Oral Pleasures

There will come a day when what’s trendy now will be thought of as timeless. Timeless plasma-screen TVs. Timeless minimalist, throbbing music. Timeless stick-thin waitresses in teeny-tiny uniforms that wouldn’t pass dress code at most high schools.

OK, perhaps some of what’s trendy now will just one day become passé. But you can bet Atlanta’s restaurant scene will have moved on, and in the blink of an eye whatever is trendy in the future will be exactly what the city’s eateries are offering up.

Atlanta is a city of history and a city obsessed with trends. While Atlanta’s restaurants strive to become ever more modern and to-the-moment, they’re also embracing their Southern roots. And beyond barbecue and soul food, we’re a city with restaurants that embody the classic dining experience, from outstanding service to perfectionism in the kitchen.

In this year’s Oral Pleasures, we look at the trendy and the timeless and celebrate both. And for once, we celebrate where they meet in the middle — check out this year’s Best Trend winner to see a perfect example of the past and present colliding in the most pleasing fashion.

As always, we are exceedingly proud to live in a city with such a varied and exuberant dining scene. So whether you’re a trendsetter or a classicist, there’s plenty here to tempt your palate.

— Besha Rodell

Best Sandwiches BOA Award Winner

Year » 2007
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Alon's Bakery and Market - Dunwoody (Featured)

There are a lot of notable sandwiches in Atlanta, but during the last year one has outshined all others: the bresaola panini with Parmesan and pepper sauce at ALON’S. It’s the perfect lunchtime combination of comfort (crunchy bread, yummy meat) and wake-up call (piquant sauce, sharpmore...

There are a lot of notable sandwiches in Atlanta, but during the last year one has outshined all others: the bresaola panini with Parmesan and pepper sauce at ALON’S. It’s the perfect lunchtime combination of comfort (crunchy bread, yummy meat) and wake-up call (piquant sauce, sharp cheese). Alon’s also makes a killer roasted-lamb sandwich with red-onion marmalade. There are soups available, too, along with salads, such as a recent edamame-and-rice dish. less...

BOA Award Winner

Year » 2007
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

Park 75 (Featured)

With all the glitz and glamour in Hotlanta, some days you just want an excellent meal in a quiet, sophisticated room. When the micro-mini-wearing waitresses have got you down, when you've tired of the scenesters and Pan-Latin jazz-infused small plates, head to PARK 75 in the Four Seasons. The old-stylemore...

With all the glitz and glamour in Hotlanta, some days you just want an excellent meal in a quiet, sophisticated room. When the micro-mini-wearing waitresses have got you down, when you've tired of the scenesters and Pan-Latin jazz-infused small plates, head to PARK 75 in the Four Seasons. The old-style hotel service is impeccable, and chef Robert Gerstenecker's dishes are classic and refined. The five-course, 12-dish tasting brunch is an especially indulgent luxury, but be sure to wear pearls and sensible heels. No one cares about your hipster credentials here. less...

BOA Award Winner

Year » 2007
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2007 » Oral Pleasures » Critics Pick

TWO urban licks

Even after three years in business, there's still nowhere like TWO URBAN LICKS for wowing a date or out-of-towners with the fabulously trendy Atlanta dining scene. The futuristic warehouse valet line is impressive enough, but nothing beats the rush of energy that comes when you enter that monumentallymore...

Even after three years in business, there's still nowhere like TWO URBAN LICKS for wowing a date or out-of-towners with the fabulously trendy Atlanta dining scene. The futuristic warehouse valet line is impressive enough, but nothing beats the rush of energy that comes when you enter that monumentally dramatic dining room. The music, the beautiful people, the view of the city, the oversized light shades, the rotisserie, the open kitchen, the painting of wild beasts, the meat lollipops all meld into a frenzy of perfectly trendy mayhem. There will come a day when this isn't the hottest place in town, but we have not seen that day yet. less...