For today's story, two of my AJC colleagues and I explored the ever-changing scene along Buford Highway and found that the old drag has started to look pretty spiffy.

We found loads of new construction holding new restaurants that — surprise — had opened with a decorating budget. These newcomers aren't just clean and comfortable, they're downright upmarket.

JOHN KESSLER ON FOOD AND MORE E-mail Kessler Related: • More on food and drink • Restaurant reviews and search More Kessler Start with basics at three Buford Highway eateries  Salted cod gives kids whiff of new world (and they like it)  Colorful pumpkins have multiple uses  An iffy food approach: There's a joke in here somewhere  In the end, a bit too much wing think going on  Nibble by nibble, great meal at fancy restaurant redefined  A little midcentury classic we'd hate to be without  Grandfather's old-world life remains a mystery

And yet, old favorites exert their pull.

Recently I led a group of parents from my kids' school on a tour of the area from southern Gwinnett County down through Doraville and Chamblee. Originally I had thought to use the tour as a chance to explore some of these new restaurants. But when people told me they had never tried Shanghai soup dumplings, Salvadorean pupusas or Korean barbecue, then, well, we had to cover some basics.

Here are three restaurants I was happy to rediscover:

• Chef Liu: In the middle of a vast parking lot, like a double-wide trailer or the photo booth that time forgot, Chef Liu specializes in Chinese dumplings and pastry. I always love the leek pies here — think fat turnovers overstuffed with greasy, delicious, verdant, fragrant bits of leek that tumble over your hand as you try and shove the pastry in your mouth. The famous soup dumplings weren't as juicy as they were last time I ate them (you need that frisson of danger when the soupy filling bursts in your mouth and almost scalds it), but the Chinese crullers were as puffed and gorgeous as ever, ready to dunk in a bowl of steaming soy milk. (5221 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-936-8181)

• Rincon Latino: This Salvadorean/Mexican restaurant has doubled its size since I last visited years ago, and it kind of feels like a bus terminal with tile floors and preformed booths bolted into place. But the pupusas are as amazing as ever. These Salvadorean corn griddle cakes sport crisp surfaces and cheese-oozing insides. Additional fillings include minced chicharron, refried beans and loroco — a pickled bud that adds a welcome tang against the cheesy richness. A big bowl of the vinegared cabbage slaw called curtido accompanies each order. The rest of the menu looks and smells good, but I can rarely make it past pupusas. Think grilled cheese sandwiches as addictive as Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and you have the idea. (5055 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-936-0532)

• Chosun Ok: There are so many Korean barbecue restaurants along Buford Highway — a healthy number of which pass the crucial test of setting live coals on the table rather than flicking on an electric element. But the one I always take newbies to is Chosun Ok because it gets all the details right. You have to walk through the drab and empty front room to the narrow barbecue salon along the back. Pine paneling gives it the look of a cabin in a summer camp, as do the long wooden tables. A generous and always fresh assortment of pan chan (pickles, kimchi, potato salad, wiggly acorn cakes) comes early enough to snack on as you wait for your meat to cook. The bulgogi (sliced boneless rib-eye) is not cut as thin as elsewhere, and the kalbi (short ribs) are always great. Drink beer, or better yet, shots of the mild, clear distillate called soju. For a kick, ask to have it infused with julienned cucumbers. (5865 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-452-1821)