The Dish: The Optimist's Whole Haddock

I ordered the whole haddock at the Optimist this past weekend. Now I knew a whole fish would be big, but this bad boy was crazy big. Big enough that I was a little embarrassed to be dining with two men and have a dish at least twice the size of either of theirs. If you can get past his ugly mug, this dish is pretty darn tasty.

With perfectly crisped skin and a bold sweet and spicy sauce, this dish was full of flavor. After an app and one of their delectable pullman rolls, I was pretty full, so my two dining companions were able to have a substantial portion of my dish, too. Since my dish turned out to be the best of our three, that was a nice bonus. So go hungry or bring friends!

The Dish: Ria's Pancakes

It's been a great week for marriage equality! So with marriage on my mind, I have something to share. I want to marry the pancakes at Ria's Bluebird. Yes, they are so good that I would like to be permanently joined to them in a lawful union of my hunger and their immense deliciousness. 

I am of course already married, and pancakes can't actually consent or reciprocate, so mine is a forbidden love. I will have to settle for living in sin with my beloved pancakes.

Sure, I like plain pancakes, but I love pancakes with chocolate chips and caramelized bananas. That's a breakfast item I can commit to. The cakes themselves are fluffy with a nice crackle of sugar. The chocolate chips naturally make everything even more decadent. And the sweet, sweet bananas are the food equivalent of a cozy Sunday morning spent in bed, only they're the perfect excuse to drag your butt out of bed early to beat the worst of the crowds at Ria's. 

Will this dish send you into a diabetic coma? Perhaps...but what a way to go.

Ria's Bluebird

421 Memorial Drive SE

Atlanta, GA 30312

The Dish: Katsu-Ya's Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna

I love sushi. Having lived in LA and NY, I also know what truly melt in your mouth fresh and flavorful sushi tastes like. Surprise surprise, here in landlocked Atlanta, we are not getting fish on par with my former coastal homes. Don't get me wrong, I love Sushi House Hayakawa and frequently enjoy local faves like Zuma (minus the gobs of mayo they normally put on everything), but for truly epic sushi, LA is where it's at.

So while the Mr. and I were kickin' it west coast style this weekend, we made a bee-line for an old favorite, Katsu-Ya. Not only did we get our first celeb siting of the weekend (Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie - yes Ms. Duff is still eating sushi while prego), but we also go to enjoy my favorite Katsu-Ya dish, crispy rice with spicy tuna.

A symphony of textures and temperatures, this dish is quite simply a party in your mouth. I love the combination of perfectly crispy hot rice, the spicy kick of the jalapeno and oh so fresh tuna. Bliss! Alas, at $14 for just four pieces, it's gone all too fast. Now I'm left to fantasize about it until my next annual westward journey. Oh my, is anyone making this dish in Atlanta? I'm jonesing again already!

We went to the Brentwood outpost, but in my mind, for the classic Katsu-Ya experience, you have to head to the valley to their Studio City location.

Katsu-Ya Brentwood

11777 San Vicente Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049

Katsu-Ya Studio City

11680 Ventura Blvd. 

Studio City, CA 91604

The Dish (Seattle Edition): Kalbi Burger at Revel

When I researched dining options in Seattle, Revel's name came up time and time again. But alas it was too far from my hotel to be feasible without a car or a hefty taxi fare, so we didn't plan to go there.

On our last morning in Seattle we picked up a car to drive to Portland. Since it was still early, we figured we'd head over to Fremont for its Sunday market and grab some breakfast there. Well lucky us, Revel is open for brunch, so we got to check it out after all, and man I'm glad we did.

Revel is known for its Korean influenced food, so I wasn't quite sure how that would translate into brunch. Turns out it Korean tinged brunch is quite a bit more exciting than pancakes and omelets will ever be.

The Kalbi burger served with an egg on top, bacon, and a pickled pepper was quite simply divine. Kalbi is a Korean-style marinated short rib. I'm not exactly sure how that translated into a burger (were short ribs ground with regular beef?) Whatever it was, it was flippin' awesome.

The sweet Asian glaze balanced the savory and fatty burger, bacon and egg, and runny yoke makes everything better. Even better, there was no wait for brunch and the open kitchen had seating reminiscent of eating at the counter in someone's home kitchen, which was pretty darn cool. Revel is exactly as hip as you'd hope something in the funky Fremont 'hood would be.

I would like to have a burger like this all the time - is anyone in Atlanta making burgers like this? Considering the burger overload here, you'd think, but I can't think of one off the top of my head.      Upon some research, there is an entire chain of burger restos in LA called Kalbi Burger.  Color me jealous. I can't find a recipe online but here's a marinade for Kalbi that you could use on a burger if you can't get to the west coast!                                                                                                       

Revel

403 N 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103
(North 36th St. & Phinney Ave.)

The Dish: No. 246 Porchetta Sandwich

 

On Saturday, I died and went to heaven. Since now I'm all-seeing, you can trust me when I say that the No. 246 Porchetta Sandwich that sent me to the hereafter just may be the best sandwich in Atlanta.

Crusty bread? Check. Succulent, crispy porchetta? Oh hell yes. Roasting jus to dip it in? Oh lordy! This sandwich is the bee's knees. It's full of rich flavors and a balance of textures. And did I mention perfect little garlicky fries? It's a make a mess down to your elbows kind of meal, and with the paroxysms of delight you're certain to experience while eating it, it may just kill you. But you'll die happy, and that's all we can ask for in life, right?

The Dish: Minted Peas

Minted peas are my latest obsession. Up until this year, I could probably count the number of times I ate peas in my entire adult life on one hand. They were simply not a veggie that occured to me. But then back in December I tackled an old menu from Domino Mag for a British inspired holiday feast, and I realized that peas are pretty darn tasty. Turns out the much maligned British cuisine does indeed have much to offer. 

But out of sheer habit I went right back to ignoring them. Flash forward to a month ago, and I figured I'd try them again. Whoa, how could I forget how fresh and sweet and all around delectable they are? And these aren't even fresh peas, these are the frozen out of a bag variety. I think fresh ones might blow my mind!                                                  

                                    

So try this next time you're looking for an easy side. 

Minted Peas

• Throw frozen peas in a pot on high. 
• Cook for around 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Take them off the heat and throw in some butter and chopped up mint. Salt and pepper to taste.

Couldn't be any easier and if you're like me you won't be able to stop eating them!

Want proof of my deep and abiding love of minted peas? Last time we had some leftover minted peas, my darling hubs caught me in what he called a "nom, nom, nom" situation - I was literally shoveling the peas out of the storage container into my mouth as I stood in the kitchen after work. It wasn't pretty, but I had to get to the peas before he did!