Best Dishes Eater Atlanta Ate in November 2024

Color is flavor. Many dishes I ate this month were vibrantly colorful — from mezze platters with an assortment of pickled veggies and a color-changing ancient spirit to a table full of Vietnamese dishes during a BYOB (bring your own beverage) with friends. Color also came into play as creativity and coloring outside the lines, which chef Joey Ward is known to do. Here are the best dishes I ate this month, with major colors to match.

Lobster cereal at Georgia Boy

Georgia Boy’s tasting menu is full of surprises. Chef Joey Ward’s inspiration from childhood drives the menu at this Michelin-recommended restaurant. You’ve seen the famous hot dog ice cream topped with caviar, a staple at the restaurant. Then there’s a take on cereal. It’s a bowl of poached lobster and banana with granola (that comes in a small cereal box you get to take home), topped with warm milk. This mind-bending combination of lobster and banana works in pairing the subtle sweetness of the meat and fruit. The soft and crunchy textures pair well together, and the warm sauce (or milk poured tableside) adds richness to the dish. I’d be curious to see this dish with cold milk.

Mezze and arak service at Zakia

Zakia has some of the best mezze in town: baba ghanoush, hummus, and kibbeh nayeh — a steak tartare. But what really sets the dining experience apart, aside from the gorgeous white marble interior, is the tableside arak service. Arak is an ancient anise seed spirit. In the bottle, it’s clear, and then it turns into a milky white when you add water and ice to it. The essential oil of anise seed is soluble in alcohol and not in water. When water is added, arak goes through a transformation called louching, turning the color of the spirit opaque. It’s the perfect pairing to mezze and main courses at this stunning restaurant. Plus, it’s on a tableside gold cart.

Mezze at Elektra

Speaking of mezze, Elektra at the Forth Hotel has a fantastic spread of its own. Get the chef’s platter, which comes with classic cold mezze (hummus, labneh, muhammara), beets and berries, and pickled vegetables. The honey harissa chicken is a flavorful standout and is served with a side of sumac-pickled onions. The lamb kofta with toum (garlic sauce) is also delicious. The whole branzino is flaky and a generous portion. Inside seating can get a bit loud during busy hours, but the outside seating feels Mediterranean and loungy.

BYOB and beef short ribs at Nam Phuong

Did you know you can bring your own wine to Michelin-recommended Nam Phuong on Buford Highway? That’s the case with many restaurants in the area. This Vietnamese joint is packed with goodies, from steamed spring rolls, grilled beef short ribs, and glazed chicken wings in fish sauce to a good ol’ pile of fried rice. The short ribs are sticky, sweet, and savory. Fish sauce throughout the dishes adds an oomph of umami that keeps you going for another bite. The portions are massive and are meant to be shared. This is a local haunt for Atlanta’s wine community, including sommeliers and beverage directors who bring special bottles to share and pair with Vietnamese food.