Beth’s Best Dishes
Patatas bravas at La Metro
Ponce City Market
Published in the Oct. 14 Family Meal newsletter
Resembling thinly sliced steak fries, La Metro’s patatas bravas ($8) are seasoned with garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and fresh parsley. The potatoes are parboiled and then hit the fryer just long enough to crisp the outside, leaving the flesh inside tender and fluffy.
While the patatas bravas are good on their own, it’s the addition of a spicy tomato dipping sauce that gives these Spanish fries an edge. If you’re not a fan of ketchup but dig romesco or gochujang, La Metro’s spicy tomato dipping sauce has your back.
Pro tip: A whole bucket of rotisserie chicken from La Metro’s online takeout and delivery sibling, Chicken & Papas, includes fries with dipping sauce, one side (get the dirty green beans), and focaccia. It costs around $36.
Cream tea at Zen Tea
Chamblee
Published in the Oct. 21 Family Meal newsletter
When I need to unwind with a cup of tea (not in my house), I invariably end up at Zen Tea in Chamblee. Here, I can sip tea and indulge in a scone or two while quietly reading or working. Tea houses like Zen are nice alternatives to coffee shops, which sometimes are too noisy and distracting.Â
At Zen, I can pop in for a cup of almond oolong or White Silk Earl Grey and a scone without much trouble. (Better still, Zen Tea is an easy walk from the Chamblee MARTA station.) But the real move at Zen is the tea and cream for one ($19), which comes with a 16-ounce pot of tea and three seasonal scones accompanied by lemon curd, preserves, honey, and fresh clotted cream. For scones, I’m team cream on bottom, jam or lemon curd on top.
With more than 150 teas to choose from at Zen, it can feel overwhelming. But don’t fret. Zen staff members are happy to answer questions, and the menu breaks down teas into categories, including specific blends and decaf versus caffeinated. Take note: most of the seating is outside on the covered patio.
The Reuben at Spiller Park Coffee
South Downtown
Published in the Oct. 28 Family Meal newsletter
When Dale Donchey opened the South Downtown location of Spiller Park Coffee last year, he wanted the menu to include at least one deli sandwich. At this location, Donchey’s fourth in the city, the sandwich menu will eventually expand, catering to the Capitol and justice center crowds, as well as to people attending games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium across the bridge.
While Donchey has yet to expand beyond one sandwich, the Reuben on offer here is worth the trek to the Mitchell Street coffee shop, which is now open on Saturdays.
Served on buttered rye bread, you can order the Reuben ($16) with either pastrami or turkey. It comes dressed with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a generous spread of zingy yellow mustard before being slapped on the griddle to toast up. I opted for turkey — think tangy turkey grilled cheese in the best way possible.
Sarra’s Best Dishes
Salmon at Danbi Seasonal Kitchen
Brookhaven
Do you ever get blown away by a restaurant even though you already know it’s good? That’s how I felt when I visited Danbi with a friend earlier this month. Don’t let the Brookhaven spot’s fast-casual atmosphere fool you: everything (except the cookies) are made to order and immediately delivered to your table. This is the type of salmon you want from a restaurant — appropriately flavored with a slight bit of medium-rare heat that lets the flesh fall apart in your mouth. The accompanying vegetables were all solid (I ate all of them), with my favorite being the miso-glazed kabocha squash, which boasted a rich fermented flavor I haven’t experienced since I visited Japan six years ago.
Chicken ravioli at Nonna Dora
Sandy Springs
I don’t make the rules — sometimes you just need Italian comfort food delivered to your door. I used my quarterly Uber Eats splurge to try Nonna Dora, and ordered the chicken ravioli to get a protein and carbohydrate fix, and added shrimp and capers (a natural fit) to the dish. The result is a hearty pasta meal that isn’t overwhelming. Also, the creamy Parmigiano sauce is so good you can (and should) eat it with a spoon like soup.
Carrot cake from At Heart Panaderia
Various pop-up locations
The universe works in mysterious ways. I caught a glimpse online of what ended up being Teresa Finney’s final cake for Communidad in the Old Fourth Ward and immediately packed my laptop in a bag and drove to the Highland Avenue taqueria. The journey (and wrecking my sugar pause) were absolutely worth it. That carrot cake was pure artistry, incorporating flavors I’d never think to pair with carrot cake’s profile, like salted caramel and orange cream. (And because I am a good wife, I brought another slice home for my carrot cake-loving husband.) Finney and At Heart may be flying solo again, but given her cakes, cookies, and conchas, I’m nothing but confident for her future in Atlanta.