Illustration by Zac Crawford
I’m often asked my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. It’s a loaded question: I used to edit Flavors (Atlanta’s flagship culinary magazine, now dearly departed), I curated a list of the city’s best restaurants for Conde Nast Traveler, and now I’m editor-in-chief of this publication. And while I feel like I should respond with the hippest new omakase spot or a Michelin standout, the honest answer that always flies out of my mouth makes me sound like I’m straight out of 1998: “Bones.”
What can I say? I’m carnivorous, and Bones serves an unbelievable filet. But that’s not even the main reason I love it; it’s that Bones is consistent. My martini arrives cold and barely dirty, just how I ordered it. When I ask for my steak medium-rare, that’s how it’s prepared. I’ve never had a server who had worked there less than five years (you can tell from the number of stars on their crisp white jackets). And they aren’t too pretentious to serve a glorious side dish of hashbrowns smothered in sour cream.
Bones is expensive, always has been. But so are a growing number of Atlanta restaurants of all types. And if I’m paying a pretty penny for a special-occasion meal, I want to know that I’m going to get the food and experience I’m expecting. There’s a time and place for seasonal menus, new chefs, and bold visions. My birthday and my wedding anniversary are not that time.
While I do love a good martini, I’m also thrilled that a growing number of Atlanta restaurants have begun offering sober cocktail pairings for their tasting menus. (See Sarah Bisacca’s story) You can now sip a zero-proof whiskey sour at Tiger Sun or knock back a booze-free gin cocktail at Bovino After Dark. It’s about time. Two of my sisters don’t drink, but they still want the experience of sipping an effervescent concoction from a garnished champagne flute. So let’s quit giving them club soda in a giant glass with a thick plastic straw that screams: This drink has no alcohol! They may be sober, but they still like to have fun. (And in the case of my sisters, that’s doubly true.)
Whether you’re sipping a martini or a mocktail, I hope you enjoy this delicious issue.
This article appears in our October 2026 issue.
