Three-Cornering the Market on Purim Flavor
You can't go wrong getting your hamantashen from these three Atlanta eateries.
Skye Estroff is the marketing and media manager for Atlanta’s largest food festival, Taste of Atlanta (tasteofatlanta.com). She is an Atlanta native, a University of Georgia grad and an expert in Atlanta’s best food.
As you may remember from your last celebrations of Purim (whether it be in 5776 or decades back when you attended Hebrew school), it is customary to send food to your family and friends. This typically includes dried fruits and such other ready-to-eat snacks as candies, chocolate and, if you’re lucky, hamantaschen.
It is a mitzvah to send these baskets of goodies to the special people in your life. It’s also a tradition to have a large meal in commemoration of the holiday and serve — you guessed it — hamantaschen for dessert.
While the holiday section of all surrounding stores is covered in bright green for St. Patrick’s Day and pastels for Easter, it’s time the Jewish people of Atlanta start prepping for Purim. The average shopper won’t be overwhelmed with Queen Esther costumes as they are with leprechaun and bunny getups, but the savvy food shopper can navigate to a handful of restaurants with homemade hamantaschen.
Purim slides under the retail radar, but the stores baking up our traditional triangular cookie are all top notch and Taste of Atlanta approved. Pre-order or stop in for a single cookie, a dozen or more at these three Atlanta-area restaurants:
- Goldbergs (Buckhead, West Paces, Dunwoody, East Cobb, Toco Hills and Alpharetta).
My guilty pleasure at Goldbergs is ending a meal with a chocolate hamantasch. This ordering habit has become a yearlong ritual. I just can’t brunch without treating myself.
The dough is similar to a shortbread, and the bite isn’t too crumbly. Goldbergs uses a semisweet chocolate, so your palate isn’t overwhelmed with lip-puckering sweetness. They bake these treats all year long, so when Purim comes along, the recipe is perfected. Order yours online, on the phone or in store.
- The General Muir (Emory Point).
This essential delicatessen and James Beard Award semifinalist is serving up hamantaschen for the seventh consecutive year. From March 1 to 12, taste fig and poppy, apricot and pistachio, and wine-poached prune treats. Keep your eyes and ears open because more varieties may be added to the list.
I love the ambience of this restaurant, and the service could not be more spectacular, so I prefer to order my hamantaschen in store. I’ve been told the to-go packing is supercute, so don’t let my habit deter you from picking up an order instead.
If you want to ensure availability, The General Muir is taking pre-orders over the phone, or you can email shelley@thegeneralmuir.com.
- Kosher Gourmet (Briarcliff).
If you’re indecisive when it comes to ordering food, Kosher Gourmet is where you should go to select hamantaschen. The kosher-certified restaurant and catering company is baking up six flavors to choose from: cherry, apricot, strawberry, prune, poppy, and, last but certainly not least, chocolate.
This Briarcliff brick-and-mortar sells its hamantaschen for just under a dollar each (99 cents, to be exact). Call to place your order, or stop in to choose your fresh-baked hamantaschen by hand.
Remember, Kosher Gourmet is closed on Shabbat, so make the trek Sunday through Friday.
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