Table Talk: Soft shell crab bao + Manhattans

March 24 — Happy Tuesday! Welcome to the table.

In this week’s “Family Meal,” I have a story on a new Inman Park restaurant serving cocktails like a tamarind whiskey sour paired with soft shell crab bao and Peking chicken dinners. 

For my Editor’s Pick, I’m talking the merits of the namesake Manhattan riff at Southern National in Summerhill. It’s a cocktail whiskey and bourbon lovers should absolutely put on their list to try. 

Finally, Erika Council shares her recipe for perfectly fluffy buttermilk biscuits, just like those served at her Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, Bomb Biscuit Co.

Cheers!
🍸 Beth

🥂 Taste of Atlanta is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with an epic night of two dozen chef-driven tastings, craft cocktails, wine and beer tastes, live music, and electric energy! April 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Works. Tickets are on sale here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Mushi Ni brings Peking chicken dinners,
soft shell crab bao to Inman Park

Photo by Beth McKibben

🥂 Today marks a milestone in the professional lives of Atlanta chefs Michael Le and Tanya Jimenez: the couple opened their first restaurant, Mushi Ni, in Inman Park. 

Both Le and Jimenez are veterans of the restaurant industry. Jimenez worked for Gordon Ramsay in New York City before moving to Atlanta to work for Anne Quatrano at Bacchanalia. Le was a chef consultant for One Hotel in Miami, then worked for Palmer’s in Peachtree City and Senoia Coffee and Cafe in Senoia. 

But after years of running Mushi Ni as an Asian-American comfort food pop-up and food stall, Le and Jimenez swung open the doors to Mushi Ni the restaurant on March 24, anchored with a full bar. They partnered with Ian Jones of Victory Brands (Lloyd’s, Stereo, Victory Sandwich Shop) in the venture. Le and Jimenez met Jones during their kitchen residency at Victory’s former Westside Provisions District cocktail bar, Little Trouble. Mushi Ni resides around the corner from the Inman Park location of Victory Sandwich Bar. 

🦀🦆 Located near Harbor Coffee on Elizabeth Street just off the Freedom Park Trail, Mushi Ni features many dishes Le and Jimenez made popular during residencies at Global Grub Collective in East Atlanta Village and Little Trouble, and later at their Chattahoochee Food Works stall. (Think duck confit and soft shell crab bao, umami fries tossed in Japanese spices and fresh herbs served with Sriracha ketchup, and devilishly decadent tempura-fried Oreos.)

Now thoroughly staffed with a proper kitchen and a bar, Le and Jimenez come to Inman Park with an expanded menu that includes entrees of Peking chicken accompanied by scallion pancakes, pickled vegetables, hot sauces, and fried rice ($25), and bowls of bone-in beef shank noodle soup ($22). 

Expect dumplings, Parisian-style crab Rangoon puffs stuffed with real crab meat ($13), and updated takes on Mushi Ni bao, like chicken longanisa (sausage) garnished with a quail egg and chimichurri ($7), or tofu sisig topped with caramelized onions and peppers, vegan mayo, and diced green onions ($6).

🍹 A tight list of wine and beer, along with cocktails such as a tamarind whiskey sour, Thai tea martini, and shochu lowball, round out the bar menu. Pours of sake and soju (fermented Korean rice spirit) are also available.

Dessert may not yet include Mushi Ni’s tempura-fried Oreos, but a rich and gooey chocolate olive oil cake complemented with the zest and flesh from calamansi (Filipino lime-lemon) more than holds its own.

With music bouncing between hip-hop, pop, and party tunes, and staff clad in branded mechanics shirts, Mushi Ni offers a menu full of dishes hitting the wallet well under $20.

337 Elizabeth St., Inman Park. Open Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

Insider’s Guide to The Masters Tournament at Lake Oconee

SPONSORED BY VISIT LAKE OCONEE

⛳ Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week. From luxurious lodging to savoring a delectable meal, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay.

🏌🏼 For golf lovers, the area’s six stunning courses provide the perfect opportunity to test your skills while soaking in the beauty of Greene County.

⛳ Lake Oconee is the ideal destination to make the most of Masters week. Find your reason to linger a little longer.

Editor’s Pick: Southern National (Manhattan riff)

Photo by Beth McKibben

🥃 Longtime followers of Navarro Carr already know his reputation as one of Atlanta’s top barmen. You may remember Carr from his days behind the stick at The Sound Table, whipping up mezcal and whiskey cocktails that tempted people away from the music on the dance floor just to drink. 

A man of few words and quiet confidence, Carr once said his favorite drinks to make are the ones that “fit my guests at the moment.” Carr takes pride in his craft, as well as the science behind creating memorable cocktails that last well beyond that final sip. 

Now Carr imparts his cocktail knowledge, mad drinks-making skills, and love for hospitality managing the bar at Chef Duane Nutter’s restaurant, Southern National, in Summerhill. And Southern National’s namesake Manhattan riff, made with a blend of bourbon and rye, sweet and blanc vermouth, and bitters, is as smooth and soothing to the soul as the hushed tones of Carr’s voice. 

💯 The Southern National remains a perennial favorite for me, not just as a prime Manhattan riff, but as one of the city’s top-choice cocktails.

Bomb Biscuit’s Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Photo by Bomb Biscuit Co. 

💣 This week, we’re sharing the recipe for Bomb Biscuit’s popular buttermilk biscuit.

The last few years have gone exceedingly well for Bomb Biscuit founder Erika Council. In 2023, she published her debut cookbook, Still We Rise, which became a finalist for an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) award. That same year, Michelin named Bomb Biscuit a Bib Gourmand, an honor the restaurant retained in 2024 and 2025. And last summer, Council relocated Bomb Biscuit to a larger space in Grant Park.

Council said her buttermilk biscuit recipe is inspired by her late grandmother, Mildred “Mama Dip” Council, who was also a legendary North Carolina restaurateur and cookbook author.

👉 Get the recipe here.

🥂 Taste of Atlanta is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with an epic night of two dozen chef-driven tastings, craft cocktails, wine and beer tastes, live music, and electric energy! April 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Works. Tickets are on sale here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

➡️ Get double the Atlanta food and dining coverage with “Family Meal,” edited by Beth McKibben, on Tuesdays at 5 p.m., and “Side Dish,” edited by Sarra Sedghi, on Thursdays at noon. Subscribe to both here. ⬅️

Beth McKibben serves as both Editor-in-Chief and Dining Editor for Rough Draft Atlanta. She was previously the editor of Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and drinks locally and nationally for 15 years.