Best Dinner Party Secret Weapon

Middle Eastern cuisines are in the spotlight, and there’s no better place in Atlanta than BAKKAL INTERNATIONAL FOODS, located just inside the Perimeter on Roswell Road, to source the hard-to-find ingredients necessary for cooking up these cuisines at home. Though Bakkal excels in Turkish products, their wares cover a wide swath, from Bulgaria across the Mediterranean to Lebanon and Egypt. Here, you’ll find plentiful options for tahini or pomegranate syrup — a critical component in recreating the famous lamb shoulder in the Zahav cookbook, which is guaranteed to impress any and all dinner guests. Sip a cold mint yogurt soda (made in California, though Persian by heritage) while perusing fresh breads from Grand Prix Bakery in Lawrenceville and pistachio tahini helvasi by Turkish brand Koska, which will turn you on to the joys of this unfairly maligned Middle Eastern sesame dessert. 5690 Roswell Road, Suite 100, Sandy Springs. 404-847-9942. www.bakkalinternational.com. less...