FOOD FEATURE

A BITE OF THE ROAD
Dining and Dishes That Transport

Written by Shelley Skiles Sawyer
Photography by Kyle Ripley, Haigwood Studios

The word-wise folks over at Oxford define wanderlust as “a strong desire to travel.” Such a yearning can be triggered by a special dish or meal, a captivating ambiance, even a smell. One with a perpetual case of wanderlust can sometimes find temporary “relief” without even leaving the country thanks to area restaurants that specialize in dazzle, design and/or delicious dishes from other locales.

Anis Truite Meuniere Recipe by Anis Cafe & Bistro Photo by Kyle Ripley, Haigwood Studios

Anis Truite Meuniere
Recipe by Anis Cafe & Bistro

Yield: 1 serving
1 8–10-ounce butterflied trout
salt and pepper to taste
all-purpose flour as needed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup blanched, shocked and drained spinach
2–3 marinated artichoke hearts, halved
capers to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
lemon slice for garnish

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Season trout with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour.
Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add butter to heated pan and once melted add trout. Brown trout for 3 to 5 minutes, until you can begin to see edges brown. Flip trout and top with spinach, artichoke hearts, capers and lemon juice. Finish in oven 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve with lemon slice.

Flavors pairing suggestion: Domaine Laurent Cognard Montagny ‘Les Bassets’ 1er Cru

Arnaud Michel

ANIS S’IL VOUS PLAIT
Anis Cafe & Bistro was born more out a sense of pining than a desire to wander. While a student at Georgia Tech and later at Georgia State, Arnaud Michel along with a fellow Frenchman longed for a little taste of home. “We always wanted to go to a French cafe, but couldn’t find any,” explains Michel of the disappointing state of affairs that was the Atlanta restaurant scene in the early 90s.
To fill the void, the pair opened a quaint restaurant that was open all day serving coffee, dessert, sandwiches, salads and simple fare that mimicked their food memories of the south of France. “My partner was the chef and I was running the front. We only had the inside when we first opened, just 15 tables. In the spring we were so busy we were blown away! We weren’t ready for it. We used to buy wine from Publix and give it away for free,” he recalls. They fashioned a little patio, then covered it, then added more outdoor seating while at the same time packing on the charm. “I made everything with my own hands — the painting on the floors and doors, the little windows, a lot of the paintings on walls,” he recalls. “We started with very little, and a very small budget. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work.”
And while Anis has evolved over the years both in size and importance, it still maintains that certain je ne sais quoi that sealed the deal from the beginning. Most days, the intimate bar seems more like a French-dubbed episode of Cheers.
Original customers keep coming back, some even bringing third and fourth generations with them to share memory-filled bites of duck confit, the famous mussels, or crepes at brunch. There’s not even much turnover in the staff. “People feel very comfortable here. We become part of their family, and that makes it all worth it.”
Michel is now the sole proprietor, but he’s always been the face of Anis. “You don’t know how many people think that my name is Anis! I feel bad telling them that it’s not, so I just let them keep calling me that,” he laughs. In an attempt to transport himself to the south of France, restaurateur Arnaud Michel has been helping his guests do the same for nearly 26 years. Merci!
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ANIS CAFÉ & BISTRO
2974 Grandview Avenue
Atlanta
404/233-9889
Anisbistro.com
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