parents gave you everything….. walking around like you where born with a silver spoon in your mouth telling anybody that would listen that you know everything about everything. What you don’t know is what it takes to work in a restaurant.You have never peeled a pound of potatoes let alone sacks off them….you just get your maid to do that! That’s right these truly great restaurants that you crave.. Seegers last time I checked he closed living in NY enjoying his life teaching other people how to cook Joel left to open a restaurant in NY did you see his review? He left with his tail between his legs and moved to London. What you really need to write is a letter to your BFF’s and beg them to come back and try again and open a restaurant that is going to blow us all away a place that you can spend your fathers trust money everyday. No that’s right you just write a blog for a crap news paper in a town that doesn’t like food! So what’s your point John did the editors ask you to write as much dribble as you can to try and keep their paper a float? Good luck getting a table next time your out in the city! you might try NY
Richard Rhodes
January 18th, 2011
9:32 am
S&S Cafeteria on Chamblee Tucker Rd has home cooked food like Mama use to make and is very reasonable. It also has the best iced tea in Atlanta.