Atlanta Eats

Heading down there Wed-Sun w/ the Big Blue Nation for the SEC Tournament...


...we'll be staying on Peachtree in Midtown. Won't be doing any fancy dining, but was curious if anyone had any 'must hits' on the casual front.

I've seen several places down there on the multiple Food Travel Shows.

Taqueria Del Sol
The Varsity
The Vortex

...and I'd like to try Richard Blais (Top Chef) joint, 'Flip Burger'.

Any recs?

I've eaten at Mary Mac's Tea Room a couple of times. Old school southern cuisine. Really good.

Spondivits isn't in near midtown, but you may well find that it is worth a trip to the airport area.

This place is the bomb. Variations on crab buckets, raw, fried or steamed oysters and the gumbo will make you think you're in New Orleans. Wash it all down with a 33oz Sweetwater beer or two. Also, the atmosphere is unpretentiously fun.

(If you're driving, parking is valet only.)

http://spondivits.net/

http://www.holeman-finch.com/

I've never been, but it is tops on my list the next time I'm in Atlanta.

Todd Richards, formerly of the Seelbach, has opened a BBQ place called Rolling Bones. Looks really good.
www.rollingbonesbbq.com

Todd Richards, formerly of the Seelbach, has opened a BBQ place called Rolling Bones. Looks really good.
http://www.rollingbonesbbq.com

If you're flying into or out of ATL, hit up One Flew South in Terminal E. Richards was there before the new venture, and Duane Nutter (also formerly of the Seelbach) is running the show now. I had a very memorable dinner there about a year ago while stranded at the airport for many hours.

http://www.oneflewsouthatl.com/index.html

Also, GO CATS. Great win yesterday. Enjoy the tournament.

The last time I was in Atlanta, I ate at Pura Vida. It's on N. Highland (Virginia-Highlands neighborhood) , so it's not too far from Midtown. It's the equivalent of the Highlands in Louisville.

The atmosphere is laid back, the food is incredibly intensely flavored. There are some high-end touches - the avocado had lime juice turned into little "caviar" beads that burst in your mouth - but nothing over the top. The flavor is what matters. Oh, and great drinks.

Taqueria del Sol is pretty good. As I recall, they have a pork and slaw taco that's flavorful and great with a beer. I also love that area of town. West of Midtown and has a lot of redeveloped industrial spaces. The restaurant is in the same shopping complex as Bacchanalia and a high-end Southern place that slips my mind (best devilled eggs I've ever had, I think). A block or two away is West Egg, a great breakfast/lunch place with a lot of locally sourced ingredients and modern Southern flavors.

I'd skip the Varsity. It's enormous and kind of fun, but the food is downright gross.

And if you have the time, Buford Highway is an ethnic food lover's dreamland.

As you can see, I've spent a lot of time in Atlanta...

I haven't been to Atlanta recently, but next time I go, H. Harper Station, A Modern Watering Stop, will be at the top of my list. The executive chef is Ethan Ray, who formerly was the pastry chef / chef tournan at the Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton. Before that he was the pastry chef / sous chef at Asiatique.

H. Harper Station, 904 Memorial Drive Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30316 (678) 732-0415

We did Spring Break there last year. Some of our favs:

La Fonda Latina (Latin)
Fellini's (Pizza)
Figo Pasta (Italian)
Sublime Doughnuts (duh!) - OMG, so good!