Best dishes from April 2025: Bread Museum, A Mano, The Sparrow, Tio Lucho’s

The Move is your guide to the top food finds from Rough Draft Dining Editor and Editor-in-Chief Beth McKibben The guide appears first in her weekly Family Meal newsletter on Tuesdays at p m Subscribe for free to Family Meal which includes unique Q As with Atlanta chefs and bartenders Beth s latest dining excursion for The Move a recipe and other subscriber-first stories As a subscriber of Family Meal you re automatically signed up for Side Dish the Rough Draft dining organization s Thursday newsletter dropping at noon rounding up the week s Atlanta food news Photo by Beth McKibben Green tea castella from Bread Museum Old Norcross Road DuluthI stumbled upon Bread Museum during a restaurant scouting mission in Duluth The family-owned bakery cafe and coffee shop specializes in French and Japanese pastries and breads Located on Old Norcross Road in the McDaniel Square Shopping Center Bread Museum s pastry cases are packed with everything from cream-filled eclairs and decadent chocolate brownies to croissants boules of savory bread and mini quiches I ordered a green tea castella a Japanese sponge cake flavored with honey Bread Museum filled the middle of this hunk of tea cake with vanilla buttercream which also crowned the top It came garnished with a bright red sugared strawberry But even with the vanilla buttercream the green tea and honey cut through the richness and kept the castella subtly sweet I m eager to return to Bread Museum to try more of the savory baked goods including the egg salad salt bread Make sure to partake in the free samples at the register Photo by Beth McKibben Pesto e Pomodoro from A Mano Ralph McGill Blvd Old Fourth WardWith a menu and vibe leaning more osteria than trattoria A Mano features handmade pastas a seriously underrated wine list and cocktails ranging from straightforward classics to wildly original concoctions like the Banana Daq with Haitian rum banana syrup Montenegro chardonnay cordial lime and toasted sesame And while you can t go wrong with reliable standbys such as the bucatini alla bolognese or carbonara at A Mano try the pesto e pomodoro Rigatoni comes tossed in a zesty sun-dried tomato pesto mixed with saut ed rapini leaves and stems fennel fronds and crumbles of feta cheese It s an especially good choice if you plan to order a heavier entree to follow like eggplant parmesan or grilled ribeye End your meal with an affogato or an amaro with a slice of citrus olive oil cake and a scoop of EVOO gelato More dishes to try from The Move March February January Photo by Beth McKibbenThe Tio s Salad from Tio Lucho s North Highland Ave Poncey-HighlandThe Tio s Salad at Peruvian restaurant Tio Lucho s in Poncey-Highland may not seem like a standout on the menu especially when competing against more traditional dishes like lomo saltado causa and ceviche But don t underestimate Chef Arnaldo Castillo who constantly finds a clever way to marry the flavors and ingredients of his native Peru with those of the American South Nothing on the Tio Lucho s menu is an afterthought and nowhere is that more evident than with the quinoa-based Tio s Salad A hearty salad arrives layered with colors and textures from puffy granules of red quinoa crunchy corn nut kernels feta cheese apple slivers leafy greens and herbs and chunks of tomato Tiny aji dulce peppers burst with a mildly sweet and smoky heat Castillo tosses the jumble of ingredients in a rocoto vinaigrette Frequently used to make salsas and sauces the flavor of the deceptively spicy Peruvian rocoto pepper is lusciously fresh and delicately fruity and necessary to bring this salad alive For extra protein add grilled chicken Here s the recipe for Tio Lucho s Tio s SaladPhoto by Beth McKibben The Lunch Box from The Sparrow W Peachtree St MidtownI ve been impressed thus far with my experiences at Asian tavern The Sparrow a relative newcomer on West Peachtree and to the Midtown food scene The fact that I don t have to expedition outside the heart of the city for a Peking duck spread or dishes like Sichuan tripe doused in chili oil and braised pork ribs cooked with fragrant osmanthus flowers is in itself impressive At lunch The Sparrow offers one of the best meal deals in Midtown For around the Lunch Box includes entrees like cumin lamb choice of soup or vegetable spring rolls a side of kimchi white or fried rice and a drink I in the last few days ordered basil chicken white rice and a cup of wonton soup I find the greater part wonton soup broths to be thin and under-seasoned The Sparrow s wonton soup broth however is incredibly savory with a silky texture rendered from fat The soup also includes anything but wimpy wontons substantial enough to contain pork meatballs or without falling apart the minute your spoon comes into contact with the dumpling The post Best dishes from April Bread Museum A Mano The Sparrow Tio Lucho s appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta