| 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, When we switched up our restaurant review system earlier this year, I was thrilled to add a new accolade into the mix: the AJC Critic’s Pick. And now, with this week’s roundup review of new tea shops, I’ve officially handed out the label to five places. Spoiler alert: The Chai Box Café is the latest designee. These AJC Critic’s Picks are places that I really enjoyed, places I hope to return to as often as I can. It’s a way of sharing a bit more of my personal taste, recognizing the restaurants and other businesses that specifically stood out to me, even in cases where they might not earn an impressive star rating. That might surprise some people, but writing restaurant reviews is a much more objective process for me than many seem to imagine. I try to remove my personal preferences from the equation as much as possible and investigate exactly what kind of experience each restaurant seeks to deliver, then judge them on how well they deliver it. Usually, my understanding of a restaurant doesn’t fully click into place until my fact-checking call with someone involved in the business (typically the chef or owner). Speaking to Monica Sunny, the owner of the Chai Box Café, helped crystallize my feelings about the tea shop. I found the atmosphere warm, welcoming and hospitable; she told me about how she views the cafe as an extension of her home. I thought the drinks and pastries were crafted with such a loving attention to detail; she described the cafe as her fourth baby (her three sons are all grown up). So, if you’re curious about the places I’d love to return to and where I’d spend my own money, these picks are a good place to start. Here are all five AJC Critic’s Picks, so far: Buddy Buddy, the Chai Box Café, Mirae, Mushi Ni and Raani Coffee Roasters. I’m always looking for more recommendations, so drop me a line if you want to share your own picks! 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. | Crispy bottoms and butter holes: An innocent-looking pastry is going viral |  | | Three examples of salt bread (from left): Toasted coconut salt bread from Butter and Bean (Courtesy of Lydia Huh); salt bread at Leftie Lee's (Courtesy of Vivian Lee); assorted salt breads from Butter and Bean (Courtesy of Lydia Huh). | | Move over, trendy pastries like crookies, brookies and Dubai chocolate — there’s a new bakery item in town: salt bread. Unlike trends that involve shoving one pastry into another, salt bread’s virality is rooted in simplicity, capturing attention with little other than butter and a bit of salt. Shio pan, or Japanese salt bread, is the beloved bakery staple that has quickly gained traction and spread from Japan throughout Asia over the past decade. At first glance, salt bread looks like any other roll, something ordinary and easily passed over in search of flakier or more colorful pastries. Someone unfamiliar with salt bread might even suspect a major baking error, seeing a questionably smooth croissant that entirely missed the lamination process, adorned with only a few flecks of salt acting as its saving grace. The Bake in Duluth said it well in a social media post: “Looks Innocent. Tastes Criminal.” Atlanta-area bakers Vivian Lee (owner of Leftie Lee’s in Avondale Estates) and Lydia Huh (owner of Butter and Bean in Duluth) shared their perspectives on salt bread’s recent surge in popularity. “The way I explain salt bread to people who’ve never tried it before is that it tastes like a soft croissant. The dough itself is also a bit sweeter, having more sugar in the recipe than a croissant,” Lee said. “A lot of people tend to really like that sweet, salty flavor and soft, crunchy texture, all in one bread,” Huh said. 🥐 Read more: How salt bread made it to metro Atlanta and why it’s so popular. | | A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR DAYTONA BEACH AREA CVB | | | Relax, recharge & unwind at a luxury Daytona Beach Resort | | |  | | Amid the excitement of Daytona Beach, take time to relax and recharge at a luxury resort. Enjoy exceptional amenities, on-site dining, and activities that let you experience local flavor and fun without leaving the property. With the soothing sound of the water as your backdrop, everything you need for a memorable getaway is right at your fingertips. Book your Daytona Beach resort stay today and experience the ultimate beachside escape. | | | | The Week's Essential Food and Dining Stories  | | 3 new tea shops explore different facets of the world’s most popular brew | | | |  | | Chef José Andrés says one of the world’s biggest food problems isn’t food | | |  | | Y Bar e Ristorante is bringing 1960s Italy to Buckhead Village | | | |  | | APT 4B announces a move, a fast-casual pioneer dies, and more from Atlanta’s restaurant scene | | | | The best ice cream shops in Atlanta |  | | The original Butter & Cream has since grown to four metro Atlanta locations, thanks to inventive takes on classic flavors. (Courtesy of Butter & Cream) | | July is National Ice Cream Month. What a great opportunity to take a moment to cool down with a scoop — or swirl — from one of Atlanta’s locally owned ice cream shops. Whether you like classic flavors, soft serve or inventive combinations, these nine spots provide sweet relief from the hot, muggy Southern summer. 🍦 Butter & Cream The original Butter & Cream has since grown to four metro Atlanta locations, thanks to inventive takes on classic flavors. Cookie monster gets its vibrant blue hue from butterfly pea powder and is packed with chocolate chip cookies and cookie butter swirl, while midnight snacks combines condensed milk and cream cheese ice cream with brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-covered cake pieces and ribbons of dulce de leche. Dairy-free and vegan options mean everyone can get a scoop. Multiple locations, butterandcream.com 🍦 Frosty Caboose Ice cream tastes even better when it’s served from a converted train car. Frosty Caboose has been delighting Chamblee families for years with classic scoops from Ashby’s Sterling and Hershey’s, plus sundaes, banana splits and milkshakes. Grab a cone outside and keep an eye on the nearby Norfolk Southern tracks — you’ll likely catch a freight train rolling past while you eat. 5435 Peachtree Rd., Chamblee. 770-451-4556, frostycaboose.com 🍦 Good Vibes The name isn’t kidding: This cheerful Dunwoody Village shop, from restaurateur David Abes, pairs scoops with a disco ball, arcade games and plenty of nostalgia. Their ice cream comes from Michigan-based Ashby’s Sterling, with flavors like cherry and kid-favorite play dough, a vanilla ice cream swirled with colorful cookie dough pieces. Looking for an even bigger sugar rush? Order one of the shop’s fizzy drinks — sodas mixed with flavored syrups and cream. 5503 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody. 770-676-5617, goodvibesicecream.com 🌞 Read more: Visit these 9 local ice cream spots to beat the Georgia heat. | Upcoming Events More From Food and Dining  | | Cool off with frozen treats at these Atlanta dessert shops and restaurants | | | |  | | The secret to plucking the perfect Georgia peach is, well, kind of a secret | | |  | | Opinion: Toast on Lenox owners should know glad-handing isn’t always an asset | | | |  | | Cyclospora lettuce recall: How to wash produce safely | | | | Potato gnocchi makes viral baked feta pasta even better |  | | This one-pan recipe delivers maximum flavor with minimal prep. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/food styling by Kate Williams) | | Not all viral recipes have staying power. But dishes like baked feta pasta, which blew up in 2021, are undeniably delicious, easily riffable and still posted today. The original combination of baked feta cheese, cooked pasta and roasted cherry tomatoes originated in Finland and was popularized in the U.S. by food influencer MacKenzie Smith of Grilled Cheese Social. Its simplicity makes it a great dish to adapt to a 5:30 Challenge, but it requires a few tweaks to take it to ultra-easy weeknight territory. 💡 Roasted feta and tomatoes make a no-fuss creamy pasta sauce The secret to the virality of baked feta pasta is in the alchemy between warm feta and roasted tomatoes. When smushed and mixed together, the cheese and tomatoes form a simple (and simply delicious) creamy sauce with minimum effort. Add a bit of garlic and fresh herbs and the sauce is even better. 💡 Add gnocchi for a truly one-pan baked feta dinner Slip a couple packs of shelf-stable gnocchi onto the sheet pan with the tomatoes and feta. The gnocchi will cook through in the oven, turning browned and crisp, adding a filling starch with zero extra work. (Unless you count opening two packages as work.) 💡 Use a generous amount of olive oil to crisp the gnocchi Adding gnocchi to the mix does mean you’ll need to take care to prevent sticking. Depending on the brand, they may be more or less coated in flour in their packaging, so it’s best to use a heavy hand with olive oil to keep the gnocchi from fusing to the pan. A bonus? Olive oil brings fruity and peppery flavor to the final dish. 🍝 Get the full recipe for this 30-minute baked feta pasta. |  Follow us on Instagram | | | |
