Six Midtown Eateries Make List Of 'Georgia's 100 Plates'

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism Division (GDEcD) announced Thursday the release of the 2019-20 Explore Georgia Official State Culinary Guide. The fifth annual digest-sized guide features the nomination-based "Georgia's 100 Plates" list, and an Alpharetta restaurant made the list. The guide also has a feature on five noteworthy female chefs; a guide to the best places to sample peaches, barbecue, craft beer, international cuisine and Southern dishes; as well as an exceptional selection of the state's best food and drink festivals.

These dishes offered by six Midtown restaurants made the "Georgia's 100 Plates" list:

• Farm Egg, Empire State South. "A recent iteration of this seasonally changing staple and consistently best-selling dish included grilled asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, and spring-onion puree on flash-fried crispy rice — all topped with a coddled egg."
• Comfy Chicken Biscuit, Home Grown. "Grab a knife and fork to tackle this Southern-style dream of a breakfast: a buttermilk biscuit topped with fried chicken, slathered with sausage gravy, and garnished with a humble orange slice."
• French Toast Sandwich, Le Petit Marché. "The best part of this breakfast sandwich—made with vanilla rum–battered toast, scrambled eggs, and your choice of meat (bacon, veggie sausage, or Delia’s chicken sausage)—is that you can order it all day."
• Pimento Cheese Wontons, Sweet Auburn Barbecue. "Sibling owners Howard and Anita Hsu based this starter on crab wontons they saw guests devour in their parents’ restaurants. House-made pimento cheese fills a classic wonton wrapper, which is fried to perfection and paired with sweet Thai chili sauce."
• Southern Marinated Fried Chicken, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours. "Chef Deborah VanTrece pairs her grandmother’s recipe— crispy chicken pan-fried in cast iron—with modern twists on classic sides: three-cheese mac with orecchiette, a collard green spring roll, and sweet potato apple chutney."
• Shrimp & Grits, West Egg Cafe. "A recent winner of Jekyll Island's Shrimp & Grits Festival stars homegrown ingredients: wild Georgia shrimp plus tomato, roasted okra, and a poached egg sourced from local farms."

"One of the best ways to immerse yourself and truly experience Georgia is through our food," said Lisa Love, Interim Deputy Commissioner at Georgia Tourism. "The history and culture of our state is woven into the many flavors, ingredients, dishes and traditions that create an unforgettable dining experience. This issue of the Explore Georgia Culinary Guide is our best yet, as it focuses on sharing our distinctive food and dining offerings you can't find anywhere else."

Since the inaugural issue of the Explore Georgia Culinary Guide, Georgia Tourism has designated "Georgia's 100 Plates" as a way to provide visitors with locally sourced suggestions. Nominations from around the state are gathered via ExploreGeorgia.org as well as Georgia Tourism's social media channels and evaluated by a panel of judges who curate the list down to the final designees.

The list has been likened to recommendations that Georgians would share with family and friends, and it has received rave reviews from visitors as well as restaurant owners. View the full list of "Georgia's 100 Plates" online.

The Explore Georgia Culinary Guide is available for free at the 11 Visitor Information Centers across the state and on ExploreGeorgia.org. To learn more about Georgia's rich culinary experiences through videos, tours and more, visit ExploreGeorgia.org.

Patch Editor Kathleen Sturgeon contributed to this report.