Table Talk: Sichuan Potatoes + Meet Your Bartender
March 4 — Good Tuesday, friends! Let’s gather around the table.
🍕 There’s just something about the smell of freshly baked pizza. You instantly perk up after getting a good whiff of the aroma-packed steam rising off the pie. Well, now we know there’s science behind the mood-boosting properties of this steamy pizza bouquet, thanks to researchers at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.
A 2024 study found that the smell of pizza lowers your stress and anxiety levels, bringing comfort by triggering the release of serotonin, the “happiness hormone,” followed by a dopamine rush before even grabbing that first slice. Science! Tuesday might be pizza night.
Speaking of dinner, in today’s “Family Meal,” Candy Hom of dumpling pop-up Soupbelly provided you with a side dish recipe for her Sichuan stir-fried shredded potatoes.
➕ Plus, read a subscriber-only Q&A interview with The Deer & The Dove bar manager and bartender Matt Watkins, including how he started bartending, his favorite bars, and his cocktail of choice. Keep an eye out for a story from me on Fawn, a new wine and amaro bar opening this month in Decatur from Watkins and James Beard award-winning chef Terry Koval!
And, finally, for “The Move,” learn why you should seek out weekend brunch at Pata Negra in Buckhead to order the barrio bravo breakfast tacos.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
🕺 Grab your gogo boots! Spruill’s Artistic Affair 2025 is taking it back to 1975 with auctions, live music, and a best dressed contest. Be part of this milestone celebration on March 29. Get your tickets now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Sichuan Stir-Fried Shredded Potatoes Recipe
♨️This week, Candy Hom, the founder of dumpling pop-up Soupbelly, shared her recipe for Sichuan stir-fried shredded potatoes. She created the recipe over 10 years ago after eating the dish at a restaurant in Flushing, Queens.
“It’s a very common dish found in a lot of traditional Sichuan restaurants. Eating a potato dish that wasn’t deep fried, baked, mashed, or covered in mayo was refreshing, so I made my version according to my family’s taste,” Hom said.
🥔 These shredded potatoes may seem like just a sidekick to more well-known, gussied-up Sichuan dishes studded with greens, vibrant red chilis, and peppercorns, as in Chongqing chicken, mapo tofu, and twice-cooked pork, but don’t let the unassuming appearance fool you. The julienned potatoes are packed with salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
After slicing into matchsticks, Hom soaks the potato slivers in salt water to remove excess starch, which causes a similar texture to al dente pasta when stir-fried.
🌶️ “Feel free to adjust to your preferences, as you may want a different salt, sugar, or vinegar balance. If you aren’t able to find Chinkiang vinegar, white vinegar will do just fine,” Hom suggested. “And if you can find Chinkiang vinegar, get yourself a Longhorn pepper to slice thinly into the aromatics mix.”
While not integral ingredients for this recipe, Hom said the addition of Chinkiang vinegar and a Longhorn chili pepper provide “more complexity and depth” of flavor to the dish. You can find both ingredients at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
▶️ Click here for the full recipe.
Fresh & Fun: Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show Returns March 8-9!
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY SHOW
💎 Discover handcrafted artist-made jewelry at the Atlanta Contemporary Jewelry Show, Saturday & Sunday, March 8-9, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.at The Carter Center. This vibrant and innovative jewelry event features contemporary classics and bold new designs by artists from over 20 states. Explore stunning craftsmanship in gold, gemstones, titanium, and more!
➞ Admission is $10, with free parking and shuttle service. Proceeds support the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. Meet the artists, shop unique designs, and celebrate creativity!
Meet Your Bartender:
Matt Watkins of The Deer & The Dove
2. Story #2
This interview was lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Meet Matt Watkins, bartender and bar manager at Decatur restaurant The Deer & The Dove and soon-to-open sister spot, Fawn, the wine and amaro bar he’s opening with James Beard award-winning chef Terry Koval just around the corner.
How did you become a bartender?
☕➡️🍸 I kind of backed my way into it. I used to be a regular at Octane Coffee over on the Westside years ago when I was in law school. I had gotten into cocktails and would talk with the bartenders about them, and they would make me different drinks to try. I’d been reading books, and when a couple of people left, the general manager asked me if I wanted to come in two nights a week to make cocktails. So that’s how it started.
How did you come to work at The Deer & The Dove?
🦌🕊️ I’ve been there since day one and was part-time until the pandemic. I love working for Terry and Jen; they’re the best people to work for. So, as the restaurant was coming back from the pandemic, they asked me to be the bar manager. It’s been fun to build something with people you like.
Describe your cocktail style.
👉I tend to lean toward stirred, bitter, and boozy drinks. I would say modern riffs on classics.
Who are your bartending mentors or people you admire?
🤩 Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo in New York. Ari Form, who’s been my wine and spirits rep for years and has taught me a lot about wine and amari and he worked with Sother. Definitely Greg Best. I met him while he was working at Holeman and Finch, where I had my first really good cocktail that made me want to learn more. He’s always willing to answer your questions.
What do you love about Atlanta’s cocktail scene?
🥰 I love the variety of cocktails here and the creativity. There are so many good bartenders in Atlanta. You can go to any part of town and find something cool and new. I also like how the bartenders here really take care of each other. It’s a community.
Any bartenders you want to give a shoutout to?
💪 Nick Brackett of The White Bull [in Decatur.] He does some crazy stuff and pushes the boundaries, but his drinks are just so delicious and unique.
What are your go-to bars after a shift?
🍻 Brick Store Pub is number one. I’ve been going there since I was 21. I love going after a shift and getting a shot of amaro and really good beer. Sometimes, I’ll head over to SOS Tiki Bar and sip rum. They have a great rum selection.
Which restaurants do you frequent on your days off?
🇫🇷 BoccaLupo and Ticonderoga Club are my go-to places. But I also really love Cafe Alsace, which we’re opening Fawn next to. It’s so homey there and you really do feel like you’re in France. I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot in the French countryside visiting wineries and Cafe Alsace feels like a little family-run restaurant on the side of the road in France.
Favorite cocktail.
🥃 The Sazerac [rye whiskey or sometimes cognac, absinthe, sugar cube, and Peychaud’s bitters.] It’s the first cocktail I remember having, and I’ve loved it ever since.
🕺 Grab your gogo boots! Spruill’s Artistic Affair 2025 is taking it back to 1975 with auctions, live music, and a best dressed contest. Be part of this milestone celebration on March 29. Get your tickets now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
The Move: Tacos Barrio Bravo
I’ve been on a brunch kick lately, mostly because I’m on a mission to find brunches in Atlanta that go beyond pancakes, a breakfast burger, or yet another banal take on avocado toast paired with watered-down, bottomless mimosas at $20 a pop. Brunch doesn’t have to be an afterthought, and some ATL restaurants are making the midday meal merging breakfast with lunch exciting.
🌮 Enter the tacos barrio bravo ($22) from mezcaleria Pata Negra on Peachtree Road in Buckhead.
Three hand-made corn tortillas come loaded with a jumble of savory scrambled eggs, spicy chorizo, and home fries. Think breakfast hash in a taco garnished with crumbles of queso fresco and a dollop of avocado mousse. The tacos are served with a side of house-made red salsa, packing a little heat. You can easily share the tacos, especially ordered with other dishes, including the passionfruit and cream-filled concha and the tiny trio of fried corn masa panuchos topped with shredded pork, black beans, and pickled red onions.
While a mezcal cocktail is typically my move for dinner here, at brunch, I opted for the daily agua fresca (watermelon and mint for $6).
🍳 Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pata Negra validates parking for up to three hours, but make sure to check in at the host stand before you’re seated.
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