Tasting Collective #4: a mano

Last night’s dinner uncovered another hidden (to me) gem. This anchor of the Old Fourth Ward dining scene since 2017, a mano continues to rack up accolades, having just been named Eater’s “Best Italian in ATL” and “Best Restaurants in Fourth Ward” lists of 2023. These recognitions had me super excited to try out the creativity of Chef Chris Suarez who serves up unique twists on classic Italian dishes. I was not disappointed.

Let’s dive right into this culinary journey! Up first was a Crawfish Ceviche with olive, scallion, cucumber, squash, and potato crisp. The ceviche was delicious, so much so, I wanted to turn my bowl up and slurp up the liquid. The sweetness of the crawfish balanced perfectly with the briny olives, the peppery scallions, and the cool cucumbers and squash. The fresh in-house potato crisps were perfectly fried and salted and were a wonderful vehicle for the ceviche. A+ on course #1!

Next up was a mano’s Caesar Salad with baby gem lettuce, Spanish anchovy, and parmesan. I’m a sucker for anchovies and there were just enough on the salad. They brought the perfect umami to the wonderful Caesar dressing and parmesan. An added bonus was the crouton crumbles…no large cumbersome croutons to deal with. Now with all those positives, there was one downside for me and that was the grilled romaine. IMHO grilled romaine should have a simple “kiss” of the flame. This felt a bit more than kissed. I found it too soggy for me. Now, in all fairness, grilled romaine should be eaten immediately and given the flow of dinner and the number of plates, this was likely not possible, so I’ll give them a pass!

The third course was Sherry Vinegar Ravioli with carrots, ricotta, and parmesan. This was a wonderful dish and another winner! The ravioli was perfectly al dente with a beautiful carrot and ricotta filling that was smooth and balanced. The large parmesan shavings brought a nice saltiness to the dish. The micro-thin carrot garnish, both fresh and fried, was a sweet addition to the dish as they were perfectly sweet and crispy. The brown butter and sherry vinegar sauce was also slurp-worthy, but I refrained.

Fourth was a Short Rib with baby carrot, scallion, roasted pepper, butter, and potato. The short rib was fall off the bone tender and perfectly seasoned! The carrots were nicely prepared and provided a bit of continuity from the carrots in the ravioli. The scallion and roasted red pepper butter were a nice enhancement to the beef. The piece de resistance was the crispy fried potato straws on top of the beautifully plated dish. And I must say that every one of the courses was plated with a true desire to appeal to the eye of the diner.

Finally, to wrap up the meal was one of my favorite desserts, Panna Cotta with seasonal berries, pistachio, and white chocolate. Two of my favorite desserts are crème brulee, and panna cotta. This panna cotta didn’t disappoint. The texture was smooth and silky in contrast to the pistachios which added a nice crunch. The fruit added a nice layer of sweetness, but not overly so. The few shavings of white chocolate were also a nice touch.

A nice surprise at this Tasting Collective dinner was the addition of a wine pairing. The wines were fantastic! The selections were just the right compliment for each course. We began with an aperitivo Shakerato…reminiscent of a good negroni…with compare, orange blossom, water, and salt. The pairing for course 1 was a 2021 ‘Foam Vulcan’ Pet Nat, course 2 was a 2021 ‘La Cuisine de Ma Mere’ Chinon, course 3 was a 2012 Salice Salentino Rosso and the meal rounded out in course 4 with a 2018 Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria. My favorite was the 2012 Salice Salentino Rosso….the perfect sipping wine!

Well, that wraps up another Tasting Collective event. Another fantastic meal and I can’t wait until the next one. If you haven’t signed up for Tasting Collective, run don’t walk to do so. For a VIP invitation, use my invite code ALI275384 when you request an invite at: https://www.tastingcollective.com/?invite_code=ALI275384.