Late spring in Georgia means warm temperatures, patio sitting, blooming flowers, and …strawberries. The official season is April through June, but peak picking is now. We are in the sweet spot for the juicy fruit that offers tastes and aromas both sweet and tart. With the season in full swing, restaurants and chefs showcase the bright red berry in creative and delicious ways. Here’s what we spotted around town.
At East Cobb’s Seed Kitchen & Bar, chef Doug Turbush cooks with the seasons, incorporating the harvest from local farms. His local strawberry salad balances sweet with tart and savory. Local watercress, fennel, sliced strawberries mingle next to a dollop of honey lemon yogurt. Candies pistachios add texture.
Seed Kitchen & Bar. 1311 Johnson Ferry Rd. Marietta. 678-214-6888. Eatseed.com.
Nestled in Chattahoochee Hills, The Farmhouse at Serenbe sources ingredients from its own garden and surrounding farms. The experience is casual with fine dining flair. You can start off dinner with strawberry gazpacho made with a variety of strawberries just picked, lemon, and goat cheese. They are also serving a decadent Grand Marnier cheesecake festooned with rows of sliced strawberries.
The Farmhouse at Serenbe. 10950 Hutcheson Ferry Rd. Chattahoochee Hills. 770-463-2622. Serenbefarmhouse.com.
Toco Hills’ Spiller Park is known for coffee and its variety of nut milks, but the breakfast and snacks that come out of the tiny kitchen are also destination worthy. They have a mighty fine toast program going on. Toast with Jam and Lil Moo is a thick slab of toast spread with tangy Sweet Grass Dairy Lil Moo cheese. The topper is seasonal jam and slivers of fruit and right now that’s strawberries.
Spiller Park. 2929 N. Druid Hills Rd. Atlanta. 404-823-5737. Spillerpark.com.
New on the scene Five Daughters Bakery in Westside makes handcrafted donuts fresh each day. Their 100 layer, croissant-style donut comes as Strawberry Fields for the season. The flakey layered pastry is rolled in house made strawberry sugar then enveloped in strawberry rose glaze. Naturally dyed, strawberry-colored sprinkles fleck the top.
Five Daughters Bakery. 1198 Howell Mill Rd. Atlanta. 404-343-0325 and 675 ponce de Leon Ave. Atlanta. 404-963-1922. Fivedaughtersbakery.com.
Holler and Dash has a menu designed upon celebration of the southern biscuit. Stop in for a Strawberry and Dash, a flaky biscuit with whipped Creole cream cheese, fresh strawberries, and a peak of whipped cream. You even have a chance of getting one free. To celebrate National Biscuit Day (May 29), H&D has an Instagram biscuit roulette game. Play it, snap a shot of your biscuit, and redeem at the restaurant.
At Buckhead’s Mission + Market chef Ian Winslade courses out gemlike dishes akin to art. Every bowl and plate shines with brightness and a range of colors. Strawberries are adding that pop of red as well as juicy sweetness. Look for specials like his recent Strawberry and Rhubarb Shrotcake dotted with coconut cream and garnished with sprig of mint. Almost too pretty and imaginatively plated to eat.
Mission + Market. 3550 Lenox Rd. NE. Atlanta. 404-948-2927. Missionandmarketatl.com.
