Today we’re heading south and focusing on Atlanta. There are plenty of good, authentic Southern restaurants in Hotlanta, but the city is finding its identity in other food cultures as well. New American and ethnic cuisines are found on every other corner, and we’ve listed only three of our current favorites. There are hundreds of others, but we’ve got to start somewhere!

Livingston (inside the Georgian Terrace Hotel). The Georgian Terrace has been an Atlanta landmark for nearly a century, famously hosting the Gone with the Wind premiere gala in 1939 and turning into the “Electric Ballroom” in the 1970s. More recently the stately hotel has been given an amazing culinary makeover, and boasts no less than three restaurants. The most glamorous of these is Livingston, a two-storied architectural gem with some pretty astounding food. Everything on the menu is either locally sourced and/or housemade, which makes it not only delicious but responsible as well. The staff is friendly, the food is good, the space is pretty (they often rent it out for special events and filming) and it’s directly across the street from The Fabulous Fox. What else could you need?”

 

Well, you might need some very special hamburgers in your life. And if you’re in Atlanta, you want to try the very, very special 10 o’clock burger at Holeman & Finch. There are only 24 of these delicious, house-made burgers served each night and they only start coming out of the kitchen around 9:50. You can reserve yours at any point during your visit to the restaurant, so they are very often reserved far ahead of the 10pm start time. The rest of the menu is fun and not for the faint of heart: not many places offer sweetbreads and bacon-caramel popcorn together. Oh and their cocktail list is kind of amazing, too.

If you’re not in the mood for anything fancy, then Lee’s Bakery on Buford Highway is the place to be. Simple and inexpensive, this strip mall bakery isn’t much to look at but the food is absolutely delicious. The pho is just as it should be; slightly salty, piping hot and flavorful, and the banh mi is served on crusty, fresh baguettes. This is truly a hidden gem; they don’t even have more than a placeholders website, but don’t let that fool you. The food is some of the best Vietnamese to be had in Atlanta and they do a booming business.

Next month, we’ll head west to Los Angeles. Any suggestions you’d like to see included?