Broadway Cafe

Pesto pasta with feta - delish.

One cold wet evening we were looking for a quick bite and decided to try Broadway Cafe, a Kosher dairy restaurant at the corner of LaVista and Briarcliff. The menu is varied and includes some faux meat dishes as well as pastas, salads and pizzas. From what we could tell the pastas are really a great way to go and I enjoyed the below Middle Eastern platter as well. The pesto pasta is very creamy, made even more delicious by the addition of sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese. We tried the garlic knots to start and although we enjoyed them, they did not have enough real garlic for my taste. Definitely a good place for vegetarians and for those who are open to a meatless meal once in awhile.

Mediterranean sampler - they forgot to bring the hummus but once I asked some was brought out quickly.



Garlic knots - more buttery than garlicky but satisfyingly chewy.

Blue Moon Pizza - Buckhead

Delicious Portabella Mushrooms topped with "Grandma's sauce", goat cheese and basil. A great first taste.

I was recently invited to check out Blue Moon Pizza, a local chain with four Atlanta area locations. Owners Kelvin and Mandy Slater have built a fun concept including a delicious variety of "specialty moons" (pizzas) as well as salads, "flatwiches" (sandwiches with bread made from pizza crust dough and appetizers. In addition to the Buckhead location (pictured below), there are locations in Marietta, Smyrna and now Sandy Springs as well. Click here for specific location information.

We had the opportunity to taste the mushroom appetizer (above) as well as several pizzas and one of the salads. Everything was good, with enough spice already added to make red pepper flakes a non-issue (at other pizza places we are always shaking those little glass bottles to try and get more flavor on the food!) I particularly enjoyed the portabella mushrooms, the Santa Fe style pizza and the Cobb salad. I look forward to trying more options on a future visit. We also had a fun time talking with Kelvin and Mandy, who are obviously dedicated to their concept of making Blue Moon "an everyday place that still feels special" for their customers. There is a loyalty program as well as a newsletter.

Casual, pleasing dining area adorned with special blue moon decor. The restaurant also features the amazing Coke machine with dozens of possible flavor combinations. I had fun trying out cherry Dr. Pepper - a rare treat!



Top half: BBQ chicken pizza; below: Jerk chicken pizza - just the right amount of spice!



Top half: Grandma's Pizza; below: my personal favorite, the Santa Fe featuring black beans, avocado and jalepenos - spicy and so delicious.



Calvin enjoyed a blue "moontini" - all locations feature a full bar with $5 martinis every Thursday.



Cobb salad - this is no ordinary salad! All salads at Blue Moon are served on pizza crusts - a neat touch.

Blue Moon also features a special gluten-free pizza crust, which can be used for all of the pies and for garlic bread. There is a list of gluten-free menu items and even a gluten-free chocolate brownie. Additionally, the restaurant offers lunch specials like a slice of cheese pizza, a side salad and a soda for $6.99.

Delivery is available within 3 miles of any location. Blue Moon also features Take-n-Bake: you pick up a pizza that is ready to be cooked in your oven at home. The pizza comes with a special baking tray to help you achieve that perfect crispness!

If you haven't already become a fan, give Blue Moon a try!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary

Chicken and the Egg Revisited

House made Pimento Cheese and Buttermilk Fried Oysters with Creole Tartar Sauce - a wonderful start to the meal. We were even able to pack up the leftover cheese to take home!

We recently went for a second visit to Chicken and the Egg in Marietta after being invited back to try the entire menu. Our dinner at the Friends & Family night was superb so we expected nothing less. I am pleased to say that this newcomer delivered once again. We were seated in a comfortable booth in the center of the far wall - a great place for people watching and seeing the workings of the entire restaurant. It was a Friday night and it was busy - I suggest reservations for sure on weekends. Again, service was stellar and we were lucky enough to get to talk with Chef Marc Taft and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, who are the co-owners as well as manager Tom Foust. It is evident that all three really care about the dining experience of each visitor and that means a lot. If you haven't been yet - go soon. I hear there is a new fall menu now. I can't wait to try the new fall menu as well as brunch one of these weekends!

Specialty drinks by mixologist Brandon King include creative cocktails and tasty non-alcoholic "mocktails" which are just my speed! Left, the Strawberry Pie non-alcoholic and right, Calvin's Grilled Peach Manhattan, which includes infused bacon!

The restaurant has moved from the mini-corn muffins to the above spoon rolls, which are equally wonderful if not better with the molasses butter.



Special of the day: Hanger steak with black garlic puree and potatoes. I adore black garlic and have used it in cooking at home after my mother included it as one of my Hanukkah presents. I found it really neat that Chef included this ingredient in such a traditional dish. The meat was also very tender and the potatoes were great for soaking up the sauce.



Seared Sea Scallops with Pimento Cheese grits, charred onion, baby arugula and chili oil. I really enjoyed this dish, especially more of that wonderful Pimento Cheese. The one issue was that the arugula was overly salted. With the other great flavors in this dish, the greens could really go without any salt at all.



Praline Bread Pudding with caramel ice cream and Rhubarb Streusel Tart with brown sugar-sour cream ice cream. I think we got the last rhubarb of the summer season! The bread pudding really hit the spot - delicious!

Alfredo's - An Atlanta Classic

Calamari.

Somehow I lived in Atlanta for more than four years before I dined at Alfredo's Italian Restaurant. I drive past it all the time and heard that it exemplified "old-school Italian" cooking so I'm not sure why I waited so long! One reason might be that the parking lot is always full and a reservation is a must on the weekend. Luckily when we had a friend visiting from out of town we reserved a table and had a lovely meal. It really is old-style Italian (and old-style Atlanta, having operated for more than 35 years), with wonderful, attentive service by men who appear to have been in the business for years and a head waiter/maitre'd who reminds me of some of the characters in stereotypical mafia films.

The signature sign on Cheshire Bridge Road.



Mussels appetizer.

For the amount of food you receive, the value is outstanding. Although I did not photograph the buttery garlic bread or the pickled vegetables that are brought out to every table, they were both delicious, the veggies very nostalgic and the bread great for sopping up all the delicious sauces presented throughout the meal - I think we ate four baskets! The above-pictured mussels are listed in the "Zuppe" section and do contain a delicious white wine/garlic broth that can be eaten as soup after consuming the delicious mollusks.

For entrees the three of us split two: the linguine pescattore and the veal three ways. Both were outstanding. More yummy sauce to eat with garlic bread!



Padrino (Godfather): veal three ways with spinach.

Pig of the Month Club

Baby Back Ribs and Pulled Pork.

The folks at Pig of the Month were nice enough to send me the above samples. They came packed in dry ice and kept fine for a few days in my refrigerator. I wanted to make a proper meal to go with this delicious meat so I opted to make a simple homemade sweet cornbread along with my grandma's slaw and okra, corn and tomatoes. The results were extremely satisfying and the Pig of the Month items held their own. I particularly liked the pulled pork, but the ribs, (I sampled Key West style) were also really delicious. This would make a neat gift (wedding present?!) for those who would like to give a gift that lasts all year.

Pulled Pork from "Pig of the Month" with homemade cornbread, cole slaw and okra, corn & tomatoes.

OK - Finally into 2011

New Year's Day feast: black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread. See the giant smoked chicken wing in the corner?

Although it's pathetically late, I am excited to report that the blog has officially made it to 2011 material, starting with the New Year's day traditional meal I cooked up for the family. Everything was pretty good considering it was my first time cooking greens and black eyed peas. I made some honey butter to go with the cornbread and it was delicious! I plan on catching up fast so get ready for many more posts ahead.

French Toast Casserole

This is the french toast casserole I made for Christmas morning. I assembled it the night before and in the morning it baked while the kids opened presents. It was served with some maple syrup on top and fresh sliced strawberries on the side.

The recipe is listed below but I'll be honest, I didn't measure out the ingredients, just eyeballed them. I also started with about 3/4 of challah (due to some earlier snacking by hubby and the kids).


I was a little nervous when I pulled it out the oven because it looked a little dry to me. It tasted perfect though and this is a terrific, simple recipe for any special breakfast or weekend morning.

Ingredients:

4 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 loaf challah or brioche (I used challah) cut into 1″ slices
8 eggs
1 c. whole milk
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of nutmeg and ginger
1 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
Pour butter into bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange bread in baking pan, ripping pieces in half as necessary to cram everything in there in a semi-even way. Mix remaining ingredients, whisking until eggs are broken up and well combined. Pour over bread. Let stand 3-12 hours (I made mine the night before.)

When ready to cook, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Mine was done at 35, and the top was a little bit crunchy. Serve with maple syrup.


Source: Erin'sEasyEats

Whipped Honey Poppy Seed Butter

It's Monday...let's talk butter!

Here is a super simple way to jazz up plain old butter. This recipe is inspired by the wonderful whipped honey poppy seed butter served at a local favorite restaurant, Coastal Flats. It goes great with any type of bread and is super simple to make. I made this to go along with the bread we served for Thanksgiving and think it would be perfect for the Christmas lunch, dinner or any other special meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softened
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/8-1/4 tsp poppy seeds
1/8-1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Cream softened butter with an electric mixer. Add honey, poppy seeds and salt (if using) to the butter and mix until well combined. Taste and add additional honey or salt if needed. Transfer or pipe to a serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to firm up butter. Serve butter slightly softened.

Source: Inspired by Coastal Flats, recipe Chef Mommy original

Turkey Day Wrap-Up

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We normally travel up to New Jersey to celebrate this holiday with family. It is always a lot of fun...a house filled with a lot of people, a lot of food and a lot of love. My kids have an especially good time. They get showered with attention from their grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins. This year however, we decided to stay here in Virginia and had a more low key celebration with some friends.

One great thing about staying here is that I actually got to do some of the cooking this year. So, I thought I would share with you what I made....because of course you know I had to photograph it :) Yes, I *heart* food porn!

My friend Anne and I planned a pretty traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, green beans, corn and apple pie. I made the mashed potatoes and the following yums:

Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce

Honey Poppyseed Butter served with an assortment of breads and rolls

Fruit Platter

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust

I had planned on only piping one ring of fresh whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, however my cake developed some big crack while rest on the counter after baking. The funny thing was when my son looked at the cake and the cracks he said to me "Cool Mom! You made a star shape on top!"....ummm, yeah just like I had planned :)

The Hil at Serenbe

Farm Antipasti Platter.

After winning tickets to Serenbe Playhouse's opening season (theater under the stars), Calvin and I ventured out the oasis that is Serenbe for dinner and a show. The Hil at Serenbe is one of the three restaurants open in the community. I dined there previously for brunch with my dad about a year ago, and included some photos of the planned community (see post here) in that post. This time we discovered a labyrinth and some farm animals including goats, a donkey and chickens near the small lake on the way to Serenbe's Inn.

Dinner, albeit expensive, was quite delicious. I could have consumed 4X the amount of tomato salad provided it was so good. The antipasti plate pictured above also impressed, with local egg, homemade soft cheese, cured meats and pickled beans you really do feel like you're tasting the farm. The chicken, juicy and divine, provided a reminder of the simple joys in life. Of course we had to try dessert. The parfait was a bit much with three kinds of ice cream, cookies and cookie dough with chocolate and caramel sauces. The cookies and cream - a perfect end to a simple, good meal.

Heirloom tomato salad.



All-natural chicken with smashed potatoes.



Sinful parfait (including raw cookie dough at the bottom) and the cookies and cream dessert (peanut butter with vanilla ice cream tonight).

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Croissants

I woke up this morning thinking about these tasty treats.  I couldn't wait to get in the kitchen!  They couldn't be any easier, either.  I used canned croissants and sprinkled chocolate chips, coconut and pecans and then rolled them up.  I brushed them with an egg wash and made them pretty with some chocolate sprinkles.  Next time, I think I will sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar.  I made two cans so we will have some to grab and eat on the way to school this week. 

The recipe came from my new favorite blog as seen below:  For the Love of Cooking.

My next recipe I will try from this blog is either going to be the Baked Potato Soup or the Broccoli and Sharp Cheddar Soup.  Not sure which we will have for dinner tonight.

AB in 5 Sticky Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

I chose not to bake any of the gluten free bread this round.  I actually broke down and bought the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book.  I made the Master Recipe and turned it into these delicious, sugary, buttery breakfast treats. 

I can't post the recipe due to copyright issues, but check out the book and try these sticky buns.  YUM!!!

HB in 5 Bread Braid #8

Carrot and Pecan Bread

I had read some reviews about this bread from the HB in Five group saying that it was good but don't expect a sweet bread.  Well, I wanted a sweet bread.  I changed a few things- I added some real vanilla extract, some Vietnamese cinnamon and doubled the amount of brown sugar that was listed.  I also used pecans instead of walnuts because I like pecans better.  Golden raisins were my fruit of choice.

I decided to make them into rolls.  The dough is hard to work with so I grabbed my ice cream scooper and scooped away - right into my lightly greased muffin tins. I gave each one a little egg wash and sprinkled some turbinado sugar on top and baked.

This is my absolute FAVORITE bread from this cookbook so far.  I spread a little butter on one right out of the oven and I truly wanted to eat half a pan of them.  It was 11:00 at night so I restrained myself and waited until the next morning.  These rolls (I don't know what else you would call them) were the first thing on my mind when I woke up the next day. 

I have some baking in my oven right now, as I am typing this.  My home smells heavenly!!!

Pesto and Pine Nut Bread

The next bread that I baked (although off schedule for the challenge) was the pine nut and pesto bread.  We all liked this bread a lot.  I love anything with basil so it wasn't a hard sell for me.  The dough was very hard to work with even after refrigerating it a couple days.  I had this brilliant idea to make bread sticks but they didn't quite turn out as visually appetizing as I had anticipated.  They tasted great though.  I added a little flavor by brushing some spicy garlic butter on top on top of them after baking .  YUM! 

I also made some buns for barbeque pulled pork sandwiches.  These were messy but delicious!

Avocado and Tomato Bread

One of the other breads I made for the HB in 5 Challenge was the Avocado and Tomato Bread.  I almost didn't make this because I wasn't sure that I would like it, but decided to give it a try.  I added some ingredients to the dough because I wanted some of the traditional guacamole flavors.  Cilantro, minced fresh garlic, and 1 chopped fresh jalepeno pepper (without ribs and seeds) were added to the wet ingredients. 

I made this bread into buns for some jalepeno and lime grilled chicken sandwiches.  We all loved the bread and the sandwiches were excellent!

Check out the other bread from the group Healthy Bread in Five.

HBin5 Catch-up Post

I joined a group called Healthy Bread in Five based on the book:  We are working our way through the book, but I haven't done very well so far.  I've missed several of the recipes.  I am going to try to get caught up on some of them here.

These are the red beet buns from the book.  I have never even touched a beet before so I was a little hesitant but excited about baking the this bread for the HBin5 challenge. They are the most beautiful vegetable when you cut them up. The vibrant red juice goes everywhere and stains everything in its path, but it's okay because it is so pretty! I didn't really care for the smell, though. They kind of smell like dirt. I was just hoping the whole time that they wouldn't actually taste like dirt.

Instead of grating the beets (laziness) I chopped them some and threw them into the food processor to chop. I wish I would have left them in there a little longer and made more of a puree, because there ended up being some larger chunks throughout the dough.

The dough turned this gorgeous purple color after resting in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

I took the rolls I made to work for "Red Food Day" in honor of Valentine's Day.  I didn't tell anyone what they were and just put them in a bowl with a stick of butter set in front of it.  There were only a couple left by the end of the day (out of about 18). 

I thought they were pretty good.  I don't know that I will ever make them again, but I may attempt to cook beets in a different way. 


Southwestern Focaccia with Chicken, Feta and Onions

One of the challenges for March is the Southwestern Focaccia with Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese.  I had to change this a lot so my family would eat it.  I traded feta for goat cheese because I knew my child would not go near goat cheese.  I also didn't use the corn- didn't sound good to me.  So in other words, I made this recipe my own.  I used the Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil recipe from the book and made it into a free form pizza crust.

It turned out really good, but it was very spicy.  I shouldn't have put the entire 1-1/2 tsp of ground ancho chile powder in the sauce.  It was way too spicy for us (we're kind of wimpy when it comes to heat). 

The last post I will make for now is the loaf of Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil I made.  I am still getting used to the homemade whole wheat bread taste.  I wish it tasted a little more like some of the store bought bread I buy sometimes.  I just haven't found the recipe that I absolutely love.  BUT I will keep trying.  One loaf at a time.