Paper Plane, Decatur

In case you have been out of the country, or just tuned out for a bit like I occasionally do, Paper Plane opened in Decatur back in late March. The long-awaited bar/restaurant from one of Atlanta's most gifted mixologists, Paul Calvert, is located behind an unmarked black door past the ping pong table on your way to the restrooms in the back of Victory Sandwich in Decatur. No kidding, that's where it is. You can also access Paper Plane via a door that opens to the alley behind Cakes & Ale.

While it might sound like it's easy to find Paper Plane, it's worth the effort to belly up to the bar and take in the speakeasy-like (it is not a speakeasy, I get it) atmosphere and enjoy some killer cocktails. I wasn't going to take pictures, it's dark in Paper Plane, as it should be. If you want to see some good pics check out my friend Jimmy's review at EatItAtlanta. When I grow up, I'm going to get a fancy camera like Jimmy's that takes pretty pictures in the dark. Nonetheless, I offer you some grainy Galaxy Nexus (I can be bought) phone pics of some the drinks and food.

Best dishes we tried were the the quail with quail egg and fava beans pictured above and  the beet salad with rye crumb and goat cheese below.

The small plates coming out of the kitchen Paper Plane shares with Victory show promise.The real strength of Paper Plane is Paul Calvert's cocktail program that rivals any in town.  Undoubtedly, you'll be asking Paul, or one of the other bartenders about the obscure elixirs that find their way into some the cocktails. The Herbert Mead pictured above, Paper Plane's riff on a Corpse Reviver, was a standout. The Mezcal-based Trouble in Paradise pictured below was also strong. It should also be noted that there is also a very smart beer selection and wine list at Paper Plane.

Paper Plane is not a large room, basically seats for a dozen or so at the bar and a half dozen booths for larger parties. Expect it to be crowded, it has been both times I've visited. Yet, that's part of the charm. Paper Plane feels edgy; yet, it's homey, a place where you want to meet friends for a couple of cocktails after work and a place where you can belly up to the bar and probably see familiar smiling faces.

Decatur Lunch Crawl

I met up with a buddy to eat some lunch around Decatur last week. First stop was at Chai Pani.

I hadn't been to Chai Pani since my couple of visits during their opening weeks. We didn't do too much damage as we were making several lunch stops.

The Somosa Chaat was good, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the level of seasoning this time. The kale fritters were good, as always. We also got some masala fries. I don't understand the matchstick-sized french fry. Eating one or two at a time is tedious. Taking a fork and shoving a dozen or so in your mouth at a time seems gluttonous. This isn't so much a knock on Chai Pani as it is the matchstick-sized fry in general.

 

Next stop was Cakes & Ale for some grain bowl action. This itieration had a distinct Mexican-tilt to it, with black beans, cilantro, and avocado topping saffron-seasoned yellow rice. It was very good. Perhaps not as refined as some of David Sweeney's best bowls, but there was still an interesting depth to the contrast of flavors.

After Cakes & Ale we strolled up a few doors to the new Steady Hand pop-up at Iberian Pig for a cortado. We only had coffee, but the lunch menu sounded great. For a much more detailed post on Steady Hand, see my friend Broderick's great pics and post at Savory Exposure.

We finished off our little lunch crawl with beers at The Brick Store. If you don't know The Brick Store, you should. The Farmhouse Tank 7 Ale from Boulevard Brewing was a good cap to the lunch crawl. Until next time.

Home Cooking: Vegetable Literacy

Been a while since I've had time to post anything to this blog thing I have going here that is hanging on by a thread. Just been too busy with other, arguably more important pursuits.

I did, however, recently pick up the new book, Vegetable Literacy, by renowned vegetarian chef, cookbook author, and scholar, Deborah Madison. Madison has been a player in the world of modern vegetarian cooking for 30 years and her new text aims to be a definitive guide for all things veggie. It's not so much a vegetarian cookbook as it is an encyclopedic tome on most aspects of the vegetable kingdom. It's 300+ pages of solid text that will leave you knowing more about vegetables than you ever though possible. There are a good number of excellent recipes in the book as well.

 

Like, spring peas with baked ricotta (see below) and fresh bread crumbs. As you can see, I went a little heavy on the peas there, but it was tasty, nonetheless.

The oven-baked ricotta with bread crumbs was a bit of a revelation to me. Once the ricotta bakes for 20 minutes or so, it sets up firmly and you get a goat cheese-like consistency that can be spooned on sandwiches, crumbled over pasta, or just spread on a slice of baguette.

I also made her black quinoa dish, though, I substituted black rice as I simply could not find black quinoa around town. The black rice was a suitable substitute for the dish that also includes chard, pistachios, avocado, and more of that ricotta cheese. The no-frills dressing is made from a mix of lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and mint. A great spring/summer dish that is more filling than it might seem at first glance. Good for ya, too! 

Here and There Eats

Some recent pics of home cooking and more.

Porterhouse cut chops from Pine Street Market on the Big Green Egg.

I fooled around with some duck confit, which I had not done in some time. The pic above in case you'd forgotten what 5 pounds of raw duck fat looks like.

 

The remnants after reduction.

Duck confit. I used some of this duck to make duck confit tacos with cojita, red onion, and whipped avocado. Good stuff.

I also decided to go vegetarian for a couple of weeks, which led to me making the above picutred no-bake vegetarian enchiladas topped with with carrot sofrito. An interesting dish I got from the recent copy of Food & Wine. Carrot sofrito is a revelation. Make a lot of it, you won't be sorry. It's great on sandwiches and tossed into pasta. It's basically finely diced carrots and garlic simmered in a good dose of olive oil until it's soft with a sauce-like consistency.

Spent some time recently in Rosemary Beach, where it's an easy bike ride in the morning to grab some killer donuts from Charlie's. I'm not a big fan of doughnuts, but these are pretty good.

Food trucks along 30A in Seaside, FL. 

 The Melt Down on 30A.

Tasty Grilled Cheese.

Sunday Brunch at No. 246 in Decatur

I've been to No. 246 more times than I care to admit in the past couple of years. I hadn't, before last weekend, been to No. 246 for brunch. Below are some pics of the food. It was decent; though, sometimes I feel like No. 246 is just coasting. Nothing here that was really inspiring.The strongest dish is the one pictured below: wood-fired farm eggs with San Marzano tomatoes and polenta. A nap-inducing mid-day dish.

 

Quiche of spring peas, ham, and scallions. Eh, not bad, but nothing special either.

The spaghetti and GA shrimp dish that's been on the No. 246 menu since day one. Could we take a stab at a little variety maybe? However, my kid likes it, so we order it...