Venison Loin
La Tavola holds an annual feast called Abbondanza. It’s a local Atlanta favorite, where the film stars go when they are in town, namely Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan, just days before me. Sigh… The menu features a harvest of delicious offerings from a full four course menu. We enjoyed three of the antipasti dishes, including the beet salad with radish, muscadine marmalata and gorgonzola vinaigrette; chicken liver with blackberry preserve; and burrata with preserved eggplant arugula and sourdough! Full yet? Next, Chestnut Gnocchi, red wine-braised boar and ubriaco – a taste adventure of richness and balance. And then, the Venison Loin. It was perfectly prepared, rare-ish, sliced over exotic creamy black rice, Brussel sprouts and blackberries. Mama mia! Dolce was a pumpkin cake with caramelized apples and creamy creme fraiche gelato. Wine list superb, with fun, knowledgeable service. A winner!