Thanks to Star Provisions, one of the country’s best market/bakeries, my family supplemented our Thanksgiving bounty with thyme yeast rolls, a small wheel of soft WayPoint cow’s milk cheese from Calyroad Creamery in nearby Sandy Spring, and a box of cookies that disappeared in an instant. Still, the bites that packed the most pop came from a Chocolate Caramel Bar featuring a shortbread base, Valrhona chocolate, milk chocolate caramel and sea salt, which added a savory flourish.

During my visit, coffee pros Dale Donchey + Jordan Chambers were still operating Steady Hand in Emory Village, across from the gate to the university, though they’ve apparently moved on to Empire State South and one of our favorite spots: Cakes & Ale. [Check their Steady Hand’s website for current coordinates.] Regardless of location, the duo’s committed to specialty coffee, which they can deftly brew via La Marzocco GB/5, Chemex, syphon or Aeropress. During my stop, Steady Hand served me a well balanced Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso with good flecking. That’s a constant.

Ryan Pernice, a Roswell native who helped Danny Meyer open restaurants like Maialino in Manhattan, returned home to open a “Southern tavern” featuring chef Ted Lahey’s “Simple Southern Seasonal” cooking in a former house. Lahey, who graduated from bygone Johnson & Wales in Charleston, delivered some of my favorite Fried Chicken of all time. The pastured, all-natural chicken enjoys a 12-hour brine and buttermilk bath before dipping in batter and forming a crispy brown crust in soybean oil. The juicy bird comes with collard greens that Lahey masterfully leeches of their bitterness.