Atlanta Summer Eats

It's time for NYC to humble itself (just a smidge), because there is another town that can dig into the annals of cocktail history and serve up amazing drinks to perfection. Every cocktail menu presented to us, from hotels bars to simple pre-brunch whistler-wetters, left us more indecisive than usual. And it doesn't stop there. Farm to table seasonal fare is prevalent, starting with the westside district's Abattoir (fittingly housed in a rehabbed meat-packing warehouse), which was reminiscent of Blue Hill Farm's fresh raw vegetable starters, only with a side of just-enough buttermilk that reminded us of Mom's vegetable garden in Illinois, and an adventurous menu of offals. What we went crazy for: open-faced brisket sandwich on thick-cut homemade bread and fried pickles, latin-inspired tripe stew, and a rouge chocolate stout cheddar from Oregon. Next day for brunch we went to the cusp of Buckhead to Holeman and Finch where there is the regular, seasonal menu and then there is The Burger. By the way, this is the same place that serves rooster's head and cock's comb. This is not vegetarian-territory. The Burger is two double-patties served with pickles and American cheese on a homemade bun and pretty much is in our Top 5 burgers of all time. Yes, get thee to Atlanta. And because we're rarely in this part of the country, we felt compelled to start off with the cheddar biscuit and sweet tea butter, wash it all down with a local Terrapin brew (too overpowering for the burger but great flavor) and a peche (when in Georgia) lambic, then finish off with the fried peach pie. We're OK, we've sweated it out in a 90 minute bikram session since. We were just looking for something to good to eat outside of BLT Steak for the 2nd and 3rd time, and ended up in some kind of culinary getaway.

 

Weekend Docket: Philly

This is how we like to do it on the cheap. Took the 5pm Bolt Bus on a Friday to the most underrated city within a 2 hour driving radius, with enough time to catch some bistro fare at the bar on the Square then head to...Well, let's back up a bit here. If you've been keeping up with our National saga you'll know that amid the impossibility of getting tickets to the BAM Opera House (read below) we were forced to take our business to the new "Maxwell's" for good shows, the Electric Factory: a place to get away if you didn't feel like swinging hipster or preppy that day and you were maybe, also, feeling a little homesick for a San Fran-esque crowd without missing the Fliers kick some Blackhawks bum and knew you could get a running, albeit tipsy, tally from the band on stage. Although we thank The National for bookending our favorite songs, not everything we report is perfect. The sound guy must be a drummer, because the drums were the only thing that sounded close to record-perfect that night. Our ears are still ringing as we say good-bye to frequencies never to be heard again. Saved the cabfare and walked the 20 minutes back to the Hotel Palomar, our new favorite place to stay in Philly. We turned in. The only thing open late (read: 12:30am) was a bar, a club or greasy Pete's Diner. The next day we crossed the river to the Penn campus and ate at Jose Garces' answer to no-good-Mexican-west-of-Chitown, Distrito. Maybe it's because our prayers for good Mexican had already been eclipsed by last weekend's trip to Newport at Perros Salado (get the guac and the chilaquiles). With the exception of the carnitas and hamachi tacos, we could have taken it or left it. Ok, we would have taken the tres leches dessert along with the tacos. Enough whining. Since this is after all a blog about the things we love, we're here to declare our love for Philly- a love that's been in the making since we stepped foot off that first Chinatown bus five years ago- so much so, we're already planning our mid-summer retreat with Hotel Palomar as our home away from home.

Getaway: Hotel Fasano in Rio de Janeiro

You may've already read the Sartorialist post on Rio's Hotel Fasano last month, not to mention his companion photo-editorial in the March issue of GQ, and Garance's lovely photography that points out all the things we love about it too. There's really not a lot more to expand on the gorgeous photos of the rooftop pool/lounge and the beautiful people that glide in and out of the ground floor nightclub Londra on a weekly basis (it's still really all about Friday and Saturday nights in most places), except to add a few of our own photos that pretty much articulate what words can't. We liked the ground floor dark wood plank floors, always a bit sandy from beach-treaders, to the gauzy curtains that separate into three the check-in, the backlit runway that leads to Londra, and the spaciously serene sitting room that conjurs up nostalgia for Brazilian summers in the Amazon with its homage to another time and even place. Where Conde Nast Traveller (UK) sees Philippe's Starck's design as "uncharacteristically restrained," we saw passion thrust into a small breezy space with several vintage literature and photography and chairs, side tables and couches made from tropical wood and leather in at least 4, maybe even 5, sets for intimate conversations or meetings. Not to mention the incredibly large single piece of reclaimed wood being used as the front desk, and also weighing about 6 tons.

From top: 

king bed in room 313

reclaimed tropical wood coffee table

leather chairs under a vintage clock
rooftop pool on a lazy monday afternoon

fig and pineapple/grape drinks mixed with coconut water

the rooftop scene

sliding glass bathroom door

the 3rd floor hallway

room 313 

Travel: Jose Ignacio

Just a little further down the road from Uruguay's Punta del Este is a low-key, primarily untouched stretch of beach punctuated by a lighthouse called Jose Ignacio. The NY Times likened this sleepy little town to what the Hamptons were in the '60's. And although we weren't around then we can't help but notice the similarities to Montauk in the off-season only with better beach weather. Don't be surprised if you happen to be waiting for a table at the ultra-chic La Huella (right on Playa Brava) along with Argentinian footballers and polo players, especially in January when Punta del Este is at its height of the Summer season. Or aim for late February after the craziness has died down, and stay at Casa Suaya for an air-conditioned suite facing the ocean across Ruta 10. Anywhere you go, the seafood is incredibly fresh- we haven't had better grilled octopus since. There's also something special about those ubiquitous clay wood-fired ovens, because the pizza there was a total pleasant surprise whether it was the pistachio and gruyere from La Huella, the tomato and grana padano from Restaurant Garzon in Pueblo Garzon, or Marismo's margherita cooked in a treehouse (see below picture). At Marismo you have your choice of digging your bare toes in the sand at one of the tables next to a bonfire or up in a treehouse where you smell the smoky goodness from sitting right next to the kitchen. You literally walk through the trees before you find your way along a candlelit path to this restaurant, where you may be greeted by the long-haired owner himself or his family. It's where we had our first taste of provoleta- a disk of provolone seasoned with oregano and olive oil then grilled in one of those infamous clay ovens. Warning: don't call it white wine sangria. It's clerico and we drank it like water. We're still dreaming of our return and hoping it remains just as low-key as it was then. Although they were building a Setai off Ruta 10 last year and there is now a new Fasano location in the works.

 

On the Street: Madrid

Off the beaten path in Malasaña 

Late at night in La Latina

Feedbag: Istanbul

We can't talk about Istanbul without waxing rhapsodic on the many virtues of its cuisine, from top to bottom. We were first hit with the basics the moment we stepped out into the street and saw the vendors. Freshly baked breads kept warm behind the glass of little red, wheeled carts, fresh mackerel sandwiches, grilled corn, roasted chestnuts, freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, lamb or chicken kebab sandwiches stuffed with french fries (why not). The spice market or Egyptian Bazaar was filled with every nut, Turkish delight, delicious string cheese (the best ever), and honeycomb. We sipped Turkish black tea on the ferry on our way to the Asian side of the City in Kadıköy where we dined at Çiya, sharing small plates of authentic Anatolian dishes of kebabs (never too much), stuffed lamb casings, meatballs (köfte), nettle soup, baked dough stuffed with chicken, raisins, rice and pinenuts. During the day, we brunched in Bebek, an upscale, serene district just north of the old city and right on the coast of the Bosphorus. The restaurant Mangerie was a laid-back, picture perfect place for lingering over fresh sage tea with cinnamon and Turkish coffee as we gawked at the incredible view. In the district of Beyoglu where we stayed, we did the 12-course tasting menu at Changa. The hip 3-story restaurant is housed in a rehabbed 19th century townhouse, its original ceiling still in tact and juxtaposing so nicely with the exposed concrete walls and contemporary sconces. On the 1st floor we walked across the glass window that looked down into the sub-level kitchen below before hiking up the three flights of stairs. Our food was sent up in a modern dumb-waiter, and our water served in jumbo-sized beakers.

Our drool-worthy Istanbul favorites that still stand out after some distance include the winter-only hot drink Sahlep (made from orchid root, milk then dusted with nutmeg), apple tea, baklava made from pistachios then drenched in honey, candied tomatoes and gözleme (blintzes stuffed with either meat, cheese or potato).

Photos:
-Changa Restaurant, Beyoglu

-Double soup of swiss chard and roasted beets, Changa

-Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, Sultanahmet

-Spice market: nuts, beans, Turkish delight

-Sahlep

-Mangerie, Bebek

-Fish bread, Mangerie

-Turkish village eggs over toast, Mangerie

-Grilled corn, Sultanhmet

-Raki, Refki in Beyoglu

-Raspberry nini-pies, Witt Hotel, Beyoglu

-The ferry to Kadıköy