| 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, The AJC has covered two big pieces of fast food news in the last week and a half: Chick-fil-A’s introduction of chicken and waffle sandwiches and Waffle House testing tacos at some Atlanta-area locations. Typically, the AJC Food team covers fast food sparingly; our focus is on the local restaurant scene, and the stories around large restaurant chains often fall under the business team’s purview. But that doesn’t mean we’re not paying attention. Fast food restaurants are a big part of the food trend cycle. Sometimes, when a trend makes it to the fast food realm, it’s a sign that it’s reached peak exposure (ahem, chicken and waffles). Other times, fast food restaurants influence trends. Think of restaurants like La Semilla and The Companion, or pop-up Buen Provecho, which have long sold their own versions of Taco Bell’s crunch wrap supreme. But the true importance of fast food lies in its universality. Because these restaurants are so widespread and relatively consistent, they help anchor our shared understanding of food. In terms of food reporting, it’s good to know where the mainstream is so we can contextualize the stories on the fringes. There was a time when chicken and waffles was an exciting new concept to many people; now it’s comfort food. Fast food’s accessibility also provides a good baseline for the public’s willingness to pay for food. I vividly remember the epiphany I had when discussing a restaurant’s gourmet chicken sandwich with a friend, which he thought was too expensive (years ago, I think it was $20+). I explained the quality of the responsibly sourced ingredients and the effort that went into the dish, and he simply asked, “But is it five times better than a Chick-fil-A sandwich?” I think about that question often when I consider the value offered by the restaurants I review. For better and worse, fast food is a huge part of our shared vernacular around restaurants and dining. It helps us relate to one another when we discuss food, and it’s a starting point for many general questions about the restaurant industry. So, even if we don’t cover every in and out of fast food, we’re not looking down our nose at it, either. Do you have thoughts on the new offerings from Chick-fil-A and Waffle House? How has fast food helped shape your understanding of the restaurant industry? 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. | We found the best banana pudding in Atlanta |  | | Our banana pudding tasting panel brought together 19 AJC staffers and local food experts, including freelance writer Justin Brown (center), aka the Real Food Stalker. (AJC) | | Where can you find the best banana pudding in Atlanta? The AJC Food team started with some of our favorites, asked our readers to weigh in, then brought five finalists back to the AJC for a blind taste test. This was our biggest tasting panel yet: 19 AJC staffers and local food experts, five banana puddings and, eventually, one pretty clear winner. The surprise? The best banana pudding wasn’t even among our original semifinalists. What makes a great banana pudding? Banana pudding is a simple dessert: pudding, bananas and vanilla wafers. But three ingredients leave very few places to hide. The pudding should be creamy and rich without being stiff or cloyingly sweet. There should be enough actual banana flavor that you know what you’re eating even when your spoon doesn’t land on a slice of fruit. The bananas themselves need to hit a sweet spot. As bananas ripen, their starches turn to sugars and their aroma becomes more pronounced. But go too far and those deeply flavored bananas become soft enough to disappear into the pudding. And, yes, the vanilla wafers are supposed to get soft. The best banana pudding gives you a little bit of everything in a spoonful: creamy custard, ripe banana and tender vanilla wafer. Which Atlanta banana puddings made the final taste test? After the Instagram vote and reader recommendations, we ended up with five finalists: - Community Q BBQ
- DAS BBQ
- Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
- Mary Mac’s Tea Room
- Sweet Auburn BBQ
Then we needed people to eat them. 🍌 Read more: Find out which restaurant has the best banana pudding in Atlanta. | | A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR GAMESTRAT | | | The football programs winning in Georgia already made the switch | | |  | | Every coach knows the feeling. The play that decided the game, and no clear look at what happened. GameStrat puts in-game video replay on every iPad on your sideline. Both angles, seconds after the whistle. Your staff stops describing and starts showing. Your players fix the mistake before the next snap. Region champions of all types in the Peach State trust GameStrat. Large and small, 7A down to 1A. Public and private. From Buford, the top program in the state, to champions in every class. See what your program has been missing at gamestrat.com | | | | The Week's Essential Food and Dining Stories  | | 3 new late-night cocktail bars with drinks as good as the vibes | | | |  | | 6 Atlanta food pop-ups this week, including a deep dive on the Alden | | |  | | A guide to Upper West Market, Atlanta’s new indoor farmers market | | | |  | | The best wine for tailgating? Here’s why sommeliers love rosé. | | | | An all-day adventure in North Atlanta with coffee, crafts and gaming |  | | Justin Brown, aka the Real Food Stalker, has an all-day itinerary for an outing just north of Atlanta that includes breakfast at Buttermilk Kitchen (left), lunch and crafting at ScentTok Craft Cafe (center) and dinner and gaming at Battle & Brew (right). (Justin Brown for the AJC) | | With so many things to do in Atlanta — whether it’s brunch, bowling, sporting events, food pop-ups or a million other things — it’s hard to know where to start when planning a day to enjoy quality time with loved ones. So, here’s a step-by-step itinerary that would be perfect for a daddy-daughter day, family outing, date with your significant other, or just to treat yourself. 📍 Breakfast at Buttermilk Kitchen To kick off your all-day adventure, start with a great table-setter by getting breakfast at Buttermilk Kitchen. Don’t skip their chicken and waffles. The golden-fried chicken breast is crispy on the outside while tender and juicy on the inside, and it’s paired with fluffy waffles that honestly don’t even need syrup. But they offer maple syrup just in case you want some extra sweetness. Buttermilk Kitchen. 4225 Roswell Road NE, 678-732-3274, buttermilkkitchen.com 📍 Get creative with lunch at ScentTok Craft Cafe After taking time for a stroll, window shopping or exploring Buckhead after breakfast, head to your next stop at ScentTok Craft Cafe, where you’ll enjoy much more than just a midday meal. This is a craft cafe, where the activities are just as important as the food and drinks. While waiting for your order, you can make your own bracelet, turning lunch into a fun memory that’s great for couples, families or friends. ScentTok Craft Cafe. 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns Creek. 678-696-7888, scenttokcraft.com 📍 Dinner and gaming at Battle & Brew If you’re feeling a little pep in your step and want to show off your new self-made bracelet, bring that energy to a little bit of friendly competition at Battle & Brew. Battle & Brew isn’t just a place that specializes in video games — it has a great menu, too. Choose the gaming system you’d like to rent, order your meal and settle in for a night of fun. Battle and Brew. 5920 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 678-560-1500, battleandbrew.com ☀️ Read more: Check out the Real Food Stalker’s full guide to a memorable day with loved ones north of the Perimeter. | Upcoming Events More From Food and Dining  | | Sargent, Siren both open soon, and more from the Atlanta restaurant scene | | | |  | | ‘Skin care in a can’: How TikTok turned sardines into a viral beauty trend | | |  | | A WaHo taco? Popular diner tests out new menu items. | | | |  | | Get in, we’re going for a ride in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile | | | | How to make homemade coconut shrimp without deep frying |  | | This easy recipe makes less mess than traditional fried shrimp and takes fewer than 30 minutes. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/Food styling by Kate Williams) | | Nutty and sweet coconut shrimp is a delightful way to enjoy shellfish. It works equally well with store-bought frozen shrimp and ultra-fresh-caught specimens. But making it at home can be a challenge, especially if you’re craving coconut shrimp on a weeknight. To get the dish on the table in less than 30 minutes, you’ll want to take a few shortcuts. Is it cheating? Maybe. Is it delicious? Definitely. 💡 Skip frying — sweet chili sauce makes easy coconut shrimp with less oil It’s true that deep frying is a great method for producing evenly browned, ultra-crispy coconut shrimp, but it isn’t practical for a weeknight recipe. Instead, saute the shrimp in Thai sweet chili sauce. It’s a typical dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, and adding it to a warm skillet helps draw the flavor deeper into the shrimp itself. Plus, its sticky texture helps ensure the crispy coconut topping stays on the shrimp. 💡 Turn the coconut breading mixture into a crunchy topping The most challenging part of frying coconut shrimp is creating a coconut-based breading that properly sticks to the shrimp and browns without burning. Once you take deep frying out of the picture, you no longer have to worry about the crunchy topping adhering — simply cook it separately. Cook equal amounts of panko and unsweetened shredded coconut until golden brown. Let the mixture cool, and it’ll form a perfectly crisp topping for the cooked shrimp. 💡 Add flavor by cooking in toasted sesame oil Instead of cooking the shrimp and the crunchy topping in a neutral oil, swap in toasted sesame oil. This oil will bring another layer of flavor complexity to the shrimp, complementing the sweet heat of the chili sauce and bringing out the nuttiness of the coconut. Be sure to cook over a moderate medium heat to prevent the oil from smoking. 🍤 Get the full recipe for these 30-minute coconut shrimp. |  Follow us on Instagram | | | |
