How to Make a Great Pizza Quickly

I stopped by the Decatur Organic Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning to see what looked good that I might grab up for supper. I was intrigued by the booth that sold Middle Eastern baked goods. The naan flat bread looked particularly wonderful so I bought a package of whole wheat naan that contained four 12” size disks of soft and fragrant flat bread. Wondering around I managed to fill my tote bag with other goodies – a package of hot Italian sausage, nice wedges of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses from the cheese man; some luscious strawberries from Ben Mealor’s farm, and a bunch of super fresh arugula. Later that evening when we got hungry it was time to figure out how to use all the goods I procured. I looked at the naan and decided it would be perfect as a pizza crust — and luckily it was a perfect fit for my pizza pan. I removed the casings from one of the sausage links and sautéed it up until all pink was gone. I had some cherry tomatoes languishing that needed to be used so I sliced all of them up, tossed them with some salt and some of my fresh oregano from my herb pot. I scattered the tomatoes over the naan, then the sausage, then the cheeses that I quickly grated. Into the oven at 450 F for about 8 minutes produced a wonderful pie – crisp dough and melting cheese. I adorned it with some of the fresh arugula and we feasted. Fresh strawberries for dessert were heavenly.  I can always find wonderful foods for creating great meals at our organic farmer’s markets. You can visit on Wednesday evenings from4:00–6:00at the corner of Church and Commerce streets or Saturdays from8:00 amuntilnoononMcDonough Streetin front of the high school.    

Persian Comfort Food

 

Lamb kabob with saffron rice

There is a dinner table scene in the old cult movie, “Breaking Away” that I just love and think about when someone is afraid to try a new or foreign food. 

Dad: What is this?

Mom: It’s sautéed zucchini

Dad: I don’t want to I-tey food.

Mom: It’s not. I got it at the A&P. It’s like …squash.

Dad: No I know I-tey food when hear it! It’s all them “eenie” foods — zucchini, and linguine, and fettuccine. I want some American food. I want French fries!

So if you are not afraid of  “eenie” foods, you just might love COLBEH, the new Persian Kitchen and Bar on theDecatur square, next door to Brick Store Pub (www.ColbehKitchen.com). No, it’s not Italian, but it is definitely not French fries. 

 I fell in love with the comfortable décor, the fresh and bold tastes, and the friendly owners and staff. Owner, Syrus Rahimi, along with his two sons and wife have created a very welcoming ambience. He says he wanted to keep the food authentic so he hired seasoned Persian cooks. The menu is very well rounded and easy to understand — but the choosing is hard with so many tempting selections. I thought the food tasted impeccably fresh, nicely seasoned, was expertly cooked, and beautifully presented. There is nothing pretentious or scary at COLBEH- it’s is comfortable and good. The wine list is nicely sourced, with selections that enhance the flavors in the foods. The restaurant seems very well run and attests to the owners experience in the food service industry.         

 The first thing that arrives at the table is a basket of warm and puffy homemade flat bread and a plate with butter, chunks of feta cheese, radishes, and a tangle of fresh herbs. Pull pieces of the bread apart and stuff it with some of the cheese and herbs along with tastes of your appetizer or entrée. We started one of our visits with the “Triple Dipper” which is a choice of three of the starters served with more of that wonderful bread. Of the four apps I tried so far, my favorite starter is the “kashk badenjan” – a sautéed and pureed eggplant dip. I’ve enjoyed the shrimp and chicken kabobs — tender and nicely grilled — but I am in love with the lamb kabob. The lamb is flavorfully marinated and the tender meat is grilled to perfection. Half skewers allow you to mix and match to create a kabob platter to your liking. Add some basmati and you have a great meal.

Three stews with sour cherry rice

 

The menu is nicely curated. There is a choice or two soups or two salads to whet your appetite. Pair one of the five different rice dishes with one of the half kabobs to design your own meal. Or you can choose one of the creative entree preparations of poultry, beef, lamb, and seafood. Most of the meat choices are  charbroiled with a few being slow cooked. The “Persian Stews” are the comfort food I’m talking about – three varieties to try (and I did) – the combination platter allowed me small bowls of each. The “Ghormeh Sabzi” was a rich amalgamation of herbs, sirloin tips, lemon, beans, and seasoning – and might be my favorite – today anyway.  I didn’t get to dessert at either visit. But I am willing to go back and try again.

Sneak Peek: Colbeh Persian Kitchen

Today I got the chance to peek into the very-soon-to-be-open Colbeh Persian Kitchen and Bar (located in the former Zucca space). I noticed the door was open as I was walking to lunch, so I kind of just let myself in and asked if I could take a few photos. There was a friendly guy setting up the bar. He said that they were planning on having a couple of soft openings this week.

I didn’t want to intrude too much so I just stayed long enough to take these shots. The space looks great:

I can’t wait to see the menu.

If you haven’t done so already, make sure to visit the Colbeh Kitchen website and like the Facebook page.

Cozee Tea’s is Open on E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

I’ve been meaning to write this post ever since Cozee Tea’s opened up a few weeks ago on E. Ponce de Leon Ave. (in the same row of shops as Subway, McKinney’s Apothecary and Natural Body and Spa).

With all of our coffee shops (hello Dancing Goats, Java Monkey, Kavarna and Starbucks!), it’s surprising that this is Decatur’s first tea shop. Don’t get me wrong, I know Decaturites love their coffee, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of tea-lovers within our four square miles.

It’s not rare to see someone order a cuppa at one of our fine dining establishments. I’ve witnessed it happening at Duck’s Cosmic Kitchen, Cakes & Ale and even Brick Store Pub! That’s enough scientific evidence for me to think Decatur warrants its own tea shop.

If a cup of hot tea isn’t your thing, Cozee Tea’s also serves bubble tea, iced tea, smoothies and free wifi. Well, it doesn’t so much serve free wifi as it offers it – great for those of us who want a quiet place to curl up with a beverage and a laptop/tablet.

Cozee Tea’s also sells loose leaf teas as you can sort of see in my blurry photo below:

And here’s one of the best parts of the shop:

A fireplace! Of course, you won’t be needing to sit by a roaring fire in the upcoming months, but even an unlit fireplace creates a cozy atmosphere that’s perfect for studying, reading, people watching, and tea drinking.

Cozee Tea’s
225 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Suite 130
Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-2110
www.cozeeteas.com

Decatur City Dance Presents Swinging Night of Tap

There is just something fun about tap dancing – whether you are dancing or watching.  I can’t help but smile and tap my toes along with the beat.

Thanks to Decatur City Dance for providing the opportunity to see the 12th Annual Swinging Night of Tap on Saturday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. or Sunday, March 18 at p.m.  Performances will be held in the Uhry Theatre at Druid Hills High School.

According to the press release, the show runs about two hours and is guaranteed to entertain audiences of all ages with a wide variety of dance and music styles.   I have had the pleasure of seeing these dancers perform and they are great.  The choreography promises to be accessible and fun.  Tap your way over to Druid Hills this week-end and enjoy!

For more information call 404-378-3388.

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County & I Love A Raffle

 

This could be one you might want to tell your grandchildren someday that you saw in a small room at the top of the stairs.

On April 4th, Atlanta’s Alliance Theater presents the world premier of The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. Book by Stephen King, music by John Mellencamp, musical production by T Bone Burnette, directed by Susan V. Booth. My head is spinning.

Even better, there’s a Decatur tie-in. On Tuesday nights leading up to the world premier, you can hear the musician-actors from Ghosts at Eddie’s Attic.

Here’s how Eddie describes it:

DARKLAND COUNTY TUESDAYS      The Alliance Theatre’s upcoming production, GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY, features a blues and roots tinged score with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp and book by Stephen King. To accomplish what has been described as a “ghost story/rock concert mashup,” the actors in the cast must be true musicians. Eddie’s Attic is excited to partner with the Alliance Theatre to bring these talented actor/musician hybrids to our stage. Our audience has the opportunity to see artists from the show and hear a glimpse of the King/Mellencamp production at Eddie’s in the weeks leading up to the premiere of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County at the Alliance on April 4.

 

So we have southern gothic, we have blues, we have a ghost story by Mr. King of ghost stories. What more could you want?

A raffle, of course.

If you purchase advance tickets for a “Darkland County Tuesday” show, you’ll be automatically entered into a raffle to win a 4-pack of tickets to the world-premiere of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. Winners will be announced every Tuesday.

 

I’ll be at Eddie’s on March 13th; the show continues on March 20th and March 27th. Hope to see you there. Afterwards. To walk me to my car.

 

 

Rabbit Tales and Francine Reed in Decatur on Sunday

Sunday, February 26 promises to be a day full of activities in the City of Decatur and the musical options range from opera to the blues with plenty of tasty town fare and shopping inbetween.

The Atlanta Opera is bringing a  community performance of Rabbit Tales, a world premiere Atlanta Opera Commisison for the 2011-2012 season to the Decatur High School Performing Arts Auditorium at 3 p.m.

Based on the Br’er Rabbit stories by Joel Chandler Harris, the production is a contemporary, light-hearted opera that combines several story lines from Native American, African and Cajun Folklore.  Rabbit Tales is written and composed by Atlanta-based local artists.  Click here to purchase tickets.

After that, plan to head over to Eddie’s Attic for Francine Reed’s annual Black History Month Performance especially for Decatur.  Francine has been a part of Decatur’s Black History celebration since its inception.

Thanks to Decatur’s Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson Francine comes back year after year to sing her heart out for Decatur.  There are two shows – 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and the tickets are a mere $20 – an awesome price for a special show!

While you are here, check out some of our fabulous restaurants and see why we were chosen as one of Southern Living’s Top Ten Tastiest Towns in the South.  If you are still feeling like you need some more culture, stop by The Seen Gallery and take a look at their newly opened show Voyages featuring paintings by Vickie Martin.