La Mostra

Who the hell was that with Mike Myers on the benefit concert tonight? I couldn't follow the intent of his incoherent rant, but his selfish lunacy was in sharp contrast to Mike Myers' graceful composure. Mike, you handled that with such elegance. Next DVD I rent will be one of yours.

I can't believe that this tragedy is being turned into a racial battle. If anyone is racist, it's Katrina. She studied the demographics of all the coastal cities, including New Orleans with a population that is 67% black and 28% white, and calculated her landing to create catastrophic results in that city. Sadly, we are left to deal with the consequences. As horrible as this disaster has been, I can't help but think that a race war would be far more embarassing for this country.

Bacchanalia was fabulous the other night by the way....I might even say perfect. It's definitely a special occasion place, great for a couple or even two couples but I wouldn't recommend it for a group as that would just distract from the dining experience. Even compared to other very nice restaurants that I love like Kyma and Sotto Sotto, it was in another class. The menu was a fixed price four course meal (app, entree, salad/cheese, dessert in that order) with the option to get wine pairings with each course. I had gnocchi, lamb with eggplant, figs with blue cheese, then cherry profiterole. Between all the courses the waiter kept bringing little plates "from the chef" like soup, sorbet, birthday cake, and truffles and we left there having eaten way too much. The interior was nice (modern-contemporary but cozy), the service was impeccable (knowledgeable but friendly), I could go on and on about how they got all the details right and how we ooohed and ahhed again and again throughout the night. I never felt like I was part of a big money making machine like you do in some of the Buckhead Life places. It was a very personal experience in that I had the feeling that the chef might have actually chosen those little extras for our table based on our food choices. The critical acclaim for the restaurant is warranted and that experience might go down as THE best dinner I have ever had.

In Italian, a mostra is an exhibition, show, or a show off, not to be confused with mostro which means monster.