Feedbag - Foxy Pie

It’s still all about the pizzas at Baraonda

What happened to Midtown? The boisterous, cruisey neighborhood I lived in for more than a year seems tamer and more hetero with each return visit. With new live/work/shop high-rise monsters like the Spire and eateries like Shout and Fishmonger (which have siblings in other ATL neighborhoods) sprouting on every other corner, the area’s become decidedly more conservative. I don’t think the Ansley Mall Starbucks will become a sports bar anytime soon, but you’ll notice the crowds at other Midtown watering holes and cafes are clad in twin sets and blazers.

Although it’s nearly 6 years old, Baraonda seems a perfect part of that trend. The folks packed in under the restaurant’s ochre arches are clustered in male-female couples. They look as if they’ve been plucked out of a Gap ad. Baraonda itself feels nearly chain-like, with a studied Italian interior by way of Pier 1. There’s a touch of wrought-iron here, a gleam of polished dark wood over there.

The restaurant seems more intent on selling the idea that it’s an authentic Italian caffé than it does actually pursuing it. Our waiter admonishes us for sprinkling Parmigiano Reggiano on an anchovy-topped pizza, telling us that “this is not the way Italians eat.” Fair enough, but I seriously doubt you’d find lasagna as unappealing as Baraonda’s anywhere in Italy, either.

Nearly bubbling out of its dish, the lasagna looks promising when it arrives at the table. But my first two bites are my last. Sloppy, mushy and bland, the lasagna’s worst offense is its mealy meat sauce.

Appetizers, such as fried calamari, are usually competent. And the Caesar salad is crisp and generous, if a bit bland.

Pizzas are still Baraonda’s saving grace. Fired in a brick oven and delicately thin-crusted, the pies are as fantastic as their reputation. The Margherita is a perfect example of the classic combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Fra Diavolo combines tomatoes, spicy salami and mozzarella to wonderful, zesty effect. Grated Parmigiano or not, the Napoletana of tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and oregano leaves nothing to be desired.

Given its superb location a few doors down from the Fox Theatre, Baraonda probably passes few nights where there isn’t an hour-long wait before the 8 p.m. curtain. If you live in the neighborhood, it’s good spot for a casual glass of wine. Consider the menu a small-scale representation of Atlanta: Stay inside the Perimeter with the pizzas. Stray OTP with anything else on the menu, and you might get stuck with the culinary equivalent of a strip mall.

cynthia.wong@creativeloafing.com

Extra Helpings?
?Covering Brookhaven to Inman Park

Irish eyes ...?
?Drop by Meehan’s in Brookhaven on Thurs., March 17, for an all-day St. Patrick’s Day party. Festivities begin at 11:30 a.m., with an Irish breakfast complete with a traditional Irish toast ($10 per person). Throughout the day there will be food and drink specials, live Celtic music, bagpipers, Irish dancers, face-painting and T-shirt giveaways. $5. 4058 Peachtree Road. 404-467-9531. www.meehansalehouse.com.

... Are smiling?
Atkins Park is doing St. Pat’s Day, too. There won’t be any green beer, but there will be a special menu of Irish favorites: soda bread with caraway seeds, traditional Irish lamb stew, stout-marinated beef sirloin with “Bird Flanagan” potato pancakes, corned beef and stewed cabbage with new potatoes, and chocolate bread pudding with Irish cream sauce. 794 N. Highland Ave. 404-876-7249. www.atkinspark.com.

St. Patty’s at the Ritz?
?The luck of the Irish continues with mimosas or Bloody Marys at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead’s St. Patrick’s Day Sunday Brunch on March 20. The luxurious brunch will be held in the Café and costs $65 per adult and $33 per child 12 and under, excluding tax and tip. Reservations are required. 3434 Peachtree Road. 404-240-2035. www.ritzcarlton.com.

Mais Oui!?
?Join Francophile and culinary powerhouse Virginia Willis at Cook’s Warehouse for her “La Vie au Chateau” cooking class Tues., March 22, 7-9 p.m. Learn how to prepare French classics such as gougeres, Boeuf Bourguignon and Gratin Dauphinois with recipes from the Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. The class fee is $40. 549-I Amsterdam Ave. 404-815-4993. www.cookswarehouse.com.






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