The building where The Crossing now resides was once a thriving train depot, serving the local community from 1909 to 1959 and unmistakably putting Norcross on the map. While the train no longer stops at the station, it can still be heard whistling by from inside the classy, rustic dining room of Luis and his wife Yanin.
“We fell in love with the City of Norcross many years back, and opened our first restaurant, ‘Mojito’s Cuban-American Bistro,’” Luis tells us. “Directly across the street sits the old rail depot, the crown jewel of its historic downtown district. Our vision has always been to provide a unique dining destination, with a great atmosphere and even better food.”
Speaking of atmosphere, it’s not just their famous, incredibly savory croutons, amply proportioned hand-cut steaks and fresh, luscious seafood that bring in the patrons by droves. Every weekend, Luis brings in live jazz musicians (including Grammy-winner Hiromi) to fill the place up with rhythm and soul…much like the soul-satisfying dishes filling your plate! Based on the sounds of tapping feet and delighted moans of guests enjoying their meals, we say good call!
Alas, we could not entice the recipe for the ever-heavenly house-made croutons (*sigh,* such perfection!) from them, but Luis and Yanin were sympathetic enough to share the recipe for their equally fabulous lobster bisque with you:
Lobster bisque
• 1/4 cup butter, preferably salted
• Yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 lobster tails
• 1 cup aged brandy (don’t be shy, go heavy on it!)
• 1/2 lb of chopped tomatoes
• 6 cups of lobster stock (Luis & Yanin make their own stock in-house, but you can also use chicken stock if it’s too pricey)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt (to taste)
• Love
1. Melt the butter in a stock pot or sauce pan, then add all veggies, bay leaf and thyme. Sautee until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the brandy & tomatoes, and reduce the heat so as to bring everything to a simmering, low boil. Stir occasionally for about 20 min.
3. Remove the lobster shells (meat should be fully cooked by now). Remove the meat from the lobster tails, chop and set aside.
4. At this time you can either leave the pot simmering until all the ingredients begin to slowly dissolve and become “smooth,” or you may transfer to a food blender/processor for faster cooking.
5. Stir in the heavy cream, lobster meat and parsley.
6. Do all of the above with love and you’ll get a hearty, soul-fulfilling cream…or just try The Crossing’s!