Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [98]
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“In 1998, I took a six-month break from being an Indigo Girl, and I found myself wanting to embark upon an adventure, so my founding partners and I created Watershed. Sharing good food is similar to sharing music in many ways; you give something to people that makes them happy, and you partake of it yourself. It can be centered on milestones or simply a night out with friends. It comforts us in times of sadness. There are elements of a song that bring it together perfectly in its own time. It’s the same with the food at Watershed; asparagus for spring, strawberries for summer, pumpkins for fall, thick stews for the cold winter months; a song for every season.”
Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls
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Pork roasted in-house makes the Cuban sandwiches at Kool Korner Atlanta’s best. This small grocery-cum–food counter on 14th St is the kind of spot you would never even consider popping into for anything other than a pack of smokes or a half-pint of Jack Daniel’s. Perfect pork? Who knew? Another fantastic find is the Cabbagetown Market. “It’s a little market on Carroll St,” says Peacock. “They sell farm eggs and raw milk and sugar cane Coke and they have a little lunch counter. It’s so cute.” The best seller here is the burger with house-made pimento cheese.
Of course, Atlanta is more than capable of hosting on the high end as well. Krog Bar, an intimate wine space in the old Atlanta Stove Works factory, is a favorite for pre-dinner wine and appetizers. There are great by-the-glass options and the wait staff is well schooled on vintages. The small plates are interesting here – try the yellowtail carpaccio with piquillo peppers and chili oil. Better yet, challenge them to pair it. Serious foodies flock to Holeman & Finch. It does delicacies for the cast-iron stomached under the menu heading “Parts” (crisp pork ears, fatback and tails with BBQ, gratin of marrow).
Two of Atlanta’s most revered tables round out this culinary crusade, both of which come back down to Quatrano and Harrison, starting with FloatAway Café. Seasonal cuisine created with country French, Mediterranean and Italian influences and an industrial warehouse motif here are a jarring marriage at first, but service and the results of the kitchen are pure epicurean ecstasy.
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“Rathbun’s consistently delivers one of the best dining experiences in Atlanta – a cool space, great bar, flawless service…oh, and then there’s the food. For a light bite, you can go with a couple of small plates, or step it up to the ‘Big Plates’ for a larger meal, or splurge with a ‘Second Mortgage’ dish (the Australian lamb chops are my favorite). Atlanta has a ton of dining options, but I’d take Rathbun’s above all others.”
Jason Hatfield, Atlanta, GA
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No Atlanta dining debate ever concludes without mention of Bacchanalia, consistently voted the city’s top gourmand experience by nearly everyone since anyone kept track of such things. The $75 prix-fixe menu at this contemporary American mecca might include fennel soup with Maine lobster or wood-grilled California squab with glazed cippolini onions, but it changes daily and never gets tired. Speaking of which, who could use a nap?
Kevin Raub
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TRIP INFORMATION
DO
Cook’s Warehouse
From Indian tapas to BBQ, classes at this gourmet cooking school should set you straight in the kitchen. 404-377-4005; www.cookswarehouse.com; 180 W Ponce de Leon, Decatur; classes from $65; year-round
Morningside Market
Organic produce and artisan farmers market, in business well ahead of the curve, since 1995. 404-313-5784; www.morningsidemarket.com; 1393 N Highland Ave; 8am-11:30am Sat
EAT
88 Tofu House
All day, all