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| Food 101 by Suzanne Wright For several years now, suburban friends have beseeched me to visit Food 101, telling me how much they like the place. 101 Concepts owns Food 101, Mangia 101, Soho and Meehan’s Ale House. Partners Steve Buero, Chris Segal, Scott Crawford and Mark Stillman are the dynamic team behind the operation, and as a group, they bring a lot of culinary experience to the table. Located (where else?) in a strip shopping center in Buckhead, Food 101 serves “hearty food with rural roots and an urban polish” and “caters to those seeking a dining experience reminiscent of days gone by,” according to their press kit. Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch are offered. Classics are given an innovative twist by Chef Ron Eyester. Highlights include chicken alphabet soup; Yankee pot roast with roasted potatoes, carrots and onions; and braised lamb shank with pan au jus roasted potatoes and vegetables. Self-taught Eyester says, “When dining out, many people skim the menu looking for familiar items, of which Food 101 offers a wide variety. However, I emphasize creativity by putting a twist on the traditional dishes—creating a contemporary feel that’s anything but what mom would make.” Marshall-Lassbeck Construction and Seiber Design created an interior comparable to a traditional 1920s New York speakeasy. A red and gold color scheme offsets the dark-stained wood flooring, wood bar and back bar display with traditional moldings, brick wall tile, leather panels and leaded glass. Cozy, high-backed booths draw attention inward to the exhibition kitchen, and the elegant private dining room seating parties of 50 features a built-in wine display. The coffered bar ceiling is accented by chandeliers and cozy, high-backed booths draw attention inward to the exhibition kitchen (aim for one of these.) French doors lead to a spacious patio. Bottom line? A supremely comfortable place to while away a few hours. Perhaps the neatest trick is reserved for Sunday diners. They can submit a favorite family recipe in advance of their reservation, and the chef will prepare it for a table of six or more. The dish is then featured as a special in the restaurant. I love this idea. I wonder if I can dig up my mom’s pineapple upside down cake recipe and five friends? Robin and I arrived at 7 pm on a recent Friday; it had been a grueling week for both of us. Within minutes, our affable waiter Billy (who’s a dead-ringer for Dave Navarro), had us relaxed and smiling. Billy had previously worked in “fine dining establishments” but was endearingly enthusiastic about the menu and the place. We could feel the love throughout our meal. What to sip? Classic drinks such as martinis and Manhattans share space with 50 American wines by the glass. And God bless them, they have a respectable selection of small batch bourbons and single malt scotches, the perfect antidote to five challenging days. We started with crab and rock shrimp cakes, onion rings and a warm spinach salad. The plump cakes were propped on a bed of leeks, celery and almonds and squiggled with a remoulade sauce; we polished them off. The Pabst Blue Ribbon-basted rings (made from Texas Sweet or Vidalia onions in season) are an impressive pile of five giant, beautifully brown, fried rings. They, too, came with remoulade and a dollop of goat cheese—both superfluous. The salad’s mustard vinaigrette, while tasty, was a tad heavy for the leaves and the cornmeal croutons, which sounded so intriguing, were also weighty. Billy recommended the fried chicken and meatloaf; we opted for the chicken and salmon (Robin is a healthier eater than I). The kitchen is fond of stacking things here. My chicken came heaped with Southern slaw and nested on mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans—it was indeed succulent, thanks to buttermilk basting. Although not strictly Old School (you get two boneless breasts), it’s infinitely easier to eat. The perfectly cooked salmon got a maple glaze that enhanced the richness of the fish. Both dishes are comfort food in the best sense. The chocolate bread pudding is a warm brownie-like concoction that was just too heavy after the fare we’d sampled. The simple cheesecake wasn’t—it was made with Amarulla, the very sweet liquor from South Africa and drenched in rich chocolate ganache (although after a large meal, I would recommend an unadorned New York style slice.) The best of the lot was also the lightest, the Boston cream pie. I’d love to see a strawberry shortcake come spring or a great cherry pie—my idea of sweet comfort food. There’s something charming about an unpretentious restaurant, where you don’t have to quiz the wait staff about unknown, unpronounceable ingredients and Food 101 is such a place. I can see why it stays busy. I owe my suburban friends a call. I’ll tell them, when I’m up that way, that a meal at Food 101 will be just fine. Food 101 is located at 4969 Roswell Road, Atlanta. (404) 497-9700. |
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| From top: Chicken Soup; Shrimp & crab cakes; Ribs; Chef Ron Eyester; Waffles ala mode. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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