Beth’s Best Dishes
Huevos motuleños and tacos from Machete Grill Taco Factory
2566 Shallowford Road, Atlanta
Published in the June 3 Family Meal newsletter
Located in the Publix shopping center off of Shallowford Road, Machete Grill Taco Factory might easily be overlooked, sitting beside a hair salon and a UPS store. The compact Mexican restaurant opened earlier this year in what was Ms. Ruby’s Peach Cobbler Cafe. Walking in, you’re greeted by friendly staff who have you grab a seat and quickly deliver a menu, along with a basket of fresh tortilla chips and salsa.
On this particular Saturday afternoon, margaritas were $5, and a taco brunch was on my mind. Plans quickly changed, however, when I saw that Machete Grill served huevos motuleños ($11.99), a traditional breakfast dish from the Yucatan I had yet to try in Atlanta. (Think souped-up huevos rancheros, which sees two fried tortillas layered with refried beans, chunks of ham, peas, salsa, and queso fresco, topped with a fried egg and served with fried plantains.)
We also ordered an al pastor taco (highly recommend) and a cochinita pibil taco (equally recommend), which come with salsa verde and salsa roja. While tacos cost $3.95 each most days, on Tuesdays that price drops to $2.50 each.
Tandoori hot wings and naan from Al-Falah Supermarket and Restaurant
4978 Buford Hwy, Chamblee
Published in the June 10 Family Meal newsletter
Located on Buford Highway in Chamblee, Al-Falah Supermarket and Restaurant resides next door to the bustling City Farmers Market complex, home to popular restaurants like Best BBQ, Dish Korean, and Food Terminal. The family-owned establishment took over the Miller’s Music and Pawn Shop space last year.
The restaurant side of the business serves halal Bangladeshi dishes, including shorshe ilish (hilsa fish in a spicy mustard sauce), moglai parata (flat pastry stuffed with eggs, savory minced meat, and spices), and fuchka (a mixture of white peas, potatoes, and suji spiced with tamarind and chaat masala used to fill panipuri).
We ordered fuchka, tandoori hot wings, butter chicken, chicken 65 biryani, and a trio of super fluffy butter, garlic, and peshwari naan. The latter is laced with coconut, sultanas, and almonds, lending a subtle sweetness to the flatbread. The peshwari naan was my serving implement for scooping up heaps of rice and butter chicken, and then sopping up remnants of the creamy tomato gravy left on the plate. Most surprising, however, were Al-Falah’s tandoori hot wings, grilled crispy in a tandoori oven. Served with a sweet and sour sauce, I couldn’t stop dipping the garlic naan in it after we finished off the wings.
The whole meal, which easily fed four people, came in just under $55. There were also plenty of leftovers. At lunch, I hear there’s even a buffet for around $15 per person. Say less. I’m there. Al-Falah is now on heavy rotation in my household.
Pesto Pasta from Nonna Dora
1100 Hammond Dr., Sandy Springs
Published in the June 17 Family Meal newsletter
To me, pesto is the underrated hero of Italian sauces. It’s fresh, bright, and herbaceous, and the perfect springtime or summertime sauce to toss in your favorite pasta, especially if you incorporate seasonal vegetables like greens, beans, peas, or tomatoes.
Originating from the Genoa region along the northwest coast of Italy, the traditional ingredient base for pesto includes basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and a tangy hard cheese such as Parmesan. Unlike vodka sauce or carbonara, the texture of pesto tends to be unevenly blended, giving it a chunkier, more paste-like consistency rather than smooth and creamy. Over-blending can make pesto taste bitter, leading to the sauce losing its signature fresh, herbaceous flavor profile.
Located on Hammond Drive in the Publix shopping center, Nonna Dora (Grandma Dora) has its savory Pesto alla Genovese on lock. The petite, family-owned Italian restaurant took over the space formerly occupied by Buon Fornello Cafe, another super low-key Italian restaurant once popular at the complex. Slightly al dente spaghetti comes tossed in pesto speckled with ground pine nuts and basil leaves, given a bit of crunch from crispy string beans. Nonna Dora opts for Grana Padano rather than Parmesan, a crumbly cheese with a robust bite, buttery texture, and nutty flavor.
For $17, this pesto pasta easily fed two people. We also added a Diavola pinsa (oblong-shaped Roman flatbread) topped with mozzarella and spicy salami for $16. Paired with a full-bodied rosé or chillable summer red, this pesto is a chef’s kiss.
More Best Dishes from 2025:
• May 2025 • April 2025 • March 2025 • February 2025 • January 2025
Sarra’s Best Dishes
Enchiladas from CT Cantina & Taqueria
244 Perimeter Center Pkwy, Dunwoody
I don’t know how else to say this – maybe it’s because the cocktails at CT Cantina in Dunwoody are potent – but sometimes you’re just craving a floppy enchilada. CT Cantina’s house-made tortillas, which are found everywhere, from the main dishes to baskets of chips, make an ideal foundation here, particularly when partnered with the filling of your choice, fresh queso, salsa verde, and an enthusiastic helping of sour cream. The texture even held up after the leftovers were reheated at home. I tried the grilled chicken enchiladas, but CT Cantina also offers smoked barbacoa, al pastor, grilled salmon, vegetables, and even potatoes.
Southern Krakow duck from Beksa Lala
Polish pop-up, various locations
More than a year and a half in, Polish pop-up Beksa Lala still finds ways to surprise diners like me. Take June’s Monday residency at Tio Lucho’s, for example — my personal favorite on the menu was the Southern Krakow duck, a smoked breast that somehow tastes like sausage atop a mild buckwheat waffle served with fenugreek whip, bilberry syrup, and braised chard. The tart bilberry syrup plays up the savory notes elsewhere in the dish, so go ahead and pour it over everything. For those curious, it also pairs well with the kielbasa and the country rye bread.
Strawberries and cream cake from Your Dekalb Farmers Market (YDFM)
3000 E Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur
On my most recent YDFM run, I impulsively picked up a pre-made cake for my Babajoon’s (father) birthday dinner. I chose the simple strawberries and cream cake to reflect my Persian family’s international tastes, and it was the correct call. The cake itself was effervescent, spongy, and minimally sweet, and perfectly complemented by the whipped cream and top layer of strawberry segments — an excellent ending to a kebab-heavy dinner celebrating with family.