| 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, One of my favorite things about the ATL50, the AJC’s ranking of Atlanta’s 50 best restaurants, is the support it gets from so many other parts of the organization behind the scenes. As journalists, we spend much of our time looking outward, scanning the landscape of our coverage area and talking to people within our beat. It’s easy to forget that there’s the machinery of a nearly 160-year-old news organization behind us. But producing a major project like the ATL50 requires the help of many other teams. When we resurrected the list last year, it was incredibly gratifying to meet many colleagues who were also excited about the work. Launching a project like this requires coordination with our marketing, sales and events teams, not to mention the folks with whom we regularly work, like the photo, video and social media teams. Then there’s the product team, the coders and web developers who have created a completely new online presentation platform for us this year. It’s amazing to see these talented colleagues flex their creative muscles as the project comes together in these final few weeks. The bulk of the AJC Food team’s work is done — now, we get to watch our colleagues build it into something bigger and better than even we imagined. What are your predictions for the ATL50? Would you ever attend an ATL50 event? 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. | This 300-year-old ‘lucky’ seed is ruling Atlanta kitchens |  | | Chef Terry Koval uses benne seeds for his Montreal-style bagels in downtown Decatur. (Andrew Thomas Lee/Courtesy of B-Side) | | Soft, sweet and dusted with sugar, pan de muerto, the bread of the dead, is a traditional Mexican bread made for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The bread’s round shape represents the circle of life, and it’s topped with small dough strips to look like bones. In Atlanta, bakeries and restaurants are serving the seasonal bread in time for the holiday, celebrated Nov. 1 and 2. Here’s where to find some of the best loaves in the city. 📍 Mendoza Cafe y Vino This Latina-owned coffee shop has quickly become a meeting point for those seeking not just the flavors of Latin America, but also the vibe and community. On Day of the Dead, Latino culture is at the forefront. In collaboration with Mexican pastry chef Ricky Saucedo, who uses a traditional recipe, Mendoza offers pan de muerto for purchase through Tuesday. 426 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. mendozacafevino.com 📍 The Chastain Yes, who would have thought this upscale American restaurant in Buckhead would have some of the most delicious traditional Latin American breads and pastries in Atlanta, including pan de muerto? Year-round, Argentine executive pastry chef Christian Castillo delights Atlanta by sprinkling his Latin culture into his robust French menu. His pan de muerto is hands down one of the best, made with high-quality ingredients and with the perfect moisture for such dense bread. Pan de muerto is available for purchase at The Chastain during breakfast at the Café and during lunch hours through Sunday. 4320 Powers Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. thechastainatl.com 📍 El Super Pan Dip your pan de muerto in hot chocolate — as it should be done — at El Super Pan’s Day of the Dead Brunch and Catrinas event at The Battery Atlanta location on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For this special occasion, the menu will also feature pozole, a Mexican stew traditionally served during the season. 455 Legends Place SE, Atlanta. elsuperpan.com/the-battery ☠️ Read more: Where to buy pan de muerto in Atlanta. | The Week's Essential Food and Dining Stories  | | First look at Mastro’s Ocean Club in downtown Atlanta | | | |  | | How an Atlanta chicken salad chain went from niche to mainstream | | |  | | 10 must-try Atlanta food pop-ups and dining events this week | | | |  | | New Atlanta nightlife options lead more than 20 October restaurant openings | | | | West Midtown restaurants band together to change the neighborhood’s narrative |  | | A view down Howell Mill Road in the West Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC) | | After a wave of restaurant closures struck West Midtown in late 2024 and early 2025, theories on the state of the area’s restaurant scene proliferated. Media outlets, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, turned out articles that suggested a worrying picture of the corridor and restaurants that seemed to be closing left and right. Common complaints from Atlantans included parking that was too expensive, traffic woes and a real estate shift in the area. Over a year later, those closures have slowed, and a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues have opened or are set to debut in the Upper Westside area. A group of restaurant and business owners, some with places that have been there for years, saw a need to band together and change the narrative that was plaguing West Midtown. In the past year, the West Midtown Alliance was born as a small-business association, and one of its major initiatives was to hold the inaugural West Midtown Restaurant Week. The landscape of the area has shifted, too, as the Upper Westside Commercial Improvement District has led the charge on new transportation projects meant to improve the walkability of the district, and early next month, Howell Mill Road will come to life with the annual Westside Stride. Now that the dust has settled from the deluge of negative reports surrounding West Midtown’s reputation, the future of its restaurant scene is looking hopeful. 🏢 Read more: A stubborn narrative has not stopped crowds, new businesses from filling West Midtown. | Upcoming Events | | | | | | | The holiday pop-up bar season has commenced, and the Blind Elf is setting up at Tin Lizzy’s Midtown location. Attendees can expect over-the-top holiday decorations and holiday-themed food and cocktails. | | | | | | | | | | | Cabbagetown’s annual Chomp & Stomp returns for a weekend full of chili and live bluegrass. On Saturday, 15 restaurants and 50 home cooks will be giving out samples of chili as they compete for awards. The chili cookoff begins at 12:30 p.m. “Spoons,” the tickets for joining the chili tastings, are on sale ahead of time and at the festival. | | | | | | | | | | | Chai Pani Decatur will host its annual Diwali party with live Bollywood music, free henna, food and drinks from local brands like Raani Coffee, Botiwalla and GoapGang and a fireworks display by chef Daniel Peach. Attendees can also enjoy vegetarian dishes like dahi vada and chili paneer. | | | | | | More From Food and Dining  | | Pitmaster Bryan Furman joins Owens & Co. and more from Atlanta’s restaurant scene | | | |  | | The restaurant app that helps people with food allergies dine safely | | |  | | Diwali celebrations, holiday pop-up bars and more November food events | | | |  | | This make-ahead chocolate poke cake tastes better with time | | | | Try this quick Chinese spin on the classic cheeseburger mac |  | | This Chinese rice cake recipe comes together in 15 minutes with only a handful of ingredients. (Candy Hom for the AJC) | | While elbow macaroni is, and always will be, the standard for Hamburger Helper, a new spin using chewy rice cakes has seamlessly integrated itself into AJC contributor Candy Hom’s weekly meal rotation, and its cultural fusion exemplifies the next level of third-culture home cooking. These stir-fried rice cakes are tossed in a sauce made with chopped onions, ground beef and lots of shredded cheddar cheese. Tomato paste adds extra umami, and it comes together with just a few ingredients. Add more cheese or beef to bulk it up. The 3 cups of water isn’t too much — the starch from the rice cakes naturally thickens the sauce. 🍔 Find the full recipe for stir-fried cheeseburger rice cakes here. |  Follow us on Instagram | | | |
