It's been a fine day for the Atlanta restaurant community. The venerable James Beard Foundation announced its 2016 restaurant and chef award semifinalists and numerous Atlanta names are in the running for these esteemed culinary awards . In addition, the Atlanta dining scene got some love from The New York Times this week via a profile by food correspondent Kim Severson. She focuses on the city's dining renaissance of late, with input from Hugh Acheson of Empire State South ; Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia , Little Bacch , Star Provisions and WH Stiles Fish Camp ; and Sean Brock, who recently opened Minero in Ponce City Market .
"Over the last couple of years, a record number of new and independent restaurants have opened," Severson writes. "Especially in the urban core — what people here call intown Atlanta — veteran chefs and newcomers alike have taken advantage of cheap rents and a growing cadre of good line cooks who don’t feel the need to prove themselves in bigger ponds."
She also references some of the local (and, in some cases, national) celebrity chefs Atlanta has had a hand in producing in recent years , including Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow and Revival , as well as Ford Fry, who has built a mini empire with Superica , The El Felix , Bar Margot , Marcel , St. Cecilia , King + Duke , The Optimist and most recently, BeetleCat .
Severson does take care to mention some of the hinderances Atlanta faces in becoming a true food capitol:
"The city’s divisions — cultural, geographical and even racial — remain a challenge, too. It takes a long time to get around, and most of the metropolitan area’s 5.5 million residents live outside the city limits. Even the drive to Decatur, a small city one might call Atlanta’s gastronomic equivalent of Berkeley or Brooklyn, can seem too long."
As Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Linton's in the Garden put it, "Atlanta has a lot of things that make it not an easy story line."
In addition to examining the state of the Atlanta dining scene, Severson also compiled a list of places to eat in Atlanta, many of which, we're happy to say, the AJC has provided extensive coverage on:
Where Atlanta Chefs Will Likely Tell You To Go
Cakes & Ale, 155 Sycamore St., Decatur, 404-377-7994, cakesandalerestaurant.com
Read about our favorite Cakes & Ale salad
Best Barbecue
Community Q BBQ, 1361 Clairmont Road, Decatur, 404-633-2080, www.communityqbbq.com/
Best Breakfast
The General Muir, 1540 Avenue Pl B-230, Atlanta, 678- 927-9131 , thegeneralmuir.com
Read about Ginsberg's Yalla and Fred's Meat & Bread
Best Place to Find a Cult Bartender
Ticonderoga Club, 99 Krog St. N.E., Atlanta, 404-458-4534, ticonderogaclub.com
Best Oxtail and Fried Chicken
Busy Bee Cafe, 810 M.L.K. Jr Dr NW, Atlanta, 404- 525-9212 , thebusybeecafe.com
Best Food to Rival New York's
Gunshow, 924 Garrett St., Atlanta. 404-380-1886, gunshowatl.com
Go behind the scene with former Gunshow chef Andreas Mueller
Find out more about Chef Kevin Gillespie
Read about Gillespie's Red Beard Restaurants venture
Staplehouse, 541 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, 404- 524-5005 , www.staplehouse.com/
Best Food to rival California's
Miller Union, 999 Brady Ave NW, Atlanta, 678- 733-8550 , millerunion.com/site/
Read about Satterfield's road to recovery See Satterfield's nothing-but-an-apron calendar photo
Best Restaurant to Take Your Parents (Or Your Rich Friends)
Atlas, 88 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, 404- 600-6471 , atlasrestaurant.com/
Best Sushi in the South
Umi, 3050 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, 404- 841-0040 , umiatlanta.com/
Best neighborhood Italian restaurant you probably can’t get into
BoccaLupo, 753 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, 404- 577-2332 , boccalupoatl.com
Most unexpected lunch
Spice to Table,
, 404-
,
Best place for coastal seafood
The Optimist, 914 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, 404- 477-6260 , theoptimistrestaurant.com/
About the Author
