TO LIVE& DINE

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Culinary Colonies

Kevin Rathbun has long been king of Krog Street. Now, with KR SteakBar, his empire will spread to Peachtree Hills. Rathbun’s not the only foodie to stick a fork in another ’hood. So far in 2012, Riccardo Ullio (Sotto Sotto, Fritti) hopscotched from Inman Park to Midtown with Escorpion. And Bocado’s Brian Lewis (a Westsider) linked up with Joshua Hopkins (late of Abattoir) to colonize Buckhead. It seems the city’s best can’t be tied down.

Making a Name

If new Executive Chef Franck Steigerwald (a native of France’s Bordeaux region) keeps serving those elegant dishes of his at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, diners are sure to start checking in upstairs just to get a guaranteed seat at his table. 3434 Peachtree Road, 404.237.2700, ritzcarlton.com/atlanta

While we still haven’t been named a top 10 food city yet (incredulous!), there is little doubt Atlanta is where good taste prevails. The South’s food scene is burning hotter than Richard Blais’ blowtorch—and Atlanta’s creative chefs, hip hot spots and moxie-filled mixologists are at the heart of it. This year, big ideas from big names were expertly executed with outstanding results. Meat still reigns supreme (think STK), but so do oysters (check out The Optimist), and dining rooms around town are more electric and retro-chic than ever (thanks ai3!). In honor of all those outstanding restos, toques and foodies who make our food scene so well-seasoned, we give you our annual hungry homage to the city’s best.

BY KATE ABNEY, BIBA ADAMS, ROBIN AUSTIN, JONATHAN BAKER, AMBER BARRY, WENDELL BROCK, STEPHANIE DAVIS SMITH, JENNIFER BRADLEY FRANKLIN, SARAH GLEIM, JOHN HARRIS, AUSTIN HOLT, KELLY SKINNER AND KARINA TIMMEL

Have a hankering for crave-worthy eats? Read on.

JAMES BEARD AWARD: BEST CHEF SOUTHEAST

And the Winners Are...

Three cheers to Atlanta’s own Linton Hopkins and Hugh Acheson. In a rare feat, the ATL chefs tied at the James Beard Foundation Awards for the coveted Best Chef Southeast designation. To top it off, Acheson brought home a second win for his cookbook, A New Turn in the South. “I think the tie was great! It shows that a lot of votes went to Atlanta,” says Acheson. “Linton is an icon in the world of food and in Atlanta, and I am privileged to be in his company. It’s a great feeling to win and not to have to worry about it again!”

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Boocoos of Best Bites

Because sometimes all you need is a running list of the best new things to eat since last year’s issue—deep breath—here goes: Japanese-style onigiri at Tomo (tomorestaurant.com); the Merguez at HD1 (hd1restaurant.com); rabbit rillettes at One Eared Stag (oneearedstag.com); black truffle mac ’n’ cheese at Ocean Prime (oceanprimeatlanta.com); tomato pie at The Pie Shop (the-pie-shop.com)... Phew! That was a mouthful.

BEST SUGAR SORCERY

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Cynthia Wong

Wong’s wizard-like pastry magic (she of the famed Phatty Cakes) may be thoroughly

modern, but she insists her style is rooted in classic traditions: “I like the old Southern way of saving

all your scraps and making the most of them.” Some folks were in a tizzy when she jumped ship from Cakes & Ale to join the team at Empire State South, but the move to a larger kitchen allowed

the two-time James Beard Award nominee’s talents to flourish more than ever. 999

Peachtree St. NE, 404.541.1105, empirestatesouth.com

The Next Dining Dynasty

Shane Devereux, executive chef of The Lawrence (thelawrenceatlanta.com), Top Flr (topflr.com), The Sound Table (thesoundtable.com) and Dinner Party Atlanta (dinnerpartyatlanta.com) has had a busy five years. The Philly-raised chef and his business partners have focused on creating dining experiences that you can’t find anywhere else in the city. “Our philosophy is, let’s just do whatever we want,” says Devereux. Case in point: Dinner Party. For the supper club (that now holds a long waiting list), Devereux creates a pop-up restaurant experience for about 30 people at an obscure location—like center court at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum or an airplane hangar at Peachtree Dekalb Airport. “It’s also a way to showcase Atlanta. We’ll take it anywhere, as long as the place has running water.” Otherwise, the crew has mostly concentrated on the Midtown area. What’s next? Not another pizza or burger joint, we suspect. Whatever it is—he’s not sure yet—his team is passionate about filling another void in the ATL restaurant scene.

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SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

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Six Degrees of Anne Quatrano Though chef Anne Quatrano grew up in New England, she developed deep roots in Georgia by spending summers at her mother’s family farm, Summerland, near Cartersville, where she now lives. Together with her husband, chef Clifford Harrison, Quatrano operates six of Atlanta’s most celebrated restaurants—Bacchanalia, Floataway Café, Star Provisions, Provisions To Go, Quinones at Bacchanalia and Abattoir. Committed to utilizing locally grown, seasonal and organic produce, Quatrano has fostered the growth of some of the best chefs in town and is widely connected in the nation—here, we look into those she influenced and where they ended up. 1198 Howell Mill Road, 404.365.0410, starprovisions.com

Verified Vino!

Aria’s (aria-atl.com) Jacob Gragg just won his advanced certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, making the 24-year-old one of only seven Atlanta wine pros holding the high honor. He follows close on the heels of Concentrics Restaurants (concentricrestaurants.com) scion Justin Amick, who earned the distinction in October, and Canoe’s (canoeatl.com) Matt Bradford, who landed it last fall.

Join the Club

Our favorite supper clubs have taken an unexpected twist, turning their hush-hush meetups into above-ground restaurants. Now, we can regularly enjoy the former Four Coursemen Eddie Russell’s brilliance at Parish (parishatl.com) and take a flavor trip to Kerala at Cardamom Hill (cardamomhill.net) any time we like. No reservation (or secret password) required.

Veg Out!

It doesn’t get more farm to table than at 4th & Swift. Chef/owner Jay Swift is growing much of his resto’s veggies right in his microfarm in the Old Fourth Ward—expect to see his okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and more on the menu this summer. 621 North Ave. NE, 678.904.0160, 4thandswift. com

Tweet Time!

Some of our fave foodies take to Twitter to emote about epicurean endeavors.

@souperjenny Want to open a juice bar in Buckhead. Discuss.

@theangrychef If u greet ur server with “u know what I’m in the mood for...” maybe you should be in an environment where you can better control ur destiny.

@unchainedfoodie Please allow me to go on record that I will NEVER wear a lobster-bib. Thank you.

@atl_epicurean I had a bacon sandwich accompanied by @@@@@ @phicklespickles Wedgies tonight. Perfect warm weather dinner.

@savoryexposure Italian is definitely the new burger

@thefoodieatl Maybe it’s a Florida thang, but there are very few options for a craft beer lover in Panama City Beach. We’re spoiled in ATL.

@hughacheson How do you spend a vacation in Bermuda? If you’re me you hole yourself up in your room & write about Tagines... my world is a little weird.

Steven Satterfield Chef/Owner, Miller Union

Quatrano Connection: Former Floataway Café cook

Joshua Hopkins Executive Chef, STG Trattoria

Quatrano Connection: Executive chef and partner at Abbatoir from ’09 to ’12

Ryan Smith Executive Chef, Empire State South

Quatrano Connection: Bacchanalia sous chef from ’08 to ’09

Charles Schwabb Executive Chef, Buckhead Diner

Quatrano Connection: Bacchanalia chef de cuisine and meat manager from ’05 to ’08

Greg Dunmore Chef/Owner, Nojo in San Francisco

Quatrano Connection: Bacchanalia cook from ’98 to ’01

Ria Pell Owner/Executive Chef, Ria’s Bluebird

Quatrano Connection: Former Floataway Café cook

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BEST CHEF

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Ford Fry

Fry’s nickname should be Mr. Right: It seems the inspired restaurateur can do no

wrong. JCT. Kitchen (jctkitchen.com) remains a smash, updating classic Southern cuisine for 21st

century palates. Last year, he opened No. 246 (no246.com) in Decatur, earning rave reviews for hip Italian fare. In May, the type-A overachiever opened The Optimist

(theoptimistrestaurant.com), serving up sustainable seafood, and Oyster Bar at The Optimist, offering

up a more casual fish camp atmosphere. Fry’s genius is that he never tries to reinvent the

culinary wheel. Instead, he simply makes the wheel roll better.

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Mad GeniusFor his first restaurant, chef Guy Wong of Miso Izakaya in the Old Fourth Ward isn’t doing too bad. The Sandy Springs born and bred, Osaka, Japan-trained Chinese chef has developed a cult following that’s filling up his wooden banquettes every night of the week. The humble chef ’s surprising Japanese pub food (izakaya means “pub”) includes small plates, such as custard (that tastes like quiche) with blue crab, bacon and balsamic shiitake mushrooms in mini Mason jars; large crispy garlic shrimp with a side of perfectly assembled congee; and delicately flaky pan-fried yellowtail fish (flown in from Japan twice a week) with soy, sesame and green onion. He also takes great care to create an authentic Japanese drink menu with shochu (a clear liquor distilled from barley or rice) cocktails and draft beers you can’t find anywhere in the city (or pronounce!). Stay tuned for Wong’s next move on the Westside this fall—Yum Bunz will be a Chinese-inspired fast-casual spot focused on $1.50 stuffed dim sum buns and noodle soup. 619 Edgewood Ave. SE, 678.701.0128, misoizakaya.com

Footprints

Watch out, ai3: There’s another décor dynamo in town. John Bencich heads Square Feet Studio, the firm behind Barcelona Wine Bar’s rustic, continental feel, and West Egg Café’s and Abattoir’s Southern-chic vibes. Next up? Downtown’s White Oak

Kitchen & Cocktails. The drywall just went up, so we’re looking forward to the metamorphosis (and if their tent at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival was any indication, the food makes us doubly thrilled!). 154 Krog St. NE, 404.688.4990, squarefeetstudio.com