Beth’s Best Dishes
Chilaquiles at La Mixteca Tamale House
Buckhead, Underwood Hills, Suwanee
Published in the Sept. 2 Family Meal newsletter
Whenever I see chilaquiles on a morning menu, it’s an automatic order, especially if I get to customize my breakfast nachos with sauces, toppings, and protein options.
Serving as the base layer for chilaquiles, thick strips of fried tortilla are quickly simmered in salsa, to which refried beans, eggs, cilantro, and lots of crumbly queso fresco are added, along with other ingredients like pico de gallo, avocado, and jalapeños. Then you pile on your favorite extras, including shredded chicken, chorizo, steak, and even tofu.
The chips for the chilaquiles at La Mixteca Tamale House come with substantial heft, enough to hold together during the salsa simmer without disintegrating or turning to mush, or later collapsing under the weight of multiple toppings.
I appreciate that La Mixteca keeps its chilaquiles add-on options tight. The basic dish comes with eggs of any style, avocado, queso fresco, onions, cilantro, and jalapeños. I added spicy green salsa, shredded chicken, and opted for a sunny egg, mixing in the yolk to give the chilaquiles a creamier texture. At $15, this chilaquiles brunch was a bargain.
Za’atar bagel and Reuben at Yaba’s Bagels
4780 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody
Published in the Sept. 9 Family Meal newsletter
Located at Ashford Place, in the former 101 Bagel Cafe space, Yaba’s isn’t your standard New York-style bagel shop. Bagels are infused with spices like za’atar, or come with spread options like labneh drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za’atar, or tahini and date syrup topped with dates and toasted walnuts. The “water bagels” at Yaba’s take me right back to the deli in my hometown, reminding me that the precisely timed boiling process matters in bringing about the signature textures of a New York-style bagel (crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside).
My love affair with Yaba’s za’atar bagels began in August when I ordered the Levantine ($11), which comes with the aforementioned labneh spread. It continued with my recent bagel sandwich order: the Reuben ($14) and a turkey and Swiss ($12) on a za’atar bagel. The former was stuffed full of savory, hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut.
Croissants from Viennoiseries After Dark
Cottage bakery with evening delivery service around Metro Atlanta
Published in the Sept. 16 Family Meal newsletter
“Butter + love = Paris.” That’s the motto for Viennoiseries and the founding principle behind Chloë Chadet’s cottage bakery operation on Atlanta’s west side. “I launched Viennoiseries After Dark because of our love for viennoiseries any time of the day. Late night to early morning cravings,” Chadet told me. This includes her craving for croissants in the evening, which she bakes to flaky, buttery perfection, accompanied by petite jars of jam, and begins delivering just after sunset with her mother, Christelle.
While croissants are synonymous with France, especially Paris, part of the buttery puff pastry’s origins lie in Vienna.
Viennoiserie is a category of baked goods that bridge the gap between pastry and bread in France, made in the Viennese style. The origins of the croissant can be traced to medieval Austria and the crescent-shaped kipferl with a dough similar to brioche. It’s said the croissant we know today was invented by Austrian native and baker August Zang in 1838. He owned a Viennese-style boulangerie in Paris and transformed the crescent-shaped Viennese bread roll into a flaky, layered, laminated dough pastry. It became an instant sensation in Paris.
Chadet also bakes bacon gruyere quiches (yes, please) and occasionally batches of Madeleines. A quiche, which easily serves six people, and four croissants set me back about $41, including a $5 delivery charge.
Sopa de pollo roja and house salad at Communidad Taqueria
655 Highland Ave., Old Fourth Ward
Published in the Sept. 23 Family Meal newsletter
Listed as sopa de pollo (chicken soup) at Communidad in the Old Fourth Ward, don’t expect noodle-laden, clear broth with chunks of chicken and vegetables to hit the table. This soup leans heartier, with a zesty red broth infused with chiles and tomatoes, similar to that of pozole (Mexican stew with chiles, pork or chicken, and hominy).
Chicken asada, corn, fried tortilla strips, and white beans pack the savory broth, even before you pile on crispy shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, and a garnish of fresh cilantro. Crunch. Layers of texture. A savory, aromatic broth with a hint of heat. Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja has entered the chat, Atlanta. Reply by ordering it.
I paired a cup of the sopa de pollo roja ($6) with a small Communidad salad ($7), to which I added chicken asada for an additional charge ($5). With a base of Romaine and arugula, the salad on its own comes with marinated black beans, hibiscus-pickled red onions, tortilla strips, and crumbles of queso fresco tossed in a roasted jalapeno green goddess dressing. The chicken asada simply introduced more protein to the mix, soaking up the flavors of the pickled onions and black beans as it steeped in the juices of the salad’s other ingredients.
While not paired together as a combo on the menu, Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja and house salad should be, because it’s the soup-and-salad combo we deserve.
Sarra’s Best Dishes
Baby arugula salad at KR SteakBar
349 Peachtree Hills Ave., Peachtree Hills, Buckhead
Since moving back to Atlanta last year, I don’t think any dish has impressed me more than the city’s contemporary wave of salads. KR SteakBar’s arugula salad is the latest to capture me. I can’t recall the last time I’ve eaten such tender arugula — the leaves felt young and plush and carried a subtle peppery flavor rather than abrasive bitterness. The arugula made a great vehicle for smoked mozzarella, salami chunks, and olive brine vinaigrette (such an underrated ingredient) and created a light take on antipasti — a good opener for the heavier meat and pastas that followed.
Pizza ranch dressing and Pepp City pizza at Glide Pizza
254 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur
Visiting Glide Pizza’s first dine-in location this month taught me a few things: first, Glide’s patrons have a serious love for the pizzeria’s ranch dressing, and second, I should never interview anyone while pizza is cooking, because I am powerless around that smell. I ended up leaving with a few slices and a cup of house ranch, which my husband and I obliterated (the secret is fresh basil and dill, I’ve been told). It paired well with the spicier pizza, but I also want to try it on everything else.
Matcha tonic at White Windmill Cafe & Bakery
Buckhead, Doraville, Duluth
My ideal beverage combines caffeine and carbonation — any kind of espresso tonic or coffee spritz creates a jolt that’s both invigorating and productive. So, when I encountered the matcha tonic at the new White Windmill location in Buckhead, I ordered it without hesitation. It’s not the drink for everyone, especially if you don’t enjoy matcha without milk or syrup, but I love how the fizzy carbonated water aerates the earthy matcha. I suppose you could add boba, because they make it in a boba-compatible cup, but I didn’t.