Couscousit

There are a handful of restaurants in Atlanta that are consistently and indefinitely on my to-do list, and they've been on the list for a really really long time. Establishments like One Midtown Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Tamarind, Woodfire Grill, Stony River and others just seem to escape my dinner plans, time and time again. And it seems as though these eateries remain unvisited simply because I don't have the appropriate partners in crime. Sometimes it's my fault -- that I'm on a budget and don't want to throw down $45 for a steak. Sometimes it's not my fault -- that I have friends that don't like to drive more than 20 minutes away in order to do something (yeah, Ames) or they can't drive at all due to a knee injury (hey, Char) or they always seem to have plans with the rest of the world but me (whaddup, KA).

So when I finally-somehow-luckily am able to check off one more of my "to do's," I'm a very happy camper. It just so happens that a month or two ago, before Atlanta became subject to North Face weather, a bunch of Israelis with whom I work ask me to join them for a bite at Eclipse di Luna, a tapas joint that I heard my friends (see above) mention time and time again but have never been to. And it just so happens that EdL is just around the corner from my apartment (764 Miami Circle Atlanta, GA 30324 / 404.846.0449).

What's nice about going to tapas with a bunch of unsuspecting Israelis is that they don't know what half of the things on the menu are. This means that I get to be dictator for a night and get to dominate the food order. It turned out that I was sitting down with a whole lot of picky eaters. One didn't like anything spicy, another didn't eat vegetables, you get the idea. But what was worse was that they didn't trust the combination of flavors described on the menu. For example, when I suggested we order the empanada de espinacas (spinach empanada), I heard a couple of "ewwwws" in reference to the saffron aioli, manchego and garbanzo beans that were components of the dish. Nevermind that we ordered two more because everyone loved it so much.

So we ended up ordering the follows:
- Costilla Espanola (Spanish-style ribs in aged balsamic vinaigrette) $4.25
- Albondigas de Cordero (Spiced lamb meatballs braised in sherry broth and topped with an almond-cilantro relish) $3.95 (see picture below)

- Atun Fresco con Corazon de Palma (Seared tuna crusted with coriander and oregano served with marinated hearts of palm salad) 4.95
- Patatas Bravas con Romesco (Spiced Potatoes with Romesco) $3.25
- Hongos Crimini con Ajo (Crimini mushrooms in garlic with preserved lemon and herbs) $3.95
- Brochetta de Bistec (Red wine marinated beef skewers with chimichurri) $4.75
- Calamares Frito (lightly fried calamari with pico de gallo) $4.50
- Tomato Fresco (Homemade mozzarella, tomato, basil) $3.95
- Empanadas de espinacas $3.25 (see picture below)

and lastly...

- Esp'arragos con Manchego y Aceite (Asparagus grilled with shaved manchego cheese and virgin olive oil) $4.25 (see picture at the top of the post)

Keep in mind that we were 6 people, so this amount of food was perfect for the combination of picky/light eaters and serious omnivores that were seated with me at the table. The rest of the table drank sangria, but I was fine with my water. Really just about everything we ordered was tasty. The calamari was excellent (we ordered two portions), and the tuna was very well received. I probably would avoid the meatballs on my next go around, but even they were not that bad.

All in all, a good time with good food and good company. Word of warning: don't even think about going to EdL without making a reservation in advance. Even with ours, the wait was near 45 minutes long.

# posted by Unknown @ 2:30 PM