Let's take a first look at this quasi fancy pants joint by the JCT et al people. I'm not a fan of all their restos but "Italian" cuisine is pretty easy to execute well no matter how long they have been opened. A lot of their restos are more places to see and be seen, people can care less what's on their plates, that's just for conversation... You know, it's the more aesthetic than substance kinda joint. The space got a nice bright make over but still a lot of Blue Pointe's vibe remains intact. This place was not high on my list of new openings but when a couple of friends wanted to go... Who am I to say no to food?
Salt Cod Beignets. I lurv fried shit in the shape of balls and this didn't disappoint. The saltiness of the cod was spot on, not too much and not too little. Very nice.
Burrata. Nice and creamy, not too shabby.
Chilled Oysters. Not too bad... But oysters are such a ripoff in this town at places like this. Go to Kimball House for their oyster "happy (2) hours" during the weeknights for some great oysters.
Cobia Tartare. Pretty fresh and texture was firm. It had a nice bite to them. The chips were low rent.
Ravioli. Apple, mascarpone, lobster. This was just sloppy looking... Almost like some old cow's wrinkly vag with herpes on it. The raviolis were decent tasting but what disappointed was the chintzy lobster bits sprinkled on top, along with the amount of raviolis on the plate. Maybe four? Who can tell in that mess.
Hen of the Woods Mushroom Risotto. Even though we didn't order this (ordered the cockle risotto), this risotto was pretty much spot on. Woody, earthy and tasty.
Cockle Risotto. The server fixed the problem and got this order in but this risotto was awful. Sitting in a pool of olive oil, rice was mushy, there were cockle shells to be seen but only 3 tiny pinky nail size cockles to be had, the chorizo tasted like premium SPAM (not that there is anything wrong with SPAM). How did the shroom risotto turned out so major league and this came out like some little league gag.
Skate Wing "Milanese". I guess the quotes mean it's kinda like Milanese because this was more Asian with the panko crust. You don't find skate wing prepared in this style on many menus because most restos know that skate wing is delicate and delicious enough alone and pan fried with a light dusting of seasoned Wondra, but pan fried with bread crumbs that was nearly burnt didn't give it that flavor explosion I was seeking. At least separate the two pieces before breading. Another decent piece of skate wing wasted.
Triggerfish. Nice looking piece of fish, great color on the sear but it was a bit overcooked and dry from finishing it off in the oven a tad too long. The wood roasted calamari didn't taste like it was and seemed microwaved by the texture. Coulda been a nice dish, almost.
Brussels Sprouts. Hey, it's b-sprouts, it's always tasty. If a resto in the south can't get this right, time to close shop because no one has time for you to work out the kinks on brussels sprouts.
Cavolo Nero (black kale), soft baked egg. Not a bad side dish but the "soft" egg had this harden shell over the yolk like it has been sitting out for awhile. Yeah, not a good sign of cook to order. The black kale was gimmicky but passable.
The appetizers were better than the mains... Especially, execution wise. Some of the dishes seemed like they were cooked way in advanced and reheated. It's an old resto trick that even high priced places like this seem to still can't kick the habit of. You may trick most of the people most of the time but you can't trick the pouch any time. The service was attentive but semi oblivious... Like with entering in the wrong risotto when we were her only table. The other really amusing faux pas is that they don't have a "spirits menu", just a wine menu according to the server (I guess she missed that day of training). I opened the "wine menu" and boom, there was a list of booze page after page (stay away from the specialty cocktails on the food menu, I learned the hard way).
The place still needs work (like with most of their restos it's more style than substance) but maybe in a few months they can cook a proper sunnyside up egg (I have confidence they will)... Or they can always turn it into a tapas bar. But in the mean time, go ahead and swill away at the bar, you can't screw up booze from a bottle. Well... Just don't ask if they have a liquor list, just point and grunt as if you were in a foreign country.
3455 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 554-9995
http://stceciliaatl.com/
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