The best dishes we ate in August 2025

Beth s Best Dishes Dosa Boti in Roswell Photo by Beth McKibben Chicken tikka boti from Dosa Boti Canton St RoswellPublished in the August Family Meal newsletter I stumbled upon Dosa Boti after grabbing cocktails and dinner in downtown Roswell last weekend The small Indian restaurant took over the space formerly occupied by Rhea s Take Out Foods at the corner of Canton Street and Woodstock Road Rhea s closed in after the death of the incomparable Mahfuz Jimmy Hussain who purchased the OG Rhea s in Under Hussain Rhea s became a household name in Roswell with people traveling far and wide just to eat its burgers and chat with Mr Jimmy In the modern day the space is home to Dosa Boti serving generously portioned combo plates of Paneer and Chicken mutton keema tacos butter chicken and dosas Despite having already eaten we decided to grab takeout for the road ordering chicken biryani and a chicken tikka boti stuffed with vegetables and apricot chutney wrapped in a dosa I m already making plans to visit for breakfast which includes a variety of dosas and an Indian bread omelet Flourless chocolate torte from Publix Photo by Beth McKibben Flourless chocolate torte from PublixPublished in the August Family Meal newsletter You promised to bring dessert to the party but you re running late or haven t had time to preorder from your favorite local bakery so you pop into the nearest Publix After a taxing week at work a friend arrived for a Friday night dinner party at my home with two tortes from Publix in tow a European cream and triple berry torte and the other a flourless chocolate truffle torte The former was light and fresh with puckery berries crowning the top The latter the darling of the dinner party was rich and dense a super chocolatey decadent delight that paired beautifully with a glass of Broadbent Rainwater Madeira a medium-dry fortified wine with nutty complexity and a clean finish I ve attended more than a limited weddings over the years in which the cakes were custom-made by the local Publix And how about the countless parties where platters of petit fours mini tarts brownies and slices of cr me cake from a Publix bakery graced the tables Let s face it the Publix bakery rarely disappoints It certainly didn t on that Friday night Friday night burgers at Sammy s in Adair Park Photo by Beth McKibben Burger night at Sammy s Northside Dr Adair ParkPublished in the August Family Meal newsletter Located at Abrams Fixtures on Northside Drive Sammy s teems with customers lining up to order coffee and sandwiches throughout the day like the meaty Italian sub Samborghini or the Samuel with smoked brisket pastrami and Swiss cheese served on rye toast While at the moment open for breakfast and lunch until p m on weekdays and Saturdays Fridays include extended hours Every Friday from - p m owners Jason Furst and Chef Sam Pinner serve single and double-stack smashburgers drinks and specials like barbecue nachos and whole smoked wings But the compact smashburger which comes with a single or double patty is the main attraction on Friday nights evidenced by the tightly packed dining room and people huddled around tables filled with Samburgers during a latest visit Pinner doesn t monkey with the simplicity of the smashburger giving it a little zhuzh with mayo melty American cheese pickle chips and red onions sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun Pair with a glass of bubbles or the champagne of beers Miller High Life There s also a martini made with Murrell s Row Tulsi gin and La Quintinye Royal Extra Dry Vermouth More Best Dishes from January February March April May June July Sarra s Best Dishes Chicken Shumai at Canton House Photo by Sarra Sedghi Chicken shumai from Canton House Buford Hwy Chamblee While cruising down Buford Highway one night with one of my closest friends the motorcycle instantaneously swerved into the parking lot of the original Canton House in Chamblee You call it an impulse I see it more like a force of nature Mentioned friend ordered the chicken shumai and although I had my doubts my regular move is shrimp shumai the dumplings expeditiously overturned them There is something special going on with that combination of chicken and seasoning that just cannot be replicated in the shrimp shumai And yes we checked Oysters from Kimball House Courtesy of Bryan Rackley Hama Hama oysters from Kimball House E Howard Ave Decatur I visited the San Francisco Bay Area in August and ate oysters a meager times while there However I just now had a much better oyster experience far closer to home at Kimball House in Decatur My table opted for a mix of East and West Coast bivalves and even though I prefer salty East Coast oysters the Hama Hama oysters from Washington were certainly my favorite of the half-dozen These oysters were vastly different from what I typically enjoy in an oyster brine and salt but the high quality was undeniable The Hama Hama may not have the intense salinity I normally prefer but the fresh clean taste and minerality of the oysters brought me back to the Pacific Ocean Tuesday salmon special from Oak Grove Sector Photo by Sarra Sedghi Salmon and black-eyed pea salad from Oak Grove Domain Lavista Road Decatur Oak Grove Domain on Lavista Road in Decatur has become one of my favorite haunts since moving back to Atlanta in It s my de facto choice when I want a substantial affordable and good-quality lunch I also adore that the arena keeps Justin s almond butter cups in stock for my fellow peanut-allergic pals I usually grab a chicken or tuna salad and two sides at the counter but caved and went with the Tuesday salmon special on my bulk current visit and tore that fish up I paired the salmon with black-eyed pea salad to amp up the protein and iron The post The best dishes we ate in August appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta