About eight or 10 years ago, a lovely lady named Judy who helped coordinate parent involvement at our kids’ school called me with an idea.
Would I be willing, she asked, to take a group on a tour of Buford Highway? We could offer this experience in the annual school auction.
“What does a tour of Buford Highway involve?” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “let’s figure it out.”
So, over the phone, we scoped out the details. It would have to involve meals at a handful of different restaurants, so it might be best to start late on a Saturday morning and go until someone cries “uncle.” People couldn’t just eat and eat and eat without stretching their legs, so I’d try and build in a pass through the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
“How many people can you take?” Judy asked. The answer came right away: six. That was the maximum number I could fit in my ratty old minivan, and I thought the fun would be not just in eating together but in rolling together.
Over the intervening years, I’ve repeated variations on this tour a dozen times or more, both for the school and other choice charities. Some lasting friendships have been forged in this crucible of dumplings, tacos and Korean barbecue.
Would you like to go on a tour? Well, now’s your chance. Not with me, alas, since I’m leaving Atlanta at the end of next month. But you can arrange it yourself. Here’s how:
1. First, make sure you have no more than seven people total and a mode of transportation that can fit them all. One car cruising down Buford Highway is an adventure. A caravan is a production. Any larger group also will be hard to seat at some restaurants. Also, bring a cooler with ice packs. You’ll have a lot of leftovers.
2. Meet at 10:30 for breakfast (aka your first binge-eating adventure) at one of the many Taiwanese or Korean bakeries that line the street. Over coffee and pastries you can gauge everyone's sense of adventure and experience. Come with a list of 15 or 20 restaurants and start strategizing a course of action. My top pick: Sweet Hut, which is not only in a great shopping center to explore, but also has a fine assortment of both sweet and savory pastries, as well as bubble teas and espresso drinks. Don't miss the black pig bread (filled with bacon and garlic) and the Portuguese egg tarts. Try one of the anise-scented tea eggs in a Crock-Pot by the register (5150 Buford Highway, Doraville; 470-545-2585, sweethutbakery.com).
3. Hit a small, popular restaurant before it fills up for the lunch rush. Go someplace where the menu mixes easy-to-love food with more challenging dishes. You want the squeamish person in your party to say, "I can't believe I'm eating X, and I love it." My top pick: Mamak, the Malaysian restaurant just a few doors up from Sweet Hut. The service is excellent, and the food becomes a fast favorite of everyone who tries it. Get the Hainanese chicken rice and the sambal okra (5150 Buford Highway, Doraville; 678-395-3192, mamak-kitchen.com).
4. Get food for the car. A lot of Vietnamese places sell snacks, sandwiches and other dishes for carryout. It can be fun to see the great hustle and bustle of a Vietnamese deli working at full speed. My top pick: If you’ve followed my advice so far, then just walk across the parking lot from Mamak and order a few banh mi sandwiches to go at Quoc Huong. Don’t miss the off-menu egg banh mi (5150 Buford Highway, Doraville; 770-936-0605). Viet Tofu has a wider range of to-go items, as well as sublime warm silken tofu with ginger syrup (4897 Buford Highway, Chamblee; 770-458-9011).
5. Turning green yet? Then maybe it's time to walk through the Buford Highway Farmers Market. This remarkable international market covers the globe. You could just as easily get lost in an aisle of Russian soft drinks and candy as in a wonderland of ramen noodle cups. The super-helpful staff will help you choose ripe mangosteens and Indonesian chili paste (5600 Buford Highway, Doraville; 770-455-0770, aofwc.com).
6. Noodles and dumplings. Now comes everyone’s favorite stop, when the time comes to give your soul to the carb demon. There are two fine Chinese restaurants that specialize in this cuisine: Chef Liu (5283 Buford Highway, Doraville; 770-936-0532) and Northern China Eatery (5141 Buford Highway, Atlanta; 770-458-2282). My top pick: I’ve lately become a big fan of Northern China, which has pork and fennel potstickers and the best Shanghai soup dumplings. The potato, carrot and cilantro stir fry also rocks.
7. Now, you've got two possible directions. If you want to ride the carb wave out but switch up global destinations, then check out Rincon Latino (5055 Buford Highway, Doraville; 770-936-8181, rinconlatinoatlanta.com), where the Salvadoran pupusas (corn griddle cakes stuffed with cheese and other fillings) are a revelation to first-timers. A super vinegary slaw called curtido comes on the side and cuts straight to the heart of your overstuffed stomach. Or maybe you need meat, in which case you can head to Han Il Kwan (5458 Buford Highway, Doraville; 770-457-3217) for Korean barbecue. Whichever you choose, know this: they both have beer. It may be only 3:30 in the afternoon, but you'll be ready for it.
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