Southern Treats

That’s what we get every time we dine at the Feed Store, our favorite south-side restaurant. The other night was no different, it was a real treat. First off we were dining with good friends we had not seen in a few years. John and Rhonda live on St. Simons Island where they own and operate Blackwater Grill. Second treat, all the amuse buse Cooper, the chef at Feed Store plies us with every time we go. Last night we were treated to Deviled Eggs with two different fillings, smoked filled bowls with a deconstructed BLT, and fake sushi. This chef, Cooper, loves to play with his food and it shows.

OK, I think the first thing he sent out was a deconstructed BLT. I remember a nice slice of pork belly, I remember it rested on a small fried green tomato with house smoked mayo. This was good and it was also totally from left field, this is how it was served. Cooper took the ingredient’s and placed them in an over-sized bowl, he then covers the bowl with plastic wrap, but before he seals it he uses a little device and blows smoke into the bowl. Cherry wood smoke I think it was. He then lets it sit in the refrig for while. When they are served, the plastic wrap is cut open and out pours the smoke and the deconstructed BLT is perfectly seasoned by the smoke.

Next he served us deviled eggs. These are popping up everywhere fine southern food is being served. These eggs had been stuffed with either duck confit or a dried tomato concoction. Both were great.

Next it was fake sushi. What he did was cut a pear to look like a piece of white fish and on that he laid a piece of Sweet Grass Dairy goat cheese and then topped that with beet pearls that looked just like roe. I think I got the beet pearls right, he may call them something else, but it was beet juice, that in some mad scientist sorta way he rendered into tiny, perfectly round pellets.

This was all really good stuff and our dinner companions were blown away with the presentations. Not to mention it all tasted great as well.

We then ordered entrees and continued to be blown away by the quality of and the imagination put into this meal. If you live in the Atlanta metro area and haven’t yet supped at the Feed Store, your stupid.