Oral Pleasures
Best culinary time machine BOA Award Winner
La Grotta Ristorante (Featured) In 1982, one food critic described La Grotta as "simply the finest Italian restaurant in Atlanta and one of the city's best restaurants of any kind." The beef carpaccio and any dish made with veal were the restaurants specialties. For dessert, fresh berries and cream. Thirty years later, the veal, themore...
In 1982, one food critic described La Grotta as "simply the finest Italian restaurant in Atlanta and one of the city's best restaurants of any kind." The beef carpaccio and any dish made with veal were the restaurants specialties. For dessert, fresh berries and cream. Thirty years later, the veal, the carpaccio, and even the berries - although now they're served with vanilla gelato - are still the restaurant's mainstays. Sergio Favalli, along with chef Antonio Abizanda, opened La Grotta in 1978, and to this day, La Grotta is where they both remain. Longevity and consistency over the years set this time capsule of a restaurant apart from every other restaurant in the city. Where else can you find a chef on a 34-year run at the same restaurant?
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Best farm on wheels BOA Award Winner
Farm Mobile We feel a little nostalgic whenever we see the bright green Farm Mobile truck pull up to our Main Street or local park. It reminds us of a simpler time when neighborhood moms would run out with a handful of change to meet the bread trucks that wandered down our block each week. Just as friendly, themore...
We feel a little nostalgic whenever we see the bright green Farm Mobile truck pull up to our Main Street or local park. It reminds us of a simpler time when neighborhood moms would run out with a handful of change to meet the bread trucks that wandered down our block each week. Just as friendly, the Farm Mobile folks post daily specials on a chalkboard. Skim it before climbing the steps into the back of the truck, making your way past bins stocked with organic and seasonal produce. Other offerings include: H&F breads, free-range eggs, and sustainable meats (grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, and chicken from White Oak Pastures), which you'll find once you gently squeeze by your neighbor and make your way to the freezer near the front. They also carry their own line of grits, polenta, and cornmeal, plus artisanal cheeses and pesto. Basically, you'll find all the fixings for a great meal in one stop. The mobile grocer, based out of Riverview Farms in Northwest Georgia, is constantly making the rounds in metro Atlanta, keeping customers up-to-date on its whereabouts via Facebook and Twitter. It's a lot easier than chasing after that old bread truck. www.grassfedcow.com/farmmobile.
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Best patio for hoisting a brew BOA Award Winner
The Midway Pub It's huge. Like, more than 25 tables and booths of varying sizes huge. So huge, that you'll almost never have to wait for a spot to sit down, though you may end up at opposite ends of a long table with a pair of strangers. But that's also one of the many charms of the Midway Pub patio - lots of smilingmore...
It's huge. Like, more than 25 tables and booths of varying sizes huge. So huge, that you'll almost never have to wait for a spot to sit down, though you may end up at opposite ends of a long table with a pair of strangers. But that's also one of the many charms of the Midway Pub patio - lots of smiling faces there to enjoy a beer (or three), just like you. More than just dog-friendly, Midway's staff and patio are downright dog-enthusiastic, all warm smiles, water bowls, and welcoming words of admiration. A wooden overhang protects from sun and precipitation, and it's adorned with assorted greenery. In fact, Midway boasts some of the finest bar plants around: succulents, evergreens, herbs (that are used in Midway's food), and various viney, flowering specimens that are going to be a joy to watch develop in the years to come. With 32 rotating drafts, more than 100 bottles, and a food selection that goes beyond standard pub grub, you might want to bring a sleeping bag - it's a little too easy to make yourself at home on this concrete slab.
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Best legendary beer bar in your backyard BOA Award Winner
Brick Store Pub You know about the Brick Store Pub, sure. Perhaps you've heard tell of its Belgian bar, itself alone an embarrassment of riches fleshed out with more than 100 bottles of Trappist ales, lambics, and quadruppels. Or maybe you read something about the beer cellar just across the hallway from that upstairsmore...
You know about the Brick Store Pub, sure. Perhaps you've heard tell of its Belgian bar, itself alone an embarrassment of riches fleshed out with more than 100 bottles of Trappist ales, lambics, and quadruppels. Or maybe you read something about the beer cellar just across the hallway from that upstairs bar, a cozy room fronted with a huge wooden door and containing more than 700 vintage and impossible-to-find brews, ranging from $5-$80 per reasonably sized bottle, and as much as $300 should you want to throw down on a 6-liter monstrosity for the table. Or perhaps you've read one of the many national media mentions of this legendary place that's celebrating 15 years of slinging the very best beers the world has to offer. In fact, it's known all over the world, and you're one of the lucky few who could have it as your Cheers. So, why haven't you?
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Best service BOA Award Winner
Woodfire Grill (Permanently Closed) If you've ever stumped your server with a question regarding the menu, you probably weren't enjoying a meal at Woodfire Grill. In fact, there, the opposite is more likely. In-depth menu knowledge is a must for Woodfire's front-of-the-house staff, which is impressive considering the menu is subject tomore...
If you've ever stumped your server with a question regarding the menu, you probably weren't enjoying a meal at Woodfire Grill. In fact, there, the opposite is more likely. In-depth menu knowledge is a must for Woodfire's front-of-the-house staff, which is impressive considering the menu is subject to daily changes. Under the watchful eye of general manager Rick Blumberg, servers at Woodfire Grill are there when you need something and scarce when you don't. From the moment you walk in, and whether you're in the dining room or at the bar, you're always in someone's capable hands. And while you will most certainly leave Woodfire with a full stomach, don't be surprised if your appetite for culinary knowledge is satisfied, too.
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Best East/West grain bowl duo BOA Award Winner
Yet Tuh (Where to Eat Recommendation) One is warm comfort; the other is crisp clarity. One is found off the beaten path in a Korean hideaway OTP; the other in the heart of Decatur. Yet Tuh's barley bowl (bori-bop) is the East; The Bakery at Cakes & Ale's grain bowl is the West. What they share is their essence - a bowl of grain, adornedmore...
One is warm comfort; the other is crisp clarity. One is found off the beaten path in a Korean hideaway OTP; the other in the heart of Decatur. Yet Tuh's barley bowl (bori-bop) is the East; The Bakery at Cakes & Ale's grain bowl is the West. What they share is their essence - a bowl of grain, adorned and delicious. At Yet Tuh, the barley is the star, but there's a wide cast of characters that get mixed into the bowl at the table - thin shreds of nori, tender vegetables and mushrooms, spicy soybean paste. They come together in great harmony; a moment of Korean foodie Zen. At The Bakery at Cakes & Ale, the grain bowl is an ever-changing daily composition of whatever strikes chef David Sweeney's fancy: usually quinoa, often fresh field peas or beans, an accent of finely diced peppers or fresh herbs. Sweeney's grain bowl never fails to be striking in its effect - each element distinct, but a sum greater than the parts.
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Best late-night eats BOA Award Winner
Octopus Bar (Permanently Closed) It doesn't open until 10 p.m. And even then, if you're there before midnight, well, you're not part of the in-crowd. But this is no nightclub. It's a late-night restaurant/bar within a not-so-late-night restaurant in a (relatively) quiet corner of EAV. This is Octopus Bar. It's the kind of place Davidmore...
It doesn't open until 10 p.m. And even then, if you're there before midnight, well, you're not part of the in-crowd. But this is no nightclub. It's a late-night restaurant/bar within a not-so-late-night restaurant in a (relatively) quiet corner of EAV. This is Octopus Bar. It's the kind of place David Chang and Sean Brock would go to pound beers and down oysters and platefuls of salt and pepper shrimp (with a TV crew in tow) before (or maybe after) hitting the Clermont Lounge. Octopus Bar is dark and rough around the edges, and the food from chef Angus Brown is like a loud, quick, Southern-fried, alcohol-soaked romp across Asia. In addition to the oysters and succulent head-on (eat-the-whole-thing) shrimp, the menu is always peppered with things like uni and quail eggs and kimchi. The ultimate late-night bite, though, is Octopus Bar's lobster roll (with tomalley mayo). It's enough to make you want to eat after midnight every night.
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Best bartender BOA Award Winner
After journeyman gigs at OTP's Trattoria 141 and Buckhead's Prohibition, Kevin Bragg has fully come into his own behind the decks at 4th & Swift. The Old Fourth Ward eatery doubles as Bragg's personal laboratory for concocting an impressive array of bitters, tinctures, and other spicy and herbaceousmore...
After journeyman gigs at OTP's Trattoria 141 and Buckhead's Prohibition, Kevin Bragg has fully come into his own behind the decks at 4th & Swift. The Old Fourth Ward eatery doubles as Bragg's personal laboratory for concocting an impressive array of bitters, tinctures, and other spicy and herbaceous potions. But beyond their quirky ingredients - lemongrass-black sesame syrup and sage-infused Pinot Blanc reduction, to name a couple - Bragg's beverages are models of control and balance, creating a delightful interplay of flavors that can only be the product of hours of experimentation and a gift for counterintuitive blending. In other words, his drinks are damn tasty, down to the final sip. And, while Bragg is serious about cocktails, he manages to remain polite and composed when someone orders a Grey Goose and cranberry. Now that takes talent.
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Best dessert inspired by a candy bar BOA Award Winner
Local Three Kitchen & Bar's "Twix" Bar Gary Scarborough is the self-taught pastry whiz and 20-year kitchen vet in charge of all things sweet and delicious at Local Three Kitchen & Bar - including the bet-you-can't-eat-just-one-bite "Twix" Bar: A French butter cookie layered with homemade salted caramel and coated in thin white chocolate.more...
Gary Scarborough is the self-taught pastry whiz and 20-year kitchen vet in charge of all things sweet and delicious at Local Three Kitchen & Bar - including the bet-you-can't-eat-just-one-bite "Twix" Bar: A French butter cookie layered with homemade salted caramel and coated in thin white chocolate. Scarborough's swanky riff is a formidable rival to the original Twix. And at $3.53 per homemade bar, there's no shame in taking one or three home with you for later.
3290 Northside Parkway. 404-968-2700. www.localthree.com.
Best evolution for food trucks BOA Award Winner
Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market Atlanta's rocky road to foodtruckdom suddenly seemed a little smoother when the Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market came to town. Previously forsaken by endless administrative hoops, and confined to scattered, weekly food truck days, the park's opening created a permanent home for Atlanta's modest fleetmore...
Atlanta's rocky road to foodtruckdom suddenly seemed a little smoother when the Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market came to town. Previously forsaken by endless administrative hoops, and confined to scattered, weekly food truck days, the park's opening created a permanent home for Atlanta's modest fleet of mobile restaurants. With the Atlanta Food Truck Park as an anchor, the scene has seen an explosion of growth: The number of food trucks in Atlanta has nearly doubled in 2012, with fresh food truck faces popping up every few months like clockwork.
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Best place to get Atlanta's original double decker burger BOA Award Winner
Zesto The local fast-food institution Zesto has been around since 1949, serving burgers, onion rings, chili dogs, milk shakes, and more greasy comfort faves than you can shake a crinkle fry at. The eats are just fine, thank you, though you're not likely to see folks Instagramming photos of chicken tendersmore...
The local fast-food institution Zesto has been around since 1949, serving burgers, onion rings, chili dogs, milk shakes, and more greasy comfort faves than you can shake a crinkle fry at. The eats are just fine, thank you, though you're not likely to see folks Instagramming photos of chicken tenders or hot wings to their followers. And that's all right with us. This is where you come to re-group, refuel, and get a real taste of the people's Atlanta. The Little Five Points outpost is where we go to ponder life's big decisions over a Nut Brown Crown, sitting at the counter, watching the herky-jerky motion of Moreland Avenue traffic, and hoping for insight between bites of the hardened chocolate shell, chopped peanuts, and soft-serve vanilla. The newer diner and drive-thru location on Ponce de Leon Avenue is where we pull up in our newly slicked wheels after a stop at Cactus Car Wash. Seated at a roomy booth and munching on a cheesy Chubby Decker, we watch the school kids, errand-runners, and uniformed workers come and go, listening to our favorite cashier ask her regulars, "Hey, baby, where you been? Whatchu want?" Multiple metro Atlanta locations.
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Best spot for a first date BOA Award Winner
Leon's Full Service (Featured) A first date is all about opportunity: the potential to go one way or another. Will it lead to something more? Or will it fizzle into a night best forgotten? Leon's Full Service excels in presenting options to fuel a fun night, especially from behind the bar, and those options can also be employed tomore...
A first date is all about opportunity: the potential to go one way or another. Will it lead to something more? Or will it fizzle into a night best forgotten? Leon's Full Service excels in presenting options to fuel a fun night, especially from behind the bar, and those options can also be employed to help one forget should the need arise. Actually, starting at the bar is a great way to get to know your date a little better. Does Belgian beer on tap turn her on? Or is a modern twist on a classic cocktail more her speed? Is he the kind to get all bubbly over a bottle of farmer fizz (champagne from a producer who actually grows their own grapes)? Or is it straight to a sip of single village mezcal? Then there's the array of eating choices. Want to keep it fun? Stick with the bar snacks or fries with a couple of different dipping sauces (if your date chooses peppercorn gravy, that's a sure sign he/she understands the importance of substance over appearances). Want to get serious? Go for something like the pan-seared sea scallops with sweet corn, tomato jam, and bits of bacon from nearby Pine Street Market. Or maybe go straight to a salty sweet embrace with the chocolate hazelnut candy bar. Keep in mind, there's no better way to judge a potential boyfriend/girlfriend than his or her bocce skills while intoxicated, so be sure to carry those drinks we mentioned earlier outside and take advantage of the bocce court before the night is over.
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Weekly Dining Deal BOA Award Winner
ScoutmobRelated Info:
scoutmob.com @scoutmob
What is Scoutmob?
What is Scoutmob? from Scoutmob on Vimeo.
From the hands of locals: Scoutmob's Shoppe
From the hands of locals: Scoutmob's Shoppe from Scoutmob on Vimeo.
Scoutmob: Stay curious
Let's just say, we have some pretty big plans from Scoutmob on Vimeo.
Best covers-all-the-bases drink menu BOA Award Winner
H. Harper Station - Permanently Closed (Permanently Closed) If you can't find something to wet your whistle at H. Harper Station, you must be on the wagon. The city's most exhaustive menu of original cocktails is divided up by spirit, from vodka to cachaca to mezcal, with several varieties of Manhattans - including one featuring Pappy for the deep-pocketedmore...
If you can't find something to wet your whistle at H. Harper Station, you must be on the wagon. The city's most exhaustive menu of original cocktails is divided up by spirit, from vodka to cachaca to mezcal, with several varieties of Manhattans - including one featuring Pappy for the deep-pocketed - and an assortment of punch bowls for adventurous tables. That's in addition to a hefty roster of classic cocktails, an extensive list of bourbons, and even a decent selection of draft beers. Considering that restaurant owner Jerry Slater is the former mixologist for One Flew South, the focus on cocktails is no big surprise. What is pleasantly surprising is that we've yet to taste a clunker in the bunch.
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Best place to buy local produce on Sunday morning BOA Award Winner
Grant Park Farmers Market (Featured) If you've ever been to the Grant Park Farmers Market, you'd never guess that it's only in its second year. Every Sunday during market season, the west end of Grant Park becomes a bustling strip of local vendors - selling everything form handmade soap to homemade pasta - as if they've been doing itmore...
If you've ever been to the Grant Park Farmers Market, you'd never guess that it's only in its second year. Every Sunday during market season, the west end of Grant Park becomes a bustling strip of local vendors - selling everything form handmade soap to homemade pasta - as if they've been doing it there for years. But the market's real draw is all the freshly cut local produce, lovingly cultivated - often within a few miles of the park - by an emerging group of urban farmers. The park is also the perfect setting for a quick Hula-Hoop or an impromptu picnic under a shady tree. Just stop by one of the food vendors for supplies: S&J's Woodfired Pizza, Crepe Masters, and Dumpling Girl's homemade banh mi sandwiches are all on the menu. And for dessert, a pastry from Little Tart Bakeshop or a frozen treat from King of Pops will surely do the trick. Everything lovely and delicious about local food in Atlanta is at your fingertips on Sunday mornings in Grant Park.
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Best reason to regress BOA Award Winner
Edgar's Proof & Provision Sometimes a cocktail's name is so off-the-wall high-concept that you've just got to order it, even when you suspect you won't want to finish it. And When I Was Eight at Proof and Provision sounds like just such an irresistible novelty. Charmingly topped with a few colorful Froot Loops, it looks and tastesmore...
Sometimes a cocktail's name is so off-the-wall high-concept that you've just got to order it, even when you suspect you won't want to finish it. And When I Was Eight at Proof and Provision sounds like just such an irresistible novelty. Charmingly topped with a few colorful Froot Loops, it looks and tastes just like the bottom-of-the-bowl cereal milk you gleefully slurped as a child - if your mom spiked it with high-test vodka. But, rather than create a three-sip gimmick, bartender Nate Shuman has somehow found a way - with the aid of oat grain vodka, orange and elderflower liqueurs, orange bitters, plus cream - to replicate a comforting taste of nostalgia and deliver a creamy, end-of-the-evening dessert cocktail you'll want to savor.
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Best Doughnut BOA Award Winner
Sublime Doughnuts (Featured) Sure, we know the competition has revved up this year, but while we admire those newcomers in Decatur, we've got to hand it to owner Kamal Grant and his team at Sublime Doughnuts for reaching yeasty and/or cakey perfection in every bite. Consistency and creativity is what keeps winning us over with everymore...
Sure, we know the competition has revved up this year, but while we admire those newcomers in Decatur, we've got to hand it to owner Kamal Grant and his team at Sublime Doughnuts for reaching yeasty and/or cakey perfection in every bite. Consistency and creativity is what keeps winning us over with every trip to this den of doughnut loving. With more than two dozen treats to choose from, including our beloved Yin Yang (vanilla-chocolate) Twist, S'mores, and Sweet Potato Cake doughnuts, our infatuation is far from fading. Located in the Tech Plaza shopping strip, Sublime keeps students and others sufficiently glazed and frittered from dawn to dusk with freshly baked doughnuts continually emerging on long silver trays from the back kitchen. Peruse the menu over your first doughnut (few leave without a second) or grab one of the many doughnut-themed books (apparently, this is a genre), then nestle in on one of the comfy couches. The cheery yellow walls are decorated with doughnut-inspired art and framed reviews, including the shop's 2012 write-up in Bake magazine, which voted it as "America's Best Bakery." Aren't we the lucky ones?
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Best "I'll drink to that" for Atlanta craft beer advocates BOA Award Winner
The future Despite the fact Atlanta beer lovers have it better than ever before, our most exciting prospect is the future. As great as the last few years have been to us in terms of new, Atlanta-area craft breweries (Burnt Hickory, Jailhouse, Monday Night, Red Hare, etc.), the next few promise just as many if notmore...
Despite the fact Atlanta beer lovers have it better than ever before, our most exciting prospect is the future. As great as the last few years have been to us in terms of new, Atlanta-area craft breweries (Burnt Hickory, Jailhouse, Monday Night, Red Hare, etc.), the next few promise just as many if not more (Three Taverns, Strawn, Blue Tarp, Creature Comforts in Athens, etc.). Yes, thanks to growlers and Sunday sales we've begun clawing our way out of the dark ages, but the fact that brewpubs can't sell the former and breweries can't sell six-packs on site is a plague that remains. But hey, that's why we're looking forward, right? Onward and upward, true believers.
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Best frozen yogurt BOA Award Winner
Yoforia (Permanently Closed)
And multiple metro Atlanta locations.
Best restaurant to take visitors BOA Award Winner
TIE: Empire State South and JCT KitchenBest restaurant trends BOA Award Winner
Food Trucks
Best place to fill up your growler BOA Award Winner
Ale Yeah! (Permanently Closed)
and other metro Atlanta locations
Best vegetarian dish BOA Award Winner
TIE: Cafe Sunflower and R. ThomasBest Place to Dine with your Laptop BOA Award Winner
Octane Coffee (Permanently Closed)
and other metro Atlanta locations
Best culinary time machine BOA Award Winner
La Grotta Ristorante (Featured) In 1982, one food critic described La Grotta as "simply the finest Italian restaurant in Atlanta and one of the city's best restaurants of any kind." The beef carpaccio and any dish made with veal were the restaurants specialties. For dessert, fresh berries and cream. Thirty years later, the veal, themore...
In 1982, one food critic described La Grotta as "simply the finest Italian restaurant in Atlanta and one of the city's best restaurants of any kind." The beef carpaccio and any dish made with veal were the restaurants specialties. For dessert, fresh berries and cream. Thirty years later, the veal, the carpaccio, and even the berries - although now they're served with vanilla gelato - are still the restaurant's mainstays. Sergio Favalli, along with chef Antonio Abizanda, opened La Grotta in 1978, and to this day, La Grotta is where they both remain. Longevity and consistency over the years set this time capsule of a restaurant apart from every other restaurant in the city. Where else can you find a chef on a 34-year run at the same restaurant?
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Best farm on wheels BOA Award Winner
Farm Mobile We feel a little nostalgic whenever we see the bright green Farm Mobile truck pull up to our Main Street or local park. It reminds us of a simpler time when neighborhood moms would run out with a handful of change to meet the bread trucks that wandered down our block each week. Just as friendly, themore...
We feel a little nostalgic whenever we see the bright green Farm Mobile truck pull up to our Main Street or local park. It reminds us of a simpler time when neighborhood moms would run out with a handful of change to meet the bread trucks that wandered down our block each week. Just as friendly, the Farm Mobile folks post daily specials on a chalkboard. Skim it before climbing the steps into the back of the truck, making your way past bins stocked with organic and seasonal produce. Other offerings include: H&F breads, free-range eggs, and sustainable meats (grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, and chicken from White Oak Pastures), which you'll find once you gently squeeze by your neighbor and make your way to the freezer near the front. They also carry their own line of grits, polenta, and cornmeal, plus artisanal cheeses and pesto. Basically, you'll find all the fixings for a great meal in one stop. The mobile grocer, based out of Riverview Farms in Northwest Georgia, is constantly making the rounds in metro Atlanta, keeping customers up-to-date on its whereabouts via Facebook and Twitter. It's a lot easier than chasing after that old bread truck. www.grassfedcow.com/farmmobile.
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Best frozen yogurt BOA Award Winner
Yoforia (Permanently Closed)
And multiple metro Atlanta locations.
Best patio for hoisting a brew BOA Award Winner
The Midway Pub It's huge. Like, more than 25 tables and booths of varying sizes huge. So huge, that you'll almost never have to wait for a spot to sit down, though you may end up at opposite ends of a long table with a pair of strangers. But that's also one of the many charms of the Midway Pub patio - lots of smilingmore...
It's huge. Like, more than 25 tables and booths of varying sizes huge. So huge, that you'll almost never have to wait for a spot to sit down, though you may end up at opposite ends of a long table with a pair of strangers. But that's also one of the many charms of the Midway Pub patio - lots of smiling faces there to enjoy a beer (or three), just like you. More than just dog-friendly, Midway's staff and patio are downright dog-enthusiastic, all warm smiles, water bowls, and welcoming words of admiration. A wooden overhang protects from sun and precipitation, and it's adorned with assorted greenery. In fact, Midway boasts some of the finest bar plants around: succulents, evergreens, herbs (that are used in Midway's food), and various viney, flowering specimens that are going to be a joy to watch develop in the years to come. With 32 rotating drafts, more than 100 bottles, and a food selection that goes beyond standard pub grub, you might want to bring a sleeping bag - it's a little too easy to make yourself at home on this concrete slab.
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Best legendary beer bar in your backyard BOA Award Winner
Brick Store Pub You know about the Brick Store Pub, sure. Perhaps you've heard tell of its Belgian bar, itself alone an embarrassment of riches fleshed out with more than 100 bottles of Trappist ales, lambics, and quadruppels. Or maybe you read something about the beer cellar just across the hallway from that upstairsmore...
You know about the Brick Store Pub, sure. Perhaps you've heard tell of its Belgian bar, itself alone an embarrassment of riches fleshed out with more than 100 bottles of Trappist ales, lambics, and quadruppels. Or maybe you read something about the beer cellar just across the hallway from that upstairs bar, a cozy room fronted with a huge wooden door and containing more than 700 vintage and impossible-to-find brews, ranging from $5-$80 per reasonably sized bottle, and as much as $300 should you want to throw down on a 6-liter monstrosity for the table. Or perhaps you've read one of the many national media mentions of this legendary place that's celebrating 15 years of slinging the very best beers the world has to offer. In fact, it's known all over the world, and you're one of the lucky few who could have it as your Cheers. So, why haven't you?
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Best restaurant to take visitors BOA Award Winner
TIE: Empire State South and JCT KitchenBest restaurant trends BOA Award Winner
Food Trucks
Best service BOA Award Winner
Woodfire Grill (Permanently Closed) If you've ever stumped your server with a question regarding the menu, you probably weren't enjoying a meal at Woodfire Grill. In fact, there, the opposite is more likely. In-depth menu knowledge is a must for Woodfire's front-of-the-house staff, which is impressive considering the menu is subject tomore...
If you've ever stumped your server with a question regarding the menu, you probably weren't enjoying a meal at Woodfire Grill. In fact, there, the opposite is more likely. In-depth menu knowledge is a must for Woodfire's front-of-the-house staff, which is impressive considering the menu is subject to daily changes. Under the watchful eye of general manager Rick Blumberg, servers at Woodfire Grill are there when you need something and scarce when you don't. From the moment you walk in, and whether you're in the dining room or at the bar, you're always in someone's capable hands. And while you will most certainly leave Woodfire with a full stomach, don't be surprised if your appetite for culinary knowledge is satisfied, too.
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Best East/West grain bowl duo BOA Award Winner
Yet Tuh (Where to Eat Recommendation) One is warm comfort; the other is crisp clarity. One is found off the beaten path in a Korean hideaway OTP; the other in the heart of Decatur. Yet Tuh's barley bowl (bori-bop) is the East; The Bakery at Cakes & Ale's grain bowl is the West. What they share is their essence - a bowl of grain, adornedmore...
One is warm comfort; the other is crisp clarity. One is found off the beaten path in a Korean hideaway OTP; the other in the heart of Decatur. Yet Tuh's barley bowl (bori-bop) is the East; The Bakery at Cakes & Ale's grain bowl is the West. What they share is their essence - a bowl of grain, adorned and delicious. At Yet Tuh, the barley is the star, but there's a wide cast of characters that get mixed into the bowl at the table - thin shreds of nori, tender vegetables and mushrooms, spicy soybean paste. They come together in great harmony; a moment of Korean foodie Zen. At The Bakery at Cakes & Ale, the grain bowl is an ever-changing daily composition of whatever strikes chef David Sweeney's fancy: usually quinoa, often fresh field peas or beans, an accent of finely diced peppers or fresh herbs. Sweeney's grain bowl never fails to be striking in its effect - each element distinct, but a sum greater than the parts.
less...
Best late-night eats BOA Award Winner
Octopus Bar (Permanently Closed) It doesn't open until 10 p.m. And even then, if you're there before midnight, well, you're not part of the in-crowd. But this is no nightclub. It's a late-night restaurant/bar within a not-so-late-night restaurant in a (relatively) quiet corner of EAV. This is Octopus Bar. It's the kind of place Davidmore...
It doesn't open until 10 p.m. And even then, if you're there before midnight, well, you're not part of the in-crowd. But this is no nightclub. It's a late-night restaurant/bar within a not-so-late-night restaurant in a (relatively) quiet corner of EAV. This is Octopus Bar. It's the kind of place David Chang and Sean Brock would go to pound beers and down oysters and platefuls of salt and pepper shrimp (with a TV crew in tow) before (or maybe after) hitting the Clermont Lounge. Octopus Bar is dark and rough around the edges, and the food from chef Angus Brown is like a loud, quick, Southern-fried, alcohol-soaked romp across Asia. In addition to the oysters and succulent head-on (eat-the-whole-thing) shrimp, the menu is always peppered with things like uni and quail eggs and kimchi. The ultimate late-night bite, though, is Octopus Bar's lobster roll (with tomalley mayo). It's enough to make you want to eat after midnight every night.
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Best place to fill up your growler BOA Award Winner
Ale Yeah! (Permanently Closed)
and other metro Atlanta locations
Best vegetarian dish BOA Award Winner
TIE: Cafe Sunflower and R. Thomas
Best bartender BOA Award Winner
After journeyman gigs at OTP's Trattoria 141 and Buckhead's Prohibition, Kevin Bragg has fully come into his own behind the decks at 4th & Swift. The Old Fourth Ward eatery doubles as Bragg's personal laboratory for concocting an impressive array of bitters, tinctures, and other spicy and herbaceousmore...
After journeyman gigs at OTP's Trattoria 141 and Buckhead's Prohibition, Kevin Bragg has fully come into his own behind the decks at 4th & Swift. The Old Fourth Ward eatery doubles as Bragg's personal laboratory for concocting an impressive array of bitters, tinctures, and other spicy and herbaceous potions. But beyond their quirky ingredients - lemongrass-black sesame syrup and sage-infused Pinot Blanc reduction, to name a couple - Bragg's beverages are models of control and balance, creating a delightful interplay of flavors that can only be the product of hours of experimentation and a gift for counterintuitive blending. In other words, his drinks are damn tasty, down to the final sip. And, while Bragg is serious about cocktails, he manages to remain polite and composed when someone orders a Grey Goose and cranberry. Now that takes talent.
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