Latino SuperMarket + Deeelovely Eats in Catalina

Hapeville treats abound… here’s where my dad says his Delta buddies go when they want some super authentic Mexican. In this little old town Hapeville, Georgia south of Atlanta by about 20 minutes near Hartsfield International Airport there is a grocery store -slash- eatery. It’s able to boast food just as good as we Atlantans would find on Buford Hwy. So lets say you get tired of the crowds and feel like going somewhere just as authentic but more homey… try Catalina! Here’s what we got:

Bean and Cheese Burrito Plate (mom and dad)

2 Beef Tacos (individual)

Beef Rib Plate (Sister, doesn’t eat pork, so no beans for her either)

Beef Huarache (Me!, sold individual)

I know you’re saying to yourself how did a family of four order all this food and manage to get full … well we did, but that’s because this place means no BS! Chips n’ Salsa are free! And it came with two different sauces. One tasted like some sort of mildly ripe avocado dip that was then pureed and made soupy… I know that sounds kinda crazy but it was GOOOOD. And super spicy! The other was what tasted like dark roasted chili peppers made into a sauce, slightly milder and a little bitter, also kinda crazy sounding but pretty dang good too, and different! The chips were freshly fried so they were hot! Super corny and wonderful. 

They also instantly plopped down four little bowls of soup also complementary! It was really good. It actually reminded me of Creole butter beans but much soupier in a light broth. We asked her what kind of bean it was and she said “white bean”. So that non specific description left things to the imagination but we thought maybe it was white kidney since that’s what they looked like. They were so soft but still whole. And it was delicious (which I attribute to the bits of soft pork sausage floating around in it). Between the chips, dips, and soup I had to stop so I wouldn’t get full before my meal.   

All “plates” came with side items like beans and rice, lettuce, salsa fresca, dollops of quacamole, sour cream, and or crèma ..And these beans were also white beans, refried! Not the normal pintos everyone’s used to, different but delicious.  The tacos were sold individually but for $1.50 you’d be happy to purchase them by themselves too! Soft corn tortillas piled high with crispy fried, marinated steak; they are certainly fantastic. 

My sister’s rib plate was interesting, reminded me of Korean ribs; the ribs were cut across the bone in thin strips like bacon! More marinade, more browning I’ll take it. Her plate also had cactus, which I’d have to say may take a little getting used to. Not the taste, but the texture: soft but crunchy to the bite, kind of like a tangy squash, and a little slimy on the way down. Doesn’t sound too appetizing to some (the slimy part) but its still pretty tasty and worth trying for sure if you haven’t ever. Her plate also came with pan fried peppers and onions, mmm.

Mom and dad keeping it simple got the bean burrito, which was served as a plate with beans and rice and side fixins. How could something so simple still taste so dang good! Garlicky, pork stocky beans, with gooey melty cheese, in large soft flour tortilla! All surrounded in a fortifying “side fixin” fortress of goodness.. and so cheap. (they shared the 2 beef steak tacos).

Finally, I had a Huarache. Man oh man do I love me some Huaraches! They are like a taco but instead of a thin flour or corn tortilla it’s like a thick corn cake laid out like a tortilla. Crispy on the outside; soft and chewy on the inside. (like sopes but different shape) Everything is piled high on top including most of your “side fixins”; the lettuce, crema, salsa fresca.

Aaand par for the course… I forgot to take a picture of it. I was so excited about eating that I forgot. So you can put that under your “Again?! She sure is a bad blogger” tab, OR! You can be positive and take that as a sign. “The food is soooo good you forget all your responsibilities, entranced in a tizzy of food ecstasy!” So in the meantime, enjoy this loving happiness...

Even better they have a traveling Mariachi Band! Pay for a song and you’re on your way to another recession vacation. The best part, all that food was $24 bucks… Buford Hwy, I think you may have a little competition!

Catalina Super Market

4110 Old Dixie Hwy

Hapeville, GA 30354

Phone: (404) 608-1653

Burmese Beef and Potato Curry... A recession journey to the Exotic!

Okay yall so for starters, lets just put the definition of a curry out there before you begin.

Curry (IPA: /ˈkʌri/) is a generic description used throughout European and American culture to describe a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in South Asian cuisines, especially Indian cuisine. Curry is a generic term and although there is no one specific attribute that marks a dish as "curry", some distinctive spices used in many curry dishes include turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper. The word curry is an anglicised version of the Tamil word khari (கறி ),[1] which is usually understood to mean "gravy" or "sauce" rather than "spices" (Wikipedia)

All that to say: this curry is not what Americans are used to when they order a “curry” dish. Curries vary plenty and this one in particular is more like a brown gravy…. But it’s still loverly. Even if you find this one is not what you expected (or more work for what you got in the end) it’s got a little extra “something”, and you can still say you made a traditional Burmese Curry. Who gets to say that, huh? Once you do it you’ll know some of the general process/ingredients to make these dishes, and you’ll see that you can mix and match-- making it how you like it!

P.s. Did you know that traditional Thai Curry is NOT vegetarian, how else did you think they got it to taste so damn good? Why you ask? Shrimp or Fish paste! If you purchase some pre-packaged Thai Curry that says its Vegetarian, double check the package. If you have it at a restaurant ask your server if there is a veggie option…

Anyway, this comes to us from a cookbook that I was super excited about finding, but a little intimidated to use because many of the ingredients are foreign. BUT! That was the point. You know when you go out and find a cookbook with Asian recipes? You know how they are usually dumbed down for American consumption? Yeah. No thanks. I found a rather in depth cookbook, with tons of recipes AND! They are from many regions of Asia with explanations, definitions, preparation, equivalents, and substitutions. Countries including: India + Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia + Laos, Vietnam, The Philippines, China, Korea, and Japan. Awesome. It’s called, “The Complete Asian Cookbook” by Charmaine Solomon, first published in 1976, and in 1992 in the U.S. There are pictures too for many of the recipes so I say start simple and have no fear!

Here’s what you need (all spices can be found at the Dekalb Farmer’s Market for cheap):

1 ½ beef (preferably flank or if you’re looking for cheaper, sirloin. Usually if you see meat labeled as “stir fry” at the grocery, it’s some type of sirloin and is cheaper because it’s precut --loosing good juices, and tougher in general-- it’s good to tenderize it with your mallet just for general purposes, so just do it anyway k?)

2 medium sized potatoes (12 oz)

2 large Onions

5 large garlic cloves

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp hot chili powder, or fresh chili depending on how hot you’d like it. (be careful, read the heat chart!)

8 tbsp light sesame oil or corn oil

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

2 cups water

Food Processor

Large Heavy frying pan

Microplane Grater

Cooking Mallet

*Special notes: Generic Asian sesame oil you find in the grocery is usually the dark stuff. If you are using this trade every tsp of dark sesame for the other oil you’re using. Example 4 tsp dark sesame oil + 4 tsp veg or corn oil for this recipe.

Tenderize your meat with a mallet. If you’re ghetto, or gave it away because you couldn’t figure out what the hell “that thing” was, you can use a hammer (hahah). A tip for this would be to remember to take a little saran wrap to wrap it up in before you pound… keeps your kitchen from looking like a crime scene under black lights… ew.

If not already in strips or pieces cut up your steak and then rub in the coriander, and cumin, it can sit in the meantime.

On a separate or thoroughly washed board, take your onion and garlic, and rough chop for the food processor. Then process it into a paste.

Take a small nub or 2 of ginger peel it with a peeler to get rid of the skin and grate it with a microplane grater or if you don’t have one you’ll have to settle for a tiny chop. Add that to the food processor. You want the mixture to be mush. Now add in the turmeric and hot chili powder, just mix in with a spoon. (know that if you just get generic labeled “chili powder” its not going to be hot)

While doing the onion mix you can chop up your potatoes into cubes too..

The aromatic part!

Take your oil, and put it on high in a pan (you need it hot, but you want to be sure to get to it before it smokes or gets too rippley, or popping--- don’t start a fire---. Have a top ready as a shield just incase. Put in your Onion mixture, hold up the pan cover just incase- hopefully you’ll watch your oil closely and won’t have much too violent of a sizzle.

Turn the heat down a little after the initial rough sizzle, and watch it mixing frequently but covered to keep in as much moisture as possible. If it starts to stick or burn add water to just moisten and stir. Let this cook for at least 15 minutes. This is step one of the traditional Burmese Curry and according to the book is very important. This is how you get rid of some of the strength and mellow the flavor to the point of the right consistency. I’d say just be sure to watch it. The book mentions watching for the oil to collect around the edges, but I wasn’t too sure what I was looking for so I just made sure it didn’t burn and stayed moist without being soupy. By the end it was kinda like a thick moist paste.

The book says to fry down the meat with the mixture in the pan before adding 2 cups of water, but I decided it might be safer to remove the paste, fry the meat and then add it back since I wanted to be sure to get a crust on the beeves without worrying about the paste burning!

Good tips: Can’t figure out why your beef was giggly last time; OR what happened to the good brown crust and gravy??

Well here’s why… when you fry meat you need to use cooking oil aka a “fat” or a fat; (traditional Burmese says no animal fat, btw) so in this case oil—a “fat”! You also need to get rid of any excess water on the meat, so if it came in contact with water, blot it with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. This is what creates that loverly brown crust when combined with a high heat! So without splattering yourself add the meat before the oil pops but is “moving” nicely. Let it sit and when it is crusted it will unstuck itself! Bet you didn’t know that… obviously watch it so it doesn’t burn, duh. After you’ve gotten it to where you have a good crust to your liking, add back the onion mixture paste you removed earlier, pour in your water, and scrape up the good brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Put in your chopped potatoes, and cover! Maybe about 15 minutes will do the trick. Your sauce will thicken and brown, and your potatoes will be soft soon so just check to be sure. I added a couple sliced white mushrooms just because I had them. Couldn’t hurt right. And as with many good Asian dishes, I made some jasmine rice to go with it. Berry Berry Good. Thank You for this intro the exotic Mrs. Charmaine!

Pps… I actually made some Mustard Greens to go with this. Kind of my own mixed up version of the Saravanna Bhavan entry. Maybe we’ll save that one for next time!

Ice Crea-- I mean, Kulfi anyone?

I’m sure you have most of this in your pantry. Here’s a simple yet exotic dessert from the Mid East I recently learned about. It’s like Ice cream. Enjoy!

Here’s what you need:

1 ¼ cup evaporated milk (about 1 can)

1 ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk (about 1 can)

6 slices white bread broken into pieces

¼ tsp cardamom powder

2 tsp pistachio chopped fine

1pint heavy whipping cream

Sugar

Spatula

Blender or Food processor

Small Jello or Popsicle molds, or glass pyrex type Baking Dish (8 or 9 inch)

Mixer

So, the recipe for this just called for a regular sized tub of cool whip. But if you have the tools I REALLY don’t see the point in wasting your money on crap cool whip if you can make whipped cream yourself. It’s so easy!!!!!!!  Seriously, if you have a mixer (even hand held cake beaters, or emersion blender) it will take you just as long to whip it yourself as it will to open the top off the crap stuff… Get a pint of heavy whipping cream and open it, set the mixer on a medium setting and pour in the cream slowly but steadily while adding a small hand full or two of sugar; taste before adding the second handful. Crank it up to high after it’s all poured in and watch it fluff up. You’re done when you have stiff peaks. It doesn’t take long, maybe a couple minutes. You’ll know when you’ve got “whipped cream” instead of whipping cream!

Anyway, Combine your evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream, and bread pieces in a blender or food processor. (if you use the food processor you may want to take it easy to keep some of the bits of bread larger depending on what you like… “creamy ice cream with chewy bits vs simple creamy ice cream”)

Stop the blend/processing, chuck in the pistachio bits and blend a little more.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish/jello mold/popsicle molds (whatever you’ve chosen), and sprinkle another little bit of pistachio bits on top along with the cardomom. Be sure to spread the cardomom out evenly to distribute the spice!

This recipe actually calls for ½ tsp of cardomom powder but I suggest you try ¼ first and add more if you wish, later—the more you add the more it will taste like a ginger snap. All you have to do now is freeze over night. When you’re ready to enjoy just sit it out for a short while to let it get a little soft and enjoy. Refreeze if you have left over’s (like ice cream!)

Artsy Works... oh the fun of boredom, cheers!

Saucy, Sassy, *SAUCED!*

I think I should have titled this one “How to feel swanky in 3.5 seconds” or maybe “It’s the Bee’s Knees.” Because between the décor and food I felt like I was given some pretty awesome rose-colored glasses; at least to wear for about an hour.

This lovely establishment is the newest creation of Ria the owner of Grant Park’s Ria’s Blue Bird Café. Having had much success with “Blue Bird” I assume she was just ready for something new.  Blue Bird is open mostly for breakfast/lunch hours with a few fun exceptions from time to time and it’s full of local flare and good eats like Carmelized Banana Pancakes, and the Southwest Tofu Scramble. I have to say although some hate the idea, I love that a restaurant will have only a small menu and focus on how to make those few things the BEST POSSIBLE. Even the “No substitutions” sign; I’m totally a fan when properly executed. Both Sauced and Blue Bird are set up this way and guess what? I don’t mind one bit, because the food and experience at both comes from someone who, in my opinion, has given total thought to what’s on the menu.

With that said, I’d also like to mention that I’m totally impressed and here’s why. The simple fact is that normally I can’t stand that many Atlanta eateries will take an edible known as a simple food, find a way to call it exotic, and then overcharge you for it without changing it or tweaking it even a little. So, how do you take something like a collard green and make it worth hard earned money? Here’s how. Turn them into a creative southern food version of Dolmas with dates and brown rice… but then, here’s the best part: at the same time, make me feel that my moolah is well spent. That’s most of the frustration for me-- you can’t expect me to pay $20 for a bowl of red beans and rice just because you put the words “New Orleans Style” on the menu. (I know how much it costs to feed a family of 10 for a week on red beans and rice; Grandma was the budget Queen).

Take that same red bean and make ice cream out of it… the first time I saw that so many moons ago I had to take a second look. Growing up eating red beans meant hot, spicy, savory, and delicious but they were a must on the economic wealth scale in the state of Louisiana; a proud poor man tradition. To find out another culture turned that same food into a cold, creamy sweet, well that was impressive.

Besides the creative menu full of worthy yet affordably priced dining, drinks, and snacks; even the feel of my visit to Sauced really was something I hadn’t experienced in a while. What with most of us feeling the effects of this fun economic recession, even going on a nice date could end up on the chopping block.  But this meal was different. It was a little swanky, a little boozy, a little southern, but all over the map, and generally “Feel Good with a little Sass”. My entree left me thinking, “Well that was different than my usual dinner choices, but man do I wish I could fit in some more of that!”

The staff were all dressed up and looking dapper, very polite, and informative but you didn’t feel like you were paying for a shirt and tie or pretty napkins. Even the artwork takes me back to one of my favorite movies of all time (my own personal nostalgia), with a pink elephant mural on the wall. It just feels fun in there! My imagination predicted that next time I might play along and wear a small shoulder fur with a matching hat… just so I could fling it off when I randomly found card game at the next table. But I digress…

The good stuff; here’s what we ordered.

Appetizers:
“Sticky Fingers- Sauced 3 ways, choice of 3 skewers- Georgia White Shrimp, Farm Raised Chicken, Crispy Nauga bone”

We tried one of each skewer. Pretty dang tasty with all the fun sauces including: aioli, and sesame! The nauga bone was little chunks of crispy fried Seitan.

“Rosemary skewered chicken livers- grilled with rustic fennel apple jam and brioche” (on the Right)

My favorite; mainly because sometimes I’m a werewolf. Creamy iron-y salty grilled bites of liver that you can swirl around in sweet apple-y fennel-y goodness. Can’t go wrong with the sweet + salty combo on my end. I’m very much a “buttered popcorn and peanut M&Ms in one giant bite” kinda girl. mmmmm

Entrees:

“Guinness braised short rib wellington with mushroom duxelle, Colman’s mustard paint, house demi, brussels sprouts”

This one I tried mostly because before I ordered it we had a mini discussion on whatever the hell Beef Wellington actually was. Assuming ignorantly, I decided it was some British stew like Mutton or something and I guess I wasn’t too far off. But it actually started off as a pastry! (a meat pastry that is….) It came as a flaky pastry sitting on a slightly larger circle of brown gravy, and when you took a knife to it thick stewed beef came pouring out. 

Shredded, wonderous, gravy laden beeves….WOW. To accompany, it came with a side of simply roasted brussels sprouts and being the sulfurous veggie lover that I am. I give it thumbs up.

“Tony Luke’s chicken breaded cutlet with garlic rapini, sharp provolone, over spicy red sauce, with roasted fingerlings”

The boyfriend picked this one since Tony Luke’s is a widely known Philadelphia staple, selling various foods including many sandwiches, phillys, hoagies; but really just about everything: hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.  The Gorilla is from Philly… his family likes to go for the Pork Sandwiches… and they are pretty YUM but that’s a side note for the credibility of the cutlet! It was a breaded chicken cutlet smothered in spicy tomato sauce and a little garlic-y rapini (broccoli raab) piled on top. Fingerling potatoes were on the side; roasted.

Cocktail:

“Blue Moon-hendricks gin, fresh squeezed lemon juice, crème de violet”

This was a pleasant surprise. The drink menu really looked delicious. After wanting to try them all, the waitress pointed out that the caffeine and sugar in the “Speedball” might keep me up (it was 10pm!) so, I went to the next best thing. How tantalizing… Crème de Violet… That sounded amazing. (Grandma also kept violet candy in her purse regularly so it was a familiar deliciousness.) Out came a cocktail big enough for two; half in a martini glass, half in an iced orb as a refill. I was happily buzzed up after the first couple sips. Why? Two reasons. A) I’m a lightweight, and B) IT WAS POTENT. Even better, the drink was so flavorful and the booze was so nice that it wasn’t at all like licking a bandaid. It was more like a violet flavored rainbow in my mouth. mmmm.

Boyfriend had a beer, but I was so focused on ordering chicken livers that I didn’t pay attention to the name. Guess that makes me a bad critic. But the beer he chose was right up my alley as well. Dark, Creamy, Chocolatey, and Potent.

Really I think you could probably put on a blindfold or let the staff order for you and you’d be pleasantly pleased all the same. You don’t have to like chicken livers to have a great time there. Just go get drunk, it will make you have a good time whether you think you will, or not! And, hey if you wanna dress up, do it! I’m sure Ria will appreciate your enthusiasm ;-)

http://www.saucedatlanta.com

753 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 688 - 6553

A Little Editorial Time-Out...

It’s pretty important for me to step back and mention that for the most part (and in my opinion) the review portions of this blog have focused on fun places worth investigation that are deserving of your time and money; full of charm, and local flare despite where they might be. Growing up in New Orleans for the first 10 years of my life, and then suburbs of Atlanta for next 8 really shaped the way that I feel about some of my most favorite things, i.e. food, and culture. Let’s just say moving to Peachtree City, GA (golf cart land) gave me the ability to see what life was like outside of that sticky warm bubble, but it was also like a swift push into the pool in the middle of December. I now have the ability to appreciate the good bits I find along the way in a second home that at first had no clue what Really-Knowing-Your-Neighbors, or SALT was.

So, you're welcome and Enjoy.

Saravanaa Bhavan

I swear it must have been the universe trying to tell me something for at least a week… So, my sister is married to a man of Middle Eastern decent, and his family cooks some of the best Indian food this side of the globe and fortunate enough for me I get to eat it often! I also tend to get many awesome recommendations through the grapevine with all the festivities that go on, and I’m lucky enough to live close to an area of town that has many Middle Eastern shops and restaurants. 

So at random my sister mentions this amazing restaurant that her family goes to often, then in the same week 2 other people mention the same restaurant! My cousin Collette comes into town and the universe himself says, “Go YEE and eat at thine Indian Restaurant”. So we do.  ;-)

I’d say most people (me included) get excited by dishes like Lamb Biriyani, or Prawns with Rice, or some delicious Curry with Chicken, but not at this restaurant… for it-ith be-ith Vegetarian-ith!  And despite that moniker, it did indeed prove to be AMAZING. After going I blabbered all about it to my boyfriend who promptly replied with an unimpressed response. He is definitely a meat and pasta kind of GORILLA, and he actually loves a good Indian dish, but sorry for him with this he will sorely be missing out due to his own prejudice. So maybe I will be able to convince all of you to try it out.

First of all the place was packed with Indian families (always a good sign), second of all it was just simply PACKED, and this place is huge. That’s a lot of eating going on. Must be good right? A man greeted Collette’s sister Michelle with a big smile welcoming her back and started cracking little polite jokes. He showed us to our table and she immediately smiled at us saying that she comes multiple times a week; apparently this is going to be deeeelicious… here’s what we got:

“Gobi Masala” – Spicy Cauliflower / onion + Indian Spices (a recommendation from my sister)

“Palak Paneer” – Cottage cheese cooked with spinach seasoned with Indian herbs

“Chappathi” – a thin soft whole wheat bread served with daily differing sauces to dip in. And,

“Onion Masala Dosa” Thin rice + lentil crepe filled with potato + onions

Thinking we probably weren’t ordering enough food I kept the menu just incase it wasn’t enough for the three of us. The scarf rate was incredible. My first bite was of the Chappathi. It came with two accompaniments. One was what appeared to be eggplant in a brown curry, and the other was a potato and onion mixture, kinda looking like potato salad but not. Both were fantastic- differing versions of tangy and salty. The chappathi was thin but dense and thick to the bite if that makes sense. You’d never know without reading the description; that this thing was “whole wheat” or at least the taste is nothing similar to the “crunchy grainy whole wheat” Americans often experience.

Next they brought the Onion Masala Dosa. This was a GIANT triangle puff. The crepe was basically this monstrously large, super thin crepe that was folded over a couple times into a still huge triangle. In the middle was the potato and onion mix I mentioned before.

It came with three dipping sauces: the green was some sort of peppery veggie salsa, the red was a tomato dip sauce, and the white was what looked like some sort of cottage cheese mix. It was sooooo good. Beside the fact that it was all so pretty, we couldn’t stop ourselves from attempting to clean the plates once we started.

The main courses were the Gobi Masala (cauliflower) and the Palak Paneer (spinach). These came out in small little metal bowls along with rice. We didn’t specify any particular type so it just automatically came with white rice. And I have to say seeing that it all fit on a third plate, I thought for sure that we would need more food after all.

Tucking into those little bowls of stewy goodness was so dramatic that we realized after a little while that no one was talking. They were perfect. The cauliflower was spicy and just steamed enough to make it not too mushy and not too firm. The Spinach was a lot like the dish called “Saag”. My ignorant guess might be that the name either changes by region or because it was made with cream cheese; who knows, and who cares… it’s worth every penny.

Despite my big eyed behavior, by the end I was surprisingly so full that I thought I might have to roll myself out of the booth. But this was the best part. You know when you get so full after a meal that you feel you need to “roll yourself away from the table” but its doubled with that “weighty- sinking at the bottom of your belly” pain, that makes you wish you hadn’t done that… Well the second part of that usual combo wasn’t there! It was truly amazing and EVEN BETTER! was that I didn’t feel in any way shape or form that I had just eaten an entirely vegetarian meal. My sister said it best. She said, “I’d be a vegetarian for sure if I was able to eat every meal there.”

Even the dessert was good.. Already knowing some desserts within the culture through my sister, I was aware of the fact that they tend to be very milky, perfumy, or sweet. So i tried what looked to be safe -- when it came out it was a little cup with 3 little balls of fried dough swimming in what tasted like a sweet honey mixture of some sort. Talk about yum. And to cleanse her pallet, my cousin Collette simply got a milky little tea. Both were slightly perfumy but so different and so good that i'd be sure to have them again next time I go. The moral of this whole story I guess is "Have no fear."

A lot of the time with American vegetarian meals those of us who may be trying to eat “better” feel that we are having to sacrifice, as if we had a plate with steak, potato, and corn and someone at the table just stole the steak right off your plate. With this restaurant there are so many flavors and everything is still so thick, creamy, and satisfying that you are basically fooled! Everyone should at least try it once. Let the good people at Saravanaa Bhavan pull that wool right over your eyes, you’ll be thanking me later.

 

2179 Lawrenceville Highway
Decatur, GA 30033-4303
(404) 636-4400