| Did a friend forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. | | | | By Henri Hollis | | Food & Dining Reporter | | | | | | | | | Hi, food friends, If you ever despair about the future, read today’s piece from lifestyle reporter Olivia Wakim about her recent experience judging a kids’ cooking competition. As she notes in the article, we’re bombarded with negativity about the current state of childhood. The antidote to all that pessimism is found in the real world, interacting with the actual children we spend so much time fretting about. Olivia’s story details how 17 kids, some as young as 7, spent a week learning to cook at a Decatur summer camp program. Their creativity and curiosity sparkle through her writing. It’s good to be reminded that the kids of today are still just kids. I felt it on our family beach trip, when my nephews peppered me with questions while I cooked dinner, or when they begged me to make Mexican hot chocolate again, which I served them once and they’ve never forgotten. The challenges of childhood might be different for this generation, but the experiences of cooking, eating and breaking bread together remain as universal as ever. You can reach out to me directly at henri.hollis@ajc.com with tips, thoughts or questions for the AJC’s food and dining team. | Historic Atlanta watering hole Manuel’s Tavern turns 70 | | | Journalist Angela Hansberger holds the McCloskey cheeseburger in front of the sign honoring the longtime Manuel's Tavern bartender Bill McCloskey. (Angela Hansberger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) | | A priest, a rabbi and a minister walk into a bar. This isn’t the setup to a joke — it’s a regular day at Manuel’s Tavern. The Poncey-Highland institution has offered a reserved “clergy only” parking spot for as long as locals can remember. It’s a small nod to the diverse folk who have passed through its doors over the last 70 years: lawmakers, journalists, political junkies, sports fans, barflies and yes, members of the clergy. This month, the tavern turns 70. Its history reads less like a bar’s resume than a running transcript of Atlanta itself. ⌛1950s: The bar that already had a past When Manuel Maloof opened his tavern in 1956, almost nothing about it was new. The building, a 1920s structure fronted in Stone Mountain granite, had once housed Harry’s Delicatessen (coincidentally, an establishment Maloof had served as a beer deliveryman). The deli’s original front door opening became a window to the parking lot from the Eagle’s Nest room. The bar itself was salvaged from anold billiard hall owned by Maloof’s father, Gibran, on Pryor Street. The wood paneling in the main bar was reclaimed from an old church about to be demolished; it was a nod to the cozy English pubs Maloof came to love while serving in World War II. ⌛1960s: Boundary lines and sacred walls The location in Fulton County proved useful. Just two blocks from the (then dry) DeKalb County line, Manuel’s offered the closest legal pour for Emory students, fueling its popularity among young adults and professionals alike. Maloof hung John F. Kennedy’s portrait above the bar following his 1960 victory, then shuttered the bar and draped the painting in black when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. In 1968, Curtis McBride stepped behind the bar, kicking off a 42-year career serving Atlanta history by the pint. His photo would one day join the growing collection of pennants, steins and framed relics. 🍻 Read more: A decade-by-decade history of Manuel’s Tavern tells the story of Atlanta, one round at a time. | The Week's Essential Food and Dining Stories | | Terminal 26 delivers a Thai tourist experience at Ponce City Market | | | | | | South Downtown’s $140M building boom slows after Atlanta’s World Cup frenzy | | | | | 5 restaurants north of the Atlanta airport you don’t want to miss | | | | | | Bacchanalia chef opens brunch restaurant and more from Atlanta’s dining scene | | | | Atlanta food pop-ups that are taking it to the next level | | | A barbecue plate from Misfitsss BBQ, a pop-up concept created by Bryan Hull and Tyler Heath. (Courtesy of Misfitsss BBQ) | | We are rounding up pop-up residencies with schedules consistent enough to earn an “every” on your weekly calendar. These recurring takeovers offer set hours each week or month, taking the pop-ups one step closer to their own brick-and-mortar dreams. Note: This list strictly features indoor residencies; residencies at farmers markets were not included. Here are a few to check out: 🫓 Lebanese flavors from Habibi’s Who: Habibi’s (@habibisatl) from Fadi Alkaasamani. When/Where: Mondays-Fridays, 7-11:30 a.m., and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Chow A La Carte (@chow_a_la_carte). 2440 Piedmont Road NE, Buckhead. Why you should check them out: Born in Russia and raised in Lebanon, Alkaasamani leverages his classical Swiss fine-dining pedigree to elevate everyday comfort foods, infusing approachable breakfast bowls and pizzas with authentic Lebanese flavors. Try the Lebanese breakfast bowl loaded with batata harra potatoes, eggs, housemade sujouk (a dry, spicy fermented sausage) and feta or grab a fresh-baked mankoushe flatbread topped with cheese and za’atar. For the pizzas, consider the sujouk pie with fermented pepper tomato sauce and olive oil sourced straight from Alkaasamani’s father’s 500-year-old trees back in Lebanon. 🥟 Polish food from Beksa Lala Who: Beksa Lala (@beksa_atl) from Basia Piechoczek. When/Where: Mondays, 5-9 p.m. Breaker Breaker (@breakerbreaker_atl). 921 Wylie St. SE, Reynoldstown. Why you should check them out: Born in the U.S. to Polish immigrants, Piechoczek launched her pop-up to connect with her heritage and share the traditional methods she learned in her grandmother’s kitchen. Her current theme is “Baltic girl summer,” featuring Polish coastal dishes. She often collaborates with other pop-ups to create unique cross-cultural menus. 🍖 Atlanta-inspired Texas craft barbecue from Misfitsss Who: Misfitsss (@misfitsssbbq) from Bryan Hull and Tyler Heath. When/Where: Saturdays, noon until sold out, and Sundays, 1 p.m. until sold out. (Misfitsss will be on vacation the first two weekends of August.) Round Trip Brewing Co. (@roundtripbeer). 1279 Seaboard Industrial Blvd. NW, Underwood Hills. Why you should check them out: Hull and Heath blend Texas craft barbecue with Atlanta’s identity, incorporating global spices from Buford Highway and occasional collaborations with local chefs. Saturdays feature limited quantities of ribs and their signature deep-cut platter (beef cheek, pork steak, sausage and several sides), while Sundays swap those out for a pork belly plate with cheesy grits and a smoked cheeseburger. The rest of the lineup, including the weekly specialty sausage and rotating desserts, is available both days. 📋 Read more: Check out Punk Foodie’s running list of recurring Atlanta pop-ups. | Upcoming Events | | | | | | | Atlanta’s annual Black Restaurant Week has returned as a two-week celebration of the city’s Black-owned restaurants. The initiative began as a way to honor and build awareness for African, African American and Caribbean cuisine with partnerships, culinary events and marketing campaigns intended to highlight small, local food and beverage businesses.
| | | | | | | | | | | Every Tuesday through October, kids can eat for free at Atlanta-founded Mellow Mushrooms. Guests can enjoy up to two free kids meals per adult purchase of $15 or more. Kids meals are available for ages 10 and under, dine-in only. Kids meals include French bread pizza, four boneless wings and mac and cheese, all with a drink and choice of side. | | | | | | | The Chai Box grand opening | | | | | The Chai Box Cafe, a chai-focused cafe in the upper Westside, will have its grand opening party this weekend after a soft opening period. During the celebration, guests can expect iced chai and Parle-G biscuits, giveaways throughout the day, special pastries and live music. | | | | | | More From Food and Dining | | What to eat at Walt Disney World when you’re gluten-free | | | | | | A nugget of back-to-school meal inspiration | | | | | Atlanta’s tallest tower prepares for new restaurant, exclusive tenant club | | | | | | Coca-Cola resumes ‘majority’ of Fairlife U.S. production after cyberattack | | | | DIY lamb gyros make a quick back-to-school dinner | | | These flavor-packed sandwiches can be assembled at the table to keep the whole family happy. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/food styling by Kate Williams) | | Sandwiches for dinner are an easy weeknight win any time of year, but especially over the next month amid back-to-school chaos. (Or, if you don’t have school-age kids to feed, the regular chaos that the end of summer brings.) The sandwiches don’t need to be boring in order to be quick and simple — consider gyros. Made from flavor-packed ground meat (in this case, lamb), plus creamy and crunchy toppings and warm toasted pita bread, gyros are a crowd-pleasing, DIY dinner that comes together quickly. 💡 Double-duty ingredients build flavor in ground meat and make perfect toppings for lamb gyros One trick to cooking with limited ingredients is to choose ingredients that can do double duty. Using a sauce or a seasoning in multiple places means you can take full advantage of its flavor profile and create a well-rounded dish without using half your pantry. In this recipe, three key ingredients are used twice: onion, tzatziki and dried oregano. 💡 Large lamb patties cook quickly and slice easily for gyros Gyro meat is usually cooked on a rotating vertical rotisserie (hence the name, which in Greek means “turn”), but this is impractical in a home kitchen. Luckily, there are other ways to achieve a similar result, and the simplest is to form the meat into patties, then cook and thinly slice. 💡 Build-your-own gyro sandwiches make a kid-friendly dinner When it comes time to eat, you can assemble the sandwiches in the kitchen or, do as I do with my kids, serve the meal like a taco bar. Bring out the meat, onions, pita and sauce, along with any other toppings you can wrestle up (chopped cukes and diced tomatoes work well). Let everyone build their gyros just as they’d like. 🥙 Get the full recipe for this easy, kid-friendly dinner. | Follow us on Instagram | | | |