When I first moved to the south, to the outskirts of Atlanta, I noticed there was a pork restaurant on every corner; offering their own variety of a chopped or pulled pork sandwich accompanied by the traditional sides and sauces that have been passed down through the generations of family members. As I was driving around town, I even saw what I believe to be a grocery store called the Piggly Wiggly. I mean come on, all I am seeing is pork which surprises me because the majority of the religious beliefs in the south is no swine in their diet. I was thinking to myself, as I was driving around my new home, is anyone doing anything original or new? I just moved here from the West Coast, from Arizona, where menus change daily; menus are Chef inspired and customers have vast amounts of food options and architectural themed restaurants designed to give an atmosphere for your dining experience.
As a Chef, I strongly believe that your restaurant atmosphere should compliment your cuisine. Taking a failed TGIFridays and changing the name to bar-b-Que or another name for a start up restaurant but keeping the look and some decor of the failed TGIFridays, to me, does not show any creativity, planning or passion for what you do. You are setting yourself up for failure before you even open the doors. Witnessing so many bar-b-Que restaurants offering the same menu items and having the same theme and look, gives me a feeling that the restaurant owners here in the south have no creativity and a lack of self esteem showcasing that they do not want to take a risk on something outside of the box. I am not bashing southern-style cooking, bar-b-Que restaurants or the people that own them. I love good bar-b-que when done correctly, I am just saying give me something new and refreshing.
This feeling of hopelessness did not last for long! Once I was settled and familiar with the area I was able to get around and had the opportunity to experience the true downtown Atlanta, Midtown, Vinings, and Little Five Points. Within these little pockets of the Metro-area lies some fantastic Chef-inspired restaurants that were only known by the locals in the area. It was not until later that these areas and restaurants gained more exposure. It was easy to drive by and miss these extraordinary establishments if you were not paying attention to where you where going. Some of the jewels in these areas that I have been able to enjoy are such places like Rathbuns, 4th and Swift as well as Bacchanalia in Midtown, Aria in Buckhead, Haven in Brookhaven, Canoe in the Vinings, Restaurant Eugene, Holeman and Finch and Flik in downtown Atlanta just to name a few of my favorites. These restaurants may not be on your radar but they are a permanent staple in my dining plans.
Grilled Georgia Peach with Blueberry Compote and a Cinnamon Whipped Topping
Created by Chef Rian Macdonald
While dining at these fantastic restaurants I was able to speak with the Chefs who owned and ran the establishments. One of the keys to all of their menus was using local farmers to provide great proteins and produce as ingredients for menu items that would change daily depending on what came in from the farm that day on the truck. I also noticed these Chefs were experimenting with organic fruits and vegetables as well as healthier starches and grains which sometimes comes out to be less expensive to create memorable entrees. This is what I have been wanting to enjoy since I moved here to the infamous HotLanta. These restaurants have been doing such magnificent culinary creations for some time and have been very successful and monetary gain has followed. So what does that say about the others out there that are doing the same thing for centuries? Education is a vital part in life and it plays a huge part in the culinary world. I am not saying you need a doctorate to be a fantastic Chef but to be knowledge of your surroundings and the changing of times is a necessity if you want to stay in business. Always push the envelope. Read up on the trends or talk with people within your community to find out what the customer is looking for and build success off of that information. So why are there restaurants still stuck in the 1940's and not trying something new that benefits their customers? If anyone has the answer to that age old question I would love to hear the response. Even though Atlanta is not considered a food Mecca I feel confident that one day Atlanta will be a force to be reckoned with if Chefs stay persistent and on course with providing locally grown protein and produce as well as using healthier grains and starches.
Grilled Georgia Peach with Blueberry Crumb Cake Filling and Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
6 Peaches
3 pint Blueberries
½ cup Granulated White Sugar
½ cup Light Brown Sugar
5 tablespoons Butter, softened
¼ cup cinnamon
10 whole Graham Crackers, crushed
Whipped Cream
12 sprigs of mint
For Sauce:
1 cup Cranberries
2 tablespoons Honey
1/8 cup Granulated White Sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
¼ cup Riesling wine
¼ cup Cranberry Juice
Procedure:
1. Cut peaches in half and twist to separate the halves, much like an avocado. With a spoon, remove the pit and fibrous center of the peach to form a pocket.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the flesh of the peach halves and slightly sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Place a sheet of foil, shiny side up, on flat surface and put a coffee mug in the middle. Fold the sides of foil up around the mug forming a cup shape with the foil. Then remove the mug. Repeat this to form 4 foil cups.
4. Wash the blueberries. Separate evenly into the foil shaped cups.
5. In a separate bowl, combine butter, 1 tablespoon of honey, granulated white sugar, graham crackers, and ¼ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and mix with a fork. Mixture should be clumpy, like coffee cake topping.
6. Evenly spoon sugar mixture into each foil cup, reserving ¼ of the mixture for later use. Pinch edges together tightly to close.
7. Put blueberry foil filled cups on the grill and cook covered for 5 minutes.
8. Lightly grease grill, put peach halves skin side up to grill-mark the flesh of the peach. This should take about 2 minutes in one direction, than 2 minutes in the opposite direction.
9. Remove peaches and foil cups filled with blueberries. Let rest for 5 minutes.
10. To make the Cranberry Sauce, combine all listed sauce ingredients in a food processor, and mix until smooth.
11. Transfer sauce from food processor to sauce pot and let cook over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces by half.
Assembly:
1. On the bottom of the skin side of the peach, slice off a sliver, so the peach sits flat on a plate.
2. Add the blueberry mixture to the formed pocket in the center of the peach. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on top of each blueberry mixture.
3. Pipe out some whipped cream on top of the blueberry mixture and garnish with a sprig of mint.
4. Drizzle Cranberry Sauce to the side of the peach, and then serve.
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
6 Peaches
3 pint Blueberries
½ cup Granulated White Sugar
½ cup Light Brown Sugar
5 tablespoons Butter, softened
¼ cup cinnamon
10 whole Graham Crackers, crushed
Whipped Cream
12 sprigs of mint
For Sauce:
1 cup Cranberries
2 tablespoons Honey
1/8 cup Granulated White Sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
¼ cup Riesling wine
¼ cup Cranberry Juice
Procedure:
1. Cut peaches in half and twist to separate the halves, much like an avocado. With a spoon, remove the pit and fibrous center of the peach to form a pocket.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the flesh of the peach halves and slightly sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Place a sheet of foil, shiny side up, on flat surface and put a coffee mug in the middle. Fold the sides of foil up around the mug forming a cup shape with the foil. Then remove the mug. Repeat this to form 4 foil cups.
4. Wash the blueberries. Separate evenly into the foil shaped cups.
5. In a separate bowl, combine butter, 1 tablespoon of honey, granulated white sugar, graham crackers, and ¼ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and mix with a fork. Mixture should be clumpy, like coffee cake topping.
6. Evenly spoon sugar mixture into each foil cup, reserving ¼ of the mixture for later use. Pinch edges together tightly to close.
7. Put blueberry foil filled cups on the grill and cook covered for 5 minutes.
8. Lightly grease grill, put peach halves skin side up to grill-mark the flesh of the peach. This should take about 2 minutes in one direction, than 2 minutes in the opposite direction.
9. Remove peaches and foil cups filled with blueberries. Let rest for 5 minutes.
10. To make the Cranberry Sauce, combine all listed sauce ingredients in a food processor, and mix until smooth.
11. Transfer sauce from food processor to sauce pot and let cook over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces by half.
Assembly:
1. On the bottom of the skin side of the peach, slice off a sliver, so the peach sits flat on a plate.
2. Add the blueberry mixture to the formed pocket in the center of the peach. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on top of each blueberry mixture.
3. Pipe out some whipped cream on top of the blueberry mixture and garnish with a sprig of mint.
4. Drizzle Cranberry Sauce to the side of the peach, and then serve.
Makes 12 servings
