7 of Atlanta's most eye-catching—and most delicious—vegetable dishes – Atlanta Magazine

From tomatoey hand-pulled Chinese noodles to fancy beet “poke” at the Four Seasons. Plus, of course: hot dogs.
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Eggplant · Poh’s Eggplant
There are flashier items at Ticonderoga Club: veal sweetbreads, steak tartare, some of the best cocktails in the city. But this brilliant little dish is a menu mainstay for a reason, probably having to do with the surreal tenderness of the vegetable and the magical interplay of coconut, chili, and fresh herbs that flavor it. Krog Street Market, Inman Park, ticonderogaclub.com
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Tomato · Stir-Fried Tomato & Egg Hand-Pulled Noodles
Juicy chunks of tomato stir-fried with egg is a classic Chinese comfort food—good over rice, but absolutely transcendent over a bowl of chewy homemade noodles at Xi’an Gourmet House, a stall at the Jusgo food court that’s also the rare Atlanta outlet for fare associated with the northwest Chinese city of Xi’an. Duluth, xiangourmethouse.com
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Roasted Beet Poke BowlBeet · Roasted Beet Poke Bowl
Earlier this year, sous chef Chad “Sosa” Hester introduced a series of plant-based dishes to the menu at Bar Margot, the chichi lounge on the second floor of the Four Seasons—among them cashew hummus, spicy jollof rice with king trumpet mushroom, and this colorful “poke” bowl with red and gold beets, edamame, avocado, and a soy dressing. Midtown, barmargotatl.com
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Corn · Milpa Tostada
Maricela Vega left 8Arm last year to return to her pop-up, Chico, where she is a maíz magician—turning corn kernels into incredible tortillas, tostadas, tamales, and more. But it’s not just the masa that makes this perfect tostada. It’s also the garden’s worth of vegetables, including Sungold tomatoes, chayote, and morita pepper. (Currently at various farmers markets, Vega is planning a brick-and-mortar called Chico Provisions.) chicooo-atl.square.site
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Carrot · Carrot Hot Dogs
Kemi Bennings is a curator, an arts advocate, and the vegan chef behind Carrot Dog, which pops up Saturday afternoons at the Met Atlanta. Marinated in a blend of herbs and spices, charred, and sold with a bag of chips, Bennings’s homey creations come in familiar configurations (the ATL, topped with mustard, chili, and slaw) and as specialty dogs like the Southern Santa Fe, with vegan bacon, avocado, chipotle mayo, and more. Adair Park, carrotdogatl.com
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Chickpeas · Captain Planet
Former Wonderkid chef Justin Dixon struck out on his own last year with the sandwich pop-up Humble Mumble, these days serving lunch Monday through Friday at the Collective Food Hall at Tech Square—including this ingenious sandwich, which uses chickpeas in a vaguely chicken-salad-ish way, but with tons more flavor courtesy of tikka masala spices. Midtown, humble-mumbleatl.com
Photography by Bailey Garrot, food styling by Tami Hardeman
Wild Card · Harvest Plate
Notably for a restaurant whose focus is rustic meat dishes—beef tartare, venison, pork terrine, sweetbreads—Terry Koval’s the Deer and the Dove serves one of the prettiest platters of vegetables in town. Two, actually: the cooked-veg Harvest Plate (pictured here with carrots, beets, chard, and tomato, plus farro verde from Anson Mills) and a cold starter called Vegetables from Our Friends, served with hummus, pesto, and bagel chips. Both change frequently depending on what’s available. Decatur, deerdove.com
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This article appears in our June 2022 issue.

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