Oral Pleasures

Fattening, messy, burger-centric: These are all the things good bar food should be about. And it’s exactly what THE EARL dishes out while some of the area’s best bands crowd the hyper-popular East Atlanta spot. Not only do the staffers serve up chili dogs and burgers that cushion the belly for a long evening out, but their rockin’ brunch is heaven-sent if your Saturday night lasted well into Sunday morning. The steak sandwich loaded with peppers, onions, provolone and mushrooms is as much sloppy fun as making out in one of the bar’s dark booths.
488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com.

Got a hankering for a giant bowl of brothy seafood noodles? How about some soy-lacquered duck that melts in your mouth? The FOOD COURT AT CHINATOWN SQUARE offers six outstanding fast-food spots to satiate your Asian cravings for right around $7. Yanmi Yanmi offers a quirky Chinese take on Japanese dishes, while some of the best green onion pancakes can be had at China Kitchen. All wonton soup should be like Ocean Garden’s. Hong Kong Barbecue’s display of mahogany-skinned roasted birds will make you drip and drool. Chongqing Hot Pot specializes in what its name suggests — a Chinese meat and vegetable broth fondue. Trouble deciding? Close your eyes and pick a spot. You can’t miss.
5383 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 770-458-6600.

If barbecue isn’t something you’ve ever associated with Chinese cuisine, it’s time you became initiated. There’s no smoky, sweet sauces or traditional sides (other than white rice), and you probably won’t see families chowing on a slab of rose-tinged roasted pork in the park. But what Chinese barbecue does have in common with the American kind is its ability to glorify meat. BBQ CORNER II’s Chinese barbecued meats — like the supple roast duck, earthy soy sauce chicken and buttery spare ribs — are superlative examples of their kind. Their whole barbecued suckling pig will make you want to host a Chinese banquet.
5150 Buford Highway, Suite C-100, Doraville. 770-451-2888.

It’s a rare coffeehouse in Atlanta that serves an A-plus cup of java and features ambiance that wasn’t ordered from a corporate headquarters. But JOE’S EAST ATLANTA COFFEE SHOP succeeds at both. A truly diverse crowd displays itself in the retro, comfy furnishings. The baristas are well trained. The Wi-Fi is free and you don’t have to engage in genteel battle for an electrical outlet: There are plenty. You can hear live music now and then. You can buy a book for a buck. And, hey, it’s in funkadelic East Atlanta.
510 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-521-1122.

A woman we know going through a tough divorce swears the chicken potpie at WHAT A CROCK! saved her sanity. Indeed, the super-rich, flaky-crusted pies are better than a kiss on the forehead from Mom during times when only a hot, bubbling-from-the-oven dinner and Sex and the City reruns will do. Loaded with white meat chicken, potatoes, carrots and peas, the pies are available in quarters or halves for those wishing to exercise more restraint. The more psychically distressed can order whole pies a day in advance to be reheated at home while you hide under your blanket.
406 Church St., Decatur. 404-687-3311.

We lost our chance at the Pulitzer for investigative reporting when we announced earlier this year, quite wrongly, that LAS PALMERAS had closed. For once, we were glad to be wrong, because this tiny Midtown restaurant continues to serve the best home-style Cuban cooking in the city. We love the garlicky masitas de puerco, the kinky Cuban-style fried chicken, the juicy boliche, the shredded ropa vieja and the fried yucca. Don’t expect Ricky Ricardo-style glamour. Las Palmeras couldn’t be plainer, but the patio is especially a great spot to meet friends for an inexpensive and savory meal.
368 Fifth St. 404-872-0846.

The perennial complaint of New York transplants is the lack of a good deli in the Atlanta area. Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner changed that this year when they opened MUSS & TURNER’S in Smyrna. Part gourmet grocery, part sandwich shop, part cooking school, part takeout restaurant, the shop is attracting foodies from all over the city — especially NYC transplants in search of the best pastrami and corned beef available. Everyone’s favorite sandwich is the lamb burger, but plenty of other options abound. There are also remarkable prepared meals, vacuum-packed and easy to heat by dunking in boiling water, and an excellent collection of cheeses.
1675 Cumberland Parkway. 770-434-1114. www.mussandturners.com.

With Canton House just emerging from renovation and Oriental Pearl transformed into a buffet, it might seem that CHINA DELIGHT would win the dim sum race by default alone. Yet just one visit and you’ll see that this spot does dim sum as the finest houses in Hong Kong do. In a glittery setting, servers push carts loaded with steamed scallop dumplings, flaky taro cakes, creamy rice porridge and turnip cakes studded with sausage and griddled crisp. Don’t miss out on the magical tofu pudding, a custardy bowl of quavering tofu doused with a ginger-laced syrup.
2390 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Doraville. 770-986-0898.

How can you tell where the power brokers dine? Check out a restaurant’s parking lot around noon. If the cheapest car on the blacktop is a 3-year-old Mercedes Benz, you’ve got a mergers-and-acquisitions-over-lunch winner. The cars driven off by the valet look mighty shiny at NAN THAI FINE DINING, where Midtown movers and shakers rub Brooks Brothers-suited shoulders over lovely Thai cuisine. Prices are the same day and night, with entrees running up to $32. Elegantly understated yet thoroughly royal, Nan’s dining room is the perfect spot for those who like to make people listen by whispering, not shouting.
1350 Spring St. 404-870-9933.

Although its name has changed and the interior has undergone a much-needed redecoration, ALI’S MEDITERRANEAN is still a one-man operation run by owner Fakhir Ali. Crunchy, earthy and deeply spiced, Ali’s falafel gained a devoted following when the restaurant was formerly known as Sub & Shish Kabob. Cram your pita with the shaped and fried-to-order falafel, lettuce and hummus or baba ghanoush and you will be amazed by just how glorious the seemingly lowly chickpea can be.
2825 E. College Ave., Avondale Estates. 404-297-0029.

French fries are hot right now, have you noticed? And not just at the city’s burgeoning burger joints: Every serious eatery around seems to be slicing potatoes into sticks and cranking up the deep fryer. But we can eat Michael Tuohy’s meaty, crispy/floppy pommes frites at WOODFIRE GRILL by the fistfuls (and have, unfortunately). Though typically served with his succulent roasted chicken and steel pan greens, if you ask nicely the staff will bring you a side of frites and a bit of aioli for dipping. Somehow they seem to complement most everything on Tuohy’s kaleidoscopically seasonal menu.
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road. 404-347-9055. www.woodfiregrill.com.

We’re blessed with some irresistible ice cream and gelato shops, but ever since we tasted the rose-petal ice cream at HANK’S last Valentine’s Day, we’ve been returning to this tiny shop across from Zoo Atlanta. Run by people who treat children with amazing patience — and there are always children at the shop — Hank’s is as big-hearted as it is generous with portions. Caramel-pecan is our routine selection. We didn’t know it was possible to get so many pecan halves in one scoop of ice cream. The banana-nut is also heavenly, though the butter-pecan seems to be everyone’s fave.
753-A Cherokee Ave. 404-622-0007.

The beer list at Decatur’s BRICK STORE PUB is so extensive that you have to download a PDF file to view it online. The outstanding pub offers no less than 215 beers — 188 in bottles and 27 draught. A recently finished upstairs Belgian bar, with potent brews on tap like Delirium Tremens and Biere de Boucanier, is cozy and inviting. Don’t be intimidated by the vast selection. The menu’s beer descriptions are humorous and approachable, and the service is so friendly, no one will look you askance if you simply order a bottle of Sweetwater 420.
125 E. Court Square, Decatur. 404-687-0990.

TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE was first introduced in Athens in April 2002 at the Classic City Brew Fest. Later that year, it won an American Pale Ale Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Suddenly, everyone wanted a taste of Terrapin. The beer’s distinctive flavor comes from rye added to the hops and malts in the brewing process. The result is a fruity, refreshing brew. You can’t find Terrapin everywhere — only a handful of Atlanta spots carry it, the Vortex, Meehan’s and Smith’s Olde Bar among them — but it’s worth hunting for.
www.terrapinbeer.com.

The gosh-wow handsome brothers who own THOMPSON BROTHERS BARBECUE take your order, chop the saucy pork and ring you up with flawless, heartfelt smiles. Although their addictive smoked bologna surely has its legions of male fans, this place is pure eye candy for the ladies. Photos of the charming brothers adorn the walls, providing fodder for countless fantasies. One Thompson brother stands ready by an Air Force plane, zipped into a flight suit; another, muscles rippling, commands the field in a UGA football match. Denzel hasn’t got a chance.
2445 Cobb Parkway, Smyrna. 770-818-9098.

As if the Cuban drink-of-the-moment didn’t go down easily enough in its classic mint-and-rum incarnation, the passion fruit mojito at the PARK 75 LOUNGE AND TERRACE is an addictive wonder. The refreshing elixir features passion fruit puree, dark rum, mint and soda for one of the best combinations since vodka, limes and tonic. Smooth as they may be, the mojitos are also deceptively potent. Best to take delicate sips of this heavenly nectar while seeing and being seen at the Four Seasons’ swanky, newly remodeled lounge.
Four Seasons, 75 14 St. 404-881-9898. www.fourseasons.com.

Govantez Lowndez is a restaurateur who learns from his past. Where his defunct Commune was tucked away in a dark (though admittedly sexy) back corner of a west side development, THE GLOBE snatches the spotlight in Tech Square with a light, welcoming warmth. His new venture is both a great place to grab an easygoing bite with friends and a harbinger of Atlanta’s dining future: The mod restaurant looks and feels like a scenester hang, but it has the earnest heart of a neighborhood eatery. We’ll take more enticing concepts like this, please.
75 Fifth St. 404-541-1487. www.globeatlanta.com.

Thank God someone finally did something interesting with the futuristic Trust Company bank branch that’s been decaying on Monroe for a decade. Local restaurateur Bob Amick has re-imagined the flying saucer-like building as chic pizzeria PIEBAR. The adjoining patio is particularly eye-catching. The building’s original drive-thru “pods” are now rooftop dining, covered by a giant white circus tent. At night, blue and purple lights illuminate the tent, creating an ethereal and undeniably glamorous vibe.
2160 Monroe Drive. 404-815-1605. www.piebar.com.

There’s so much to love at Midtown’s FABIANO’S ITALIAN DELI, but you can’t do any better than the “#1.” A double-fister of a sandwich, the #1 is a daunting stack of prosciutto, capicola and pepperoni with provolone or fresh mozzarella and paper-thin slices of tomato. Don’t count calories, just go with it. Eating this sandwich is a mood-altering experience — try it on one of our frequent rainy days.
985 Monroe Drive. 404-875-0500. www.fabianosdeli.com.