Bam? More like Eh...

I met my former boss, Bill, at Emeril's last week for lunch. Bill and I like to get together from time to time to explore the different restaurants around Atlanta. We had both been wanting to go to Emeril's so last week we made the plunge.

Walking into the restaurant (which I had to do an illegal U turn to get to...) your first thought is BAM! The place is visually stunning with warm oranges, rusts and wood tones. The ceiling is soaring and the area behind the bar is decorated with this gorgeous basket weave wood design. There is a round floor to ceiling wine rack that separates part of the dining room from the rest. Visually, the place is stunning. So far, I'm impressed.

We get seated quickly and get a U shaped booth on the side of the dining room. I love these booths - they allow you to feel like you're the only patron in the restaurant even if it's full. On the table are 4 plates (which I now think are just place holders) with a green trim and Emeril's name on top. Problem was - they were dusty! Not to worry, as soon as we sat down the bus boys came and took the plates away. I was flummoxed - what am I going to eat on???? What was the purpose of the plates to begin with? On top of this little curiosity, the table was set wrong. The forks were set tines down and the serrated edge of the knife faced the spoon rather than the plate. Now, if you set the table at my grandmother's house you would know that the serrated edge of the knife faces the plate because the knife is protecting the spoon from the fork on the other side of the plate. Why the fork has it in for the spoon always baffled me, but I could always see that it would be an unfair fight with the fork having tines and the spoon just being all rounded. But I digress...


I ordered the gumbo and a muffaletta with cajun potato salad. The service for the gumbo was quite impressive. They brought it out in it's own separate soup pan, giving you the illusion that they created this gumbo JUST FOR YOU. It is then transferred into the soup bowl for you to eat. It was a resounding OK. In fact, I think I've made better gumbo and I'm from Michigan. Same for the muffaletta - it was OK. I've had better on the streets of New Orleans. And the cajun potato salad was so overwhelmingly mustard-y that it ended up just sitting on my plate.

Now, I'm a sucker for bread pudding (as you can tell), so Bill and I split the bread pudding. That saved the meal in my opinion. Generally, I'm partial to chocolate - but this bread pudding was just as good.

So, I may go back to Emeril's just to sit in the bar, soak up the beautiful atmosphere and have some more bread pudding!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

OK, Canoe isn't paradise - but on a nice sunny day like it was last week it certainly feels like it. My coworker and I left the office behind for a rare lunch out (well, it's rare for her - I go out to lunch quite often). We lunched at Canoe, which is located on the Chattahoochee river - one of the best views in town. We were seated at a table by the window overlooking the gardens of the restaurant.

Canoe has a great seasonal ever changing menu. Every time I go there they are featuring different items. But one standby is always there - the cheeseburger. I have eaten other things at lunch at Canoe, but I am always drawn back to the cheeseburger.

So, I got the cheeseburger. It did not disappoint. Again, got it medium rare and it was juicy and good and wonderful. The fries were even really good. Altogether a much better burger/fry combo than Houston's.

I love Canoe and will definitely be back again and again.

Table for One?

Just because you're eating alone doesn't mean you have to settle for fast food. Pull up a chair at the bar in Houston's. I have recently been re-introduced to "bar eating" as I call it by a good friend of mine. So when I was alone for lunch the other day and was not feeling like fast food, I went into the nearest Houston's and took a seat at the bar. I felt a little out of place as everyone else there seemed to be regulars with their regular orders, their regular beverages, etc. Even though I was an outsider I got good and friendly service. I ordered the cheeseburger. (You may notice I order a lot of cheeseburgers for lunch at fancy restaurants - I have a thing for good, huge, medium rare cheeseburgers and fancy restaurants do them the best). The cheeseburger was very, very good. Nice and greasy, dripping down my hands. The french fries were less than satisfactory. They were skinny fries. I am not a big fan of skinny fries. I like big, fat, crispy steak fries - or crinkle fries.

So, I ate the cheeseburger and left the fries. Well, I left MOST of the fries.

Next time I'm alone at lunch - look for me at the bar at Houston's.

But They Seemed Like Such Nice Girls

After my function at the Capital City Club we trotted to the Ritz Carlton Lobby Lounge in Buckhead. Now, I love this place. I come here every once in a while because the people watching is really to die for. One time I watched a late 20-something internet millionaire (well, that is what he looked like to me – think dork of the highest order) being led upstairs by two very well endowed and very undorky blonde women. Fifteen minutes later, the women came downstairs – the man was nowhere to be found. I’ll let you deduce the rest.

Anyway, the place is absolutely hilarious and if you’re looking for some quality, upscale people watching and you have a little extra dough – go there. And look for me – I’ll be at the bar with my jaw hanging open.

Country Clubs in the South

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a function at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. I have been to their facilities many times before. The pours are always fantastic, the food is always mediocre and the company is always overdressed. But if you ever get the opportunity to visit the Capital City Club, don’t worry about the quality of the food. Make a beeline for the table and make sure you take the cherished seat in front of those divine homemade saltine-like crackers. I believe they are made from 99% butter. They practically melt on your tongue. Anyway, fill up on those and leave the overcooked chicken on the plate.