The only thing that would have made this dinner better is if it had actually been in Costa Rica.
Last week I attended my 3rd Push Start Kitchen dinner. In case you missed my previous write-ups, Push Start Kitchen is an Underground Supper run by Atlanta native Zach Meloy and his wife, Christina. This supper club is their way to generate buzz in hopes of pushing a restaurant start here in Atlanta.
I’m pretty sure Zach is going to quit letting me come after a while, but I now have a nickname… that must be worth something.
Why I Keep Coming Back:
- Flavors: they are thoughtful and unique – the combinations are not seen anywhere else in Atlanta
- Freshness: All of the ingredients are purchased locally the week of the dinner
- Environment: dinner is laid back – no need to get glammed up or make a production over it
- New friends: I love the opportunity to share a meal with 10 people I don’t know
Preachin’ and Pourin’
As Zach so eloquently put it:
You shouldn’t have to deal with assholes to have a really good meal.
Zach and his wife just returned from a trip to Chris’ hometown of Alajuela, Costa Rica. This particular feast was inspired by their travels.
As usual, we began with an amuse. This time it was a cream cheese spread topped with pepper jelly and black sea salt. Sweet and spicy is my favorite flavor combo, so I was thrilled with this dip. The slight crunch from the salt flakes on top was a nice touch as well.
This was served along with a cocktail worthy of the chilly evening – hot cider with rum, ginger liquor, and a lemon wedge.
I’ll be making this one at home!
The appetizer was good, but I was particularly fascinated by the dish it was served in.
Zack brought these mini tins back from his recent trip to Costa Rica.
Caution: don’t open your lid until it’s time. Otherwise, you run the risk of a ninja chop to your exposed, defenseless neck.
The tins held a sort of deconstructed salad he called “Ensalada de Palmito.” The salad consisted of hearts of palm, charred onion, cucumber, shaved manchego, puffed rice with Indian spices, and a lemon mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise isn’t my favorite, but overall the textures were fun together. I particularly enjoyed the charred onions; they were slightly pureed and went really well with the manchego.
All day long I looked forward to the main dish. Zach (@PushStartCook) spend the afternoon taunting his Twitter followers with messages like:
Beef cheek “olla de carne” has already been going for an hour and boy, does the house smell good. Can’t wait to share.
The dish was titled “Ollo de Carne.” It was a slow-cooked beef cheek, heirloom carrots, chayote squash, green plantain, blue potato, and cilantro emulsion.
Once everyone had received a plate (ladies first – a very nice touch), Zach circled the table to pour Caldo de res (beef broth) over the veggies in each person’s bowl.
Again, the flavor combination was spot-on. That beef cheek was so tender you didn’t even need a knife. The cilantro emulsion swirled up in the broth; the herb-y flavor was just what was needed to bring the dish together. Can you believe how BLUE that potato was?
As delicious as everything was, dessert stole the show. Tres Leches. In case you aren’t familiar with this dish it a Latin dessert consisting of a sponge cake soaked in 3 milks – evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream (yeah… it’s a health food). It is often served with rum poured over the top.
Zach served a shot of rum on the side, giving us the option to pour it over or shoot sip it. Also on the dish were black tapioca balls in a coffee syrup.
This was literally the best Tres Leches I have ever had. I’m picky about dessert and I don’t give credit where it isn’t due. This was even better than the one from Tierra cited in Creative Loafing’s 100 Dishes to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die. (Note: sadly, Tierra has since closed.)
In talking to Zach about this dish, he casually mentioned it was the first time he’s ever made Tres Leches. I’m thinking he must have been a pastry chef in his last life.
We finished the meal with the traditional almond-coated candy and cordial moonshine.
In case you missed my other Push Start Write-Ups:
- Push Start #1 – the one with my favorite entrée
- Push Start #2 – the one with my favorite appetizer
***
Betcha can’t guess where I was again last night… yep, another dinner.
Is there a restaurant you go to so much they know you when you walk in?
If you could quit you and do anything – money no object – what would you do? I’d own a restaurant!
Love the presentation and variety of the foods – what a fun night!
You always do such fun stuff foodie wise! I love it!
You are such a foodie! I wish I did all of these cool things 🙂
wow!this looks like such a fun meal!!!! and i loved your post title 🙂
I consistently look forward to your posts…you always present the best and most unique looking stuff! What a great meal again lady )
You just made my day! Thank you. 🙂
Hah! The ninja chop picture is awesome 😀
If I could do anything with money no object I would move to Italy and eat all the Italian food I wanted. Since money is no object, I obviously don’t have to work and can hike all of the beautiful landscapes whenever I want just so I can go back and eat more. Let’s not forget all the wine that would be enjoyed. Oh how sweet it would be . . .
You and me both. Let’s make a deal – who ever wins the lotto first has to take the other along. 🙂
Yay for moonshine – one of my current favorites! What flavors were in the one you had with dessert? I love the concept of these underground dinners – great way to build a following of loyal diners before even opening your doors (and generate a buzz). So cool!
If I could do anything it would be something travel related – I want someone to pay me to travel, eat , take pictures, and write about it. That would be amazing! 🙂
He’s done a variety. This one was honey. My favorite so far has been the berry. I should ask about an apple pie flavor! And you should come to one of these!
Mmm…berry! I would love to come, but it might be tricky for me since he cooks a set dinner for everyone. Probably not many options without meat, eggs, and dairy. =)
You and all of your fun events are so inspiring. I need to get out more!
And if I could do anything, I think I’d own a cafe.
Let me know when you’re in town – we could go to one!
Everything looks great! And I can’t believe how blue that potato is! I’ve never seen anything like it =)
Have a wonderful weekend!
I had hot cider with rum (minus the green liquor) in Asheville and it was delicious.
I’m more than a little jealous of your Asheville trip. Loved your recap! 🙂
It would be so cool to open a restuarant.. I think I would open a cafe or a coffee shop!
I am so jealous everytime I read these posts. This is just the coolest idea, and you must be the cool kid on the block to get to go to all of these dinners…either that or there are a bunch of people that think you need to eat more (skinny mini).
Candy and moonshine, you just can’t beat that combination, no matter how fantastic the dessert was.
LOL! Whatever it takes to get them to keep feeding me. 😉
Oh man, that looks amazingly delicious! 🙂 We have a Latin bakery in Cleveland that makes the most amazing tres leches cake, and also coconut flan. Mmmmm.
Coconut flan sounds amazing!
I so wish that I had a place like this near me. We have nothing even close to being similar.
http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
I am so jealous of your constant amazeballs food intake! So freakin’ awesome!! 🙂
These sound like my kind of people! Travellers, food lovers, wicked quip-ers….. please let me come next time (I’ve never had Tres Leches cake). Or, you know, mid-next-year maybe….
That place looks great! We don’t have somewhere where they know us..but if there were a place that I wish was like that, it’d be my favorite Thai place here.
I’d definitely own a bakery if failure/money wasn’t an issue!!
Sadly SLC is lacking in enjoyable adventurous dining experiences like this.