WORDS and PHOTO Brent Rosen
Year in review lists are subjective as hell, the worst sort of navel gazing, and invariably start arguments, both about the reviewer and the reviews. That’s what makes them so great. With the December chill in the air, it felt like the right time to talk about some of the best things I ate this year. Without further introduction, the list of my best bites in Montgomery 2013:
Bruschetta at Midtown Pizza Kitchen, 2940 Zelda Rd (334) 395-0080
Butter up and toast some delicious bread. Cover it in halved cherry tomatoes, small diced onions, shaved parmesan cheese, a chiffonade of basil and some good, sweet, reduced balsamic vinegar. What you have is the best “salad” course I ate in Montgomery this year. The flavors are a perfect balance of acidity and fat, sweet with a hint of sour, crispy bread, juicy tomatoes, just the right amount of onion to wake everything up. An appetizer for a large group, a hearty lunch for an individual, this dish is one of the few I crave once it’s been absent from my life for too long.
Mixed Fried Chicken at Davis Café, 518 N Decatur St (334) 264-6015
Fried chicken makes me feel guilty. All of that fat, all of those calories, the afternoon ruining gut-punch of an overdose of fried chicken at lunch. But the fried chicken at Davis Café makes the guilt worth it. Crispy, perfectly seasoned skin - not too hot, not too salty - gives way to the juiciest fried chicken I’ve ever eaten with almost no resistance. Normally I opt for all dark meat, but even the breasts at Davis Cafe are moist, flavorful, and worth a try. Montgomery has a heap of meat and three places, but Davis Café’s fried chicken elevates it to the top. I try to eat lunch there every couple of weeks just to make sure the chicken isn’t some sort of mirage.
Crab Cakes at Central, 129 Coosa Street (334) 517-1155
There are two kinds of crab cakes, good and bad. The bad kind are the bready, sort of mealy, too heavily fried, and lacking in much actual crab variety. The good kind are crab-studded, limitedly breaded, red-pepper accented and sautéed. Central definitely serves the good kind of crab cakes. They are plump crab cakes, perfectly sautéed with just enough breading to hold everything together. The last time I ate them, the cakes were served on a bed of sweet corn with peppers, onions, and a light sauce - enough to flavor the dish without overwhelming the subtleness of the crab. Central changes up the menu frequently, so when you see crab cakes, order them.
Spicy Fried Rice with Shrimp at Green Papaya, 409 Coliseum Blvd (334) 395-7654
Green Papaya shares a strip shopping mall with Eastbrook Flea Market, and like Eastbrook, Green Papaya offers unexpected surprises one would not expect from its exterior. I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t like at Green Papaya, but the spicy basil rice with shrimp stands out among all of the great dishes they serve. It took a couple of visits before I trusted the place enough to order the shrimp, and I cannot emphasize enough how good a decision that was. The shrimp at Green Papaya are fresh, huge and excellently prepared. They mix in with the rice like croutons on a salad - sweet, salty, beautiful croutons. I order the dish medium spicy with a side of sriracha, but I usually don’t end up needing much extra spice. The dish is pretty much perfect straight from the kitchen.
Chicken Skins at True, 503 Cloverdale Rd (334) 356-3814
Chef Wesley is going to be pissed about this one. I know he prides himself on his creativity, use of local ingredients, and his deconstruction and reconstruction of classic dishes. I know he would rather see his escargot, his chilled vegetables, his tomato salad here. Sorry pal, but the chicken skins are one of the best things I’ve eaten this year, anywhere. The intensity of the chicken flavor, the smoky heat of the hot sauce, the snap-crunchiness, the ranch to cool everything down before the next bite. You have something magical in those chicken skins. Celebrate it.
Arepas at D’Road Café, 6250 Atlanta Hwy (334) 356-1563
D’road café serves the Latin American food I love. Beans, rice, plantains, shredded meats, light cheeses, and peppers abound. The arepa is a cake of ground maize flower, stuffed with meats, rices, vegetables and cheeses. The version at D’road café that I love comes with shredded pork and rice with a mix of salsa and sour cream. The corn cake soaks up all of the pork and rice juices, the salsa and sour cream add even more flavor, and there is no beating the texture: it’s like a burrito, but somehow softer yet more substantial. The arepa at D’road café makes you wonder how our ancestors got on with ham sandwiches and mayonnaise.