Atlanta Quarantine Eats Week 8
Welcome to Week 8 (8/7 - 8/9) of Quarantine Eats.
The goal of this take-out series is to hopefully inspire some of you to try a new spot, support a restaurant impacted by Covid-19, support a black-owned business, or just try some darn good food! Take-out doesn’t have to be boring. Restaurants are going above and beyond to make your at-home dining experience amazing. If you’ve been following along, thank you! If you would like to see something else or have any (constructive) feedback shoot me a DM on Instagram or head to the About page and send me a note.
Weekend Summary
Tap on the images to read more on the restaurants covered in Quarantine Eats!
Friday, August 7th
breakfast
Spiller Park
When coffee meets bagel, good things happen. Spiller Park, a popular coffee shop, is now making bagels on Fridays at their Ponce City Market (“PCM”) location and Sundays at their Toco Hills location. Bagels can be ordered online a few days in advance or the day of (depending on availability). The biggest selling point for me was the labneh! I had labneh for the first time a few years ago at a restaurant in New York and then when I went to Jordan two years ago and since then pretty much order it any time I see it on a menu.
Pictured here is the “That New Classic”, a jalapeno + salt bagel with chive labneh and GA cherry tomatoes. If you are more of a bagel & lox or bagel & egg and cheese type of person they also have two other bagel sandwich options, “The Bagel Palace” and “The Steinberg”, respectively. We also ordered a plain everything bagel with cilantro labneh.
Dining: Spiller Park closed its “bar” seating at PCM, but the market has indoor and outdoor seating for eating your take-out orders.
Ordering: Order and pay online or in person. For in-person ordering, they have installed plexiglass around their entire kiosk in PCM. They have a separate ordering and pick-up window and payment is contactless. For the bagel orders, I wasn’t able to specify a pick-up time (ordered two days out), so I would maybe just call them and give them a pick-up time. Our bagel sandwich was soggy by the time we picked it up.
ZdApproved Eats: Everything bagel & cilantro labneh + the Shake Shake with simple syrup.
lunch
Pizza Jeans
Sorry, not sorry that I love Pizza Jeans and that they’ve appeared on Quarantine Eats three times! See more at Quarantine Eats Week 6 and Quarantine Eats Week 3.
For as much as I’ve talked about them, I actually have three new things to say! First, the pictured slice is possibly my favorite slice that I’ve had from Pizza Jeans. As you may recall they have a different Special Pie every week and this past weekend, the pie had garlic cream sauce, marinated mushrooms, local sun-gold tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula & crème fraîche. It’s the ideal combination of flavors and may be one of my more memorable bites during quarantine.
Also, prior to last weekend, Pizza Jeans was only selling whole pies but you can now buy pizza by the slice! They completely remodeled their space for easy contactless pick-up. They’ve installed plexiglass and have separate lines for pick-up versus ordering.
Lastly, their sister restaurant, Root Baking Co., is finally open again on the weekends with a limited menu for now!
Dining: They are not open for dine-in. But PCM has indoor and outdoor seating.
Ordering: Order and pay ahead via the Toast website or app Fridays & Saturdays and pick-up Curbsides in the PCM parking lot. I’m not sure if they are still doing Curbside. Prior to Friday, August 7th, they would bring the pizza to your car. But for slices, you need to walk-up and grab your order (2nd Floor of Ponce). Or order and pay in-person at their walk-up window (contactless) - see picture below.
ZdApproved Eats: Red Pie + Calabrian Chilis & Roasted Garlic, Special Pie (depending on how it sounds that week) & a Box of Cookies
dinner
8 Arm
8 Arm is back in action with a brand new menu focused all on masa. They moved their entire kitchen outdoors and are calling the new venture / buildout “Sidepiece”.
I think I’ve had about 10 “wow” moments when it comes to Quarantine Eats and the quesadilla from 8 Arm gave me one of those moments. You’re probably thinking it doesn’t look like a quesadilla - but it is! I had something similar to this in Mexico City. It’s a deep-fried quesadilla stuffed with cheese (maybe ricotta or chèvre?), delicious herbs, and a delicious/spicy green sauce.
We also enjoyed our vegetarian tacos. One of them was the Lion’s Mane Tinga Taco, made with radish, scallion & peanut crema fresca. And I honestly can’t tell you what was in the other taco. Their menu has already changed for this week! Their menu is driven by seasonal ingredients and I’m always impressed with the flavors Chef Maricela Vega is able to impart.
The new menu was released last week so they were still getting things in order. Our order (even though we called it in) was ready 45 minutes after the pick-up time (I sent them a note and they were really apologetic and are working on improving call times) I was given. So when you call to order, just double confirm how long it will take. Luckily, they closed down their parking lot (park in the back now), so you can stand there without being too close to the people outdoor dining.
Dining: No indoor dining, but you can order and eat in your take-out counters at one of their outdoor seats. I couldn’t tell if tables were being sanitized between guests.
Ordering: You can pre-order and pay by calling (470) 875-5856. There is a separate table for pick-up orders next to the ordering counter, but you still need to get in line to tell them you’ve arrived. Also, 20% gratuity is added to all orders - no exception. Lastly, they don’t allow modifications, additions, or removals to menu items - don’t even bother asking.
ZdApproved Eats: Quesadillas, Vegetarian Tacos & Agua Fresca (Strawberry, Lime & Basil)
saturday, August 8th
lunch
Woods Chapel BBQ
Summerhill
Do you ever see someone post something on Instagram and then immediately drive there, well that was me when I saw Woods Chapel BBQ posts a picture of the Zissou - a hot smoked salmon burger with tartar sauce, pickled jalapeño, bibb lettuce on a @tgmbread bun. A lot of seafood burgers taste fishy or have a weird texture, but we really enjoyed how they prepared this patty.
Woods Chapel BBQ has some of my favorite BBQ in town, mainly because they have some amazing sides! We didn’t have brisket on this trip, but take a look at the last picture below to see what you can expect. Two words of advice…do not skip out on Wilson’s Salad of the Day, so flavorful. And their cornbread is possibly the best in Atlanta but right now it’s only available in a pack of six.
Dining: They have both indoor and outdoor seating. See picture below for outdoor seating (plenty of space to social distance - but it was extremely hot).
Ordering: Order and pay Online or order in person at their walk-up take-out window. For online orders, you can pick-up from the takeout window or just parallel park in front of the restaurant and ask for Curbside. For in-person orders they installed plexiglass. If you order in person they have contactless pay but you still have to sign with a pen (they have a jar of marked clean pens).
ZdApproved Eats: Brisket, Salmon Burger, Wilson’s Salad of the Day, Beet & Jalapeno Slaw, Creamed Corn and Corn Bread
Dessert
Big Softie
In my opinion, Big Softie is the single best spot to get soft serve in Atlanta. Everything is very high quality with bougie toppings & buttery waffle cones. It’s owned by the team behind the best pastries in Atlanta, Little Tart Bakeshop. If you haven’t been you are really missing out.
In addition to soft serve, they also offer Ice Cream Sammie & Floats. Like Little Tart Bakeshop, they have social distancing measures in place when it comes to ordering. There are blue stars on the ground for waiting in line and numbered spots while you wait for your order.
Dining: They do not have any seating right now.
Ordering: Order ahead online at KYOO or walk-up and order in-person with contactless pay. Even if you order ahead, they won’t make your order until you get there so that your ice cream doesn’t melt.
ZdApproved Eats: Favorite soft-serve - Matcha or Coffee (not available right now). My favorite toppings are the Pink Almond Praline and Cornflake Streusel. Also, their waffle cone is the best in Atlanta.
Dinner
Ticonderoga Club
I live down the street from Krog St. Market and it has been terrifying lately with the number of people walking around without masks, but luckily Ticonderoga Club offers Curbside service! They recently opened back up after being closed for most of the pandemic. We weren’t very hungry on Saturday so just grabbed two items and a non-alcoholic beverage.
We got the same dish the only other time that we went in 2018 - Poh’s Eggplant. It’s made with their house Bali sauce that has sort of a Thai taste to it. I think the recipe belongs to the chef’s mom or grandmother. They are also known for their drinks (and even non-alcoholic drinks). Perfect if you are looking for a few snacks for dinner!
Ordering: Order and pay online via Toast and request Curbside in the special notes. Park in the covered garage behind Watchman’s, give them a call and tell them what parking space you are parked in. I believe you can also order in person.
ZdApproved Eats: Poh’s Eggplant
sunday, August 9th
coffee
Valor Coffee
Did we drive 40 minutes for coffee? Yes, we did! We went to Valor Coffee in Alpharetta on Sunday morning for a little change in scenery. We ordered their caramel cardamom latte and their weekend drink - the pictured Watermelon Chia Agua Fresca. The watermelon drink was very refreshing and I’ve always loved their cardamom caramel syrup. They also sell tins of Mizuba Matcha (which is what I drink at home), so if you need a refill - head over there.
I was a tad annoyed that 50% of the customers weren’t wearing masks while ordering and that the lady taking our order kept adjusting hers. So that may stop me from going back. Luckily, the rest of the staff was in mask compliance, but overall the whole process is contactless.
Ordering: Order and pay ahead on Cloosiv or Walk-up and order and pay in person at their mobile cart. Payment is contactless.
ZdApproved Eats: Watermelon Agua Fresa & Caramel Cardamom Latte
Lunch
Let’s Eat! Catering by Chef Shay Lavi
Old 4th Ward - The Spindle Kitchen
Turkish snacks in Atlanta - yes, please! Chef Shay Lavi of Let’s Eat! Catering (in collaboration with My Abuela’s Food) hosted a pop-up at The Spindle Kitchen this past Sunday and Nizar and I are officially obsessed.
We both love mint tea and always get it anytime we go to a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern restaurant and this one was perfection - the right amount of sweetness. The pastries were also excellent but what really made them stand out were all the sauces they were paired with. There was some tahini, a hot sauce, and what appeared to be green and red schug.
Chef Shay Lavi hosts pop-ups all over Atlanta (both Israeli & Turkish food), including one this weekend at Wild Heaven Beer in Avondale Estates (different menu). But he also offers a la carte and tasting menu options for home delivery/pick-up. I am going to order his “meal for two” posted on his site soon and will report back!
Ordering: For the pop-up ordering was done in person with contactless payment.
ZD’s Favorite Eats: Burnt Sugar Mint Tea & Potato/Herb Pastry
Have you tried any of these places? Let me know in the comments below! And WEAR A MASK!
