One Night in Babette's

Babette's Cafe in two alliterative words? Cozy and comforting.

Babette's is one of those smaller, less-glitzy places in Atlanta that serves a much better quality of food than some of its 'scene' heavy siblings. You don't wear club clothes here, nor do you feel pressured into ordering the most expensive stuff while supermodel wannabes look bored under the exposed pipes. Nor is Babette's the genteel Old Southern Money spot. The overall theme is rustic European- from the well used furniture and warm walls to the accessible seasonal menu. The chef/owner is someone who obviously loves food, and is classy enough not to charge obscene prices for peasant food. The waiters were perfect for this kind of unpretentious place: no hovering, groveling, or disdain.

Both Drew and I ordered classy cocktails. I guess thats the byword for Babette's: classy. He a martini, myself some sort of Lillet cocktail. Both were simple but quality.

Against my better judgment, we ordered one of those lame appetizers popping up everywhere "gaufrette chips with warmed gorgonzola cheese sauce". Translation: waffle fries with cheese. These were edible, whereas this misguided bar starter is normally too fatty/salty/greasy for me to eat.

Now the fried oysters on dill biscuits with a cucumber sauce, was excellent. The biscuits were fluffy and full of fresh dill, the oysters lightly breaded and fried (after all, this is a nice place not some fish shanty) and the delicate cucumber/yogurty/minty sauce. The sauce kept its shape without turning watery, a hazard of cucumber cuisine.

On to the meal, with a bottle of rose to split. I know it looks girly, but a good Rose goes with ALOT of food and Drew is manly enough to swish pink stuff around in a glass.

Wanting to try different stuff, I ordered the artichoke + olive ravioli and the
squash soup with wild mushrooms. The soup was savory and warm. Enveloping me in creamy comfort; it smelled wonderful, almost like a glossy from a travel magazine of some rustic kitchen with a weathered-looking jovial Frenchman and his picturesque country estate. I could smell the fresh herbs and earthy mushrooms. The ravioli was in a creamy lemon-garlic sauce that initially tasted subtle and decadent, but eventually turned into a rich garlic fest. I really enjoyed it while I was eating it, but later I kept umm...re-tasting the garlic. I think it actually came out of my pores at one point (insert vampire joke here).

Drew scored with the cassoulet. And that sounds very naughty. Thank god he let me try some because my three/four/five bites were enough to make me almost club him over the head for it. Never would I have imagined pork, sausage, lamb, duck confit and white beans baked for about a million years would be so crazy good. It melted in my mouth. It felt so evil and tasty, I could only imagine how long it must take to slowly make this dish. Its totally peasant food: stew all your leftovers bits of meat until it all congeals into fatty goodness, then drink alot with jovial European neighbors with hearty laughs and wine from the guy up the road. Drew looked up a recipe it I think it was five pages long. Forget cooking! Go to Babette's right this minute and eat it!!! (but call first since the menu is seasonal)

Almost too full for dessert, we had a nice (but not awesome) chocolate bread pudding with banana ice-cream. It was ok, but I am a bit of a bread pudding snob so don;t count the desserts here out.

Eat the cassoulet!!!!!