Kettlebells, the Paleo Diet and Caramba Cafe

Poblano Verde from Caramba.

For some time I've meant to post on a category very much related to food: exercise and diet. In particular, I want to highlight kettlebell strength training and the Paleo diet. Kettlebells are a great overall exercise - I can personally attest to that! I discovered kettlebells here in Atlanta at Delaine Ross' Gym Condition where Delaine and several other instructors use kettlebell training to provide a great workout including cardio and strength training all in one 45 minute workout. With more than 30 classes per week at various times of morning and evening - plus some special lunch time classes too - there should be no excuse not to try out kettlebells. I actually used a kettlebell routine to prepare for my wedding last April. I attended 3-4 times per week and I noticed a recognizable difference within just a few weeks. Check out Gym Condition's website to learn more. And - don't worry if you are not in great shape or can't lift heavy weights. The bells vary in weight from just a few pounds all the way up to giant weights you can marvel at other people lifting! As you work out using the kettlebells you will be able to increase the amount of weight used.

A typical kettlebell class in progress.

If you can add the diet element in as well, you will see serious results fast! Recently I dined with Delaine to learn more about the Paleo diet, which is considered by some to be the most helpful in slimming down and staying that way. The diet includes vegetables, meats, eggs and small amounts of fruits and nuts. Paleo excludes dairy products (although some schools of Paleo thought allow dairy), sugars and grains and beans. Processed sugars and grains are particularly off-limits. Interestingly, bacon fat and coconut oil are preferred over vegetable or olive oils for cooking. This is because many vegetable based fats break down and interact with your body in a different way. So if you are following a Paleo diet it is better to use that bacon grease to cook your vegetables instead of the olive oil you thought was so good for you! Olive oil is allowed in salads, however. Click here for lots of recipes and Paleo resources and here for Paleo 101 and additional resources. Additional reported benefits of the Paleo diet include better respiratory health (less congestion) and healthier skin.

There are several area restaurants offering Paleo-friendly fare as well. Delaine and I met at Caramba in its new location in the Pencil Factory lofts. Although it was difficult to skip the chips and salsa the above poblano verde was excellent with rich flavor and a tangy sauce. Delaine ordered the special chicken soup which was also delicious. In lieu of chips and salsa we had veggie dippers and salsa - nice to have a substitute so you can snack on something! Urban Pl8 also has Paleo items on its menu. Where else have you tried Paleo-friendly food in Atlanta?

Sopa de Pollo "a la Mia".



Veggie dippers with salsa and hot sauce.

The Common Market, Southend - Charlotte

Deli Counter

Last time I was in Charlotte I ventured into the Common Market's South End location for a quick lunch. What a great place! There are all sorts of goodies including beer/wine, prepared salads, soups, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and desserts and lots of specialty items including fresh pasta you could take home to cook for dinner. They also do Sunday brunch with a special menu. There are several tables for eating in and they do a large takeout business as well. Every week they have a wine tasting and a beer tasting and live music nights are not uncommon :)

After much deliberation I tried the Soup-O-Rama which includes grilled cheese made with your choice of cheeses and optional tomato and a large soup. The soup selections change frequently but were very impressive. I tried the red pepper gruyere (I think that was the name!) but they had so many tasty sounding options including Brunswick stew and chili. They always have at least one vegan or vegetarian soup. I also sprang for one of the giant chocolate sea salt cookies that are next to the register. Everything was delicious, especially that soup. I definitely look forward to trying more from Common Market soon. The original location is on Commonwealth Avenue in Plaza-Midwood.

Capital Grille - New Winter Plates Menu

Wagyu cheeseburger with fried egg and crisp onions with side of roasted root vegetables.

I was invited to come try Capital Grille's new addition to the lunch plates menu: Wagyu cheeseburger, roasted root vegetables and roasted pepper soup. The plates menu allows customers to choose a soup/salad, main dish and side for $16 at lunchtime. Other selections include the lobster roll (below) and mini-tenderloin sandwiches as well as clam chowder and truffle fries.

The new burger is delicious - the fried egg and onions adding extra flavor to the already rich Wagyu beef. The term "Wagyu" means Japanese cow and refers to several breeds of cattle (including Kobe) whose meat is genetically predisposed to better than average marbling, leading to tastier, more tender, juicier meat. This is definitely my top pick from the plates menu. The roasted root vegetables are also tasty, basted in olive oil with rosemary peeking through. The roasted pepper soup is another winner - skip the salad and try this soup instead - it has a nice bold flavor.

As always the service at the Capital Grille was delightful and the upscale atmosphere including the stellar views of Atlanta can't be beat for a special occasion or business meeting.

Roasted Pepper Soup and mixed greens.



Lobster roll with French green beans. Good amount of lobster meat but not served warm like in New England!



Trio of ice creams with cookies. I always love ice cream, especially when it's homemade. The cookies were chewy and tasty - a treat to end the meal.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Thaicoon - Marietta

The Sherlock Holmes Roll - not sure why it is called this but I love this spicy tuna roll topped with more fish and a tiny piece of lemon. Tangy, spicy and delicious!

Recently we dined at Thaicoon in Marietta just before viewing a performance of "The Sound of Music" on Marietta's historic square. This restaurant has a sister located near where I live at the Sage Hill shopping center on Briarcliff Road. For no particular reason, I have not actually had a meal there although I've ordered take out several times. This was a great opportunity to sample the offerings, which are similar at both restaurants. My favorite dishes here include the above fancy sushi roll and the basil duck. The tom yum kung soup was also good. The Panang curry with scallops was too bland for me - one of those instances when the spice stars don't mean a thing - definitely a disappointment after our recent trip to Thailand! Thaicoon was crowded - it was Saturday night - so make a reservation if you're going at a popular time. If you have never tried Thai food this is a great place to start. There is a full Japanese menu available as well including several other creative sushi rolls like the Caribbean Roll, which includes snow crab and shrimp tempura.

Basil Duck - tasty.



Panang Curry with Scallops - not enough spice for me!



Tom Yum Gung - good flavor but not heavily spiced.

Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - Take 2

Fried Green Tomatoes with Deviled Egg Salad, Ruby Red Tomato & Dill Pickle Dressing.

I was excited to be invited to the second Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria - I attended the first one earlier this year and you can see my post here. In celebration of its fine tomatoes, Muir Glen invites chefs around the country to create recipes using their organic canned tomatoes. Some chefs create a whole menu for guests to try at a special dinner. Before we sat down we enjoyed Tomato Clam Chowder; Tomato, white bean, red chard & fennel sausage soup; spicy Angus beef grillades and Southern Fried Chicken with Creamy Ruby Red Tomato Gravy (both served on buttermilk biscuits); grilled cheese, bacon & tomato keasters and Oak Grilled Ciabatta Bruschetta with Red & Yellow tomatoes and basil.

My favorites included the tomato, white bean, chard & sausage soup and the grilled cheese - both used the flavorful tomatoes perfectly.

Chef Gary Klaskala of Aria explaining the special tomato menu.

After the appetizers mentioned above, we sat down for a four course menu. We were also provided with samples of the tomatoes and reserve tomatoes - this year the reserve is called Harvest Sunset (trademark) and is a blend of red and yellow tomatoes. You can order a reserve basket here, which includes the recipe for the beef dish pictured below.

I am looking forward to making some chilli very soon using my tomatoes. I especially love the fire roasted tomatoes that Muir Glen produces. These tomatoes take canned to another level. To see recipe ideas, click here.

Pan Roasted Jumbo Prawn with Herbed Lobster Ruby Red Tomato Broth



Spicy Braised Angus Beef with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Gold Potatoes and Cilantro. This was my favorite dish (well, after the dessert!)



UpsideDown Tomato Cake with black Pepper Tomato Ice Cream. Simply delicious - it sounds odd but a very good combination!

Sushi House Hayakawa

Today's specials with complementary bean sprouts. The green tea hit the spot as well.

I finally made it to Sushi House Hayakawa, an Atlanta area destination sushi spot worth the drive and the cost. Owner/head chef Atsushi (Art) Hayakawa is from Sapporo, Japan and has worked in the sushi business for many years, including in several other quality local establishments. He finally opened his own sushi restaurant in 2008 and it has retained a following ever since. Not only does Sushi House Hayakawa have great sushi, it also has a large menu of Japanese home style dishes as well as daily specials printed on special cards. I enjoyed everything that I tried and look forward to returning again.

Mother's onion miso soup. This was truly outstanding - so different from regular miso with bold onion flavor.



Avocado tofu salad - very tasty, mild and unique and fried oysters - also delicious.



Sashimi platter.



Outside the small restaurant.



Salmon Torch Roll - absolutely delicious! Salmon is my favorite type of sushi and this did not disappoint.



Takoyaki topped with bonito flakes - Wow - finally found another place that serves these tasty Osaka treats. I still haven't found any that equal the quality of the street food in Japan but it's still fun to be able to experience these unique flavors and interesting presentation.



Mochi ice cream dessert - green tea and sesame flavors. These were really delicious and brought back fond memories of Japan.



Chef Hayakawa (left).



Ikura - part of the sushi and sashimi platter - gleefully salty as they should be and served over perfect rice.

The Capital Grille - lunch post

Mini-tenderloin served with roasted butternut squash & cranberry chutney. Usually two tenderloins are included but we split this plate with the fried lobster tails (unfortunately NOT on the special $15 plate lunch!) and the chef split the plates for us.

I was recently invited to try The Capital Grille's new lunch menu, which includes special 3 part lunch plates. The lunch plates are $15 and include soup or salad, choice of entree (current choices include mini-tenderloin sandwiches, lobster roll and "knife and fork" BLT) and a side dish - see Atlanta lunch menu here. This is a more economical option for those who want to experience the great service, atmosphere, view (it's on the 8th floor) and food of The Capital Grille in Atlanta. I found all of the options I tried from $15 menu to be tasty. I also love the bread service here. In addition to the $15 plate with the porcini bisque, mini-tenderloins and roasted squash we also tried the special oysters of the day (wonderful!) and the fried lobster tails - also a daily special. The Capital Grille is a great place for a business or special occasion meal and now for lunch there is a more cost-conscious option as well.

Porcini mushroom bisque- one of the options on the $15 lunch plate menu. Creamy and tasty.



Special of the day: fresh raw oysters, shucked perfectly with lots of sauces to choose from.



Homemade grapefruit soda - really fresh and not too sweet. I preferred this to the lemonade.

This cheesecake is awesome: light, delicious and made even better by the strawberry puree and berries served on the side. I love the sugar top and the tasty crust is made from vanilla wafers. I usually don't even like cheesecake and this was so good I had to take a piece back for my co-workers.

Chicken and the Egg - A New Destination in Marietta

Over the weekend my family was invited to a pre-opening "friends & family" night at Chicken and the Egg, a new farm to table restaurant in Marietta. While I don't visit Marietta often, Calvin and I both agreed we will return here for the excellent food, atmosphere and service - our server Richard really took great care of us. For all those Cobb County-ites, the existence of Chicken and the Egg should cut down on the tendency for many to drive all the way ITP for modern Southern cuisine. This week the restaurant opens with dinner service only; lunch will be added August 8 and a family style weekend brunch will also be in the mix at a future date. I look forward to returning again soon!

Creative cocktails include the "Dirty South" martini, featuring house pickled okra instead of olives and "South of the Border", a refreshing watermelon cooler with a kick.







The amuse bouche included one of my favorite foods: a scallop served over homemade ravioli. I am assured that there is some variation of this on the full dinner menu!







Delicious mini sweet corn muffins, available with sorghum butter and maple butter - yum! These will definitely be a big hit for brunch.







Fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue, country ham and tomato jam. One of our favorite parts of the meal. I loved the tomato jam and Calvin had been talking about fried green tomatoes for weeks - finally satisfied his craving.







Roasted heirloom tomato and vidalia onion soup. This soup was creamy but not too heavy. I really enjoyed the deep tomato flavor, but did not really taste much onion.







Short ribs with smoked gouda au gratin potatoes, baby carrots (including heirloom varieties in purple and white). Our waiter was impressed that my 8 year old stepdaughter ordered this - and she loved it, especially those potatoes, which were really quite something.







Clams + Linguini - littlenecks with crispy pork belly, tomatoes, onions in a spicy broth with griddled bread. This was my favorite entree. So much flavor and just the right spice.







The fried chicken was also fantastic - you can tell the chicken is brined before being breaded and fried. The mac & cheese was another table favorite - I'm sensing a pattern with us and cheese! It contains 5 cheeses and was absolutely delicious. The braised turnip greens added a green, flavorful component to the southern feast.







I didn't taste the vegetarian lasagna but it looked awesome and a woman at the table next to us was nice enough to let me photograph her plate!







Functional decor - makes it easy for the waitstaff to replenish silverware and adds a nice touch to the dining room.







Bar area - I was impressed at the overall size of the restaurant. There is also a private room available for small to medium sized groups.







Fried apple pie with boiled peanut and sorghum ice cream. After my recent foray into ice creams, this was definitely interesting and tasty.







Outstanding banana pudding. Definitely my top pick for dessert - from what I tried so far anyway! I look forward to returning soon!