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2011 Index of Winners

Best looking waitstaff BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

the Sound Table

Best modern cocktails BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

4th & Swift's

4th & Swift's bar manager James Ives' drinks employ all manner of house-made tinctures, essences and bitters, often in combinations that sound insane. Ginger-infused rum, basil, lemon grass-black sesame syrup, lemon tincture and pink peppercorns? But Ives' brilliance is in creating perfect balance withmore...

Best new beer BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Wild Heaven Beer

We've always been proud of our local bottled beers, it's just that there's so few of them. Well that's beginning to change, starting with Wild Heaven, a new brewery from Nick Purdy. Along with consulting brewmaster Eric Johnson, Wild Heaven has so far released two beers: Invocation, a Belgian-style golden ale, and Ode to Mercy, an Imperial Brown Ale. Try a glass of the deep, bitter toffee-tinged Ode to Mercy with a stinky cheese, or the slightly fruity and spicy Invocation with roast pork or chicken. wildheavencraftbeers.com. less...

Best new (old) restaurant BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Cakes & Ale

We were slightly aghast when we learned that Cakes & Ale was moving from its original storefront location on West Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Decatur to a newly renovated spot on the square. But as it turns out, the new, airier space has actually made one of our favorite restaurants even more welcoming. In fact, the addition of a bakery next door, plus the brilliant move of bringing former Dynamic Dish owner David Sweeney on as master of lunch, has heightened C&A's offerings significantly. Remember those brilliant Dynamic Dish sandwiches and quinoa salads? They're baaack. In the dining room, chef Billy Allin continues his legacy of melding simplicity and creativity. A recent playful take on tuna salad was a study in textural contrasts, pairing meaty cured tuna with soft potatoes, waxy pole beans and the snap of cooling cucumber. Cocktails come in the coolest vintage glassware around, and the wine list is both ambitious and affordable, with many selections available by the glass, carafe and bottle. Cakes & Ale 2.0 lives up to and surpasses its predecessor, much to our relief and delight. 155 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-377-7994. cakesandalerestaurant.com. less...

Best Pizza BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Antico Pizza Napoletana

Best pre-hangover padding BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

the late-night ramen at Miso Izakaya

Conveniently located just up the road from Edgewood Avenue's nightlife row, the late-night ramen at Miso Izakaya provides everything your inebriated heart ... well, guts ... could desire. Served only after 10 p.m., Miso's ramen offers a broth milky with porcine goodness, a generous strip of crispy, melty pork belly, an egg with a runny center, just enough crinkly, chewy noodles, and somewhat odd but somehow perfect pops of sweet corn kernels. The warm, steaming elixir just begs for you to stick your drunken face in it and slurp away. For dessert, we recommend one of Miso's sticky/sweet/salty crispy duck buns, also served as part of the limited late-night menu. Noodles, broth, crispy duck, two aspirin, a glass of water and you'll be spry as a bunny in the morning. 619 Edgewood Ave. 678-701-0128. misoizakaya.com. less...

Best reason for a culinary road trip BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Husk

Best reason to date a suburbanite BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Viande Rouge

Best restaurant BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Empire State South

Best service BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

La Grotta

Best Sichuan BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Tasty China (Marietta)

When Peter Cheng announced he was opening his eponymous restaurant, fans of Tasty China worried that Atlanta's first standout Sichuan spot would suffer. But seven months after opening Peter Cheng's in Smyrna, the chef's original restaurant is still the best our city has to offer. Classics such as crunchy dry-fried eggplant with custardy centers, confit-like tilapia served in neon red broth with silken tofu, and the tightly rolled and perfectly balanced crunchy hot and numbing beef offer that signature tingle and heat we've come to crave with crackhead-like devotion. The restaurant's Spartan digs just go to show that spicy substance always wins out over style. 585 Franklin Road, Suite B3, Marietta. 770-419-9849. tastychina.net. less...

Best spot for a first date BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Lunacy Black Market

On a couch or a table? This is typically more of, say, a third-date question. But if you and your honey venture downtown to Lunacy Black Market on your first date, come prepared with a response. Intimate clusters of sofas, loveseats and armchairs, as well as a smattering of tables, fill the restaurant's living room-like interior. Chef Paul Luna's rotating menu of small plates arrives scrawled in Sharpie on torn-up cardboard wine cases. But rather than looking sloppy, it feels personal and charming. Best of all? None of the dishes costs more than $5. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find any of the dozen or so menu items priced more than $3. Neither of you will look like greedy pig faces thanks to the petite portions and tidy presentations of dishes such as short ribs with house-made ricotta, chickpea curry or a charcuterie plate. If things don't work out, you won't have spent a load. And if things do work out, you'll have enough money left over for cocktails at your place. Couch or table? 231 Mitchell St. 404-736-6164. lunacyblackmarket.com. less...

Best veggie meal at a non-veggie restaurant BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

veggieloaf at Leon's Full Service

Here in the hallowed halls of CL's food department, we are partial to pig. But despite our affection for meat, we harbor a serious craving for the veggieloaf at Leon's Full Service. Made with a combination of quinoa, lentils, mushrooms, bulgur wheat and sun-dried tomatoes, it's at once rich, hearty, nutty, savory and intensely satisfying. The tangy romesco sauce and roasted cauliflower, shiitake and sun-dried tomato salad provide more intense earthy flavor than is present in many of the city's best meat dishes. That, paired with a recession old-fashioned ($6!) makes for one of the most gratifying meals in the A. 131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-687-0500. leonsfullservice.com. less...

Best Vietnamese BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Quan Ba 9

"Authentic" is a word that gets thrown around so much, it's easy to forget what it means. Quan Ba 9 will make you remember. This isn't your standard brusque pho house. Expect home-style Vietnamese packed with soulful, herbaceous flavor. Tart salads made with shreds of green papaya and laced with tiny dried shrimp start the meal off on a light note and pave the way for more hearty fare. The signature spicy red chicken soup, Mi Quang Ba 9, is so soothing (in that fiery sort of way), it should be the only thing anyone's allowed to eat when sick. The pho rings clear with beefy flavor and bright herbs. The Chao Ga is basically an intensely chicken-y porridge. Like, the most delicious porridge you've ever had. Even Goldilocks wouldn't push this bowl away. Quan Ba 9 will have you swearing off that other place across the street for good. 4285 Buford Highway. 404-636-2999. less...

Best wine by the glass BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Fritti