If I could do a byline to this article (which I am too technically impaired to do) it would say “now this is something for the bored vegetarians in Atl (thats not too pricey either!)”.
Eat Me Speak Me is a weekend pop up restaurant in Candler Park, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7-11. We first came on Friday at 8, there was a line and the wait was supposedly ~1hr – no thanks. We talked to one of the dudes that was working and he said its best to come later (after the families) around 9:30/10.
First off I want to give it 5 out of 5 stars for ambiance. It was one of the first (and only) cold nights in Atlanta, and the warm, glowing, hole-in-the-wall environment was supremely inviting. Nick and I sat down at the bar with our bottle of wine (it’s a byob sitch, which I am loving lately – I can bring my own fave under-$20 wine to guzzle down) and Gil Scott Heron was playing, which is like automatic approval for me. Above all, it feels like you are experiencing something special with strangers late night with food in a diner tucked away in the city.
The menu is presented jovially with items such as ‘frivolous greens’ which was a wonderful indication that the restaurant doesn’t take itself to seriously. We ordered everything veg they had, and wonderfully, out of an 8 item menu, 4 were vegetarian. 5 if you include the amuse bouche in the beginning, I love the whole concept of a little temptation to begin the meal and I was just chuffed to have one. Though simple, it served as it should as a nice indication of what was to come; fresh veg with a burst of bright seasonings.
We started with the soup. It was deee-lish! I am a sucker for a good autumn soup and totally adhere to the thought that soup is a wonderful test of a good chef. This one was creamy and interesting, the baby croutons were fun, but the best part was the drizzle of cayenne oil on top. We followed with a 
salad and then roast veg dish of turnips. The salad and the turnips bore remarkable resemblance in aesthetics, which leant them to be compared. The crisp asian pear was satisfying in the salad and pushed it above the turnip dish despite the turnips having a wonderful hit of berbere (side note – definitely seems to be one of the fads goin around right now). The turnips themselves were a little inconsistently cooked
.
The last dish is what I was most excited about, the fried tofu served with a dill and poblano broth, lima beans, green tomatoes, bok choi and basil seed (a kind of roe of the vegetable world). The fried tofu was crispy, but the beans and the grilled green tomatoes were iffy in the cooking, some perfectly al dente, others too tough. I also question the proportions of the cuts, perhaps a bit too big for me. When I composed a bite of all of the components, the flavours came together nicely, unfortunately the elements just don’t physically come together very easily on the fork and a little more attention needed towards cooking consistency. All of the vegetables seem very, very farm-fresh which is appreciated.
We couldn’t resist trying the desserts; I cannot remember exactly how they were stated but i’ll tell you the gist – a ginger custard with a nice fruit gel, granola and sprinkles. A blondie with a milky whisky drink. My favorite thing about these desserts is that save from the blondie which was quite sweet (and perfectly cooked)
they were are overall not that sweet. Any ladies in the house, ahem, I would highly suggest going here and having these desserts at that, uhm, special time of the month, if you catch my drift. Perfect salty, sweet mix going on here that could scratch that itch.
We got our check and holy crap – the whole meal came to under $50 for 2. Never have I found a place with such affordable unique and fun options for vegetarians in a lovely atmosphere. The menu changes seasonally and I can’t wait to see whats next!
