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grub notes
Familiar Spaces,
WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN AT SQUARE ONE AND
By Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com
DEJA VU: When I first wrote about Square One Fish Co.
(1298 Prince Ave., 706-353-8862), 10 years ago, it was on
Thomas Street downtown, where the Hyatt Place now sits.
What I said boiled down to, “If you figure what to order,
you’ll have a very nice meal,” and that holds true. The same
folks are running the place, so it’s no surprise. They spent
a few months ripping out most of the inside of the P8jM
Army Store in Normaltown,
painting a giant blue octopus i
across its facade and creating ^
a fairly nice interior. There are g
some captain’s chairs scattered m
around, but mostly, it doesn’t
read like a seafood shack, and
the menu prices are on par with
a swankier type of restaurant.
You can expect to pay in the ball
park of $30 for an entree, just
like at Chuck’s Fish, and if you
plan on getting some appetizers
and some drinks, it is not an
inexpensive evening.
Some things are worth the
price. Others are less so. The
“tuna four ways,” which comes
on an octagonal mirror—shades
of Vegas—is fairly underwhelm
ing, elaborate presentation
aside, given that the four ways
(sesame-crusted, poke, black
ened and citrus seared) aren’t all
that different in the execution.
The whole yellowtail snapper
escabeche is better, topped with
a whole mess of spicy pickled
vegetables. It will, however, stare
you in the eye, which you may not like. Pickley stuff is a
common thread and a strength, appearing as a garnish on
many things.
The charcuterie board has some nice stuff on it, but
none of it seems made in house: fat sticks of lox; small,
thin-shaved tangles of bresaola, prosciutto and speck (the
latter is the best); slices of duck; some cheeses; and a jam.
It’s a fun way to eat, but the one at The Expat is better.
Fresh Faces
EDEN’S CAFE
Fried smelts, under the appetizer section, are a delightful
snack, very lightly breaded and well seasoned. You can add
malt vinegar if you want, but they’re so delicate that you
really shouldn’t. The smoked fish dip, made with wahoo,
mahi mahi and amberjack, is possibly the best thing on the
menu, served with buttered, herby toast points that are
both quite bad for you and quite tasty.
The bar has a good selection of beer and some cocktails,
one of which includes Figment kombucha. The restaurant is
open for dinner from 4:30 p.m. daily and does happy hour,
including food specials, from 4-6 p.m. weekdays.
DEJA VU: The building at 1660 W. Broad St. that has been a
vegan restaurant, an ice cream spot, a hot doggery, several
barbecue places, a fried fish joint and a cafe concentrating
on preserved foods is a vegan restaurant once more, with
the opening of Eden’s Cafe (706-850-8501), which bills
itself as a plant-based grab-and-go. The hamburger mural is
still there by the outside seating, but they now refer to it as
a veggie burger, and the boat from the previous tenant also
remains.
Maybe grab-and-go is the right move for a space with
such a small eating area (a few chairs, some outside
benches). Eden’s Cafe doesn’t have a huge selection, but
what it has is fresh, carefully made and ethical, down to
the compostable wrapping on the sandwiches. Everything
except the soup of the day and the hot drinks is in a cooler,
but there’s a panini press available, should you prefer your
tempeh banh mi warmed up.
The falafel can be had better elsewhere in town, but the
kitchen does a nice job with sauces. That banh mi is dressed
with a sriracha maple aioli (made with veganaise), and the
lemon tahini sauce that comes
with the falafel and tabouli is
pretty delightful. The Buddha
noodles (Thai peanut rice noo
dles with squash zoodles, cucum
ber, greens and a Szechuan chili
oil) aren’t as good as they could
be, partially because spiralized
“noodles” are pretty much always
disappointing, but the Plant
Power sandwich (slices of roasted
sweet potato, avocado, wonder
ful pickles, kale and black bean
hummus on hearty multigrain
bread) is really well crafted. Some
of it is mushy, but there’s stuff
that resists your teeth, as well,
and the pickles counteract the
vegetal sweetness of the other
ingredients. There is a good hum
mus plate, too, with roasted gar
lic, sun-dried tomato and spinach
varieties (in order of preference)
alongside the black bean.
Eden’s Cafe does coffee and
tea and has kombucha on tap,
but there are also cold drinks in
the cooler. Desserts, including
a tofu-based chocolate silk pie
(good filling, less good crust) and a nice turmeric-ginger
cookie, and savory baked goods (some scones that could use
a bit longer in the oven) are on the counter. Everyone is as
pleasant as they can be. The prices may seem a little steeper
than you’d wish, but many ingredients are locally sourced,
and good vegetables ain’t cheap. The restaurant is open 10
a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday (closed Monday). It does not serve alcohol. ©
Square One Fish Co.
PULASKI
HEIGHTS
FALL
PATIO
BY0B
NEED WE SAY MORE?
706.583.9600
THE LEATHERS BLDG.
675 PULASKI ST, STE.100
SUN-TUES 11am-9pm
WED-SAT Ham-IOpm
OR WHEN THE MEAT RUNS OUT
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14 FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 9, 2019