Season's 52 - Buckhead

Special of the day: Grilled Cobia with Curry sauce and vegetables over Himalayan rice.

I was recently invited to check out Season's 52. Atlanta has two locations and we dined at the location in Buckhead. The second Atlanta location is near Perimeter mall and both locations have lunch as well as dinner menus. Seasons 52 prides itself on its use of seasonal ingredients, its well stocked wine room/wine bar and its upscale ambiance. The service was excellent and it was clear that we were not the only ones getting special treatment. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and timed all of our dishes to come out perfectly, allowing us to have a relaxed meal. An added bonus: everything on the menu here has less than 475 calories, allowing guests to indulge in a nice meal out without totally destroying their diet.

My favorite dishes include the flatbread - about 6 varieties are offered and the special portobello mushroom kind we tried was fabulous - and the cobia with curry sauce, pictured above. Both of these items came from the sidebar menu that changes even more frequently than the regular menu, which is updated seasonally. I also adore the mini-desserts that they serve here.

Special portobello mushroom flatbread with sour cream truffle sauce, spinach and garlic - very delicious!



Organic tomato stack salad with blue cheese. Order this if you like onions - the onions are lightly grilled but not fully cooked. We enjoyed it but definitely not for the shy of onion.



Pom Margarita and a specially made pomegranate blueberry spritzer - both were really tasty!



Grilled lamb T-bone chops with asparagus, truffle mashed potatoes and red wine sauce. I always enjoy lamb.



Roasted yellow beets with wasabi cream sauce. The sauce really has a nice kick that goes great with the creamy delicious beets.



Seasons 52 serves the cutest "mini-indulgences" for dessert. I love how small they are so that you can sample lots!



We tried (L to R) the chocolate peanut butter mousse, special chocolate raspberry Valentine, pecan pie and mango cheesecake. My personal favorites are the pecan pie and the cheesecake - a wonderful way to end the meal without feeling too guilty!

Near the end of our meal manager Brian Farkas came by and took a photo of us. We saw him doing this for other tables, too. To our surprise, just before we left our server brought the photo to us in a special Seasons 52 frame. What a nice touch! This is a great place for a special meal or a nice business lunch - those who are watching their calorie intake will appreciate the thoughtfulness of the menu and those who are not won't notice!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Ledet Ethiopian

Lamb tibs (center) with vegetarian platter surrounding. We also had the doro wat (chicken with boiled egg).

I recently met up with friends to celebrate a birthday at Ledet Ethiopian. This quality Ethiopian spot is located at what I call "Ethiopian Corner" (corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont) in DeKalb County. The service, although a bit slow to start, was quicker than most Ethiopian places (other than Desta, which is my favorite modern Ethiopian restaurant) and the food was good. We found both the sambusas (below) and the salad dressing (not pictured) to be quite spicy even for our versatile palates. The main dishes, however, were very pleasing and it didn't hurt that was had a Scoutmob to take $20 off the bill. The doro wat, which is chicken in a rich sauce with a whole hardboiled egg included, was the best dish we tried. The vegetarian sampler was also very good.

The sambusas had a lot of flavor - too much flavor for most of my dining companions as there were huge chunks of very spicy jalepeno peppers inside. I'm not usually one to ask a restaurant to turn down the spice but in this case, they should do just that, or at least have two varieties: regular and extra spicy!

Gu's Bistro

Tea smoked duck with scallions and ginger.

While my dad was visiting we took a group out to Gu's Bistro, a fairly new Szechuan Chinese spot just OTP in a strip mall on Buford Highway. This is now one of my new favorites, mostly because of the unique, delicious dishes served and the huge menu. Gu's also offers dim sum set lunch meals available by reservation on some weekends. Once a large enough group makes a reservation, other smaller parties can too and the dim sum is served course by course individually, instead of on carts. I really want to do this soon! The smoked duck and cumin lamb were outstanding as was the eggplant, which had just the right level of spice without the grease that sometimes accompanies this dish. I will definitely be back. This is definitely a fun new destination in the Atlanta area.

Menu - they have a traditional Szechuan menu as well as the American favorites for your non-adventurous friends.



Eggplant with garlic sauce.



Cumin lamb - very spicy and delicious - not for those who can't handle a little heat!



Salt and pepper jumbo shrimp - just wondering, why no squid?!



Chengdu dumplings - Zhong style - delicious and flavorful.

Tantra Restaurant & Lounge

Signature dish - seared ostrich with mushrooms and onions. This is one tasty steak, and healthier for you than beef too.

I was invited to try Tantra back in May. Located on Peachtree Road, next door to Imperial Fez, Tantra is a real treat. Calvin and I enjoyed a spectacular meal with great ambiance and service. The hummus with lamb and the scallops were my favorite dishes and the desserts were awesome too. They also offer an ostrich filet, which is very tender and delicious - something different is always fun too. This is a great special occasion place and with the lovely bar, also a nice place for drinks and appetizers or dessert!

Tasty, although a bit salty, flat bread provided at the beginning of the meal with a tasty herb butter - we liked the butter so much we had to ask for more!



Lamb tartar with shallot butter on matzah - very tasty and unique, but not as much lamb flavor as the hummus with lamb, below.



Hummus tahini with sauteed lamb - one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Absolutely delicious!



Mussels with red bell pepper coconut broth - also outstanding.



Basil Caramelized Scallops - another winner. I love this dish. Basil, scallops, whipped potatoes and greens. Yum.



Tantra has several inventive cocktails including the Tantric, left, which includes fresh thyme and Elderflower liquor.



Lemon scented Italian doughnuts + warm white chocolate cake with vanilla-lavender ice cream and berries. Both of these are wonderful and unique. I was already full when I got to the dessert course but I had to taste these anyway - so glad I did!



Espresso and Sambuca drink - great way to end the evening.



The dining room is dark, romantic and sensual - as it should be at a place called Tantra!



Nicely decorated bar area.

Sufi's

Tasting of butter, feta, mint, olives, walnuts, cucumber and radishes they serve with the delicious bread.

From top: Sufi's special eggplant, eggplant mixed with yogurt and onion and stuffed grape leaves. We also tried the yogurt mixed with beets. All very good!

I was so pleased to hear that Sufi's, a Persian restaurant, opened ITP not too far from my office. Although it was still cold when we visited, we sat on the heated patio, which was quite enjoyable. Our server took really good care of us and, despite making a mistake with our appetizer, she quickly made up for it by bringing the correct item at no charge. The appetizers were all excellent and you could make an entire meal out of the dishes, many of which include yogurt or eggplant. The salads look interesting as well - something to try next time. I love saffron - the aroma is so unique and really just makes your mouth water, so the rice was definitely a hit. Although I was really excited about the pomegranate/walnut/chicken combo of the Fesenjoon, I found it a bit dry and thick. Next time I'd like to try the beef in tomato sauce or the ground beef kabob.

Fesenjoon - chicken with walnuts and pomegranate. I loved the flavor but the dish came off a bit dry. I'm not sure how this happened since it is in a sauce but I think it has to do with the chicken being a bit overcooked and walnuts being in the sauce. Still very tasty. Love the saffron rice!

I believe this was baklava cheesecake.

Muir Glen Tomato Dinner at Aria

Favorite dish of the night - Tomato Panna Cotta with Tomato Sorbet. Sugar Cookies with Tomato Jam on the side.

I was invited to a fabulous tasting event at Aria, sponsored by Muir Glen. The organic tomato folks asked Chef Gerry Klaskala to create a tasting menu featuring their canned tomatoes. These are definitely not your average canned tomatoes, some even hold the "reserve" label. In addition to the delicious dishes pictured below, hors d'oeuvres of grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, bruschetta with tomato, blue cheese and prosciutto and tomato burger sliders were offered along with Bloody Mary's.

My favorite had to be the dessert, followed closely by the lamb dish with tomato and eggplant ragout. At the end of the meal we were given a Reserve Kit with tomatoes to take home. The fire roasted tomatoes have become a favorite of mine, especially for spaghetti sauce and lasagna. Yum! Thanks Muir Glen!

Chef Gerry Klaskala

Tomato tasting. Love the fire roasted!

Fire Roasted Tomato & Shrimp Bisque.

Ditalini with Squash, Tomatoes and Reggiano Parmigiano.

Spinasse Ragu with Anson Mills Polenta.

Oak Grilled Lamb with Tomato & Eggplant Ragout.

Mirrasou Wine Dinner at Woodfire Grill

Crisp fried laughing bird shrimp with confited shrimp salad, ginger, chile, meyer lemon vinaigrette.

I was recently invited to a dinner event sponsored by Mirassou Winery and held at Woodfire Grill. This was a wonderful event and gave me the opportunity to try famous Top Chef Kevin Gillespie's creative cooking. The first course, shrimp paired with the winery's 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, was my favorite. The neat thing about the dinner was that the winery asked Chef Gillespie to create special dishes to go with 6 different wines. Before tasting the pairings, Chef came to talk with us about his choices. We also dined with and heard from David Mirassou, who is from the Mirassou family's 6th generation and knows lots about wine.

Mirassou is one of America's oldest winemakers, going back 6 generations to France. During the gold rush of the 1800's the family originally immigrated to the US, bringing grape vines with them in their suitcases! Hope you enjoy the photos.

We had lots of glasses.

Woodfire's Chef Kevin Gillespie explains how each dish pairs with each wine.

Amuse of charred local peach, spicy pepperonata, pecorino di puglia.

The Mirassou label. Overall I really enjoyed the wines, especially the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir. These wines can be found at your local grocery store and are reasonably priced.

Pan roased day boat scallop, sweet potatoes, winter squash, black lentils, pear and cashew salad, green chile jus, paired with 2009 Pinot Grigio.

Border springs lamb crepinette (sausage), cured olive tapenade, lemon cream mint, paired with 2008 Pinot Noir, the winery's best selling wine.

Wood grilled local bob quail and smoked pork belly, roasted local okra, hakurei turnips, lacinato kale, chicken jus, paired with 2008 Merlot.

Wood grilled border springs lamb leg, roasted pac choi, mixed young beets, parsnip puree, cardamom lamb jus, paired with 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Peach streusel cake, almond mascarpone mousse, peach puree, peach ice cream, feulletine crumble, paired with 2009 Riesling.