Babette’s Cafe, located in Inman Park, has been around for years, run by Chef and Owner, Marla Adams. Adams named the restaurant after the movie, Babette’s Feast. I hadn’t eaten at Babette’s Cafe in over a decade. Back when I was in college, I dragged some friends out there to have dinner. They both had very tasty and substantial entrees. Mine, on the other hand, was somewhere between four and six shrimp on top of some green beans. Needless to say, I left hungry and disappointed. To this day, that evening is standing joke between us.

I felt as though it was time for another visit, especially since I was writing Food Lovers’ Atlanta. The renovated house has a rustic charm to it. Love the scuffed up walls and hardwood floors. It was quite busy on the Friday evening when I visited, so I’d definitely recommend rezzies for a weekend visit. Although don’t bother trying to make them on Open Table, as they are consistently blocked off. Just call Babette’s Cafe directly.

There’s a section of soups / salads and small plates and I truly believe this is where the winners are. Well, those and the desserts. Starting things off with the Corn and Crab chowder along with the salad with hearts of palm, we then added to the order the mussels and Piroshkies.

I just ordered a tasting of the chowder and it was good, with definite chunks of crab in it, but I’d rather have shared the salad and had two orders of the Piroshkies. These guys are small (about the size of a steamed dumpling that you get at most Chinese restaurants) and one order comes with two Piroshkies. They are full of pork and veal and served up with a Tarragon butter sauce – simply amazing. Oh and the mussels we had were delicious too, served in an unusual strawberry /serrano broth, I couldn’t tear off the bread from its loaf fast enough to sop up all the yummy broth.

For entrees we sampled the Veal Piccata and the Pork with Gnocchi. The veal cutlets, pounded think had some sort of Mediterranean sauce with capers. Mr. ARB thought it was quite tasty. The Sauvignon Blanc he chose to pair with it, was quite exquisite. My pork was decent, but two out of the three pieces were almost pure fat. As far as the Gnocchi, I was expecting potato dumplings, but theirs is actually more like a polenta in taste and texture than Gnocchi. It was good, just not quite what I was expecting.

I was all for skipping dessert, but when Mr. ARB heard there was house made pistachio ice cream for dessert he couldn’t resist, ordering not only that but a side of the Date and Pistachio cookies too. This ice cream was indeed heavenly. The warm cookies were a nice addition to our dessert too.

Tip: There’s a prix fixe menu available Tuesdays through Fridays (including choice of appetizer and entree) for under $20.

573 North Highland Ave.
Atlanta, Georgia
404-523-9121
Babette’s Cafe Website

Earlier this year, I was approached by a publishing company, Globe Pequot Press, and asked if I was interested in writing a Food Guide book for Atlanta. I practically jumped out of my skin, I was so excited that they picked me. My publisher just sent me the cover of the book (pictured above) and I wanted to share it with you.

I’ve had so much fun over the last several months visiting restaurants around Atlanta and talking to staff and chefs. It has been a wonderful experience writing the book and I definitely have a new appreciation and respect for both authors and editors.

As you are reading this, I’m down in Florida for a short break and celebrating finishing the book!

Cheers!

On my first visit to Abattoir, I couldn’t have been more excited. I love the name; translation: Slaughterhouse although the French name is much more appealing. It is very fitting as Abattoir serves just about every part of the animal (tongue, liver, tripe, you name it), but did you know the building once used to be a slaughterhouse? I also love the fact that there is free parking in the deck adjacent to Abattoir’s building. Walking past the sign (crossed butcher knives) and entering Abattoir’s dimly lit interior for the first time, I was pleasantly greeted by the hostess, who immediately showed us to our table outside.

Abattoir Decor:

I like the bar in the front and center. It almost seems more cozy than a table, except super difficult to read the menu. The lighting they have around the bar and really throughout the restaurant isn’t adequate for reading the menu at Abattoir. The staff knows this as they have little flashlights they carry around in their pockets in case a guest needs it. This isn’t the 20something crowd. This seems to be an over 40 crowd. And they don’t want or need to be reminded that their eyesight is going downhill.

Bartenders are super friendly and know the menu inside and out. Brian even mixed up a special drink for me, that may now even be on the menu at the time of this post. It is a pear infused congac drink. It was the perfect finish to our dinner. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start back at the first visit.

On my first visit, I went with a French friend. I thought if anyone would know if the food was authentic, he would. We tended to stick to the mixed drinks: Moscow Mule, Pimm’s Garden Cup, Elderflower Gimlet. Most of the specialty drinks at Abattoir tend to be either very sweet, ie, Pimm’s Garden Cup, or pretty sour like the Moscow Mule or Gimlet. So, just be aware, there really isn’t a happy medium. My next visit, I chose wine instead.

We started off with the rabbit rillettes, which he gave the nod to. This “food in a jar” as Abattoir likes to call it, is just that, a cold mix of meat, spices and fat. You spread it on crusty bread of which Abattoir will give you plenty. And it was tasty, with much more flavor that I would have expected.

Although French, my friend didn’t go for anything out of the ordinary, and stuck with the Trout. He cleaned his plate and seemed pleased with his meal. I’m more of an adventurous eater and decided to go for lamb liver fritters. With the name “fritter” I assumed there would be more breading and less “liver” especially at a price point of only $8, but I was profoundly shocked at just how much liver was included. If you are a fan of chicken livers, then you must try to the lamb liver fritters. The fries I ordered to go with the fritters were plentiful, but not as crisp as I would have hoped for.

On a follow up visit, was sad to see Belles Oberon not on tap any longer, the replacement is not as good. Only 4 wines by the glass was slightly disappointing as well. However, I did overhear a couple of women who work at Anis remark how surprised they were at how affordable the wine list is.

Other Abattoir dinners included no offal but did include scallops and short ribs. The 3 large scallops were cooked well, nicely flavored, and completely filling. The side of curried greens that accompanied the scallops was sublime. Really delicious and would be great by itself as a vegetarian offering. The short ribs were decent, but very heavy on the salt. It is too bad as they were so tender. If the salt had been a tad less it could have been a standout meal.

I’d just like to preface the following paragraph by saying I’m usually not this picky or difficult. Desserts started out with the sundae. Very odd presentation and not sweet enough. So, I exchanged this for something the bartender recommended. Not sure the name but it was ice cream on top of a bitter chocolate cake. I then traded this in for the rice pudding.

This was better although a bit weird. The berries were served on the side as was the almond milk. I don’t know why you would pour it on top as it would make it much colder. But back to the rice pudding. It was not like any rice pudding I’ve ever had before. This was like baked into a creme brulee more than anything. Def better than the first dessert, although they all seemed rather bland, boring and 100% forgettable.

I really wanted to love Abattoir, but so far I’m on the fence. The food is interesting, but definitely not some place you would take someone who isn’t much of an adventurous eater. The decor is trendy. It kind of reminds of a modernized looking farmhouse if that makes any sense. All the while, prices seem reasonable but it is important to remember how cheap these offal parts really are. Way back when, these were the parts of the animal poor people ate cause that’s all they could afford. Now they are being presented to us as haute cuisine. I’m just saying…

1170 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318
404 892 3335
Website

Extras: Free parking in the deck adjacent to the building (love not having to deal with valet!)
Restaurant.com lists Abattoir as “Downtown” but don’t be fooled this is in West Midtown off Howell Mill.

I waited until just a couple days before said Restaurant week began to make my reservation at Bistro Niko, believing I could easily snag one in this sad economy. I was floored to see that Bistro Niko in Buckhead was full almost every night and I was lucky to get a reservation for 6:30 pm on Tuesday.

As we entered the restaurant from what seemed like the rear, we passed by the open kitchen. I watched as staff hussled to get dishes out of the kitchen and to the diners in the full and vibrant dining room. As the name would suggest, Bistro Niko is a French Restaurant and most of the menu is in French with English translation, a tactic I don’t much care for. Really – who is reading the French?

So, our server, Corey brought us the menu and told us about some specials which went right over my head as I was fixated on the restaurant week menu. When we asked him about Bistro Niko’s special menu, I braced for the friendly smile on his face to disappear as he learned we were only there for the Prix Fixe menu, but it never did. He graciously pointed to a small square space on the bottom of the menu where Bistro Niko’s Prix Fixe menu is. Turns out, you can always get a 3 course meal here, it will just cost you about 5 bucks more than during restaurant week.

I was a little disappointed that the menu was somewhat different than the one posted online. There were no piquillo peppers stuffed with cod and potatoes, or Veal Osso Bucco, or Coq Au Vin, to be had. But all was not lost. One of the managers even came over to explain to us that they change out the 3-course menu quite frequently. Very nice touch.

So, we ordered the rabbit ravioli and smoked salmon sammies. Yeah, that’s not their official name, but you get the idea. Both were excellent choices, each with its own distinct flavor. And at around $10- $11 per appetizer, a superb deal. Corey even made sure to leave the broth of the pasta as he could see we were sopping it up with our bread.

For entrees, we ordered the duck breast and the shrimp in fried wontons. The duck was tender and juicy. I expected it to be a bit more dried out but it wasn’t at all. The outside could have been a tad more crispy but that’s my only criticism. As for the shrimp, this was the highlight of the evening. It seems simple shrimp with fried wontons I know. By the way, that’s not the proper menu term either, I just can’t think of what it is. It was crispy and delicious. And the lemon aioli that came with it was the perfect accompaniment for dabbing our shrimp wontons.

As our dinner was nearing the end, I looked around at the packed dining room. I assumed it was incredibly busy due to the Buckhead Restaurant week, but when I inquired with Corey, he said no, it’s just always like that. Perhaps it is a reflection of the very reasonable menu pricing. Although Bistro Niko looks all fancy pants inside, most menu items are under $20 and many appetizers under $10. Or then again, maybe it is just the well-seasoned food, not overloaded with salt and other unnecessary seasonings.

Bistro Niko Baba a Rum Dessert

Oh, and the service? Still outstanding like I’ve come to know at all the Buckhead Life Restaurants. Our server, Corey was helpful, friendly and extremely efficient. He was jovial and could interact with us, but left us alone to enjoy our dinner. All in all and great experience. Definitely go check this place out. Now.

3344 Peachtree Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30326
404 261 6456
Website

Upon entering, you’ll notice the blackboard stand near the front door that lists the 3 or 4 specials of the day. There’s also a display of various canned and packaged foods for sale – with things like monkey bread mix, tri-colored pasta, pancake mix, syrup and the like several of the items imported from France.

Cafe De Paris Goods

The laminated menus are located near the register where you place your order. If there is a line when you enter, go to the counter and grab one of the menus, so you can peruse it as you wait in line. Once your order is placed and paid for, grab a seat and your meal will be delivered shortly.

The menu at Café de Paris is comprised on omelets, salads, sandwiches, and quesadillas (yes, quesadillas in a French restaurant). You can also choose a half and half combo consisting of your choice of 2 of the following: soup, salad or sandwich. It appears breakfast is served all day or at least through the lunch hour.

Cafe de Paris Quiche Lorraine

As it had been many, many months since I had had quiche, I ordered the quiche of the day- Quiche Lorraine and the soup of the day – Lobster Bisque. We also sampled the chicken salad sandwich melt. My cohorts and I were starved (we had skipped breakfast) and I was a bit concerned that the quiche Lorraine and the chicken salad melt weren’t going to sustain us for very long, but I remained satisfied well into the evening hours.

In my experience, true French food tends to be very rich but served in small portions, so the diner doesn’t feel gluttonous, and Café de Paris was no exception. My cup of soup and the small piece of quiche was served with a side of fruit, a welcome change from the normal carb fest at most other lunch spots.

Cafe de Paris Chicken Salad Sandwich Melt

My Quiche Lorraine was decent and had a fair offering of ingredients – ham, spinach and swiss cheese. But sandwiches are the real winner here. I sampled the chicken salad melt and it was divine. I’m a chicken salad addict myself, but the melt, served on thick toasted slightly sweet wheat bread was excellent. It had a slight lemon flavoring in it as well, which added another dimension of flavor.

I had the chance to sample all three of the featured soups that day: Lobster Bisque (which came with my meal), Tomato Basil and Lemon Artichoke. I felt the bisque was decent but a tad too sweet and creamy. I prefer my bisque to be a little more spicy as opposed to sweet.

“The Lemon Artichoke soup is what we are known for”, which the owner / manager, Jim (I only caught his first name) proudly extolled as he set the soup in front of me. It is definitely a bold flavor. It was not like anything I’d ever tasted before.

Cafe de Paris Lemon Artichoke Soup

And, to be honest, on the first sip, I didn’t care for it, as both the lemon and artichoke flavor is extremely strong, but it actually grew on me and I was loving it by the end. While in line, I heard 2 customers talking about it as well with polar opposite opinions, so it appears to be one of those dishes you either love or hate.

Café de Paris is open from 8 am until 9 pm every day but Sunday, when they close at 3 pm. The café also has dinner entrees like Steak au Poivre, Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto and Shrimp Carbonara all priced at under $14. Lunches are around $8.

Service was pleasant and quick. The majority of customers look like soccer moms out to lunch with their girlfriends, in between shopping and errand running. Although the atmosphere lends itself to the Parisian-style long, leisurely lunch, with the quick service it is possible to get in and out within your lunch hour. So, if you work in area, Café de Paris should be on your short list of lunch spots, a definite escape from the ordinary.

1100 Johnson Ferry Rd
Marietta, GA 30068
770 977-4945
Website