Instead of a main course this week, we have an assortment of tapas:

Battling baguettes: “Is it Alon’s or H&F?”

John Kessler writes food features and a column about food and more for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution E-mail John Kessler Recent Kessler columns Atlanta food expert explains the science behind her recipes  Your fool-proof checklist for Thanksgiving  How to plan your Thanksgiving dinner         More John Kessler Related: Thanksgiving recipes Atlanta Holiday Guide AJC Food & Drink Evening Edge Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search Recipes from Atlanta restaurants Favorite Atlanta recipes

That is the question that discerning baguette shoppers are asking all around Atlanta. Ever since H&F Bread Co. (a sister establishment to Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House, also located in the Aramore building at 2255 Peachtree Road) debuted this summer, a baguette kerfuffle has been brewing in gourmet shops and restaurants that have chosen to carry one product or the other.

The issue was exacerbated by production problems Alon’s encountered after moving the bread-baking operation to its second location in Dunwoody (the former Eatzi’s). The breads were quite inconsistent at first, with crusts that came out leathery, chewy and dark when they should have been crackly and golden. I think the breads have improved but still aren’t what they used to be.

As far as H&F baguettes go, I’ve found they have a wonderful flavor, with a perfect level of salt. But they can be inconsistent as well — sometimes a little stubbier or denser than they should be. Nor is the soft, flour-dusted crust what you’d expect for a baguette, which should break with a satisfying snap.

With luck, the competition will encourage them both to get better.

Tofu thrills: The Vietnamese deli and carryout shop called Viet Tofu in Chamblee specializes in all kinds of fried tofu cakes — some plain, some stuffed and some flavored with fine bits of meat or vegetable. The one true find here, in my opinion, is the lemon grass-chili flavored tofu cubes. They’re a little greasy, a little rubbery and 100 percent stuff-your-face delicious if you’re a fan of the slow burn. These small cubes, which cost 75 cents per half-dozen, would recrisp in a hot oven or turn meaty in a hot pot or braise. I couldn’t keep my hand out of the bag enough to find out.

Viet Tofu also sells a lot of plastic-wrapped savory snacks (such as goi cuon summer rolls), banh mi sandwiches made to order and deliciously tremulous fresh, warm tofu with peppery-sweet ginger syrup. (Viet Tofu is 4897 Buford Highway in the Orient Center.)

Half-pastas: The last time I went to Sotto Sotto restaurant in Inman Park, owner Riccardo Ullio stopped by the table and seemed pleased to see we were eating half-orders of pasta.

“That’s how we do it in Italy,” he said. “We’d never make a meal from a big bowl of pasta. It’s supposed to be a starter — it’s too heavy.”

I love good pasta and could eat it until I keel over. But I do think a half-order of one followed by an appetizer-size plate is the best way to counter portion inflation. I also love the half-pastas at La Tavola Trattoria in Virginia-Highland.

Honeycrisp apples: This piebald cultivar — green with a streaky red blush — has made quite a showing in supermarkets this year and have so far been amazing. They’re tart, sweet, juicy, perfumy and so ear-ringingly crisp I’m afraid that I sound like a cartoon character when I bite into one. It’s a hybrid that was developed by apple growers in Minnesota and has been commercially available since the early 1990s. Is there a better apple in the Atlanta market today? Yes, I’m talkin’ to you.