Cardamom Hill: Gone, But Not Forgotten

Cardamom Hill is one of those Atlanta restaurants that has no equal. Or, I should say, was. It was sad to see last Monday that the restaurant plans to close tomorrow after two and a half years of service to the Atlanta market. I would be lying if I said that my heart didn’t hurt a little, as this was one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. So, as a farewell of sorts, my girlfriend and I decided to venture to Cardamom Hill one last time to enjoy and reminisce a restaurant that will be gone, but not forgotten.

Asha Gomez, the executive chef and owner, brought her native Kerala style of cooking to Atlanta with a Southern gusto that could not be found anywhere else in the southeast. Kerala, a state in the southwest region of India on the Malabar coast, offers cuisine that is uniquely Indian with influences from both Europe and Asia due to Kerala’s prominence as a major spice trading port. The menu of Cardamom Hill reflected Gomez’ upbringing heavily, yet found new-found expression in the cuisine of the South. While some dishes were purely Kerala in style, others were a beautiful mixture of both Kerala and the South, fusing together in a harmonious balance of East meets West.

Curry Chicken Puff

Sweet Corn Pudding: An Obsession Worth Having

I have a weird obsession with some things. 2% milk is probably my biggest one. Usually around midnight, I find myself craving at least a pint of the stuff. Another one of mine is corn pudding. Every Thanksgiving, corn pudding happens to be on the table, and every Thanksgiving, I end up eating more than my fair share. I can’t help it; the delicate sweetness of the corn, the crunch of the bread crumbs, it’s too much to handle! Anyways, we all have our little obsessions. Mine just happens to involve food.

 

I think that corn is one of those foods that can be consumed without hesitation during the summer. At its peak during this time of the year, corn is at its best; sweet, succulent, and incredibly indulgent. I had made a sweet corn pudding earlier in the summer, pulling again from John Currence’s Pickles, Pigs, & Whiskey, but it didn’t turn out quite like I had hoped. It lacked the molding to hold it together, becoming more of a corn dish with flakes of breadcrumbs and vegetables spread throughout. I decided to try again last Friday, hoping that I would be able to satisfy my desire for a perfect corn pudding this summer. This time around, something was different.

 It was perfect.

Spicy Hill Country Meat Pies, Georgia-Style

 

A few years ago, I found myself in New Orleans with my best friend during what had to be one of the hottest Julys on record. Wandering through the muck on a sunny Sunday morning, we found ourselves in the French Market, taking in all of the amazing smells emanating from within. Being hungover definitely didn’t hurt, but for the most part, I’ll never forget the Cajun aromas from that market or the salivation that came with it.

 

As this blog is about Atlanta and the food it has to offer, I couldn’t really wrap my finger around what I would consider “Atlanta Cuisine.” Is it biscuit-y? Does it include some sort of meat? Are Vidalia onions involved? When it came down to it, I guess I realized that there are many different things that make food “Atlanta” in name. As a melting pot of the South, Atlanta has a whole range of foods and ingredients to make it its own.

 

Last Christmas, I received a copy of John Currence’s cookbook Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes from My Three Favorite Food Groups (and then some). A James Beard Winning Mississippi Chef, Currence cooks a variety of foods that originate (and in some cases, can only be found) in the South. Like a little Southern soul guide, Currence’s cookbook has taught me how to really cook Southern. Flipping through its pages, I came across a recipe where he talked about spending time in New Orleans after Katrina and the foods he encountered while there. Feeling as though my path was set, I decided that his Spicy Hill Country Meat Pies were going to be my Sunday feat to conquer.

As this recipe literally took me all day to prepare, the end really had to justify the means. I was not disappointed. Sweet, spicy, salty, herbally, this recipe had it all. The crust was delicately flaky, while the filling had just the right ratio of meat to vegetables. I went into this simply expecting to be happy with my results. In the end, I emerged from my Southern endeavor more connected to the South then I think I have ever been. While the experience lasted all of ten hours, it was definitely worth it. Meat pies, once only known throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, now have Georgia to call their home. If you have the time and aren’t afraid of wasting your entire day, I suggest you make these little Heaven pockets. But be warned, they may not make it through the night.

Vinings’ Canoe a Beacon of Fine Southern Cuisine

Along the banks of the Chattahoochee, situated somewhere between serenity and salutations, lies a restaurant that manages to take my breath away every time I step upon its pristine grounds. Canoe, located just off Paces Ferry Road behind the backdrop of Atlanta, is a restaurant that manages to represent both the old and the new in their approach to fine dining and Southern cuisine.

My girlfriend and I spent our first “big” (as we called it) date at Canoe back in 2012, and we saw it only fitting that we should return for our second anniversary this past Friday. The ambiance of Canoe is mesmerizing; the restaurant looks equal parts rustic and modern in its approach to an atmosphere that is uniquely elegant in a city that is constantly changing. As you step outside the rush of the restaurant, you come upon a beautiful landscape interwoven with trails, an outdoor bar, and an expansive garden that grows all of the vegetables used by the restaurant in their dedication towards sustainable sourcing. As the waters of the Chattahoochee flow by, you can feel all of your anxieties and worries float away with it as you take in what can only be described as “The Canoe Effect.”

The natural feeling of the restaurant translates effectively well towards the cuisine of the restaurant. While not entirely modern by today’s standards, Canoe never feels dull in their approach to food and drinks. The wine list, one of the best in Atlanta, is updated often with new and exciting labels from all over the world. The cocktails feel both classic and modern at the same time; the Ward Eight, a classic rye cocktail blended with lemon juice and orange juice, is updated with a house-made pomegranate molasses that takes the drink to another level, while the B & E sour reinvents the whiskey sour with shaken egg whites and a splash of ruby port. Neither cocktail is new by bar standards, but the simple tweaks make them feel as if you are tasting them for the first time.

Ward Eight

B & E Sour

Cranberry-Walnut & Sourdough Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you wait for you meal to be served, freshly-made breads are never more than a basket away, as hosts glide from table to table to offer you a refresher before each course. The service and attention to detail is extraordinary, as you are never left with an empty plate by your side and your water glass can never be more than half-full before it is filled again without you even realizing it. While the service makes it a priority to make you feel welcome, it is sometimes a bit too grandiose a gesture when your waiter or waitress is trying their very best to explain every formality of the restaurant as you try to order your meal. If you hesitate for even a second in ordering, you may find yourself waiting longer than expected as the same routine is being described to five other tables.

When the food does arrive, detail and skill play off of each other as each course becomes a culinary triumph, yet there is still the occasional hit or miss. The grilled Australian octopus would be a delightful appetizer to start with, yet is was heavily weighed down by the horseradish tomato broth and broccoli rabe that came with it. The bitterness of the broth and broccoli was too much for the mildness of the octopus, and the chorizo that was mentioned on the menu was barely noticeable. It was nice to see that the dish was affectionately split for my girlfriend and I, which again goes to show how well Canoe takes care of their guests.