A short "miss me?" and The Buckhead Diner

Writing this blog has been a thrill and a joy. Deciding what to write about has been relatively easy. Often there are several blog ideas waiting in the wings. If I've had any challenge it has been finding enough time.

So realizing that I'd hit a wall and couldn't write a word was a cold hard shock. I'd heard people talk about writer's block. Now I had it too. And right before the Holidays when the food world would be juicy with goings on.

What's a blogger to do? How should a foodie cope? The answer came quickly and that's what I did. I recharged by going out to eat and doing a whole lot of cooking. Now I have restaurants to review and recipes to share.

First up?

The nice people from The Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, which owns Buckhead Diner, invited several of us blogger folk for lunch. The purpose was to introduce their new menu and show off freshly scrubbed decor.

The most successful restaurants learn to sway with the wind and update to the times without loosing their original style and Buckhead Diner has found that magic in spades. They have managed to reinvent themselves, look shiny and new without loosing the deco flair that first made them popular.

The meal we enjoyed was gorgeous and the Buckhead Diner is as classy now as it was when it opened (in 1987).

Chef  Charles Schwab out did himself. The food was fresh, clean, beautiful to look at.... each plate a crafted testament to the Chef's talent and his carefully sourced ingredients. Some of the food shows off serious Top Chef talent, while other dishes are delightfully updated retro fun.

Pimento Cheese Fritters

These were my favorites. Crispy 2 bite pimento cheese fritters with  pimento jelly. Imagine deep fried oozy pimento cheese melting over your tongue with a little dash of sweet spicy goo. A royal performance for such a lowly cheese.

Mini Corn Muffins

Nothing says lovin like something warm from the oven and these tiny corny corn studded muffins melted my heart along with lots of sweet butter. Yum, yum, yum.

Ceviche Day Boat

One of the things Chef Charles does best is show case fresh ingredients. He demonstrates a mature restraint and knows when to let the integrity and taste of beautiful food speak for itself. There is no Chef ego here. Just a skilled director who can stand aside and smile while his ingredients take the stage. This is readily apparent in the Peruvian inspired Ceviche we tasted. The menu described the seafood as pristine and that is exactly what it is. A melange of the choicest seafood morsels delicately tossed with fresh corn, mango, shallot.

Does the idea of combining bananas, white chocolate, custard and whipped cream appeal to you? Especially when it's topped with more shaved chocolate and tucked into a light flaky crust? Welcome to Buckhead Diner's "famous" James Beard award winning pie. I will let the picture say the rest.

Award Winning White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Summertime Chili

Look at this beautiful chard...isn't it pretty?

I find it nearly impossible to visit a summer farmer's market and resist the gorgeous arrays of produce. I always come home with more than I need and then spend the rest of the day trashing my kitchen as I cook and prepare it all before that freshly picked goodnessness is lost.

But my repertoire of great warm weather recipes are getting boring as summer dances on and I use them over and over. I wanted something new today so I made something up. I'm calling it Summertime Chili and wow was it good!

 My Summertime Chili

serves 4

Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut in large dice
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 generous rounded tablespoons chili seasoning (see below)
1/2  tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar

http://www.bocaburger.com/

1/2 package of Boca crumbles
1 can of your favorite beans---low salt if available----well rinsed and drained. (I used cannellini, the red color matched the chard)
2 large (or 3 medium) roughly chopped Roma tomatoes (include skin and seeds) 
1 cup fresh unsalted tomato sauce
1 cup unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
2 cobs of fresh corn grilled, ‘corn milk’ and corn kernels scraped off. Break cobs in 1/2 and reserve.
1/2  red, green or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1” cubes
1 small cubanel pepper cut in 1” cubes
3 stalks of red chard, stems removed and sliced, greens cut in half lengthwise, rolled and cut into chiffonade 
1 small zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 disc (1.5 oz) Ibarra Mexican Chocolate      

In a 3 quart pot set over medium heat, sauté onions in 2-3 TBS extra virgin olive oil until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.  Add oregano, cumin, chili powder and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients (including the cobs) except the zucchini and chard greens. Bring to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chard greens & zucchini, stir and simmer a further 15 minutes.

Remove cobs and serve with dollops of sour cream and thinly sliced green onions.

CHILI SEASONING

3 dried Ancho peppers, stemmed and seeded

2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons whole coriander
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chili powder

Put everything in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the chilis have softened, about 3 minutes. Put the spices into a spice mill or food processor and grind until they are powdered. Makes about ½ cup. Store tightly covered in a cool dry place