Earlier this month I got together with Brad over at Creative Loafing for a little fried chicken. Check his post on it.

Shamefully, the only fried chicken of the five I’d previously tried was Carver’s. On the plus side, I had no predisposition to any of these chickees. Brad and I pretty much agreed on everything, though I could see that some people could easily feel differently based on the experience they are seeking. Chicken to go? High quality bird? Star Provisions was the clear winner; affordable too.

Star bird too small? Looking for an honest country vibe and outrageously sized breast? Carver’s it is.

Many people visit Colonnade for the sake of tradition and ambience, but damn the chicken was good. By far the hottest and crispiest and most tender; not a touch of dryness in the breast – the only time I could say that of our tour. Large portions too.

JCT was terrible. So bland and soggy, the texture of the meat was pulverized like it had sat in brine for too long, which doesn’t make sense as it was devoid of salt. It’s worth mentioning that the mac and cheese they served with it was a shameful mess of soggy noodles sitting in a unnecessary pool of warm cream. Years ago JCT was my go-to spot on that side of town – the last two years have seen an odious, unfortunate decline.

Smothered chicken – Busy Bee

Fried chicken – Busy Bee

The Colonnade

Chicken fried chicken with gravy - The Colonnade

Fried chicken - The Colonnade

JCT Springer Mountain Fried Chicken

Unfortunately, no photos from Star or Carver’s – forgot my camera!

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.

The most expensive tuna ever was sold last week in Japan, at the famous Tsukiji market in Tokyo. Tsukiji is not only the largest supplier of fish in the world, but like the options for goods traded on the floor of the Merc in Chicago, the auctions at Tsukiji have a global impact on the price of fish around the world.

A blog called Sushi Otaku points out that the fish, which was purchased for $736,000, or $1238 per pound, is going to be sold at a loss to consumers. The WSJ estimates that each sliver of tuna will be sold to consumers for $1.75 to $5.45. Resources I’ve found online estimate there are 15-25 pieces of nigiri per pound of fish. Depending on the thickness of cut, a sushi chef would have to charge between $50-100 per piece just to cover costs.

Sushi Otaku points out, part of the reason for the exorbitant cost is the celebration of the new year at the market, where the record setting auction is symbolic for prosperity, buoyed further by the public desire to support an industry which has been greatly hurt by last year’s disasters.

But this got me thinking about high quality tuna (such as the otoro pictured below-left from Sushi Huku), the best of which is quickly disappearing from our menus, and not just because of overfishing. Many chefs simply cannot afford to put it on their menu anymore. At a meal at MF Buckhead last year, Chef Kinjo told me the bluefin otoro he was serving us cost about $400 for a 1.5lb piece, which means he would have to charge $20-30 per piece of nigiri to even make it worth their while. Many wouldn’t even bother putting it on the menu at this price, so the loss is subsidized by the profit on other items (as is the case on this sashimi platter below), the tuna seemingly used as a reward for excellent customers.

I recall an online review of Soto (in NYC, formerly Atlanta) where a customer was complaining that he ordered fatty tuna, having seen another customer order some, but Soto told him no, he didn’t deserve it. The customer was pissed. I think this shows respect for the fish on the part of Soto-San. But it’s also a financial decision. If Soto is rewarding a regular customer who drops thousands on fish a year, the tuna is a very valuable tool to him.

Of course this argument/discussion of price is moot if restaurants cannot find good tuna anymore. I’ve seen Taka lament on his blog that he may have to learn how to operate without tuna.

Tuna ? There is no hope this year. This is the true story. Let’s say they had 100 of big eye tuna before. 40 went to NY, 20 went to and there 5 came to Atlanta. But the total amount of tuna is not much now. Let’s say they have 30 of big eye tuna. 20 go to NY, 5 go to LA and we can get less than 1. And the price is high and restaurants owners don’t want to buy. We do not want blue fin tuna because of high price. But we can buy big eye tuna.

Which restaurant can buy these kind of good tuna? Taka, Tomo, MF and maybe Nakato. only 4 restaurants can buy. And if they get a large size tuna, they cannot sell all of them. And they do not want to take a risk.

I buy O2 tuna from Philippine and buy farm raised and frozen blue fin oh toro from Australia. This buying will continue for a while.

Some may object to eating bluefin tuna due to scarcity and overfishing, but I think the chances of convincing Japan (which consumes 80% of the world’s bluefin tuna) to stop eating it is somewhere between slim and asking Tebow to renounce Christ. I personally don’t crave fatty tuna much, but I appreciate the gesture and am certainly not going to turn it down when it’s offered my way. It would be downright disrespectful.

Both photos in this post by @atl_legend.

Check out this good tuna breakdown video from Eater.

(Click here for Flickr slideshow) or click the image above for full size shot.

Moving on from Cooking and Booze, these are some of my favorites dishes from 2011. Similar to last year, it’s a solid mix of Atlanta and out-of-town dining, with NYC and my honeymoon heavy in the rotation. I’ve been blessed to have consumed, digested, and excreted a crap ton (nice visual, huh?) of stunning food this year. I still spend more money than I should, but I love dining, talking about previous dining experiences, planning my next dining trip, and even talking about the next course to come in the middle of dining. And that’s why I blog – all my friends are tired of hearing about it in person.

Most people have been going with nine or ten favorites, but I’m going to cruise through 36. Yeah, it’s a lot so I’ll be brief. And I’ll try not use to the word delicious more than twice.

Oh and check out these lists from friends, there’s some good stuff here.
-Decatur Wine & Food Dude’s Top 11
-Besha’s Top 9 Dishes
-Gene’s Top 10 on the AJC International Beat
-Jeff’s (Green Olive Media) Top 12 Meals

1. Matzo ball Tom Kha soup at Baan Sawan
2. Cauliflower at Eleven Madison Park
3. Nigiri at Soto in NYC
4. English breakfast with blood sausage at The Breslin, Ace Hotel NYC
5. Margherita Pizza at Jim Lahey’s Co. – NYC
6. Nucci at Varasano’s – still the best in Atlanta
7. Crawfish Shack Po’Boy – It’s not NOLA, but it’s pretty damn good
8. Heirloom BBQ – Everything, especially the brisket
9. Ikura at Sushi Huku
10. “An evening in Kerala” 21 course vegetarian dinner by Asha Gomez, whose Cardamom Hill opens next week on Northside
11. Chicken confit at the Glass Onion in Charleston
12. “California style sushi at Sushi Huku – I love it when Jey-san gets creative
13. General Tso’s sweetbreads at McCrady’s
14. Mirza Ghasemi (eggplant/tomato puree)at Sufi’s
15. Crudo at Customshop, Charlotte
16. I dined many times at Waffle House this year, but this moment was the best. Runner up Waffle House moment: seeing Bill Bellamy at a Columbia location around 1:30AM.
17. Wine dinner at Park 75. They killed it.
18. Blue tilapia at Pura Vida
19. Dessert at Double Zero
20. More awesome Cuban food at Arco Iris
21. Macaroons from Pierre Marcolini, Paris
22. Our forward and fun meal at L’Agape Substance, Paris. This “Caprese salad” rocked.
23. Cabbage root at L’Arpege, Paris
24. Veal wrapped in seaweed risotto at Le Chateaubriand, Paris
25. Spicy potato tapas on the beach at Pez Vela, Barcelona
26. Tuna tartare at Comerc 24.
27. Bean and quinoa bowl at Cakes & Ale Bakery
28. Chicken liver mousse at One Eared Stag
29. Most everything at H&F. There are still occasional misfires, but I always greatly enjoy my meals there. Charcuterie roxed it this particular night.
30. Japanese snapper nigiri with sea salt at Tomo Buckhead
31. Carrot Cake at Ocean Prime
32. Trout/potato/salmon roe pastry at M. Wells / BATON
33. Kimchi fried rice at Miso Izakaya
34. Lamb soup at Xi’an Famous Foods, NYC
35. Eponymous “Fuoco di Napoli” spicy pizza at Fuoco di Napoli
36. Octopus and marrow fusilli at Marea

I drank these. At Woodfire Grill.

After sampling some serviceable but unimpressive sushi at Nakato, I walked next door and the friendly bartender asked, “you eating or drinking or both?”

I slammed my fist on the table, and said “Daggumit, I’m drinking whiskey”.

He replied, “Giddyup.”

Note - None of this actually happened. 

The first drink may have been my favorite – the Indian Summer. Named for the week at hand (it was 70 degrees in Atlanta), the deft touch of chartreuese was perfect. The second one above is the Gentleman Scholar – rye, Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Torino vermouth, apple vinegar. I quite liked the vinegar, but found it a touch sweet.

I can’t recall the name of this one. My one area of feedback is the repetitive use of lemon peel. It tends to dominate the aromatics, I would have liked a variety of garnish.

The owner of All 3 Sports was dining next to me, and they bought me this final drink when I told them I purchased my bike racing wheels at their shop. Google Zipp 1080 and you’ll see why they offered. (That price is for one wheel, mind you). The drink was appropriately named the Bitter End.

An Amaro tasting.

Blake the bearded was my guide for the evening. Not to be confused with the other Blake, the bar manager. He took a lot of time to prepare my drinks and explain certain components. The bar wasn’t too crowded, an ideal situation for a good educational bourbon session. Thanks Blake.

Ms. Moore pointed me in the direction of Spice Junction, a restaurant which opened this summer, and happens to be less than a mile from my office way out in the access road wastelands of West Columbia.

Side story – Eva wrote a nice article about a new cookbook called The Whole Hog Cookbook, which generously featured pictures of my friend Emile’s pork farm, only for everyone to find out later that the cookbook was paid for by Smithfield. Not only was he unknowingly promoting the king (dictator?) of industrial pork, but they didn’t credit the photos as Caw Caw Creek farm. Essentially, they want you to think their facilities look something remotely close to Emile’s swine Xanadu. Sows crammed into crates, covered in blood and wounds and sores do not make for a great cookbook cover I guess.

While Spice Junction is the usual buffet of various regional Indian specialties, I enjoyed my lunch. Super friendly people, an open, clean space, and the curries are bright and flavorful, without any tired, soggy meats. The goat was especially notable, with that firm, but tender texture one aims to achieve in beef bourguignon.

The blistery, hot bread, doused in butter (or likely, ghee?) was a nice touch.

Another restaurant near my office I learned of via Free Times is a raw food restaurant called Good Life Cafe.

I have very little experience with raw food, but I was pleasantly surprised at how excellent my “tacos” were. My photo doesn’t do it justice; it was much more vivid and enticing in person. The kale side is stellar, so much flavor, and texturally on point. I liked the crunchy and juicy jicama “not potato” salad, though I think this portion exceeds the amount of jicama I’ve consumed in my life. The tacos were the opposite of bland. Salsa, guac, cashew “nacho cheese” and “sour cream”, and deft savory spicing of the walnut meat provide enough flavor for any doubter. I could eat this every day and feel good about myself. In that way, it reminds me of Dynamic Dish. I very much look forward to digging into their menu.

Fuoco di Napoli is now open, with pies made by Enrico Liberato, formerly of Fritti and Antico. Recommended to all you pizza crazies.

Interesting fact – Enrico told me he uses no added yeast in his pasta (dough). Which results in a pie without dough bloat and all flavor comes naturally from the 48 hour ferment.

Full photo set here:

Victory Sandwich Bar. I took photos, you can view them.

“What’s that sign say?”

“No bare feet!”

“What’s that sign say?”

“No fighting.”

Quotes from Caddyshack. If you didn’t get it, you’re fired.

Creamy ricotta dunked in olive oil.

“Beast on yeast”, pot roast sandwich. Excellent!

Chorizo/queso fresco (I forget the cute name). Not a bad selection, but a touch too greasy.

Vegetarian sandwich. The bread was perfect, but the red pepper spread was not for me.

Castro (Cuban – a fine choice) on the far left, Lamborghini on the bottom (pressed Italian with pesto, my favorite), and cold ramen noodles on the right (pass, go for more sandwiches instead).

Show me potato salad!

Not sure what this was. It wasn’t mine. The waiter dropped it down, I took photos, then he realized he had delivered someone else’s order and took it away. Looks good though!

After LeRoy’s Fried Chicken closed, I was telling a friend, “someone should open up a hot chicken stand there. All the equipment is ready to go.”

I wasn’t far off.

Curly’s Fried Chicken opened today in the recently failed chicken shack. I noticed a guy hanging out the order window as I was on my way to get have my oil changed, so I decided to add a more tasty pit stop to my previously planned maintenance schedule.

While the menu is very different, the type face and fonts are quite similar. I did a double take when I first glanced at it as I thought it might be the same.

LeRoy’s was a partnership with the folks than own Fellini’s/La Fonda, but in this case the new owner is simply renting from them, they have nothing to do with the operation. The pressure fryers from LeRoy’s are intact, though they are now using canola instead of lard.

I sampled a thigh, wing, and drum, regular style (you have the option of the chicken being dipped in Buddy’s secret sauce).

Whereas LeRoy’s touted the quality of their natural Spring mountain chicken and the use of lard, and attempted to use an interesting but problematic buttermilk dipped crust, Curly’s chicken feels much more like straight forward single flour dip fried chicken.

The pieces are average size, probably not brined, with a simple crust, maybe a touch salty, and it lacked the slippery country style greasiness I enjoy a la Carver’s - it’s by no means earth shattering. But it’s extra crispy, tender, and affordable. A fine quick fried chicken fix if you’re in the area. I wouldn’t rush back, except that I want to try some sides and maybe a fried fish sandwich.