Ecco Emerges from the Haze

When Lady Steakhead lived in Midtown a couple of years ago, the building on the corner of Cypress and 7th was a grey cinderblock nightclub called Haze. A crumbling hotel sat across the street. Today, the Spire, a gleaming glass high-rise, now sits across the street. And in the place of Haze is Ecco, the latest entry by the Fifth Group restaurants.

Ecco has been on our list for sometime, partly because we remember how this area used to look a short time ago. And with this being Midtown Restaurant Week, this was a perfect excuse to have a date night.

The day was filled with highs and lows. First the lows, I learned this was the last weekend for McCray’s in its current location. Damn, I really liked that bar. Once of the few great hangout bars in Midtown- really reminded me of NYC. Then a high- we discovered the new Midtown location of Marlow’s Tavern. This will take McCray’s place. In fact, I’m meeting a fellow Mets fan there tonight before heading down to the Ted.

But, as this blog is primarily about food, let’s get on to the main course, our dinner at Ecco. I want to give Ecco a lot of credit for giving a great selection of their regular menu for restaurant week. They didn’t cut portion sizes of the entrees, and even included an entrée that normally sells for $24. For appetizers, I went with the Mussels (the only dish on the Restaurant Week menu that is not the normal size), while LS went with the fried goat cheese with honey. I’m not a huge goat cheese fan, but this was pretty good- the cheese, pepper and honey created a nice blend of sweet and spice. I was happy to see one of the entrée choices was the chili-braised pork with pappardelle. The pork was very tender, and the red chili sauce had a good little kick to it. The wife’s choice of the braised lamb was good, but she thought a little too heavy for the time of year. My dessert was one of the oddest I have ever had- an olive oil poundcake with rosemary ice cream. And it tasted exactly like it sounds- sort of like salad dressing cookies with garlic bread ice cream. Like I said, odd.

The service was very good and the place was packed, probably due to Restaurant Week. It’s nice to see continued development of Midtown, especially off Peachtree St. This was an area you may have been nervous to walk at night several years ago. Now, it’s a destination restaurant in the shadow of Midtown high-rise living. Very cool to see.

Steakhead Recommends: Definitely for Restaurant Week
Price: $$

A Slice of NY Heaven at Capozzi’s

One of my biggest pet peeves about Atlanta has been the lack of decent New York-style pizza. As good as the Atlanta dining scene can be, there are a few staples from home- namely pizza and Italian subs- where I find most of the options completely unsatisfying. Well, I may have found the answer to one of those cravings.

I was turned on to Capozzi’s NY Pizza & Pasta by a co-worker who makes a special trip from Decatur all the way to this East Cobb joint located on Roswell Rd. just east of the intersection with Johnson Ferry. Lady Steakhead and I went Sunday night and it was a bustling scene. This place looks like a New York neighborhood joint (and the main wall is adorned with pictures of the Manhattan skyline, to drive the point home). The kitchen and the counter is in the front as you walk in, with a narrow strip of tables extending toward the back of the restaurant. The place was almost completely full when we arrived at 6pm, and as you can imagine, is quite child-friendly.

I ordered two slices of pepperoni and onion, and did the traditional fold (Lady Steakhead doesn’t understand this practice). Pepperonis generously covered the entire slice, and yet were not overpowering. Furthermore, this may have been the least greasy pepperoni pizza I have had in Atlanta. I gobbled down my two slices with great gusto, and still had room to try some of the wife’s Penne Bolognese. This bowl of pasta is massive, and provided enough food for her and Baby Steakhead (and the occasional forkful stolen by yours truly), and there was still enough to take home for dinner tonight.

And here is the kicker for the evening- two entrees, an appetizer of cheese garlic bread, one glass of chianti and a bottle of Sam Adams only cost $27! Since Capozzi’s is only about 5 miles from the house, it is primed to takeover as favorite pizza for takeout. Ippolito’s may still be the favorite for dining in, based solely on atmosphere. But make no mistake, the food and prices at Capozzi’s kick the pants off of Ipp’s.

Steakhead Recommends: Is there better NY-style pizza in Atlanta? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Prices: $

August Appears to be Restaurant Month in Atlanta

I hope you are all finding ways to stay cool these days. With temps threatening to hit the century mark here in Atlanta over the next few days, I will admit that eating a big meal somewhere doesn't have that much appeal. But maybe a good bargain will help.

Over the next few weeks, both Downtown AND Midtown will host their 2007 Restaurant Week events. You all probably know the drill at the point- $25 gets you a three course meal at many participating restaurants. First up is Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week from August 13-19. Participating restaurants include Azio, Dailey's, FAB, Ray's in the City and many others. I am looking forward to checking out the new Luckie Food Lounge. For more information, you can visit http://www.atlantadowntown.com/HavingFun_RestaurantWeek.asp.

After a week off, you can head over to Midtown Restaurant Week from August 26th - September 1. Their restaurant list is a little more intriguing including the new Geisha House, Food Studio, the Globe, the Bob Amick Numbers, as well as others. Information for Midtown can be found at http://atlanta.about.com/od/foodanddrink/a/midtownrestweek.htm.

These events are definitely a good opportunity to check out some of the finer restaurants in the city of Atlanta. You may not get the full menu, or the typical serving sizes, but you will get a good feel of the restaurants, and at $25, you can't really go wrong.

Stay cool and Happy Eating!!