Best of Citysearch: Atlanta Restaurants

1029 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 (map)

FINE DINING: I love anything Kevin Rathbun does, think Linton Hopkins’ Restaurant Eugene is absolutely brilliant and find Bacchanalia to be the no-brainer critical choice for Atlanta’s best fine-dining establishment. But lately I’ve found excitement in neighborhood joints that do simple, high-end food without the stuffy surroundings. It fits the current social and economic climate. And, to me, Shaun’s gets it right. The setting is simple and elegant, the menu is outstanding but not intimidating and whether hosting ping-pong parties on his back deck or doing $12 pasta Sundays, he knows how to keep it real. And that, to me, is priceless.

2277 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 (map)

HAMBURGER: Seeing as Atlanta has been called the hamburger capital of the world, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t weigh in on this category. Yes, Ann’s Snack Bar is like something out of Seinfeld and, yes, you enter through a giant skull when gorging yourself at the Vortex, but our call for the best burger is the late-night glory served up at Holeman and Finch. Even Rathbun Steak can’t touch this. It’s like an In-N-Out burger on steroids. Greasy and gooey in all the right places, it’s simple and perfect. Just make sure you get there early (9pm) to get your order in before they sell out.

772 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 (map)

BAGEL: I hate eggs with a passion. I know. As an American, by God, I am supposed to like eggs. As you can imagine, breakfast is one of the tougher meals for me to order. I'm usually a coffee-only man in the morning, but when I want to splurge on AM goodness, I turn to my old friend, the bagel. And I’m not just talking about any old bagel--I'm talking about the olive-oil bagels at Belly General. No matter if you get them loaded as a sandwich or with a smear, the star is the bagel itself. It gets toasted and crispy in the right places, yet is somehow still soft and doughy with a rich olive-oil finish that will leave you thinking of these for days. Have I been addicted to them? Of course.

5079 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30340 (map)

SUSHI: I’m lucky because one of my absolute favorite sushi spots, Wasabi, sits right up the street from the Citysearch loft in Castleberry Hill. But, for the ultimate sushi experience, head north to Buford Highway’s Sushi House Hayakawa. Chef/owner “Art” Hayakaway flies in his fish from Tsukiji, the largest fish market in Tokyo, injecting authenticity that's risky but worth the shot. The shiny-skinned Japanese gizzard shad is prepared the traditional way with the skin intact, Red Snapper is torched gently and worth ordering twice and ponzu-sauced monkfish liver tastes like the best tofu you've ever had.

4897 Buford Hwy Ste 109, Chamblee, GA 30341 (map)

VEGAN: I know, I’m supposed to go with Dynamic Dish or Veggieland for my favorite vegan-friendly place. But, thanks to one dish, I’m going with Harmony Chinese. See, we life-long carnivores expect Vegan food to always taste nowhere near as good as its meat inspiration. Well, I humbly got my expectations handed to me at this Buford Highway staple. The “chicken” in the chicken special (served with the usual Chinese vegetable accompaniment) was so meat-like I would have never known the difference. Slathered in a Hunan-inspired sauce, it was spicy and garlicky--a sort of flavor explosion that takes you by surprise. Vegan or not, I’d recommend this to both teams.

3905 N Druid Hills Rd, Decatur, GA 30033 (map)

FAST FOOD: Despite a constant barrage of fine dining that accompanies my role of being a full-time food writer, there is one single item that I crave the most: Chick-Fil-A’s original chicken sandwich. Like the chicken equivalent of an In-N-Out burger, I find this sandwich to be simplicity as its finest. The chicken (not processed, an actual breast of chicken) is lightly fried so it crisps around the edges and sits between two buttered-but-not-greasy buns. The only topping is a pair of pickles. No lettuce, tomato, condiments? There is simply no need to mess with perfection.

2171 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 (map)

PIZZA: If there was something that dominated the Atlanta culinary scene in 2009, it was the pizza wars: Varasano’s trash talking, Ullio bringing in a new chef for Fritti and Concentrics getting back in the pizza game. While I love all three, after the dust cleared, Varasano’s is what constantly sticks out in my mind. The pizzas land somewhere in between a NYC street slice and a Naples-style pie, and the Nana’s house special is damn close to pizza perfection. Fold your slice, and heavily herbed tomato sauce and blobs of mozzarella meld between the super-thin, bubbly charred crust. It’s amazingly light but still greasy and gooey, delivering this immediate child-like urgency to devour the entire pie at once.

647 Myrtle St., Atlanta, GA 30308 (map)

WHY I LOVE ATL DINING: My favorite thing about ITP living is that the younger generation of Atlantans, for the most part, don't care about pomp and circumstance. With restaurants, bars, music, entertainment, it's more about who you are, what your product really is, rather than your name or whether there are velvet ropes outside your place. Case in point: Top Flr. Isn't a NY transplant, isn't outrageously expensive, doesn't have a top-name chef--but foodies and late-night scenesters both love this place. Atlanta is good about embracing what's real (Rathbun’s, East Atlanta) and forgetting what isn't (Craft, Atlantic Station).

535 10th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 (map)

DESSERT: Go here now and get a doughnut, any doughnut; it honestly doesn’t matter which one of the 25 you choose. Sublime Doughnuts are more like pastries than something you’d find at a Dunkin establishment. Fresh fruit gets thrown into the mix with Strawberries N Cream and Chocolate Banana Fritter, giving them a touch of sweetness without being overbearing. Others go to the sweet mountain top with Smores and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. What’s the secret weapon for these inhalable bad boys? The casing is a flaky, buttery shell that tastes like a croissant that’s been glazed. Consider yourself warned.

1039 Marietta St, Atlanta, GA 30318 (map)

LUNCH: The trend I’ve enjoyed the most so far in 2009 has been the burst of gourmet sandwich shops. Not that Star Provisions or Belly General wasn’t doing super-solid, to-go grub before this year, but the arrivals of Noon and the Mercantile seemed to ratchet up the gourmet awareness, and TINY Bistro’s sammies won my heart. Meats are all house-roasted and select breads get shipped in from as far as New Orleans. A mean Cuban pairs guava-mojo pork loin and a generous amount of melty Swiss, while house-made pimento cheese turns up the spicy-o-meter and is pressed in a panini with bacon.