Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
Loukoumades at The Naughty Greek
Desserts at The Naughty Greek are an unexpected powerhouse. The Call Me Fluffy (Loukoumades) are described as “fluffy mini donuts served warm with Greek thyme honey, cinnamon and powdered sugar,” but they’re closer to the offspring of a beignet married to a hunk of State Fair funnel cake. They’ve got a beignet’s shape and something of its tender interior, but the exterior is crunchier and rougher, and it lacks the beignet’s elasticity. The thyme honey and cinnamon dipping sauce is delightful, and the combination with the warm doughnuts is a happy one indeed.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from an upcoming review by James Norton]
Bulgogi Burger at Gogi Bros.
The Bulgogi Burger at Gogi Bros. is not so much a burger as it is a Korean barbecued beef sandwich. An enormous amount of tender, slightly sweet beef slices are matched by a robust helping of pungent, fried kimchi and pepperjack cheese. The fried egg is optional, but why not? Even the fries are excellent, very crispy and hot.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Amy Rea]
Lemonade at Zait and Za’atar
Zait and Za’atar’s fresh-squeezed lemonade may be the best in town. The sugar-to-citrus level is perfect: It’s incredibly tart and compensatingly sweet, with an herbal supporting note that makes for a deep, balanced, thirst-quenching beverage of the highest order.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from an upcoming review by James Norton]
Pork, Noodles, and Fire-Roasted Vegetables at the Fulton + Chef Camp Whole Hog Feast
Chef Camp’s Whole Hog feast was a union of many wonderful local forces: the wild rice noodles of Dumpling and Strand, pork from Tangletown Gardens Farm cooked by Erik Sather of Lowry Hill Meats, vegetables roasted by Yia Vang of Union Kitchen, and beer from Fulton, among others. The dish itself was delicious — rich, sweet, tender pork swimming in perfectly cooked al dente noodles with slightly charred, soft, fire-roasted veggies, all served up in a classic Chinese-American takeout container, followed by s’mores by North Mallow.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Emerson, Lake & Palmer at Rustica
Since I’m someone who’s not wild about sweet beverages, summer coolers can be hard to come by. Rustica Bakery fills the need with its Emerson, Lake & Palmer, a mixture of mouth-puckering grapefruit juice and iced black tea. If that’s too potent, you could add sugar. But if you’re like me, that zing is just the refreshing chill you need on a warm day.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Amy Rea]