Cakes & Ale - New Location + Bakery

Fabulous fried okra.

After reading several wonderful reviews of the recently relocated Cakes & Ale in Decatur, I decided to try it out with my dad during his visit to Atlanta. We had a lovely dinner with gracious service, delicious food and a wonderful setting. The new space includes a large bar/table area, another large dining room and the attached, quaint cafe/bakery where breads, pastries and coffees as well as lunch are available. Many of the plates are small, sharing plates, which works just fine for me since you get to try more this way. I can't wait to return here to try more - the menu changes daily so there is always more to try!

Vermont burrata cheese with roasted broccoli, arugula and cherry tomatoes in a light dressing. The cheese paired perfectly with the house-made bread.



The delicious bread selection kept coming. You can buy whole loaves in the bakery as well. They also made me a lime/ginger "mocktail", which was delicious.



Squid stuffed with farro, frisee & feta, beet & frisee salad - one of my favorite items.



Gnocchi with rabbit ragu and mustard greens.



Roasted squash with rosemary - delicious and not too strong of a rosemary flavor.



Top: Pecan Tart with Cinnamon Ice Cream; bottom: brioche donuts with squash ice cream & pumpkin seed brittle - really unique. Both were sublime.

San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

On Monday I was thrilled and honored to be asked to judge the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition's Southeast Regions event, held at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Tucker, Georgia. I, along with four awesome Atlanta chefs, watched the eight culinary students from across the Southeast prepare their signature dishes. We tasted each one and had the opportunity to ask questions of the culinary student who created each dish. The winner, Elizabeth Freer, pictured above, cooked "Rabbit Two Ways: Sweet Braised Rabbit Ravioli with a Pecan and Spice Encrusted Tenderloin". It was delicious - especially the ravioli. Other highlights: Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Mole Scented Demi and Wasabi/Beet mashed potatoes! Sweet tea polenta also made an appearance - very creative. The other judges were: Shaun Doty of Yeah Burger (and the now closed Shaun's), Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten, The National (both in Athens) and Empire State South, Jay Swift of 4th and Swift and Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen. It was a really fun event and actually an unexpected surprise that I was included as one of the judges. Elizabeth, along with the other regional winners, gets to go to Napa Valley for the finals. Good luck Elizabeth!

Guest Post: Serpas

The below post is written by my friend Kimberly, who is a writer and fellow foodie. I hope you enjoy.

Crab stack.



Lobster Salad.

I recently revisited this neighborhood favorite for dinner with a friend. After having eaten here twice previously-- one dinner and one brunch-- I was excited to come back for more of Scott Serpas’ fresh, elegant, and creative cuisine. We started with cocktails: the Crescent moon bramble and Yucatan Summer. Both were refreshing and attractively presented. For appetizers, I chose the lobster salad and my companion, the fried green tomato and crab stack. The salad was definitely a highlight: light and delicious, with a perfect balance between the sweetness of the corn and the savory, buttery lobster meat. A simple, herb-based sauce brought the different elements of the dish together with a nice tang. My friend enjoyed the crab stack, describing it as very tasty.

Rabbit.

Trout.

Drinks.

For the entree, I ordered a rabbit dish that appears now to be off the menu. The rich, buttery braised meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, though I thought the seasoning was not quite right, perhaps needing more salt. The gouda-smoked grits served with it were out of this world, with a nutty, creamy flavor and fabulous mouthfeel. Sauteed mustard greens and tender, roasted radishes provided an excellent counterpoint, lightening up what might otherwise have been an overly heavy dish. My friend had the crab and mushroom stuffed trout, which she enjoyed. The bite I had was disappointingly monotone-- little flavor aside from the heavy, butter sauce. I’m not sure I got much of the filling so it may not have been representative of the dish, but my friend agreed that the butter was a very strong flavor.

For dessert, we split the brown sugar cake with cinnamon ice cream. This was too sweet for my taste, but my companion loves this dessert and rated Serpas’ version very highly. The cinnamon ice cream and blueberry sauce provided a nice complement.

Having eaten here three times, I can say that Serpas is a fabulous addition to the Old Fourth Ward’s burgeoning food scene. My only criticism, both of this meal and others, is that some dishes can be a bit heavy, as evidenced by the “buttery” and “rich” descriptors. Overall though, I love the menu and Serpas’ fusion of Asian, Cajun, and southern influences. I also have to add that the service here has always been outstanding, and the ambiance in the restaurant’s beautiful, open space is lovely. I highly recommend it for a memorable date night or an elegant evening out with friends or family.

Canoe for Mom's Birthday Dinner

Table favorite: the Duck.

While my mom, stepdad and grandma were recently in town to help me with wedding dress shopping (yes we found something!) we celebrated my mom's birthday with a memorable dinner at Canoe, a restaurant I'd heard much about but had not yet been to before. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, following the extensive remodel mandated by the 2009 flood that put water more than 4 feet up the walls! Somehow I forgot to think of asking for a window view, so we were in the main room near the kitchen. The noise level was not too bad and we could all hear each other. Our waiter was excellent, delivering more of the wonderful bread for us and promptly bringing my grandma a side of mashed potatoes when she didn't care for the edamame hummus served with her halibut (the fish, she proclaimed delicious).

As sunset crept upon us, I couldn't want to go take a look outside at the grounds, including a large garden, several lovely seating areas and the fully stocked bar right down on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. I really enjoyed my dinner at Canoe. More below, in pictures:

Special off-menu salad: heirloom tomatoes with olive oil sorbet.



The menu - lots of great choices!



The bread basket was a highlight for all. Grandma loved the chili-rubbed flatbread and we all enjoyed the fresh based olive bread.



Beet and goat cheese "salad".



Baby arugula salad - tasty but pretty basic.



Rabbit with homemade bacon ravioli - divine and different.

The dish I ordered, scallops over toasted almond and roasted tomato gazpacho, also pleased the palate. Somehow the photo disappeared, but it was served on a long, slender plate for a dramatic presentation.

Halibut over edamame hummus with baby boc choi - the sole disappointment of the evening.



The family outside Canoe.

Once you are inside the restaurant, it feels like you are in another place. It is almost disorienting to come out and see a small strip mall next door - especially one with a weight loss clinic!

Fruit tart with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Cracker Jack with Butter Pop Ice Cream.

The Butter Pop Ice Cream with Cracker Jack = phenomenal and good to the last soupy bite! We also tried the chocolate and salted caramel grotto, which looked nice but was nowhere near as tasty as the cracker jack and butter pop ice cream concoction. I do hope to get back to Canoe for brunch, and this time I'm sitting outside!