December 2024 has been a delicious month at metro Atlanta restaurants. These are some of the tastiest things we’ve tried:
Scottish Oatmeal Currant Cookie at Nàdair
Every bit of Nàdair is an ode to chef Kevin Gillespie’s favorite things or his Scottish heritage, which makes even a cookie feel like a love letter. His favorite sweet combination is candied fruit and oats, specifically Scottish oats, which are made by milling groats into smaller bits than your average steel cutting.
You can feel the velvety grains in a bite of Gillespie’s Scottish Oatmeal Currant Cookie. The mounded cookie has slightly crisp edges and a rich texture with a delicious buttery and nutty flavor. There are wintery spices that meld, but don’t overpower. Nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and crystallized ginger season, but don’t overshadow the savory oats.
I loved the addition of currants and golden raisins, which provide textural contrast in the cookie with slight bursts of tart sweetness. Oatmeal and fruit—seems as much breakfast as cookie as dessert, and you can that experience at home. Gillespie’s treat is part of the Resy Cookie Box curated by chef Christina Tosi (order by Dec. 23 at milkbarstore.com/pages/resy). And look for the cookie to hit Nàdair’s menu in the coming weeks.
Nadair. 1123 Zonolite Road NE, Atlanta. 404-941-7254, nadairatl.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Celery root soup from Aria
Chef Gerry Klaskala shows finesse as he makes the simplest of ingredients into a premium dish.
For example, take celery root (also known as celeriac), one of the “legumes oubliés” — “forgotten vegetables” — that is bewildering to many. The gnarly clod is scruffy looking and earthy, but also bright and herbaceous, like a mix of parsley, celery and parsnip.
Klaskala turns it into velvety creaminess in a bowl of Aria’s celery root soup. He uses no cream, but instead cooks it slowly with leeks and chicken stock, which builds richness. Each spoonful has savory brightness, in addition to the low-starch root vegetable’s pleasant, nutty sweetness, which has a slight pepperiness. Parmigiano-Reggiano adds tang and complements the celery root’s natural nuttiness.
Accompanying the dish are buttery, house-made croutons, so you can add just as much crunch as you wish. And the decadent finish is shaved black truffle, which serves as a stylish adornment and flavor enhancer.
Aria. 490 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 404-233-7673, aria-atl.com
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Chicago Italian beef at Motorboat
Atlanta doesn’t have a dedicated Italian beef shop like those in Chicago, where the lines snake around the block. However, Motorboat, a dive bar-meets-sandwich shop on Ponce, has a good one.
Motorboat’s Chicago Italian beef scratches an itch for the classic sandwich. The service is speedy, and you get a hefty, meaty sandwich that is packed generously with thin ribbons of marinated chuck roast that has been cooked for 10 hours.
You can taste the flavors that developed during that slow cook. The au jus was rich and savory, and there was just enough — it was not soaked. Colorful bits of giardiniera added optimal crunch and a spicy tang. The sandwich also had crinkle-edged pickled sweet peppers, carrots and celery bits mingling with the tender beef.
An essential component that made everything work was the sturdy roll. The fresh, chewy-yet-fluffy loaf soaked up all the important juices but didn’t become too soggy to hold. It held up even when the sandwich was swaddled to go.
Motorboat. 710 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-963-7156, motorboatsandwichbar.com
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Mushroom sticks at Wild Heaven Beer Toco Hills
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a carnivore or don’t eat meat, you won’t be able to resist Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q’s chicken-fried smoked mushroom sticks, available only at Wild Heaven Beer Toco Hills.
The tender strips of portobello mushroom absorb the taste and aroma of mild, fruity woodsmoke. Fox Bros. uses oak and hickory, and the mushroom sticks gain complexity and depth from the fire. They also get dredged in a buttermilk batter, are breaded lightly and then are fried to a golden crisp.
Our basket emptied before we could order another Wild Heaven Near Beer. While the exterior had crunch, the inside was as chewy as steak. The pieces were juicy and earthy, with a meat-like texture bursting with concentrated umami. A side of ranch provided a complementary coolness, as well as tanginess, but these craveable sticks needed no enhancement.
Wild Heaven Beer Toco Hills. 2935 N. Druid Hills Road, Atlanta. 404-941-7559, wildheavenbeer.com/toco-hills
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on X and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
