I had few impressions of Atlanta going in. I expected myself to have an off the cuff weekend with a few friends. Fortunately my friend and guide, Toby, knows how to show visitors a good time. Before I knew it, I was taken across Atlanta on food and cocktail excursion that I'm sure Gordon Ramsay couldn't curse at.

The south is always ubiquitously known for their drinks like sweet tea and wholesome comfort foods like those of the Waffle House (originally started in Atlanta). Little did I know that Atlanta has rapidly been changing those impressions with new restaurants making an eclectic fusion of dishes from all cultural backgrounds.

So much so that it made me realize how much of a plebeian I am in the world of cocktails and foodie dining. As tasty as the dishes are, I recognize I lack the palate to fully appreciate the medley of flavors presented before me. But that's not going to stop me from eating and drinking my way through Atlanta.

 

Midtown

Once an upcoming neighborhood in the early 2000s, Midtown has reached an explosion in development. This area was once an aging backwater and now is a booming area for food, nightlife, shopping, drinks, and other fancy activities. So naturally Toby and Henry live there.

Bon Ton

First stop was Bon Ton, a newly opened and modern style Cajun restaurant in the middle of Midtown. They provide a new age, New Orleans style seafood from catfish to crawdads. They even boost an incredible array of cocktails that must be tried with your meal.

I went for the friend oyster sandwich, and they sure knew how to bread these oysters. And that's coming from a Seattleite.

Their jawdropping item is their hot sauce. It's an old, secret family recipe, where they add the drippings from the pans to their spices to make this flavorful sauce with a wonderful afterbite. They would say little else. It was so good I kept lathering it on my sandwich despite the throat-wrenching pain.

Staplehouse

This restaurant only opened its doors in September 2015 and it’s so popular that their online reservations disappear within hours. Whenever a new month of reservations become available online, potential diners must rush in Black Friday style, to secure a reservation.

Naturally I had no idea this place existed nor the foresight to book. a reservation Fortunately, Toby thought this over a month in advance and secured us a table. Boy did this restaurant not disappoint.

The meals are designed to be split family style to not be overwhelming in its flavors. If a party of four goes through the whole menu, it should run at $35 each. That doesn’t include drinks, and their lovely cocktails will add a fair amount to the tab.

The food is amazing, bursting with so many flavors. So many that my uneducated tongue can’t recognize its grandeur. It’s definitely worth a visit if you can snag a seat, but I believe foodies will truly take away the most value from this place.

If that's not enough of a reason to go, Staplehouse is a subsidiary of The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that helps those in the restaurant industry make ends meet.

 

Ponce City Market

An extremely upscale market built in an old building that has been renovated to give a rustic look to the mall. Filled with high-end retailers and most importantly, filled with all sorts of high end gastropubs. Too many to try in fact. Unfortunately, most portions here are small and their prices high, though I am assured their quality is well worth it. I figured I was already running my bank account dry, why stop now? So I went out and tried a couple of places.

 

King of Popsicles

Of all the restaurants, I ran here first. Sweaty and unaccustomed to the Georgia heat, a fruit Popsicle, submerged in a cocktail was too good to pass up. And who could deny a chance to be 5 years old and an adult simultaneously. Great for the weather but once again rather expensive.

Biltong Bar

A South African restaurant and bar that makes their own South African style of beef jerky. They particularly excel at cocktails, with rotating drinks out based on the ingredients available or the bartender's muse.

The drinks are as lovely as they sound. A must visit for any cocktail connoisseur.

 

The Varsity

I know this is a landmark and tradition of Atlanta, and I know this will bring about the wrath of all Atlantans, but this place is awful. The hotdogs are comparable to those aging, lukewarm sausages rotating on the grill at 7 Eleven. Maybe you have to be in an inebriated state to enjoy this place. Same goes when you dine at 7 eleven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decatur

Every city has that rich, upper class suburb that's sooooo cool. Outside of Portland it was Lake Oswego. In Seattle it was Queen Anne. Decatur is just that. I've made it to the big leagues, at least for the afternoon.,

 

Kimball House

More cocktails! Another new addition to the Atlanta food scene, this restaurant resides in an old train depot built in 1891. They fixed the place up and used the industrial feel to their advantage, adding cool additions like a pulley system to run their fans. Their cocktails are sublime, and to my delight, they carried oysters from around the United States. This is a great place to try some of the local oysters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOS Tiki Bar

Things far too hot in Atlanta? Of course it is, its Atlanta. You can wish your way to the beach with some tiki drinks at this Hawaiian themed bar.

 

Buford Highway

Atlanta's equivalent of an international district is a bit unique. It’s stretched out a couple of miles along Buford Highway, all of the local minority group are mixed as opposed to the more separated homogeneous areas that's standard for other large cities. Unfortunately this is only easily accessible by car and does contain many of the affordable eats.

 

Quoc Huong

I'm actually an expert in this category. Two great places stand out for Vietnamese baguettes. Quoc Huong sells for a meager $3.50 for the whole sandwich. That price makes it worth it alone. Lee's sandwich is superior though their sandwiches go for $5.

 

Roll It Up Ice Cream

The next big trend to come out of Asia. I haven't even seen one of these shops anywhere else in the United States. And so when Toby casually mentions there's a Thai Ice Cream joint next door, we had to go despite how full we were.

For those who haven't heard of this new delicious frozen treat, a milk-based mixture is poured onto a freezing metal plate with some toppings. Using a pair of metal paddles, the server mixes the mixture repeatedly until it starts becoming more solid. Then they scrape it off the plate so that it becomes a little roll. It produces an ice cream with a different texture and style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I opened my wallet and five moths and a debtor's note fell out. We outlawed debtors prisons right?

I hear Poland is cheap.