Oral Pleasures

In new age circles and among Law of Attraction devotees you often hear the phrase “Thoughts become things.” The implication is that things in the physical world started out as a figment of someone’s imagination. When traced back to its roots, every great dish, food business, or restaurant concept started out as a vision. That is, a maker, chef, or restaurateur was inspired, dreamt up some blueprints, and ultimately transformed a vision into something tangible.

The people, places, and things we named best this year encompass the visions that had the most staying power. Things that remained visible amid Atlanta’s massive change and growth. They were the dishes and restaurants that were too consistent and too inspiring to fade away or lose their shine.

Places like the newcomer Staplehouse, brought us more than thoughtfulness in the form of edible art. The restaurant’s heroic inception taught us about passion and resilience, and, as a result, that food can be as much about love and community as it is about entertainment. This year we fell in love with the simple Parisian-inspired pleasures of Billy Allin’s Bread & Butterfly in Inman Park. We were wowed by Ticonderoga Club chef David Bies’ return to Atlanta, and we rejoiced in the promise of more favorable Peach State beer legislation for our beloved local brewpubs.

Collectively, Atlanta dining culture is a patchwork of individual ideas that a group of passionate people were compelled to make real. As the dreamers continue turning inspired thoughts into things, the look and feel of this cultural quilt morphs and grows — and we’re grateful to be around to see it.

— Stephanie Dazey

Best Barbecue BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q (Where to Eat Recommendation)

FOX BROS. BAR-B-Q’s hickory-smoked meats are cooked low-and-slow and enlivened with Southern spices. Brisket is moist on the inside and black-barked on the outside. There are crispy, deeply smoky wings, Flintstones-size beef ribs, and tender pulled pork on brioche buns. Douse it all in the brothers’more...

FOX BROS. BAR-B-Q’s hickory-smoked meats are cooked low-and-slow and enlivened with Southern spices. Brisket is moist on the inside and black-barked on the outside. There are crispy, deeply smoky wings, Flintstones-size beef ribs, and tender pulled pork on brioche buns. Douse it all in the brothers’ rich sauce that’s sweet and tangy and tinged with heat. The Frito pie with brisket chili alone is worth the wait in the long line that can amass at the restaurant. If it’s a day when burnt ends are available, you’ll feel like a true winner to have scored a table. less...

Best Georgia Beer Development BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Georgia beer legislation

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of lawyer Taylor Harper and the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, GEORGIA BEER LEGISLATION got a little friendlier this year. Since 2010 (the year Georgia got growlers), brewpubs have basically been allowed to sell growlers except for the fact that the Georgia Departmentmore...

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of lawyer Taylor Harper and the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, GEORGIA BEER LEGISLATION got a little friendlier this year. Since 2010 (the year Georgia got growlers), brewpubs have basically been allowed to sell growlers except for the fact that the Georgia Department of Revenue hadn’t explicitly OK’d it. Confusing? Yes, but so is all Georgia beer law. The problem has been getting the DOR to sign off on a regulatory interpretation. Harper picked up the cause last fall, crafting legal arguments that the GCBG presented to the DOR. So now, thanks to DOR Commissioner Lynne Riley, we were surprised with the most levelheaded Georgia beer decision in years — Peach State brewpubs can now sell growlers of the beer they make to customers, pending municipality approval. At press time, those municipalities included Alpharetta, City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, Forsyth County, Macon-Bibb County, Sandy Springs, and Savannah. More are expected to follow. Three cheers for progress, even when it comes from a weird loophole. less...

Best Place to Eat Street Food BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Chai Pani (Featured)

CHAI PANI is a bastion of approachable Indian cuisine. The Decatur restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Meherwan Irani fills up on a nightly basis thanks to its menu of playful yet soul-satisfying goodies. The kale pakoras, nuggets of tender greens coated in chickpea battermore...

CHAI PANI is a bastion of approachable Indian cuisine. The Decatur restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Meherwan Irani fills up on a nightly basis thanks to its menu of playful yet soul-satisfying goodies. The kale pakoras, nuggets of tender greens coated in chickpea batter and fried, are crazy snackable. It’s easy to fill the table with small plates like shoestring Bombay chili cheese fries piled with spiced lamb hash, matchstick okra fries cooked to shattering perfection, and lamb sliders seasoned with cumin, cilantro, ginger, and mint. less...