???? Best soup+salad combo

Table Talk: Best Soup-and-Salad Combo + Sandy Springs “Restaurant Row” Regular Sept. 23 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table! In today’s “Family Meal,” Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz brings you the next story in her series on “The Regulars.” This time you’ll meet Jane, a Sandy Springs figure skater who counts herself among the regulars […] The post ???? Best soup+salad combo appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Sep 24, 2025 - 08:00

0 48

Table Talk: Best Soup-and-Salad Combo + Sandy Springs “Restaurant Row” Regular

Sept. 23 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table!

In today’s “Family Meal,” Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz brings you the next story in her series on “The Regulars.” This time you’ll meet Jane, a Sandy Springs figure skater who counts herself among the regulars at SATÉ Banh Mi & Grille and the city’s “Restaurant Row” after her practices at Center Ice Arena.

Plus, for “The Move,” I tell you why Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja and house salad became one of my favorite soup-and-salad combos in Atlanta. And Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi got Season Marietta chef Nick Jennings to provide you with the recipe for his restaurant’s popular brioche French toast. Plus, he offered a bonus recipe for Season’s small-batch chai, which you can make hot or iced from scratch at home.

Cheers!

Beth

Enjoy an unforgettable evening under the stars in Chastain Park’s Secret Garden for Dine Chastain. Featuring signature dishes from some of Atlanta’s top chefs, live music, and community spirit—all to support keeping Chastain Park clean, safe, and green. Join us Friday, Oct. 3. SPONSOR MESSAGE

The Move: Communidad’s Sopa de Pollo Roja + House Salad

This one’s for my soup-and salad combo lovers.

Listed as sopa de pollo (chicken soup) at Communidad in the Old Fourth Ward, don’t expect noodle-laden, clear broth with chunks of chicken and vegetables to hit the table. This soup leans heartier, with a zesty red broth infused with chiles and tomatoes, similar to that of pozole (Mexican stew with chiles, pork or chicken, and hominy).

Chicken asada, corn, fried tortilla strips, and white beans pack the savory broth, even before you pile on crispy shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, and a garnish of fresh cilantro. Crunch. Layers of texture. A savory, aromatic broth with a hint of heat. Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja has entered the chat, Atlanta. Reply by ordering it.

I paired a cup of the sopa de pollo roja ($6) with a small Communidad salad ($7), to which I added chicken asada for an additional charge ($5). With a base of Romaine and arugula, the salad on its own comes with marinated black beans, hibiscus-pickled red onions, tortilla strips, and crumbles of queso fresco tossed in a roasted jalapeno green goddess dressing. The chicken asada simply introduced more protein to the mix, soaking up the flavors of the pickled onions and black beans as it steeped in the juices of the salad’s other ingredients.

I now count the Communidad salad among my top five salads in Atlanta, a list that includes the Tio’s Salad at Tio Lucho’s, Gene’s wedge (jalapeno ranch, y’all), Small Fry’s vodka parm wedge, and any of the weekly salads from Staplehouse.

While not paired together as a combo on the menu, Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja and house salad should be, because it’s the soup-and-salad combo we deserve.

Chamblee has it all this fall

SPONSORED BY DISCOVER DEKALB

A Taste of Chamblee is back to fill the streets with flavor, fun, and community pride.

This annual celebration welcomes you to savor bites from local favorites, discover new gems, and enjoy tasty treats that capture the essence of Chamblee. With every bite you will taste the culture and creativity that makes this city a destination for food lovers. Gather your friends and family, explore the flavors, and celebrate together.

➞ Support local dining, enjoy unforgettable moments, and make sure Taste of Chamblee is on your calendar.

Center Ice Figure Skater Now a Weekend Regular
of ‘Restaurant Row’ in Sandy Springs

By Laura Scholz

Welcome to The Regulars, where we explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. In this series, we’ll introduce you to everyday Atlantans and local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town and what keeps these regulars coming back week after week.

High school sophomore Jane Beeler first stepped onto the ice at Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs in December of 2022, when the popular local skating rink was decked in holiday lights and greenery. After that initial outing with family, Beeler started skating there almost every weekend, eventually taking group and private lessons.

“Center Ice Arena is a special place because even if you’ve just stepped on the ice, you’ll feel just as welcomed as someone who has been skating for many years,” said Beeler of the rink’s “good vibe.”

Open since 2014, the 36,000-square-foot Sandy Springs facility is one of just four state-of-the-art facilities in Metro Atlanta for club and pre-professional hockey teams, as well as aspiring figure skaters like Beeler.

During the school year, she practices three to four times a week, working on footwork skills, jumps, and spins in preparation for entering her first amateur skating competitions in 2026.

After a hard session on the ice, Beeler usually grabs a post-skate snack or meal at one of the food vendors, supermercados, or restaurants near the rink, including her favorite restaurant, SATÉ Banh Mi & Grille. SATÉ is one of 120 independent restaurants in Sandy Springs situated along a 10-mile stretch of Roswell Road known locally as “Restaurant Row.”

Veteran restaurateur Ton Tran—who once ran Little Saigon Cuisine with his mother in New York City’s Times Square—opened the fast-casual Vietnamese spot in Sandy Springs last year, calling the diverse community surrounding it the “best fit” for his restaurant.

“Roswell Road embraces many restaurants from different parts of the world, from Latin American to Europe and Southeast Asia,” said Tran. His wife, Ms. Q, is SATÉ’s executive chef, and Tran said she’s “passionate about creating and improving recipes,” including some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, like brisket pho, shrimp summer rolls, and Beeler’s favorite, the egg bánh mì.

“Having regular guests like Jane and her father, John, at our restaurant meant a lot to us at SATÉ Grille,” said Tran. “Our regular guests often share and spread the word about us to bring more food traffic to our store, and I am very happy to see families gather together at our place.”

John Beeler believes the food options along Restaurant Row rival another of Atlanta’s most popular dining destinations: Buford Highway.

He often visits a local Sandy Springs supermercado for breakfast churros while his daughter skates at Center Ice on Saturday mornings. Afterwards, they sometimes purchase freshly roasted elote and mango con chili from a family working a food tent in the parking lot of the skating rink. The Beelers are also fans of Fresh One Kitchen and its health-conscious menu and Jinya Ramen Bar across the street near Lowe’s.

“I had a lot of preconceptions about Sandy Springs, and on the surface, it seems like just another suburb,” John said. “But one thing that makes the city and Center Ice so special is the diversity of the area, and the people on the ice reflect the community’s diversity, too, which makes everyone feel welcome.”

Recipes: Brioche French Toast + Chai
From Season in Marietta

This week we’re sharing two recipes from Season Marietta: a small-batch chai and brioche French toast.

The petite Marietta breakfast and brunch restaurant just finished a strong first year in business on Lemon Street, thanks to Chef Nick Jennings taking morning staples like omelettes, biscuit sandwiches, and pancakes to the next level. There’s often a waiting list to get into Season, especially on the weekends, because the restaurant only seats around 25 people.

While all of the ingredients for both recipes can be purchased at a regular grocery store, a specialty shop or market may yield better results, including for dairy options, spices, and fresh brioche. Jennings prefers sourcing brioche for Season from Bernhard’s German Bakery and Deli in Marietta, but feel free to use brioche from your favorite bakery.

If you’re unable to find brioche, try eggy, slightly sweet breads like challah, potato bread, or Japanese-style milk bread for the French toast. Plain bread won’t yield the desired restaurant-caliber French toast results.

Chai

Yields 2 to 3 cupsIngredients

1 3/4 cups water
2 1/2 tsp loose black tea (vanilla/cinnamon/allspice blend, if you can)
2 to 3 whole peppercorns
2 thin slices fresh ginger
1/3 of a cinnamon stick (or just break one into a chunk)
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 whole star anise
2 to 3 whole cloves

Optional for sweetness after steeping:

2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
Homemade brown sugar syrup

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add tea and all spices. Let steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
Strain out the tea and spices. Stir in vanilla extract and brown sugar to sweeten the entire batch. (You may also leave the batch unsweetened, use brown sugar syrup in each cup.)

French toast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk or half-and-half
3 large eggs
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
12 thick slices of brioche

Directions

Serve warm with syrup, powdered sugar, or your favorite toppings, including fresh berries, compote, or even paper-thin prosciutto.

Whisk flour, spices, sugar, and milk in a large bowl until smooth and homogeneous.

Beat eggs and vanilla together. Combine with other ingredients, mixing well.

Place a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

Dip bread slices in the batter until coated and soaked.

Add 1 Tbsp of butter to the pan and melt.

Cook bread in the pan until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining butter and brioche slices.

If you know somebody who would like to receive our dining newsletters, “Family Meal” (Tuesdays) and “Side Dish” (Thursdays), please have them subscribe at this page.