I made my first visit to Octopus Bar last night, the restaurant which opens at 10PM inside of So Ba in East Atlanta Village. In short, I really enjoyed it. They have a menu that begs for exploration, cold oysters, inexpensive craft beers, and the best muther flippin’ lobster roll I can recall. Lots of awesome facial hair in the crowd too. Damn my youthful complexion, I’ll never fit in!
We tried the kumamoto and beausoleil oysters, ankimo, lobster roll, salt and pepper shrimp, uni pasta, and rabbit cavetelli.
My photos are extra terrible because it’s darker than Mordor in there. For a real review, check out Besha’s post. But for haiku’s describing what I ate, read below.
briny and well shucked
fairly priced taste of the sea
beasoleils bested
the oceans pate
roe pops across silk liver
it was sort of bland
the musk of butter
chilly crustacean delights
I don’t deserve this
oh plump crispy prawn
you’re overcooked though piquant
slurp the pungent head
gonads I crave you
lovely fresh pasta so sweet
but not quite funky
chicken and dumplings
but pasta with cauliflower
bested the classic
I’ve been traveling all over the place, for work and for pleasure, hence the lack of restaurant and cooking project posts in January. Once I got back from Savannah yesterday afternoon, I spent the rest of the day cooking and watching football, and it was pure pleasure spending some time in the dojo.
As I’ve been getting settled in this morning, I realized I do have a bunch of miscellaneous photos from the last few weeks. So here you go, get ready for a bunch of ‘em.
First up, my brother and I took my father to Bern’s for his birthday. The wine and service were amazing, as was this large strip steak that we split three ways (pictured is just part of my portion).
The next day we went to Arco Iris, where these crispy braised pork nuggets were the jam.
The next week I visited Miso Izakaya again with some friends. I loved the oden dish they were trying out (I don’t think it’s on the menu), though we ate it early in the meal and it sat quite heavy. Tons of luscious soft bone marrow and firm root veggies.
I finally tried their ramen, which was good, though a touch sweet for my tastes. I have no idea if this was a good representation of this dish though; the kitchen was slammed and we were told they didn’t have ramen, then they brought it out later in the evening.
Last week I took a tour of Inland seafood. They sent me home with some crab dips and such, though I was hoping for a case of these Shigoku oysters. Shit, I would have even accepted a case of beau soleils from Nova Scotia. I requested this tour for a post I’m working on – more on that in the coming weeks.
I also got together with friends for some home cooked pizza and wine. My friend John is apparently on a mission to keep me in the poor house, as he continues to introduce me to expensive things which I desire. Old Barolo is amazing. It’s like dirty, mulchy, tar-laden Burgundy.
I stopped at Chat Patti (Vegetarian Indian) for the first time in a while. The thali special is always a good deal. Not as flavorful (or spicy) vegetables as I remember, but still chock full of great breads and vibrant sauces.
There’s now an excellent coffee shop in Columbia, called Drip. They serve breakfast and lunch too – I tried a duck confit biscuit with honey that is crave-worthy. Flaky, sweet, fatty, etc.
On the way to the coast I stopped in Orangeburg SC at the famous Duke’s Bar-B-Q. They told me it was the best I’d ever try, though in my experience 90% of SC BBQ is terrible (I’ve yet to try Sweatman’s or Scott’s). It’s mostly buffets and steam tray pork. Duke’s was no different. The tomato-rich hash was fine, in a I-don’t-get-to-eat-this-very-often sort of way. It was like a pureed Brunswick stew. And look at that sweet and cloying yellow mustard sauce – looks appetizing, huh?
I ate mussels and fried shrimp at 11th Street Dockside in Beaufort, it was serviceable. I’d order the shrimp again.
And I took a boat ride in Savannah, then ate steamed oysters and drank $3 margaritas at Bonna Bella Yacht Club. It was 77F and sunny with a gorgeous sunset and plenty of frosty Miller High Life on the boat. Perfect day.
Finally I got home and cooked. During the dreary ride back I was struck with a craving for Beef Bourguignon. It was fairly well done though the sauce wasn’t quite on point. Hopefully the flavors came together a little more overnight, and I may add more demi-glace today.
I have another 1.5lbs of beef chuck in my sous vide machine, which has been running at 140F since 4PM yesterday. Tonight I’m going to compare with the four hour braised beef and see who wins.
In addition to old cookbooks, my mother recently came across her grandfather’s World War I diary, from 1917 to 1919.
I never met my great grandfather and quite enjoyed this rare connection to the past. He didn’t relay much personal sentiment in his journal; most of it is a simple chronicle of events, often a sentence or two, and he wasn’t wildly consistent. There is no reference to the horror of war. It makes me wonder if the gaps in time were spent in trenches, and if he didn’t mention it because he wanted his thoughts elsewhere when recording them.
When he isn’t talking about the death of Teddy Roosevelt, or how five men were swept overboard and lost from the U.S.S.G.W., he frequently talked about food. Quite often, in fact. There truly is nothing like a great, warm meal.
Subsistence: Bacon, Beans, Beans Baked, Bread, Coffee, Flour, Fruit, Lard, Meat – Fresh Beef, Milk, Onions, Potatoes, Salt, Sugar, Vinegar, Tomatoes, Pepper
On foregoing page 16 is giving list of subsistence of the main food stuffs as used in the Army. To follow this list closely is not only a good principle for the army but also for the home. To buy staples, especially flour, dry groceries, potatoes, etc in quantity is a big money saving proposition, also a time saver as it does away with ? daily shopping trip which time could be used by better advantage. It is also a good idea to follow the army’s way of planning supplies and meals four or five days or more ahead, will save a lot of worry.
December 25, 1917
Saw <> steamer towed in torpedoed, bow sunk, stern in air. Christmas dinner. Menu on board U.S.S.G.W.
Steak – Ham – Onion Sauce
Mashed potatoes – Peas – Bread – Butter
Coffee – <?> and Pumpkin Pie
Jan 1 1918 (in France)
Had dinner in a restaurant. Menu. Ham omelett, bread, butter, leg of chicken, French fried potatoes, coffee, rice pudding.
