best ATL food.

heres the third edition of best ATL food. some of the titles have been copied as there may be more than one place that has the best burgers, mexican.. its a big city after all! enjoy the recommendations and be sure to send me feed back! and as always, let me know if theres anything you'd like me to research/add to the list. (many of these recommendations are centered around food and most of the food only reccomendations (not cocktails, taverns..) are recommended for lunch. however, if you're shooting for atmosphere, check out my first food post, "best big-city eats")

best meaty food:

Saskatoon
360 Pharr Rd; Buckhead; 404.891.1911

Take a shot at starters like wild game eggrolls or wild boar flatbread w/ alfredo & portobellos before attacking formerly water-borne eats like Fisherman's Pasta (littleneck clams, P.E.I. mussels & gulf shrimp in Chardonnay/vermouth/garlic sauce), smoky Idaho rainbow trout w/ plum BBQ sauce, or the oven-roasted, delivered-while-flaming "plank" salmon, whose indignity was doubled, as it wasn't even able to walk it. Bigger "Lodge Specialties" include an eight-ounce elk tenderloin w/ grilled portobellos, an ostrich fan filet w/ citrus-infused red wine demi glace, and double-rack venison rib chops; you can also nab four-week-aged Nebraska steaks (filet, sirloin, blue cheese NY strip...), and birds like the Remington roasted duck, whose dual-breast action is guaranteed to eat just as well as a blade, or your money back!
Sas's full bar boasts a wide selection of reds & whites alongside drafts like Guinness, Paulaner, Yuengling, and 420, also what made your eyes all bleary and bloodshot so you couldn't see the screen well enough, and this gun is totally broken anyway, dog.
check out the full menu here

best spanish food:

Auténtico INC Street Food
948 Canton St; Roswell; 770.998.3114

Commence stuffing yourself with cactus & yucca fries (w/ chipotle pico & Latin remoulade) or Salvadoran chicken pupusa (chicken-/queso-stuffed grilled white corn-masa), then move on to three-taco plates ranging from the standard-ish chili-rubbed skirt steak (w/ slaw, pickled carrots, chipotle crema) to more-adventurous BBQ octopus or veal cheek, which was lovingly pinched by that clock right before getting grilled on where it was going to college. Further Latin specialties include the Sonoran hot dog (bacon-wrapped, w/ black beans, cucumber slaw, queso & chili lime mayo), Cuban sammies, and stews like the red mole con carne (braised beef, corn-masa dumplings & Oaxacan mole sauce), and the shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels, potato, tomato, corn-on-the-cob, and coconut-milk "Brazilian-Style", which goes through that pain every couple weeks just to keep you happy, and you'd damn well better appreciate it. Cause they read somewhere that people like to drink, INC's got 'ritas (e.g., Tres Chiles, w/ Thatcher’s liqueur & jalapeno candy), 34 tequilas, Dos Equis Lager & Amber on draft, and bottles like Abita Purple Haze, Presidente, and Spain's Estrella Damm -- the same thing you say after finally catching up with your other favorite food truck, and realizing it's out of King Kones.
check out the full menu here

best night club:

The Havana Club
3112 Piedmont Rd; Buckhead; 404.869.8484

When stuff happens you don't like, there's solace in knowing it was for a reason: when your hamster died, the little fella was old and not really enjoying himself anymore, and when the Buckhead strip closed, it was to keep you from being stabbed by visiting NFL players whose names rhyme with Ray Lewis. Reinventing an adored dance factory in a new, linebacker-free location, Havana Club.
After closing three dark years ago to make way for the safer-for-tourists, perpetually "Coming next year!" Streets of Buckhead project, Havana's officially back this weekend in a new, sprawling triple-room complex, where DJs'll spin top-40 rock, house, and salsa/merengue tunes among faux palms and 100-year-old recycled wood walls pulled from a Texas courthouse to provide "old-world ambiance" -- so...Texas, Spain? The entry-area "Stage" zone features cream leather couches and dark wood tables below an elevated level with a concrete/stained glass bar, a shiny red stage for bands & DJs, cabana-style beds, and a walk-in humidor/wine room next to a smoker's lounge with brown leather chairs and natural wood cocktail tables, who don't need no stinking pills! Keep it moving and you'll hit the "Studio", a red-lit, Latin-themed back area for merengue & salsa dancing (free lessons if you arrive early) with a high stage built into the wall for live Cuban bands; next up's the "Gallery", a glistening white expanse in the rear for house music, which'll also double as an event space for art exhibits, runway shows, and high-end dealers flaunting their new cars, which'll leave you wondering Who's Gonna Drive You Home.
Havana's hosting two huge events for this weekend's launch: complimentary hors d'oeuvres & an open bar from 9-11pm at "The Friday Night Escape", then the same deal from 8:30-10pm for Saturday night's grand opening -- which thanks to their "No Ravens Linebackers" door policy, doesn't refer to your throat.

best cheap food:

Lunacy Black Market
231 Mitchell St SW; Downtown; 404.736.6164

Just about everything on both the lunch & dinner menu's under $5, and along with soup and salads, the main attractions for midday eaters are sandwiches like Asian-style pork w/ ginger soy sesame sauce; chicken w/ spinach, tomato & goat cheese; braised beef w/ roasted peppers and Ricotta; and the crispy mushroom, which comes with "chunk" tomato sauce -- overeat, and you'll quickly become acquainted with Sloth. Dinner seekers can nab shrimp sauteed in olive oil and garlic, Mediterranean chicken leg w/ cinnamon curry cardamom, tangy mint-sauced pork ribs (also made Asian-style), or the four-person-satiating, marinated roasted whole mullet (and now you know who the Trans-Am taking up two spots belongs to).
For the manliest part of the meal, there're chocolate chip cookies w/ apple & caramel sauce, and the red wine-syrup-drizzled poached pear, a name that'll mislead diners to thinking it was illegally murdered by chip-toothed men in khaki hats.
check out the full menu here

best oysters:

The New Food: C&S Oyster Bar
3240 Cobb Pkwy; Cobb; 770.272.0999

The upscale seafood saloon's trucked in new wines like Spain's Basico Sav Blanc at nice prices ($6-$8/glass) and unveiled fresh house specialty entrees like Parm-crusted flounder and blackened swordfish w/ tomato dill butter & crab sweet potato hash, along with snackers like the veal & Ricotta-rolled Marie Anne's Meatballs, which you'll feel much more comfortable handling than the Skipper's.
check out the full menu here

best pizza:

950 Pie Pizza Tavern
950 W Peachtree St; Midtown; 404.881.8884

Pizzas're crafted with finely ground Italian "00" flour and San Marzano tomatoes, then wood-fire baked at 750 degrees for a charred crust; creations include the Bianca (olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, smoked provolone, feta, sun-dried tomato), the brunchy Bacon & Egg, the chorizo/Manchego/red bell pepper/garlic Matador, and the shrimp-topped Gulf Stream -- what top Citibank officials would order if Tim Geithner wasn't keeping them all poor. Chomp-ables outside the giant circle category include antipastis (zucchini fries, hand-rolled meatballs...), calzones like the Italia (mozzarella, ricotta, spicy Italian sausage, salami), paninis (chicken club, meatball, Caprese...), and gourmet salads like the red wine vinaigrette Tavern Chopped, with salami, chicken, Pepperoncini, garbanzos & organic "mesculin", like that stuff you tried last summer in Arizona, only with 17 fewer sagacious lizards.
The full bar's got gourmet milkshakes (Hazelnut, Key Lime Pie), Italian, Argentinean & Spanish wines, cheap drafts ($2 PBR, $4 Peroni & Abita Jockamo IPA), and 20+ craft bottles like Terrapin Sun Ray Wheat and Moretti La Rossa, brewed with aromatic hops that give it a slightly bitter aftertaste -- what Snooki was left with when the last guy she challenged proved he could flip her for real.
check out the full menu here

best caribbean:

The Village Jerk
1271 Glenwood Ave SE; East Atlanta; 678.705.4585

The gorging commences with apps like tostones a la criolla (Caribbean Creole/guava-simmered shrimp on crisp plantain) and batter-fried conch fritters with mango chutney, along with hearty bowl-based nourishment including sancocho (plantain/yucca/seafood/veggies) and a chicken-laden chowder called jerk soup, also what it's called when the Alpha Betas all jump in the jacuzzi. Things get more substantial with "planwiches" (jerk chicken/pork sandwiches with fried plantain fritters replacing bread), chicharron de pollo (chicken fried golden brown and drizzled with a warm tamarind apricot sauce), meatloaf covered in BBQ guava glaze and served with a side of yucca, and masitas de puerco: chunks of pork slowly baked then flash fried before losing all motivation to go to the gym.
Drinkables stay tropical, with Negra Modelo, Corona, and Red Stripe, along with sangria and mojitos; they've also got an uber-cute "Nino's" kids' menu plus a nice smattering of vegetarian offerings, in case you want your heart to continue to beat (as one).
check out the full menu here

best multi-faceted restaurant:

One Cafe & Yoeshi
Burritos, sushi & yogurt: unite!
171 Auburn Ave, Ste D; Downtown; 404.688.5344

Hit One for custom burritos (with free-range beef/chicken, shredded pork, or buffalo chili), burgers, soups, and pre-prepped, microwaveable to-go grub like mac 'n' cheese-sided pot roast, which you can grab at the self-service kiosk -- reminiscent of what you do with your own beef at Peek-A-Boo's video arcades. To get even fatter, stroll over to Yoeshi for sushi like deep-fried, panko-crusted Super Crunch (salmon, cream cheese, avocado), specialty rolls like the ponzu-glazed Electric Eel, or combos; froyo's all vanilla with frighteningly healthy toppings like blackberries, pomegranates, kiwi, plus dried fruits like mango and candied ginger, also the redhead kid into whose hair you used to grind Now and Laters.
Because studies show that people like booze, there'll be frozen margaritas on the One side, plus self-serve spots in both joints where you can pay for and pour your own domestic, micro & import beer, wine, and sake, so you "don't have to worry about tipping" -- the exact opposite of the classic sleepover move, "just the tipping".
check out the full menu here

best international pizza:

Piola
1080 Peachtree St, Ste 9; Midtown; 404.249.7019

Start with antipasti like Linosa (avocado, shrimp & pink sauce), or the Italia Unita w/ mozzarella, Parmesan, bread & sun-ripened apricots; pizza's 12" mozzarella-covered thin crusters like the Mantova (sliced raw beef, Brie, arugula, fresh tomatoes...), the smoked salmon/ricotta/parsley Rimini, or the Merano, with zucchini and Italian Speck ham -- unlike other prosciutti, it's "boned before curing", which proves that you're not the only pig that likes to live dangerously. There're specialty pies like the white-sauced Lipsia (shrimp, broccoli, garlic, fresh tomatoes), or the spicy salami-topped Napoletana Pompei, while there're also pastas like Fusilli Bianco Verde (chicken, broccoli, cream, Parmesan) and hearty meals including breaded beef cutlets, pan-seared tuna steak, and a chicken breast roll (try that on for size, Sean White!!)
For your imbibing pleasure, they've got bottled beers (Peroni, Stella, Corona...), wines, and mixed drinks like Caipirinhas or Kiwi Caipiroskas; dessert includes profiteroles and tiramisu made w/ Mascarpone cream, coffee, cocoa powder, and oval-shaped cookies known as "lady fingers" -- tell Zaza that he shoots like his hands are made of them, and he'll slap you like you just pulled him over for speeding.
check out the full menu here

best small plate caribbean:

Entice A
239 Ponce de Leon Ave; Midtown; 404.607.0101

The tapas attack begins with curried wings w/ mango salsa, pecan-crusted chicken fillets w/ sweet potato, and blackened tilapia, before ranging over to jerk chicken flatbread, sweet pepper shrimp & cheese grits, Guinness-marinated short ribs, and snapper escovitch w/ fried dumplings, which will eat themselves once they run out of Flaming Cheetos. If you enjoy food that used to swim, there's the Caribbean crispy fish salad or grilled jumbo sea scallops w/ mango rice; sides include garlic red potatoes w/ leeks, zucchini Parmesan pancakes, and Caribbean Ratatouille, the Pixar sequel that was way more awesome, since Billy Ocean did the entire soundtrack.
Once the mayor approves their liquor license (c'mon, Kasim!!), you'll be able to brighten up your life with the "Caribbean Twilight" martini (dark rum, GranMa, lemon, bitters), Caipirinhas, tropical L.I. Teas, or the 1800/triple sec/Chambord/sour/cranberry "Bite the Berry" -- something you pray you don't end up doing after discovering just how mighty-mighty your brick house really is.
check out the full menu here

best french food:

Moto Bistro
2257 Lenox Rd; Buckhead; 404.634.2828

Apps like the vegetable-basil or crab spring rolls (w/ tamarind dip sauce) and cucumber-/sweet pepper-sauced crystal shrimp dumplings cover the Asian side of the fusion; things swing French from there thanks to wine-sauce-steamed mussels, roasted quail w/ pimento plum sauce, flash-fried & rice flour-crusted oysters, and the garlic-buttered escargot au beurre, a favorite of popular French rapper Gucci Homme. Mainly-French entrees range from poultry dishes like roast-grilled hen w/ mustard sauce, to five-spice-sauced pork belly, to red-meaty meals like rosemary-herb rack of lamb, red wine ribeye steak, and the braised shortrib w/ mashed potatoes and natural reduction, which in a cruel twist, will lead to your own natural augmentation.
As for eats o' the sea, Moto's got the Bass Au Fenouil Et Poireaux (accompanied by fried fennel & leek), or the Pates Au Saumon, smoked salmon & penne -- the same thing you'll leave in Ma$e's collection plate, as that's about all his thoughts are worth these days.
check out the full menu here

best not-quite-bar food:

Young Augustine's
327 Memorial Dr; Grant Park; 404.681.3344


Snacks come small (Benton's Tennessee prosciutto on a toasted loaf w/ fried ginger mayo) and large (pork belly sliders, tomato/fundido/jalapeno-topped tater tot nacho "totchos"); they're also slingin' sammies like the short rib grilled cheese (w/ arugula, pickles & vine-ripe tomatoes), and the cured salmon Reuben, which enjoyed a new lease on life, until you ate it. More aggressive eating comprises brisket hash poached eggs (w/ mustard Hollandaise), fried chicken w/ stone ground grits & tomatoes, or the jasmine-rice pork vindaloo, all backed up by sides like truffled mac & cheese, scallion pancakes w/ oyster sauce, and fries cooked in duck fat (aka, Goldberg the goalie).
The bar's got a full arsenal of booze, but the main attraction's the additional 16 taps they've added to the 12 left from The Standard's still-standing bar, pouring everything from tamer crafts like the 4.5% ABV Blanche de Bruxelles to heavier hooch like the 12% Duvel Green -- guess which one would get Bob Jammin'.
check out the full menu here

best brunch:

Brunch House
1465 Chattahoochee Ave, Ste 100; West Midtown; 404.350.9665

Just opened off Chattahoochee, Brunch House is an everything-under-$7, relaxing southern-style breakfast/lunchery, decked with wall silhouettes of cats and flying birds, a central zig-zagging exposed brick sectional wall/coffee station, and a fireplace. Early pig-outage includes a biscuit & gravy w/ meat (Kentucky Pride sausage, honey baked ham...) and combos like the country fried steak platter w/ gravy, two eggs, and hash browns or grits, while lunching ranges from sammies (blackened garlic roast pork, Gogi steak...), to a bar for loading up baked potatoes, which are almost certainly couch potatoes.
check out the full menu here

best irish food:

Mac McGee's
111 Sycamore St; Decatur; 404.377.8050

Bite into apps like pork belly on bubble & squeak (pot roast veggies), and a smoked fish plate w/ gooseberry jam & blancmange, then step up to chips-sided Irish calzone-y "pasties" like beef brisket or seafood (clam, shrimp, fennel), lamb leg sandwiches, or the Dublin burger w/ Cashel Blue Irish cheese & house-made "rashers": strips of bacon, and less deliciously, the nickname for women at Myrtle Beach's Señor Frogs. Entrees include pies like steak & mushroom and smoked oyster, plus the always-available Full Irish Breakfast (eggs, bangers, bacon, black & white pudding, baked beans & roasted tomato); finish off your fatness with desserts like toffee pudding w/ whisky cream & brown sugar tuile, or the chocolate pot de creme, which comes with a "current scone", which will quickly turn into a former scone.
Meanwhile, the whisk(e)y stock focuses on varieties Irish (Jameson Rarest Vintage) and Scotch (Macallan 15 Fine Oak, Glenmorangie 18yr, Lagavulin 16yr), plus there're 16 bottled brews (Trappistes Rochefort, Highland Gaelic, Victory HopDevil), and 23 drafts like Trois Pistoles and Boddingtons -- named for owner Henry, whose grandson Ewart sold the company off in 1989, because he was too chicken to continue.
check out the full menu here

enjoy- and don't forget to eat enough for me as well ;)
(always)alanna