Middle Eastern Eating

To accompany my fascination with food, I follow a lot of chefs on social media, and constantly keep my ears to the ground for local and national food news. That being said, I also drink a lot and occasionally forget details or entire places and recipes I want to try, and that will occasionally end with me trying a place I had forgotten about. It becomes a weird, fun game of pseudo-dé ja vu. And I really win when it turns out that what I've tried is a pet project of acquaintances of mine!!!

Story time. I had never tried Shawarma before. Hell, I had only ever heard about it because of the Avengers movie. I have woefully little experience with middle eastern cuisine- my family, being career military, is not necessarily as open minded about that particular region. My first encounter with anything resembling that style of food was through a chef I used to work with in a Spanish restaurant and they let him do more Moorish-style cuisine. I learned about sumac and harissa, and was interested, but I didn't know where to find more stuff like it.

Now, a few nights ago I was jonesing for some tacos. I was also feeling incredibly lazy, and didn't want to go too too far for them. But as 8pm drew closer, and tacos steadfastly refused to appear, I hauled myself off the couch and ventured out into the Atlanta evening. I headed to Krog Street Market, knowing of a "Mex-Tex" restaurant there called Superica, but I wanted to check out the various other stalls to see if there were more enticing options to be had.

When I got there, half of the market was already closed for the evening. Lucky for me, the few stalls that weren't already closed were the more food-focused! No tacos, though. I was about to give up and just nab a sandwich from Fred's Meat and Bread (my second fave sandwich place), when Yalla caught my eye. Both Fred's and Yalla are projects of Chef Todd Ginsberg and his partners. I've accidentally been following Chef Ginsberg's career with my stomach ever since I first encountered him at Bocado. He's always headed kitchens with really solid menus, but I have to admit- Yalla is my favorite so far.

I ordered a Chicken Shawarma Pita, and was given a monstrous pocket half the size of my head. And it was LOADED. Chicken, spices, hummus, pickles- so many delicious things the pita literally couldn't hold the weight. As I chowed down, hummus and sauces tore through the bread and dribbled on to my hands. Usually, with something that large, I don't finish my meal. I pack it up, politely infer I'm saving it for later, and wind up throwing it out blocks away from the establishment. With the Shawarma, though... I couldn't get enough. I used a fork to shovel everything that had fallen out into my face. I licked my fingers and hands clean. And when the last bite was gone, I knew I could never go back to basic, boring pita sandwiches again, and tacos found themselves totally demoted in my pantheon of favorite foods. I have no idea how authentic Ginsberg's Shawarma is to "real" Shawarma. Frankly, I don't care either. I am now firmly in the "happy pita" camp.

Flying High

I don't fly often, though I am lucky enough to do it more than most. And over the past few years,  I think I almost have the hang of it. I maneuver airports like a pro now. My travel shoes never include laces or clasps (though I am still nutty enough to wear these fierce "don't fuck with me" heels. And I finally began bringing my own freaking food, rather than relying on limp Au Bon Pain or Cinnabon. It occurred to me to finally do this after all of my food magazines ran essentially the same summer travel issue, and I decided to bring a little esoteric SoCal to my favorite SoEast hub. I've packed Cherimoya, an extremely perishable, ridiculously delicious fruit. I had frozen it prior to leaving, but I'm uncertain as to how well it's holding up. Hopefully when I make it to my hotel, I can re-freeze it.

That's the real beauty of cherimoya. It is a lush mix of flavors, all passionfruit, strawberry,  and vanilla custard; no preparation needed. In fact, the best way to eat it is frozen. It is such a delicate fruit, it is rarely seen outside of the areas it is grown in.  And that is why I'm attempting to bring it across the country. I want so bad to share it with my friends and family in Atlanta, it is a really incredible piece of produce! The reactions I anticipate and the 3 airplane bottles of liquor I have already consumed are what is made the tiny obnoxious child kicking my seat for the past 3 hours bearable.

I got stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina, waiting on my flight to Atlanta. It was delayed due to another flight being delayed,  so I managed to squeeze in an $18 (after tip) margarita.  Was it a good margarita? Not particularly. it was overly sweet and thin.  But for the temporary escape from "travel mode", and the fun bartender,  worth it. And I just found out the flight was delayed more. I think it is very safe to say that, while air travel is more convenient time-wise, I would much rather road trip any day. I've already had 5 vivid fantasies of hip checking grandma out of my freaking way, and elbowing small children in the teeth. In all reality, I love children and a select portion of the elderly population. But in all future travel endeavors,  it is probably safer for everyone concerned if I drive. Unless, you know, I pack 20 mini bottles. Those are WONDERFUL attitude adjusters.

How to Win My Restaurant Loyalty

It is always a pleasure when I get to walk into restaurants that I've been eyeing for a while, and get exactly the experience I'm looking for. It's even better when a place surpasses my expectations!  Cue the Salt Yard.

I moved about two blocks away from this place back in February. I pass it nearly every other day when I head to CVS, the dry cleaners, or the liquor store. I have frequently told myself I needed to stop in, just never seemed to have the opportunity to do so. Well, yesterday I was having a bit of a lonely day, so I decided to haul my butt away from the Law & Order: SVU reruns that had commanded my day and get on with my night.

Entering the Salt Yard, it looked very similar to many of my favorite rustic-but-modern decor'd restaurants that have become a familiar sight here in the South. The inside of the restaurant was on the calmer side, being that it was a gorgeously warm spring night, most guests opted for patio seating. I slid into a plush leather-cushioned bar seat and perused the menu.

This is where I got really excited. The wine list was accessible, the beers were an excellent grouping of choices designed to transition people to craft beer, and the cocktail list was short and simple- making my normally overwhelming drink decision MUCH easier (Whether the bartender, Brett, believes it or not- I still spent a good 8 minutes deciding! ).

Even more exciting to me was the food menu.  My former boss, Richard, always used to joke that I "ate like a bird", and he's quite right. I prefer tasting around a bunch of different dishes rather than trying to inhale a massive entrée. Salt Yard specializes in small plates! They had 5 different sections of the menu devoted to different varieties of tapas-sized plates, with influences across the culinary spectrum, but they all fit together in a way that made sense. They also had a small entrée segment, but it was clear they wanted people to try a variety of what they were capable of. 

Over the course of my adventure there, I tried their stuffed piquillo peppers, grilled octopus, deviled eggs, and 'shrooms on toast. Nothing disappointed me at all, though the grilled octopus was easily my favorite- it was served with arugula and roasted potatoes, and lightly dressed with a citrusy vinaigrette. Even better, the octopus itself was TENDER. I was hooked immediately.

The personnel also has me hooked. Brett was entertaining and engaging, and then a gentleman who I thought was a manager, Christian, was kind enough to buy me a beer. After a bit of post-visit research, it occurs to me that he may have been the owner. Even their expediter (possibly/probably the chef?) kept checking on me. I love attention, so I had a grand time.

Ultimately, the Salt Yard has easily won my business. They took what was originally a sad night for me and turned it around in the best way. I can't wait to go back, especially as they mentioned that the menu is changing next week!

Http://www.saltyardatlanta.com

My Night on the V-Side

I adore meat. Pretty sure I have made that exceptionally clear, even having an entire post dedicated to it. However, I do try to keep an open mind. So when an old Improv friend of mine happened to be in town Friday night, and I happened to have the night off, I joined him and his pescatarian friends for dinner at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant.

I was a bit unsure going in, not going to lie. The menu looked just like any other Chinese food menu, down to the sweet-and-sour chicken and Mongolian beef, but there were side notes at the bottom of each page that specified that the "meats" were soy-based substitutes. We all started off with a couple of appetizers, some steamed dumplings and hot and sour soup. I enjoyed the soup, but the dumplings were stuffed with different purees that had a not-quite-pleasant runny texture. The flavor didn't suck, but it was a bit disappointing.

Entrees... well, I have never been so disappointed in tofu. And this was at a vegetarian-specific restaurant!  I never expected to say this, but I should have gone with one of the soy substitute "meat" dishes.  Those actually had a decent flavor to them. Overall, not someplace I would go to of my own accord, but if I had vegetarian friends, I'd humor them and tag along.

Sure, Why Not?

I want to get a tattoo. I have many, but I want to get a few more. The next one I have planned? Simple script, emblazoned down my outer forearm; that reads, "Sure, Why Not?" J is a bit reticent about that one. He's never cared about my tattoos, but this one seems to be a bit 'out there' for him. I'm not sure he realizes just how significant this will be for me.

Decisions are a major part of everyone's life. They create us and our future trajectory. Many can also be mistakes. I have made many, many decisions. A lot could be called mistakes as well. However, for a few years I have made "Sure, why not?" a large part of my life. Consequently, I have done a lot of stupid shit. But I don't regret any of it.

See, at the very least, I will be able to live without regrets because I have tried all kinds of ideas- good ones, bad ones, good ideas that made me miserable, etc. I will never have the opportunity to wonder, "what if?" because I already did it. Opportunities fall at me because people know I'm willing to try something at least twice.

On the flip side, doing all of the dumb things will ultimately make me a better parent. All of the big talks are going to be crazy-awkward, yeah, but I will have first-hand experience of the consequences that I can fill my future kids in on so if they go off and do it anyway, they got an informed warning.

So my tattoo will be more than a tattoo. It will be memories, opportunities, and warnings. And most of all, it will be a reminder to me to stay open-minded, and try everything at least twice. Cheers!