Eschew a knife and fork this season and put your hands to work. There are plenty of hand-held fusion options for those wanting to mix their cuisines.
Check out the 2018 AJC Spring Dining Guide: Global Mashup at myajc.com/food starting April 12.
Korean Cheesesteak from Fred's Meat and Breads. Arguably Philly's most popular export (with apologies to Kevin Bacon and Tina Fey), the cheesesteak goes exotic with this treatment. Your choice of chicken or rib-eye gets a kick from gochujang sauce and candied jalapeños and some bite from green onions and garlic aioli. The whole thing is smothered in American cheese, because some things are sacred. Krog Street Market, 99 Krog St., Atlanta, 404-688-3733, and 75 Fifth St. NW, Atlanta. fredsmeatandbread.com/
Pijiu Burger from Pijiu Belly. The classic burger gets remade as a Korean dish by way of a fried egg, kimchi and Sriracha mayo. The 8-ounce Black Angus patty is also topped with provolone cheese and barbecue sauce. 678 10th St. NW, Atlanta. 404-343-6828, pijiubelly.com/
Sushi burritos, doughnuts and corndogs from Poke Burri. The ingredients are pure sushi — rice, poke, add-ons including pickled ginger, eel sauce, radish sprouts and furikake — but the presentation is decidedly something else. Get your sushi wrapped in a Tex-Mex-style burrito, with seaweed paper taking the place of a tortilla, or order secret menu items in the form of a sushi doughnut, which sees sashimi and sliced avocado draped over the sides of a circle of rice with a hole in the middle, and the sushi corndog, which takes crab and rice, wraps them in seaweed, and then fries them in a batter (all on a stick, of course). 479 Flat Shoals Ave SE, Atlanta. 470-265-0778, pokeburri.com/
Kebab Dogs at Masti. Putting a spin on a classic is a gutsy move, but Masti takes the leap with its take on a hot dog. A kebab link is cradled in a toasted bun and topped with relished onions, sauteed bell peppers, cheese and the restaurant's signature Masti sauce for some zing that the classic hot dog would be jealous of. 2945 N. Druid Hills Road NE, Atlanta. 678-949-9414, mastiatlanta.com/
BLT Bao Buns at Le Fat. It isn't hard to find bao — fluffy, steamed buns traditionally filled with ingredients such as pork belly or duck — on Atlanta menus these days, but finding one with something unexpected inside is always a treat. The bao at Le Fat is served Mantou-style, the northern Chinese variant, and stuffed with deep-fried, soft-shell crab, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato and a bit of sambal mayo. 935 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 404-439-9850, lefatatl.com/
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