Thru a fairly normal turn of events in my world (this night was the third time in two days) plans for a meal changed when we got to the place I planned to eat. This morning, I had seen on IG that Missfit’s BBQ was doing their last Monday night service at Communidad Atlanta, as Communidad planned to begin opening, themselves, on Monday nights, the next week.

We arrived about 7:00 and Brian and Tyler greeted us with the news that they were sold out. They basically cooked everything they had left and hadn’t purchased extra staples for the week. We asked for suggestions, nearby, and ended up at Gigi’s Italian Kitchen, which has been on my list for quite a while. Located in Candler Park and only open for dinner, it isn’t a drop by while we’re out on a weekend afternoon kind of place, so we hadn’t been yet.

Opportunity seized! They were busy, but were able to seat us at the bar. Which was great – we were in the heart of the action, able to watch the chefs and prep areas, and see everything that came out.

Chefs Eric Brooks and Jacob Armando feature a seasonally focused menu and my friend chose chicken Marsala – half a chicken with oyster mushrooms, braised onion and a Marsala pan sauce

He, graciously, shared a bite of the chicken and his focaccia bread.

Both were absolutely delicious. The chicken was tender and moist and the focaccia had a terrific crust and the interior melted in your mouth.

I ordered the campanelle pasta with pork ragu and vacche rosse cheese. Another ridiculously tasty dish. I had to look up the cheese – Vacche Rosse (Red Cow) cheese is a premium, 100% grass-fed Parmigiano Reggiano from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, made from the milk of heritage Reggiana cow and is typically aged 24-40 months. It was sweet, a little nutty and very crumbly.

My ignorance flared up, again, expecting a tomato ragu, as I later did at the Essential. I need to break that prejudice – this was exquisite. I’ll have to take partner in crime back with me.