RADIAL

She says:
We recently returned to one of the first restaurants to make our list of top brunch spots, Radial. Located on Dekalb Avenue in the Candler Park neighborhood, Radial is a hidden Atlanta gem that everyone seems to know about (translation: get there early or have a snack before you go, as there is usually a long wait to get a table on weekend mornings). And for good reason… their vegan- and vegetarian-friendly menu is original and delicious.

To start – real fresh squeezed OJ. Nothing beats it.

My favorite menu item at Radial is the vegetarian biscuits and gravy. Although I love biscuits and gravy in general, I don’t usually order it because of the meat factor; to find a vegetarian version is a rare treat. Radial’s rosemary-fennel gravy is thick and creamy, and the rosemary adds a bit of complexity. The dish also comes with a side of vegetarian sausage and eggs, adding up to a very hearty dish.

He says:
I have to say that I loved Radial when we first moved to Atlanta, but after visiting several other brunch spots over the past year I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not at the same level as Ria’s Bluebird or The Flying Biscuit.

The salmon scramble, with smoked salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, and green onions mixed with scrambled eggs, is a creative melange that doesn’t quite gel; the salmon’s smokiness gets lost among the other ingredients. The burrito de huevos is your standard Mexican burrito, nothing special, but better-tasting than the salmon scramble. And I don’t recommend Radial’s grits, which are subpar compared to other brunch spots around town. They are simultaneously dense yet watery tasting.

On my most recent visit, I ordered the chicken pesto sandwich from the lunch menu. The chicken was overcooked and hence slightly tough, but otherwise the sandwich was fine.

She says:
I think Downtown Boy is being a bit too harsh. In any other city, Radial would probably be the best brunch café around.

And while Radial’s food puts it among the city’s top brunch spots, it also gets major kudos for its membership in the Green Restaurant Association. This means that Radial goes out of its way to be a more environmentally-friendly business, doing such things as using compostable to-go cups and lids, fluorescent light bulbs, and printing menus on recycled paper.

She says:
With appetizing options for vegans and meat-eaters alike and a commitment to being a green business, Radial is a restaurant for the times.



He says:
Foodwise, Radial is just a step behind Atlanta’s best brunch spots.



Radial
1530 Dekalb Avenue Ne #G, Atlanta, GA 30307
www.radial.us

SHAUN'S

He says:
After nearly two years of eating out in Atlanta, Bacchanalia remains the best restaurant in the city by a wide margin. The #2 position is still up for grabs, though, with Rathbun’s and Cuerno jockeying for the lead.

Enter a new contender, and a formidable one at that.

Shaun’s occupies a simple, almost quaint space in the heart of Inman Park. In contrast to several other fine dining establishments in Atlanta, Shaun’s eschews glitzy décor and sardine-like seating for hardwood floors, white walls, and ample room for intimate conversation. Chef/owner Shaun Doty wisely understands that a truly good restaurant allows the food, and not the mood lighting, to do the talking.

She says:
We had received a recommendation to try the chopped liver appetizer, which according to the menu, was prepared “east village style.” I have no idea what that means… perhaps it means chicken salad, because that is exactly what the appetizer tasted like – chicken salad on toast. There was the additional flavor of the liver, but even in a gourmet restaurant, liver still doesn’t taste good to me.

In contrast, the Maryland style jumbo lump crab cake was phenomenal. It was exactly how a crab cake should be: heavy on the crab, light on the filler, with the slightest crunch on the exterior. The crab was extremely fresh, and it was served with a Dijon mustard sauce that added a hint of spiciness.

He says:
For my main course I selected the chicken liver fettuccini, which is a steal at $14 (though this isn’t reflective of other prices on the menu). I have a love/hate relationship with liver, but in this case I loved it. I’ve honestly never had a pasta dish like this. The organic, free-range livers were lightly seared for an exquisite crunch, and they lent the pasta a remarkable unctuousness. Meanwhile the fettuccine had been steeped in a mild and slightly sweet marsala wine sauce that wisely allowed the richness of the chicken livers to hold the spotlight. This is not a dish you can eat every evening – you’d probably die of a heart attack by Day 4 – but for full-bodied flavor it’s tough to beat.

She says:
Talk about rich! I couldn’t handle more than one bite of that fettuccini!

I went with something a bit lighter – Georgia trout served with capers and a touch of lemon. Unfortunately, the fish wasn’t fried, which is what usually gives the flavor-filled trout skin that delicious crispiness. It was still good, as were the fresh greens that came with, but I wasn’t overly impressed with my dish.

He says:
I ended the meal with the cheesecake flan, the bastard child of two dessert menu stalwarts. It comes in a typical flan shape with an accompanying apricot sauce, but the flavor is 100% cheesecake. The texture splits the difference, skipping the custard consistency of flan for a liquid mouthfeel that’s not quite cheesecake. Like I said, it’s a bastard, but at least it’s an interesting one.

She says:
I couldn’t resist ordering the chocolate tart. It’s your typical dense chocolate ganache that almost hurts it’s so chocolatey. It definitely put me over the top, but with Downtown Boy in a chicken liver coma, I wasn’t the only one waddling out of the restaurant.

One thing that needs work at Shaun’s is the service. Our waiter didn’t even pretend to know a thing about the wine list… his advice: “Well, usually I recommend white wine with fish, and red with everything else.” Wow, now that’s useful. Other things fell apart too. The entrees arrived while we were still feasting on the appetizers; my leftovers didn’t make it back to the table until I had asked two different servers.

We say:
Despite a few hiccups, Shaun’s is a strong candidate for the 2nd best dining in Atlanta.




Shaun’s
1029 Edgewood Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307
http://www.shaunsrestaurant.com/

BELEZA

She says:
After two visits to Cuerno, the next stop on our 8th and Juniper kick was Brazilian-inspired Beleza, Midtown’s hottest new cocktail lounge. Even on a Wednesday evening the place was packed, and with the arrival of a DJ our tranquil mid-week dinner was soon transformed into a much livelier affair. Beleza is sleek and trendy, but the airiness of the space and the bright tropical elements (reverse bamboo walls, Brazilian wood tables, and flower-inspired light fixtures) keep it from being overly swanky.

According to our friendly waitress, Beleza’s specialty is its cocktails, which use tropical juices and are sweetened with agave nectar. I tried the Batidas, which had guava juice and coconut milk that night (the type of juice changes daily). It was well-prepared and plenty strong.

The unique aspect of this cocktail lounge, though, is the focus on the food. Serving light small-plates, much of the food is raw, and there is a heavy emphasis on seafood, fresh fruit, and heirloom grains.

He says:
We started with the trio of ceviche, which is a great (albeit expensive) way to sample all three types Beleza offers. Each contained white fish marinated in citrus juices, but one had a creamy tanginess and was mixed with cucumbers, another was slightly sweeter with a pineapple/onion medley, and the third was flavored with chipotle and slightly spicier. My favorite was the cucumber version since the creaminess contrasted with the tartness of the lime juice.

The quinoa was less successful in my eyes. Mixed with cucumbers, peppers, feta cheese, and drizzled with a smoked eggplant puree, the quinoa was easy on the eyes but flat on the tongue. The feta crumbles provided the only real flavor, but they were distributed too sparsely to raise this appetizer above average.

She says:
The evening’s winner (at least in my opinion) was the amberjack. From the crudo section of the menu, the raw bites of delicate but full-flavored fish were topped with spicy slices of jalapeno peppers. The dish really exhibited the quality and freshness of the ingredients at Beleza.

Downtown Boy and I both liked the moqueca, although we didn’t find it all that original. Shrimp was served over very moist rice with coconut milk and cashews, resulting in a dish that was highly reminiscent of a Thai curry.

He says:
The caramelized banana with chocolate sorbet was an intriguing dessert. The sorbet was made with dark chocolate and was pretty intense, and the carmelization of the banana slices lent a slight coffee flavor to the dish. Overall the dessert was a bit too sweet for me but Uptown Girl was quite happy with it.

We say:
For a hearty dinner, you’re better off next door at Cuerno, but Beleza is an excellent place to start (or end) your evening with a tropical cocktail and fresh, light bites.




Beleza
905 Juniper Street, Atlanta, GA 30309
http://www.sottosottorestaurant.com/

CUERNO

He says:
As soon as you step into Cuerno, you see the bull. It’s a hulking metal beast, not unlike the charging bovine on Manhattan’s Wall Street, except this one is a pastiche of brilliant orange, green, and gold plates welded together like an art student’s thesis project. It’s a bold statement, and a welcome one, in this formerly empty corridor of Midtown. In the past year several new restaurants have opened around Juniper and 8th, starting with the dessert café Chocolate Pink and continuing with the new cocktail lounge, Beleza. Although we plan to review Beleza soon, right now Cuerno is potentially the best Midtown restaurant south of Piedmont Park.

Cuerno serves Spanish tapas in a dark, intimate space that blocks out the Juniper traffic with translucent red curtains. The handsome wood tables are spaced out fairly well against the spare walls, though the restaurant can get crowded on a weekend night. It’s only been open for a few months, but word about this place is obviously starting to spread.

She says:
Sangria is an integral part of dining at Cuerno. The sparkling sangria, made with cava (sparkling wine), grapes, apples, oranges, and pineapple, was light and fruity… perfect for a warm spring evening. The tinto sangria, made from Tempranillo (Spanish red wine) and brandy, was smooth, but not as interesting as the sparkling version.

On our first visit, we shared a number of appetizers and tapas, and managed to order just the right amount of food to feel satiated but not weighed down by a heavy dinner. Almost all were excellent. The addition of rosemary to the panache de verdures, a mix of stewed bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, added a welcome woody fragrance to the dish. A few of the pimientos del pradon fritos (deep fried pradon peppers) had a surprising kick to them, and all of the peppers had an intensity you can sometimes find in really good chili rellenos. We didn’t know what to expect from the tortilla de patatas y cebolla (potato and onion tortilla); it turned out to be more like a frittata, and was our favorite of all the appetizers. The mussels, which were among the best I’ve ever had, were grilled on a plancha, which brought out their flavor in an amazing way. Cuerno has several different types of seafood prepared this way, and I would guess that they are all equally as good as the mussels. We rounded out our meal with the serviceable tabla de embutidos, a sampler of three Spanish cheeses (manchego, feta, and another sheep cheese) and three types of charcuterie (prosciutto, salami, and sausage) served with garlic toast.

The only appetizer that we were not at all impressed with was the brandada (house made salt cod with tomato-garlic bread). The waiter had encouraged us to get two orders to share between the four of us, touting it as the most popular appetizer. I guess Downtown Boy’s theory fell through on this one. The brandada, which was meant to be spread on the bread, was nearly indistinguishable from mashed potatoes, and we could barely taste the cod.

He says:
On our second visit, we tried the Paella Valenciana, a mix of shrimp, mussels, clams, cuttlefish, chicken, rabbit, and vegetables served with a bed of rice on a sizzling cast iron pan. It’s exactly what paella ought to be. The shrimp were enormous and delicious, and the chicken had been cut large enough to prevent any drying out (a common problem in other paellas I’ve had). The rice had soaked up the juices of the peppers and seafood to stay quite moist, but it still maintained a nutty texture for good mouthfeel. Uptown Girl thought it should have been softer, but I liked it.

If Cuerno has a weak point, it’s the dessert list. The three options listed on the menu that night (crème brulee, rice pudding, and almond cake) were uninteresting, and the cardamom crème brulee we finally decided on was solid but far from spectacular.

We say:
Admittedly, we’ve shied away from the pricey mains, but we’ll definitely be back for the paella and tapas!




Cuerno
905 Juniper Street, Atlanta, GA 30309
http://www.sottosottorestaurant.com/