Pizza seasoned with coffee, eggs brined in tea and more dishes to try in April

Golden brown and hot, the serving of two wings appears larger for good reason. While the skin is kept intact, the wings are deboned, which creates a pocket that is stuffed with what essentially is eggroll ingredients. Ground pork, glass noodles and veggies — carrots, red pepper, onion — are tucked inside before the wings are steamed and deep-fried.

As I bit into the crispy skin, I first tasted the juicy, flavorful chicken, then the robustly seasoned pork intertwined with bouncy glass noodles and softened veggies.

The wings come with a sweet chile sauce and a pickled cucumber salad. There also is a bright, thin, clear sauce that brims with flavors from fish sauce, herbs, mango, peppers and cinnamon. It had the right amount of zing for dipping or adding to the accompanying steamed rice.

1960 Day Drive NW, Duluth. 770-558-1105, snackboxebistroga.com

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Coffee Paolo pizza at Mister 01 Extraordinary Pizza

Skimming the menu of classic and creative pizzas at Mister 01, my eyes stopped at the coffee Paolo. The combination of ingredients on the 13-inch pie — tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola blue cheese, natural honey, spicy salami Calabrese, coffee — seemed outlandish, so I ordered one.

The crust, like others at Mister 01, featured a Neapolitan-style 72-hour ferment that produces a more complex texture and flavor. It was fragrant and had a perfect crunch, and it was light and airy, with a charred edge.

Like the flour for the crust, the pie’s simple, mellow tomato sauce was imported from Italy. There was a smattering of mozzarella, and shards of gorgonzola dotted the pizza, punctuating each bite with sharpness. Drizzles of honey tempered the heat from slices of spicy Calabrese salami. Dusting the top of all of this were almost flaky grounds of coffee, which looked like cocoa powder. And it worked — the texture, aroma, heat, salty-sweetness and funk of blue cheese all were calmed by roasted notes of coffee.

I ate every extraordinary bite.

6405 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs. 404-255-3000, mister01.com

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Credit: Angela Hansberger

Burrito al pastor at Amealco Mexican Kitchen

While tacos are the quintessential al pastor experience, it’s not uncommon to encounter the preparation in burritos. (“Al pastor” is when layers of pork and pineapple are roasted on a vertical rotisserie and the meat is shaved for serving.) The burrito al pastor at Amealco takes the dish to new heights with cheese dip ladled over the top of the traditional preparation.

Large shavings of slow-roasted, marinated pork were the main event. Marinated in red chile adobo (with ancho chiles), chipotle chiles, spices and pineapple, the pieces were tender, with charred, crispy edges, and the flavor stood out in each bite. The sweetness of roasted pineapple added a delightful, caramelized taste.

The soft tortilla, folded loosely, was packed with layers of color and flavor. There was a thin strata of rice and stewed charro beans accompanying the main filling. Green salsa and pico de gallo with roasted pineapple added a vibrant, tangy dimension.

The creaminess of the cheese dip added depth and a bit of indulgence to the plate, culminating in a wonderful, saucy mess.

7130 Buford Highway NE, Doraville. 770-559-9254, amealcomexicankitchenga.com

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Soft-boiled tea eggs at Lucky Star

Flavorful broths are a hallmark of Taiwanese food — in soups, braises and inside dumplings. It’s the long simmer in a highly seasoned liquid that creates the intense umami taste of soy eggs, a common street food in East Asia. I ate them for breakfast and as walking snacks while in Japan, but I have found an even better version in west Midtown.

Lucky Star serves two marinated eggs in a bath of the liquid in which they simmered. They were cut in half, making them a shareable snack as well as a small meal. The eggs were steeped in their shells in a mixture of black tea, soy sauce and spices. The marinade was highly fragrant. You could pick up the scent of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and anise before your tastebuds encountered the flavors, along with Szechuan pepper.

The slow simmer, as well as crackling eggshells, created a deep richness that permeated the dish. The eggs had a chewy, firm texture with yolks almost the consistency of fudge.

There is a balance of salty, sweet and savory in the dish, and if you order scallion pancakes as well, you can soak up the broth.

1055 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 678-994-6016, luckystaratl.com

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.