Feedbag - European Vacation
An evening at Cafe Intermezzo feels like a getaway
I practically lived at Café Intermezzo in my early 20s. My friends and I all had fantasies of living in shabby Paris apartments and drinking absinthe like Rimbaud in cafes on the Left Bank. We had to make do with Atlanta. But Intermezzo, with its faux-Euro allure, gave us a thrill. The cigarette-stained walls, the tiny tables and sophisticated cocktails, the horrendous service: It all seemed impossibly chic to us. So we spent way too much time there smoking Camels, drinking sloe gin fizzes and flirting with cute bartenders.
When I stopped in for dinner on a recent Friday night, it had probably been five years since my last visit. Oh, the nostalgia! The violent hiss of the cappuccino maker, the ubiquitous cigarette smoke, the Berlitz tapes playing over speakers in the bathroom; it all brought me back. But as I sat sipping a glass of champagne and pondering the menu, I realized that I had never actually eaten dinner at Intermezzo.
Pastas figure heavily on the menu, with a few oddball dishes (Mexican beef quiche, anyone?) thrown in for good measure. Everything we tried was pretty forgettable. Spanakopita, bite-sized triangles of puff pastry stuffed with spinach and feta, were crisp and savory if a bit greasy. What the menu called crostini was actually closer to bruschetta - toasts topped with diced tomatoes, basil and shredded mozzarella. That appetizer has been way overdone. Until tomatoes are at their best - and they won’t be until summer - skip the crostini.
A Cobb salad seemed a bit dry and lifeless until we asked the server to bring some dressing. A healthy dose of creamy blue cheese livened it up considerably. Tomato-basil linguine tasted like something you’d get at the Olive Garden: limp noodles awash in an acidic white wine sauce with bland chunks of tomato strewn throughout. I thought it wise to save room for dessert.
The dessert case is the star at Intermezzo, after all. There’s a hostess dedicated entirely to describing the 70-odd confections behind the glass to interested (dare I say drooling?) customers. The pastries come from various bakeries around town - Intermezzo won’t say where. But so far I’ve yet to be disappointed. A wedge of white chocolate mousse cake beckoned seductively from behind the glass, layers of delicate cake peeking out from underneath whorls of creamy frosting. It was every bit as decadent as it looked. A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream tempered the intense sweetness of frosting and mousse filling. Eyeing the dessert drink menu, I considered ordering an Irish coffee to go with my pastry, but thought better of it and opted for espresso instead. It was a wise choice - a good rule of thumb to follow at Intermezzo is either a pastry or a dessert coffee; not both. A girl’s got to show a little restraint.
My One and Only One Midtown Kitchen welcomes winemaker Bill Knuttel for a tasting of Dry Creek Vineyard wines on Thurs., March 31. $45 per person. Tasting begins at 7 p.m. 559 Dutch Valley Road. 404-892-4111. www.onemidtownkitchen.com.
For the Love of Wine Most Atlanta Wine Auction events are sold out already, but tickets were still available at press time for two fun events taking place Fri., April 1, at the Insperience Studio in Buckhead.
Dine in true French fashion at a champagne luncheon honoring special guest Mireille Guiliano, president and CEO of Veuve Clicquot Inc., and author of French Women Don’t Get Fat. The three-course lunch will feature recipes from Guiliano’s book prepared by local chefs. Clicquot champagnes will accompany each course. The event begins at 11 a.m. $75 per person.
Next up is the Meritage Blending Challenge from 1:30-3 p.m. Some of the wine industry’s biggest names will demonstrate the art of wine blending. Participants will be split into teams, and each team will create its own blends. The best blend wins a big bottle of current-release Meritage. $50 per person. Proceeds benefit the High Museum of Art. 3232 Peachtree Road. 404-733-5335. www.atlanta-wineauction.org.
Beer Buzz Sat., April 2, marks the 10th anniversary of Red, White & Brew, a beer and food festival benefiting the High Museum. It’s the final event of the High’s weeklong Atlanta Wine Auction. Festivities begin at 7 p.m. under a big tent at Lenox Square. Tickets are $55. 3393 Peachtree Road. 404-733-5000. www.theredwhiteandbrew.com.
Blind Leading the Blind The Atlanta chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food will host a blind wine tasting Sun., April 3, at Cassis in the Grand Hyatt Buckhead. Taste wines and nosh on gourmet tidbits like seared barbecue short ribs, smoked duck breast, cilantro-crusted rack of lamb and grit fritters with hoisin beurre blanc. The evening begins with champagne at 6 p.m.; tastings start at 6:30. Tickets are $40 for AIWF members, $50 for nonmembers. 3300 Peachtree Road. 404-255-6298.??