REDBIRD!

The occasion: my husband's birthday

The date: September 2019

We wanted to try a new restaurant for my husband's birthday, and all were so excited to go to try Redbird!

REDBIRD

1198 Howell Mill Road,

Atlanta, GA 30318

404-900-5172 

info@redbirdatl.com

Located on Howell Mill where the old Bacchanalia used to be, it's owned and operated by (formerly at Watershed) Chef Zeb Stevenson and Ross Jones.  Their philosophy (in their words) is “free spirited cuisine, a thoughtful and open-hearted way of cooking where anything is possible. It is based on instinct, integrity and staying loyal to using only the best ingredients...let the ingredients drive the cooking, use great technique and keep things simple."

We were very much looking forward to trying Redbird!  A photo with birthday boy:

Entering Redbird's front door:

 

We entered the restaurant and were immediately warmly greeted by a hostess.  She walked us to our table, and we were presented with the day's menu:

 The tableware:

 We started with a few small plates.  The chickpea flatbread topped with hummus - we liked but didn't love this dish.  The flatbread had an odd texture, and it became soggy quickly.  The hummus was very good though.

The heirloom tomatoes to share: = we all enjoyed this dish.  I'm a devotee (obsessed really) of heirloom tomatoes, so we had to get this one.  But the flavors were very good and all tasted very fresh.  I did have to add salt however.

 Chicken liver mousse with a mustard and jam accompaniment - we all loved this appetizer.  Again, the mousse needed a bit of salt added in my opinion, but it was yummy!

Mussels with homemade potato chips - these were good too!  The mussels were well prepared and the broth that they came in was delish - only issue was that we wanted bread to soak up the broth!

 Bad pic, but these were spicy almonds:

 We all enjoyed the appetizers and finally decided on entrees and sides.  The grilled okra over buttermilk with crispy shallots was a hit:

 I shared my entree with my daughter - delicious shrimp with grilled bread to sop up the yummy broth:

 Swiss chard and mushrooms were to die for:

Roasted chicken legs with olives, lemon and garlic sauce were fantastic:

 My son in law's butcher steak in a black pepper steak sauce was (he said) very very good:

Dessert was a decadent chocolate mousse pie topped with fresh blueberries.  It was fabulous!

 Happy husband and Dad!

And they presented us with a gift for the birthday boy - a pie that tasted like creme brûlée - so so good!

We all had a fabulous evening!

Redbird was a very fun dining experience.  The atmosphere is fun and casual - industrial chic.  It was very loud due to the crowds and high ceilings, but it wasn't oppressive.  Our server was knowledgable and attentive.  And the food was fresh and good.

ASHEVILLE DINING: LIMONES

We were back in NC with family members and snagged a reservation at Limones!  The restaurant has been on our radar for some time now, but for whatever reason we've been unable to make it work to get there.

LIMONES

13 Eagle Street

Asheville, NC 

28801

It's an upscale Mexican restaurant.  The owner/chef Hugo Ramirez is from Mexico City, and he has created an inventive delicious menu based on fresh ingredients with tantalizing flavors.

Limones is located in downtown Asheville - a brief walk away from Wicked Weed brewery, Curate, Rhubarb and the AC Hotel.  We parked in a public parking deck across the street and meandered over to the restaurant on a gorgeous June evening:

 We were seated immediately and given menus:

 Anthony greeted us as our server and we quickly started with drink selecting!  My "Coconut Margarita" with pineapple juice was to die for:

 Stevie's beer selection was delicious:

And my husband's Mango Margarita was our favorite with a chili rub:

We then chose a tuna ceviche that was outstanding:

And the 3 cheese chili releno appetizer was crazy good!  There wasn't a drop left of this one!

 Entree choices were Halibut for me and my Dad.  It had a "Vietnamese Sauce" that was delicious, and the halibut was cooked perfectly.

 Stevie went with the pork tacos - so so good!  They were served with great charo beans, guacamole, pickled cucumber, and a wonderful "salsa mocha" which is made by frying dried chipotle chiles in olive oil, along with garlic cloves.  So fabulous!

 My husband chose the beef tenderloin that was topped with a killer onion jam, and it too was cooked to perfection.

AND the filet came with decadent lobster mac and cheese which was really great.

None of us had any room for dessert, but IF we had been able to, we would have gotten the bread pudding.  Sounded amazing.

They brought out dense dark chocolates laced with chili powder with our bill.  Nice touch and delectable too.

We all had a fabulous time at Limones!  The atmosphere is cozy and inviting and feels like you are in a cafe in Europe with high ceilings and interesting artwork throughout.  But the food!  It was outstanding, and we will be back for sure!

HAYWOOD COMMON = ASHEVILLE, NC

We had the rare opportunity to dine in Asheville with my brother and sister-in-law.  They flew in from FL, and we met them at Haywood Common (since we both wanted to try a new spot).

HAYWOOD COMMON

507 Haywood Rd

Asheville, NC

We arrived at the restaurant and had to park a bit of a walk away, so be aware of that.  We were still on time and were seated immediately upon arrival.  Our fantastic server took drink orders and brought out boiled peanuts and some picked veggies to nosh on while we waited for the others.

Specials are listed on a chalkboard and butcher paper.

Plants on each table.

Super casual but fun atmosphere:

Pickled veggies:

Boiled peanuts

We ordered the soup special (a chicken vegetable and bean concoction) that was OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Served with perhaps the best grilled cheese sandwich ever!

Cobb Salad
Local lettuce, goat cheese, roasted beets, bacon, hard-boiled egg, avocado, Bragg's vinaigrette. I had them add chicken (thighs I believe) doused in Buffalo sauce.  It was killer!

Trout Reuben
Lightly cured and smoked trout or crispy smoked tofu, house-made sauerkraut, gruyere cheese, arugula, Cajun remoulade on rye bread.
My brother got this dish and it was crazy good!  The pics don't do it justice.  He substituted sour dough for the rye but each bite was a burst of flavor!

Tuna Poke Bowl
Seaweed salad, pickled radish, carrot, avocado, coconut lime rice, sriracha lime sauce.
This dish is usually my "go-to" - I love tuna poke!  My sister-in-law loved it, and this dish is probably what I'd order if I come back.  It was crazy good!

Handmade Fettuccine with Grilled Shrimp
Handmade fettuccine noodles, creamy pesto, capers, local mushrooms, kale, rehydrated sundried tomatoes.
My husband got this dish and we were all raving about it!  SO SO GOOD!

We had a ball at Haywood Common!  It was such a fun atmosphere to have dinner and catch up with our relatives.  The food though!  And our server was so nice and helpful and attentive.  Pretty much everything you want in a restaurant.  And bonus - there is absolutely no pretension here (unlike some other hipster AVL spots that make you feel like you are lucky to be there).  Can't wait to go back!

CUCINA 24 - ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

We were in Asheville again this past weekend, and we decided to try a restaurant there that we'd not been to before: Cucina 24.  The restaurant has been on many top 10 lists, and it is located right on Wall Street in downtown Asheville.

CUCINA 24

24 Wall Street

Asheville, NC

828-254-6170

Cucina 24 had been on our radar for some time, but we either couldn't get a reservation when we wanted one or made alternate plans.  But we were excited to FINALLY be going.

We arrived for an early dinner around 6:30pm, and the place was half full.  But in no time it was bustling.  The entire bar was covered up with people eating dinner there that weren't able to get a reservation ahead of time.

We were seated at a 2 top table and presented with menus.

Our server Aubry arrived shortly thereafter and explained the menu to us.  Everything is fresh - they make their own pastas and all the vegetables come from a farm 15 minutes away.  You can order ala carte or have their tasting menu (see below) for $48 per person.  That's what we decided to go with:

And the wine menu is a little daunting in that it is entirely in Italian.  I decided that since the menu was a seasonal Spring menu, we'd go with an Italian Rose:

We sipped our rose and noshed on some thin tall breadsticks that were on the table (and were delicious btw).

Then after a bit our food began arriving.  

First up was the asparagus.  It was cooked quickly and served with a soft egg, a salsa verde made with fresh ramps (like scallions) and sautéed crunchy garlic was atop.  The dish was outstanding.

Next up was a carrot display.  I've never raved about carrots, but OMG!  These were in a brown butter (probably I'd eat absolutely ANYTHING if it's in brown butter!).  They were not over cooked, and there was an apple vinegar there that gave each bite a kick. SO GOOD!

The next nosh was a tuna crudo.  I'm not sure, but this dish might have been my favorite.  I love tuna crudo, but this one was over the top served with blood orange segments.  On top of it all was a fresh nasturtium that gave it another little level of flavor.  We were sad it was only a few bites!

The next dish was delish as well.  It was grilled bread served alongside stracciatella cheese with fresh peas and drizzled with olive oil.  The dish was topped with fresh mint.  It was the perfect Spring tribute dish!

The last of the appetizers or starters was the "salad".  It was fresh greens (assorted) with a fresh anchovy dressing (basically a mild version of a caesar dressing).  It was fresh and delicious.  We left nary a morsel!

Then came the two pasta dishes.  The first one was "little hats" or cappaletti pasta with ramps, marscapone and lemon.  The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente and the combination of flavors again = SPRING!  Fabulous!

The second pasta dish was this one below.  Two different fettuccini sized pastas with fave beans and fresh kale blossoms.  It was light and flavorful.   We loved it!

Then came our entrees.  These were the only things we had to decide on the tasting menu.  My husband went with the pork ribeye and WOW!  It was soaked in milk then served with peas, crumbled focaccia, almonds, and mint.  Fabulous!

I went with the tuna.  This dish was superb!  Perfectly seared tuna served with fresh chokeberry juice (jus) that was just "in season" - broccoli, knotweed and golden raisins.  Incredibly good.

Finally, our dessert.  I'm not one to normally be able to even fathom eating dessert but this one was perfection.  An olive oil gelato drizzled with strawberry juice.  Fresh South Carolina strawberries tossed in sugar and crunchy chocolate and hazelnut cookies.  It was just the right amount and every bite was better than the last.

We LOVED Cucina 24!  The food just is above and beyond some of the best we've had in Asheville (and that's saying A LOT).  And a note about the tasting menu: these dishes were so carefully thought out.  We left feeling full but not stuffed and miserable.  Each course was small so that you didn't get over-stuffed, but you were also able to get enough of a taste to enjoy each one.  Bravo!

I can't wait to go back!