Wednesday, October 11, 2017

DOUBLE ZERO: 10/17

After getting rave reviews from my daughter and son-in-law, I HAD to go sample Double Zero!

The restaurant is located in the Emory area of Atlanta and is part of the Castellucci Hospitality Group (Iberian Pig, Cooks & Soldiers, Sugo....).

DOUBLE ZERO

EMORY VILLAGE
1577 North Decatur Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30307
404 991 3666

When you arrive at the location there is street parking and also free valet parking.  We valeted and quickly entered the restaurant.

We were greeted by a hostess who promptly seated us and gave us our menus.  We were there at 6:30pm on a Tuesday, and there were only 2 other patrons at that time.  However, before we left an hour plus later it was roughly 3/4 full.




Our waiter arrived and gave us a bit of background on the restaurant (telling us there are a number of small plates that are ideal for sharing) and took our drink orders.

Our server was knowledgeable and friendly (although there were several times where it seemed to take a while to get things - like a drink that had been ordered. Not sure if it was the bar that was slow that evening or not, but it happened a few times). He was unobtrusive, but knew the menu items and was helpful.

We went with wines and they were delicious.  I ordered a Rioja and they were out, but our server suggested another French wine and it was a very good substitute.  They do have a nice selection and tout that on their website.

The menu is "inspired by the regional cuisine of southern Italy and features traditional Neapolitan Pizza, fresh handmade pasta, and a number of Italian classics reinterpreted and served in a small plate format." There were so many choices that looked and sounded amazing that it was a bit hard to decide.

Since 2 of us had already been once to the restaurant we decided to sample things that they had not already tried.

Here's what we sampled:

We shared the Grilled Kale Salad - absolutely fabulous!

GRILLED KALE
arugula, radish, fennel, ricotta salata, roasted garlic vinaigrette, gremolata

Then they brought out the brisket arancini - decadent little fried balls of deliciousness with a ridiculously wonderful honey truffle aioli.
SMOKED BRISKET ARANCINI
smoked brisket, cheddar, mushroom, honey truffle aioli

In an attempt to be healthy, we ordered the cauliflower small plate.  The cauliflower was great, but that spiced yogurt sauce!!! I could've eaten a bowl of it!
CAULIFLOWER
spiced yogurt, bagna cauda, Marcona almonds
On to the main courses - I shared the pork bolognese with my daughter, and I was glad I did.  It was just enough (after enjoying the small plates).  It was as outstanding as any pasta I ate in Italy a few years back.  Perfectly cooked tagliatelle and out of this world bolognese!

TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE
Heritage pork bolognese, gremolata, Grana Padano
Another pic of the tagliatelle with a flash:
My husband sampled the orecchiette - there wasn't a crumb left....
It tasted so fresh with the broccolini and tomatoes, but that grant padano foam (and a touch of fresh parmesan) = OH MY GOD!

ORECCHIETTE E SALSICCIA
spicy sausage, broccolini, Grana Padano foam, tomato, Marcona almond


And my son-in-law tried the lamb cannelloni.  He said it was amazing and that the fennel jam was over the top great!

LAMB CANNELLONI
red pepper, nduja, bechamel, gremolata, fennel jam
Normally I am not a dessert person, but our server described a few specials, and we were sold.  I HAD to try the Butterscotch parfait though, and it did not disappoint:


It's topped with a granola bar crust:
Then ooey gooey butterscotch is inside.  SO GOOD:
But the Mac Daddy dessert special was a chocolate truffle creation with dark chocolate:
As you can see, we were scraping the bowl:

A few pics of our evening:

Entering the restaurant:

The view of the kitchen from our table:

The hostess stand with the bar and wine tasting area in the background:

Walking away from the restaurant in the Emory Hills area:



We were celebrating the closing of our daughter and new son-in-law's new home nearby.  Cheers to new beginnings!  AND - now they know they have a FABULOUS restaurant to head to that's close!

We had a wonderful evening with some delicious food.  The atmosphere is fun and casual, and the service was good - we felt welcomed.  Can't wait to come back for a wine tasting and to sample more of their menu items.