Green Ginger Peachtree City

Just a quick bit about tonight's dinner: Sofi and I went to Green Ginger in Peachtree City.
Let's start with the positives. The restaurant is gorgeous. Very modern finish, iPads as menus (which I personally thought was a fantastic waste of money), wood and glass everywhere with very colorful saltwater fish tanks. Some of the food was pretty darn good, particularly Sofi's udon noodles with vegetables and chicken. I had Pad Thai, which wasn't the best I've ever had (YMCMB) but it was good nonetheless. The highlight for Sofi was the red bean ice cream, a cool twist on a Korean favorite.

As far as the negatives go, it took the waiter forever to get to the table even to get us drinks, which I'll partially forgive because they seemed rather busy for a Tuesday night. As far as the food goes, the basil rolls we ordered were bland at best and the wrapper tasted like it had sat in the fridge too long. It was rubbery and much too tough for something that should have at least been made fresh that day. I had a bit of a better experience when I had lunch at their other location in Decatur several months back. I would definitely recommend lunch over dinner, which was slightly overpriced I thought. However, in Peachtree City, money isn't exactly the first thing on everyone's mind...

Buford Highway

It's happened again. I've become lazy with my posts. This time I don't really have much of an excuse. School is out, however work is in full swing. I'll blame it on that for the time being. That said, here is a review of a Chinese restaurant on Buford Highway I went to a few weeks back. 

While not having any shortage of Asian restaurants to choose from, Buford highway can actually be a little intimidating because of the sheer number of choices. Chinese is usually a safe bet for food that is going to be good, and as opposed to most Chinese places in the suburbs (or really anywhere at this point) you get less Americanized and more authentic cuisine. 

In a small shopping center, my friend Elise and I discovered a great little place for awesome Chinese. The thing I was most impressed with from the get-go were the prices. The place was dirt cheap, and as I found out later, the food was absolutely worth more than the prices listed on the menu. 

I decided on orange beef, tender pieces of beef in an spicy-sweet orange sauce with bits of orange rind. This dish was absolutely great. I really love how the zest gave the dish more dimension and bite. Very nice and hearty over white rice. Elise had a tofu and mushroom dish. All I'll say is that I'm glad I ordered what I did. I'm usually the one ordering vegetarian options (personally because I love tofu) at Chinese places, but this wasn't my personal favorite. The mushrooms tasted canned, and the heavy cornstarch based sauce was uninspired. $20 for dinner for two is great, however. 

For dessert, we went across the street to a placed called Sweet Hut bakery for Chinatown style baked buns. I really enjoyed mine, which was filled with Nutella (hard to go wrong there honestly). Elise's had coconut and jelly in it which was really excellent as well. The inside of place felt upscale and was very modern, almost like a futuristic Starbucks (filled with futuristic hipsters using Samsung products). 

All in all, a successful trip for great food and a nice time! 

Diamond Jubilee

With all of the hype lately about HRH Queen Elizabeth II 60 years on the throne, it only seemed right to have a Diamond Jubilee party in her honour. 

My contribution was a vegetarian Shepherd's Pie that I decorated with food-coloured mashed potatoes in the design of the Union Jack. I thought it was fun an festive, although it felt a bit odd to be eating colored mashed potatoes.

I used Boca meatless crumbles as the base, along with fresh peas, carrots, and an onion. I cooked all of these down until they got nice and caramelized and deglazed the pan with a little bit of white wine since I was out of red (it would have probably went better with red but I actually like some of the acidity and frutiness the white wine added). I seasoned the lot with fresh thyme, sage, and a bay leaf, along with salt and pepper of course. 

I think the end result was pretty darn good. I'd like to try the same thing with ground meat next time. My whole logic was that I didn't want the pie greasy, and it certainly wasn't. I really think this is a great vegetarian meal, regardless if you pipe on a Union Jack or not! I'll put the recipe at the end of the post for those who are inclined. 

Cheers. 

1 bag Boca / Morningstar Meatless crumbles 

6-10 oz fresh carrots, diced

6-10 oz fresh peas (can substitute for frozen but don't cook as long)

1 onion, diced

Few sprigs fresh thyme   

2-6 leaves fresh sage (adjust according to preference) 

Salt & Pepper 

1 cup red wine for deglazing

Mashed Potatoes

4lbs good potatoes 

4 oz butter 

1-2 cups whole milk (adjust depending on consistency of the potatoes) 

Salt & Pepper 

1 tsp Nutmeg, preferably fresh

Start by combining all of the ingredients in a large pan over medium-high heat until the carrots are soft and onions translucent. Bring the heat up a touch and deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping all of the bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Put into a large square baking dish (ingredients should be about 1-2 inches high). 

For the mashed potatoes, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces and cook until a knife pierces them effortlessly. Cool slightly, then put into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter until melted, then add the milk until creamy. Season potatoes to taste. 

Spread the potatoes on top of the mixture, being careful not to mix them so you have an even layer on top. 

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Place under the broiler for a few minutes at the end if you prefer browned potatoes. 

Blueberry Muffins

With my blueberry bush in full swing, I've been looking for things to do with all of them. I decided to do one of the obvious things, make blueberry muffins. Me being me, however, I wanted to make something a little bit different. According to virtually every  source on the internet, the only thing you can make with blueberries are pies, trifles, muffins, and cobblers. This also left me wondering what other stuff one can make with blueberries. If anyone has an suggestions, make sure to leave them below. 

I adapted a BBC Good Food recipe, using more blueberries rather than bananas since I didn't have any. It was nice using something where the ingredients where measured by weight rather than cups and teaspoons which becomes confusing. I also had to use cake flour as opposed to regular flour because I was out of that as well; the life of a poor college student. 

I really think this recipe would be good with the bananas and perhaps a little bit of maple syrup. I do appreciate that the muffins didn't come out cloyingly sweet, the sugar just compliments the blueberries perfectly well. 

 Breakfast is served!

The Corner Pub

From the chains to dive bars (I'm assuming there are some; ginger ale is about as adventurous as I get), Atlanta has no shortages of places for simple food and a drink. The Corner Pub in Decatur, however, isn't quite that simple. While the food certainly isn't pretentious, it is definitely more up-market than what you tend to find at other bars. This mixed with a quiet setting off of East College Ave. make it an awesome choice for some drinks or a satisfying meal.

Sofi and I went for the latter of that description.

To be honest, service really wasn't the best (they seemed seriously understaffed for a Saturday night). Making up for this, the waiter was super nice and recommended to me the fried pork chops. Having never been able to turn these down, even as a kid, I gladly took his advice. Sofi ordered broiled trout with a root vegetable mash and a pear / carrot coleslaw.

When the pork came out, it was seriously the best, but what a mound of food! The plate was honestly big enough for two people, even considering I can put it away. The flavor was fantastic, nice and crisp on the outside while the pork was primarily juicy within. I did find it a touch overcooked, but nothing to complain about.

Sofi's trout was also very nice and buttery with a crisp skin. I didn't so much care for the mashed root vegetables. They were a bit dry and lacked any sort of distinct flavor. As for the pear slaw, Sofi really liked that. I personally am not a fan of coleslaw and really any variety, and this was no exception. I won't personally judge this, although I do think it would have worked better if the pears were in season.

The one thing we did both agree on was the appetizer: fried goat cheese with a blueberry sauce. While the combination may sound a bit odd, trust me on this, it was completely phenomenal. The play of sweet and savory worked extremely well and the nice peppery arugula salad that it was served with was great.

That alone is reason to come back. Perhaps the pork chops too, especially if you want to split it with a friend!

Cafe Alsace Dessert

I'll keep this one short and sweet (see what I did there?). Lavender ice cream is literally one of the greatest things anyone has ever come up with.
I've been going to Cafe Alsace in Decatur for years and have always loved their Alsacian French cuisine, but the ice cream alone is worth the trip. Sweet and velvety as ice cream should be with the perfect amount of lavender make this an awesome Summer stop if you're in Atlanta. It's so good that I literally bought a lavender plant and will be trying my hand at making it this Summer.

What Sofi had wasn't exactly bad either. A warm pear tart with whipped cream and a creme anglaise. Normally that would have been my pick considering my love affair with fresh pears, but seriously. If the ice cream can make me want it that bad, it can for you too!

The Hil

The best things aren't always in plain sight. In fact, it's usually the opposite. If you venture into the quaint farmlands of Chattahoochee Hills country, you'll find a place that is definitely off the beaten path but offers up food just as good and twice as fresh as any place you could go in Atlanta. The Hil, named after the head chef, Hillary White, is a superb place for a brunch or elegant dinner. You really do feel worlds away in the secluded community of Serenbe (now getting national attention because of the HGTV Green Home). 

Despite a few more people than usual, it still has a very close-knit feel. People taking care of gardens and farmers markets all on the grounds of the community reminded me a of a Pennsylvania Amish style of living. Except with expensive cars and energy-efficient houses. 

But now about the reason Sofi and I were at Serenbe in the first place: The Hil. 

We sat outside on what turned out to be the last not-so-scorching-hot day of the Spring. The atmosphere of the patio outside was very relaxed. It was nice to watch the cars go by and all of the flowers in bloom. We had brunch, more of a lunch if you ask me, because there really aren't many "breakfast-y" things on the menu. I ordered a Ranch BLT chicken sandwich (topped with a fried egg for good measure) while Sofi had a mixed salad with bacon and a poached egg. The presentation was very simple, but elegant. I especially liked the stamped cards that said "The Hil" on each plate. 

As far as the taste goes, I really don't think you could beat what I had. I tend to rave about a lot of the stuff I eat, (food gets me excited) but this sandwich was completely, completely out of this world. The runny egg added such a perfect richness, and the fries were some of the best I've had anywhere. Twice fried and crisp as it gets just like my Belgian mother makes them. 

Sofi's salad was very good, however the poached egg was essentially hard boiled and a bit tougher than would have been expected. I personally didn't get the addition of chickpeas to the salad and really don't think it added anything special. I think some sort of nut would have given it more body. Truthfully that's the only quibble about the entire meal. 

For dessert, we had a piece of spiced carrot bread, made with organic carrots sourced from literally just down the road. Very moist, great texture added from walnuts and raisins, and a beautiful cream cheese "icing." I really liked how it wasn't particularly sweet but almost functioned as a deconstructed carrot cake. This made an excellent end to the meal. 

If you want a short day-trip to somewhere that isn't Atlantic Station or another over-crowded place, go to Serenbe and definitely go to The Hil. You won't regret it, in fact, you'll probably be driving back for that sandwich just as often as I plan to!