Simply Buckhead - Atlanta

S I MP LY DE LICIOUS
Photo: Lauren Rubenstein
FOODIE
JOURNAL
Culinary News & Notes
Kate Parham Kordsmeier
SMACKDOWN
BY:
60
July/August 2015 | Simply Buckhead
521 KITCHEN & QUE
Executive
chef
Nagib Sued, who hails from Pura Vida and Big
Tex Decatur.
Drew Kirkland, who hails from Kevin Rathbun
Steak, Rathbun’s, Levy Restaurants and PGA National Resort.
Combo
plate and
price
Two-meat combo plates are served with choice
of two sides and Texas toast for $16.25; threeand four-meat combo plates also available for
$19.75 and $22.75, respectively.
There’s only one combo plate available: a two-meat
combo served with choice of two sides for $14.95.
Varieties
of meats
Six meat options: sliced smoked turkey, barbecue
chicken, smoked pulled pork, smoked sausage,
beef brisket (chopped or sliced), and baby back
ribs; plus salmon, catfish and a veggie plate.
Six meat options: pulled pork, sliced brisket, pulled
chicken, ½ chickens, pork spare ribs and wings.
The barbecue is cooked fresh every day, and it’s
no easy feat. The pork takes 14 hours, brisket 12
hours and ribs 2 hours.
Meat is smoked every day in small batches (read:
when they run out, that’s it). The brisket takes 12
hours, pork 10 hours and ribs 4 hours.
Sourcing
practices
Local sourcing is a priority—they source beef
and pork from Buckhead Beef and chicken from
Springer Mountain Farms in North Georgia.
Working with high-quality proteins is key—they
use only Certified Angus Beef, hormone-free
chicken from Mar-Jac Poultry in Georgia and
pork from North Carolina farms, like Asgard
Farm. They also use preservative-free bread from
Atlanta’s H&F Bread Co. for their buns.
Barbecue
style,
according to
the chef
“We do Southern barbecue with influences from
regions throughout the South,” Sued explains.
“We use a combination of woods and rubs that
are uniquely our own.”
“We don’t follow any specific [regional style of
barbecue], like Memphis, Kansas City or Texas; we
serve eclectic barbecue and make what the people
in Georgia like,” Kirkland says.
What makes
their menu
different
Smokebelly is easily the most chef-driven
barbecue restaurant on this list. Not only does
their menu include a “tapas” section with
unconventional dishes like lettuce wraps, fried
pickled okra, disco fries and mac-and-cheese
skillets, but they also ofer modern versions
of classic sides (think sweet corn and edamame
succotash and bourbon sweet potato soufflé;
innovative sandwiches, like the smoked
salmon club and a pimento cheese BLT;
and an extensive entrée salad menu.
Dish chef is most proud of: The Pressed Banh Mi.
521 is also more chef-driven than your standard
barbecue restaurant, plus they also cater to many
types of palates. Their menu includes vegetarian
and gluten-free options, like housemade black
eyed pea burgers and fancy grilled cheese sammies; and many non-smoked entrées, like fried
chicken, braised brisket and citrus roasted chicken.
You’ll also find more inventive side dishes here—
there are 10 options, each with their own unique
twist, like collards braised in Coca-Cola, a
refreshing kale slaw and crispy garlic-spiked
green beans—a handful of entrée salads and fun
appetizers, like pimento cheese deviled eggs.
Dish chef is most proud of: Smoked Brisket.
Chef Sued makes seven diferent barbecue
sauces (sweet, savory, spicy, Alabama white,
Carolina Red, Carolina Gold and Cherry Cola).
Mixing and matching is encouraged.
Chef Kirkland makes two tomato-based sauces
(one sweet and one spicy), plus a housemade hot
sauce and pepper vinegar. We found their sauces
to be more extreme than others on this list—either
incredibly sweet or extraordinarily spicy.
This is a true full-service restaurant in a
gorgeous setting. Enjoy live music every
Thursday, Friday and Saturday and a bustling
cocktail bar with an extensive craft beer and
wine menu. Smokebelly feels more like a trendy
neighborhood restaurant than your average
roadside barbecue stand.
521 falls somewhere in between Smokebelly
and the other two spots. They ofer counter-service
during lunch and full-service in the evenings,
but the decor is a bit more bare-bones and
casual. 521 ofers beer and wine, and supports
local breweries like Sweetwater and Second Self
Beer Company.
Roughly $50 for two people
Roughly $25 for two people
smokebellybbq.com
521kitchenandque.com
How do you
cook your
meats?
BBQ
HOW FOUR
OF BUCKHEAD’S
BEST BARBECUE
RESTAURANTS
STACK UP
SMOKEBELLY
Sauces
Ambiance
and service
Average cost of
dinner for 2
Website
MY BUCKHEAD:
YVES NEIDLINGER
THE GREATER GOOD
FAT MATT’S RIB SHACK
Bill Wrench, a restaurant industry vet for nearly 40
years, and his father-in-law Don Cobbs.
No chef, but Eddie Smith, who hails from
Hamburger Hamlet, the Pleasant Peasant
and Vickery’s, is the main cook.
Two-meat combo plates are served with choice
of two sides and Texas toast for $15.95, three- and
four-meat combo plates also available for $20.95
and $24.95, respectively.
There’s only one combo plate available, which
includes 1/4 slab of ribs with 1/4 smoked
chicken, for $9.95. Sides are not included, but
you will get a slice of white bread.
Six meat options: smoked chicken wings, pulled
pork, pulled chicken, smoked chicken, brisket
(chopped or sliced) and baby back ribs.
Three meat options: ribs, smoked chicken
and chopped pork.
Every day, fresh barbecue is made, and the cooking time isn’t quick. Pork and brisket take 13 hours,
while chicken and ribs take up to 4 hours.
Expect fresh barbecue seven days a week here.
The pork takes 8 hours, the ribs 3 hours and the
chicken 2 hours.
The Greater Good sources most of their proteins
from Sysco, the world’s largest broadline food distributor. Farms include Butcher Block (Colorado)
and Smithfield (Virginia), the world’s largest pork
producer and processor.
All of the meats are sourced from local suppliers,
like Mar-Jac Poultry (Gainesville) and Country
Ranch Foods pork (Marietta).
“We incorporate Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina and Texas style barbecue in our restaurant,”
Wrench says.
“If I had to pick a style, I’d say somewhere in
the Delta area of Mississippi,” says owner Matt
Harper.
Like all the restaurants here, The Greater Good
makes every single dish from scratch daily,
including their stocks, sauces and rubs. You can
truly taste the diference in quality. Their menu
skews more traditional, though no less delicious.
Classics shine, from fried pickles and mac and
cheese to flavorful baked beans and potato salad.
Dish chef is most proud of: Brunswick Stew.
Fat Matt’s is undoubtedly the most traditional
barbecue restaurant on this list. Their menu is
short and sweet, but the few items they ofer,
they do incredibly well. Some might argue they
are the best—in fact, they have the most and
highest Yelp reviews on the list. They’ve also
been around the longest and have long been
considered an institution in Atlanta.
Dish chef is most proud of: Ribs.
THE FOUNDER OF
CULINARYLOCAL
SHARES HIS FAVORITE
SPOTS
IN BUCKHEAD
uckhead resident Yves
Neidlinger launched
CulinaryLocal, a marketplace
for food events (think wine
tastings, special dinners, cooking classes, festivals
and farmers markets) around the city, last year.
Now for Neidlinger’s guide to Buckhead eats:
B
n When I’m craving a quick, cheap bite to eat, I go to
Farm Burger. I love their grass-fed beef and original take
on the hamburger, although most often, I order their
chicken and quinoa burgers for a healthy alternative.
n Time to celebrate—I’m headed to 1Kept. I can’t say
enough great things about this restaurant. They feature
a blend of American cuisine with a nod to the South
and the dishes never disappoint—their sunchoke purée
is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever tasted.
n My go-to cofee shop is Mae’s Bakery. This hidden gem
serves cofee and tea, plus a delicious selection of pastries,
from almond croissants to cookies.
n When I’ve got no time to cook or go out, I pick up
Tin Drum. I have lunch there probably twice a week.
n When it comes to grocery stores, I shop at Brito
Supermarket for incredible rotisserie chicken. But I
also love Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
n When I’m in the mood for ethnic food, I go to Sufi’s.
My best friend is Iranian and I’ve been fortunate to have
some fantastic Persian food. Sufi does all the basics right.
n Sunday brunch—my favorite spot is Holeman & Finch. The
burgers, the bar, the small bites. It’s a culinary playground.
n It’s happy hour, and I’m at Vino Venue, which has
an impressive selection of wines and staff that is equally
knowledgeable. Taking wine home? Savi Provisions
has an impressive selection and they do regular wine
tastings that we feature on CulinaryLocal.
Sensational Sunday Suppers
Fat Matt’s ofers only one sauce, and they make
50 gallons of it per day. It’s sweet at the start,
with a little heat as it goes down.
While the Greater Good is a full-service restaurant
(there’s a counter for takeout). It’s a small, dark
space reminiscent of old-school roadside barbecue shacks with a nice patio perfect for warmer
weather. Expect checkered tablecloths and friendly
servers. Wine and beer, including local craft brews,
are ofered.
Fat Matt’s is a no-frills, classic barbecue spot
with counter-service only (though your food
is delivered to your table). This feels like the
most authentic barbecue restaurant. With live
blues nightly, it’s lively and fun. No fuss; this
is a beer-only spot. Order by the bottle, or
pitchers are also available.
Roughly $25 for two people
Just shy of $25 for two people
greatergoodbbq.com
fatmattsribshack.com
Bring your family together and
pull up a chair at St. Cecilia’s
Sunday Table, where chef Craig
Richards’ communal dining experience includes four courses ($35 per
person) of luxurious seasonal treats,
like fried artichokes with mint and
lemon, summer tomato ragù and
whole fish with charred lemon aioli.
t
Wrench ofers five diferent original sauces and rubs,
each meant to be paired with a specific meat. The
house sauce is tomato-based with molasses and is
a little sweet and spicy. There’s also a sweet sauce,
a “hot” tomato-based sauce laced with habañero, a
mustard-heavy, vinegar-based Carolina sauce and a
tangy Kansas City-style tomato-based sauce.
Sunday suppers have long been a tradition in Southerners’
kitchens, but today, restaurant chefs are jumping on the communal bandwagon and dishing out family-style meals on Sunday evenings. Your grandmother’s meatloaf better watch out!
t Nothing says family dinners quite like spaghetti—up the
ante and head to Valenza in Brookhaven for their threecourse Sunday supper
($24 per person), called
Notte di Famiglia, complete
with family-style sides,
like sofrito braised spring
greens, crispy pecorino
potatoes and creamy
mascarpone polenta.
July/August 2015 | Simply Buckhead
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