Omnivore Atlanta

MING’S BAR B Q: This undisputed king of authentic Chinese staples—including Peking duck—makes some killer rice plates. Any dish using the superb honey roasted BBQ pork is a sure thing. The “Young Chow Fried Rice” is a simple version laced with carrots, peas, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and just enough oil to coat each grain of rice in a sumptuous slickness. But there are numerous other fried rice plates to suit any craving that strikes you. 5150 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-451-6985.

PENANG: Buford Highway regulars flock to this ethnic staple for some of the best Malaysian cuisine in Atlanta. However, the Thai dishes—especially the fried rice—deserve some recognition. The “Thai Fried Rice ” appears in a mound of stir-fried rice, chicken, shrimp and vegetables tinted red from a spicy paste made with lemongrass. Another worthy order is the “Pineapple Fried Rice,” which is stuffed with shrimp, fatty cashew nuts, eggs and shrimp paste, and served in a hollowed out pineapple half. 4897 Buford Highway. 770-220-0308. www.penangatlanta.com.

V1 BBQ & CAFÉ: V1’s version of “Yong Chow Fried Rice” has all the usual suspects—roast pork, shrimp, egg, green onions, peas and carrots—but the Chinese sausage takes it to another level. The kitchen’s light hand with the soy sauce allows the ingredients to shine. 3940 Buford Highway, Duluth. 770-623-1136.

(photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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There is something so deliciously primal about tearing a hunk of chicken off the bone with your bare hands, folding it into a warm tortilla with a spoonful of salsa and devouring it. What can I say? This Mexicana loves her chicken, which means I was delighted to discover El Pollo Regio (5499 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-458-9663; 10471 Alpharetta Street, Roswell. 770-552-5466. www.elpolloregio.com).

Naturally, the “Pollos asados al carbon” (char-grilled chicken) is the thing to order. This bird soars high above the other chicken spots lining the highway because of its lip-smacking marinade. The most information I could get is that they use Achiote paste, an earthy and thick red paste made from ground annatto seeds that is normally mixed with an acid like citrus or vinegar. The juiciness of the chicken and flavor imparted by the flames charring the marinade make for, as my friend put it, “some badass chicken.”

An order of the whole chicken ($12.99) comes with a container of rice flavored with tomato broth, a bowl of smoky “Charro” pinto beans, a piquant salsa verde creamy with avocado, large chunks of sticky sweet charred onions, a fresh salsa roja, a couple of limes and a stack of locally made and all-natural El Milagro tortillas. If you don’t have the time to sit down and contend with a bone-in chicken meal, the “Taco Regio” ($4.00) is a great choice. The oversized tortilla is coated with oil and grilled to make it pliable, then filled with an abundance of finely minced grilled chicken, a layer of crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream) and guacamole. Add a charred jalapeno, some salsa and a squirt of lime and you’ve got a one-handed meal guaranteed to satisfy.

(photo by Jennifer Zyman)

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