Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers" - 10th & Piedmont

This month Nikki and I visited 10th & Piedmont in the heart of Midtown. We'd both been before, which contributed to our wanting it to be the 10th and final stop on our "By the Numbers" series. It was our grand finale...for this series, at least. 

Welcome back to our Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers", a monthly series by wanderlust ATLANTA and super-popular food Instagramer atlantafoodie! Our tenth stop on this 10 restaurant tour was a neighborhood favorite, 10th & Piedmont. 

What we believe is a unique spin on 'Top 10' lists, we haven't counted down, but instead, we've showcased some of Atlanta's restaurants with numbers in their names! Some we've been to before and others were a first-time experience. We've made all of them FUN!

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: atlantafoodie

Nikki arrived a few minutes before I did and she got a window street-side table facing Piedmont Avenue. One of the things that I love about this restaurant is that the windows are open to the street, ledge to ceiling. We got chat with some friends we saw walking by as we enjoyed our dinner. Gotta love that! And it's at the intersection with the new rainbow crosswalks...festive!

She started with a Lemon Basil Fiz, which she said was easy on the sugar—just the way she likes it. It's made with Absolute Citron, hand-crafted ginger syrup, and fresh lemon.  

Later she had a Midtown Mash, one of the restaurant's freshly muddled artisan cocktails! You get a choice of style: Mojito | Margarita | Martini | Long Island | Rum Punch, and a choice of fresh flavors (ask your server what's being featured). 

Nikki had the Mango Mojito!

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: atlantafoodie

Nikki indulges my love of calamari..."Thank you, Nikki!" We ordered the Calamares Fritos. And yes, I double-checked with our server, Aalayah, that there were in fact no Fritos snacks in it before ordering. I'm all for creative and I like Fritos fine, but...  

10th & Piedmont is primarily a tapas restaurant, thus the spellings on the menu. Although tapas is traditionally Spanish appetizers, the menu here crosses borders, and is influenced by regional and local cuisine.

The calamari is served with roasted tomato cumin sauce and charred lemon. Our lemon wasn't charred, but fresh lemon is fine, too. They were quite good, nice and crispy. The sauce was excellent!

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I started with a 10P Martini, a classic choice, and a favorite. This one is made with Absolute Vodka, Dolin Vermouth (which I asked not be added), and Blue Cheese Truffle Olives...Yum!

Later, I had their Moscow Mule. 10th & Piedmont's is made with Old Fourth Vodka (that's what pulled me in!), ginger beer, and fresh lime. One of our stops for Nikki's birthday celebration this year, in January, was Old Fourth Distillery. GREAT time there!

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There's a separate bar area adjacent to the main dining room. It's a modest space, but plenty spacious for a group of friends to gather for happy hour during the week. Some of the decor in the bar—including the bar itself—was crafted by DEX Industries. I learned about them on a Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) Field Trip in 2013. Fascinating process! The shape you see in the above photo, the one that looks akin to an upside-down tooth, is actually a martini glass from the restaurant!

Our server, Aalayah, was great...super friendly, answered all of our questions, and wasn't overly intrusive, but also did't let our drinks sit empty.

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: atlantafoodie

The Mollotes is refreshing! Perfect for two, you get fried white beans and manchego on toasted baguette topped with red peppers. Apparently we got the toppings for the Tomato & Garlic Pan Catalan. It was delicious all the same.

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Diablo Pimento Mousse is just a fancy name, I think, for one of the best pimento cheese dishes I've ever had. It's made with chipotle, roasted peppers and served with giant wonton crisps. Honestly, I could make dinner out of this dish and a glass of dry Sauvignon Blanc or a Malbec...maybe both.

Nikki found the chipotle to have a modest amount of spiciness and I agree. It's spice level is for the typical pre-Millennials American palette. Pre-Millennials, as so I, typically enjoy a greater degree of spice. I love spice...the hotter, more flavorful, the better!

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: atlantafoodie

The 10P Signature Chicken & Waffles is an award-winning dish! In June 2014, this dish won "Hotlanta's Best Fried Chicken" on Chow Masters, a former Travel Channel show. The prize was $10,000 and the "Golden Skillet"!

What makes this dish award-worthy? It's skewered chicken wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, dipped in house-made waffle batter and then deep fried! How's that for a unique spin on fried chicken? It's served with a condiment trio of powdered sugar, hot sauce, and Georgia sorghum syrup! Nikki called this dish, "a dream come true!" You can order 1, 2, or 3 skewers...as many as you'd like!

I didn't know about the Travel Channel award, but I've had their Chicken & Waffles on multiple prior occasions, primarily at brunch. Nikki had never had them, so she was excited to experience what all the buzz was about and I was excited to see her try them for the first time.

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: atlantafoodie

The menu is primarily tapas, which Nikki and I both love, but we wanted to try an entree, too. We opted for the Seafood Black Paella. Its squid ink makes it black, and Wow, it's chocked full of seafood! You'll find sea scallops, calamari, chicken, gulf shrimp, and spring peas. Seriously, the seafood in this dish is incredibly plentiful! 

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I mentioned earlier that DEX Industries did some of the decor in the bar area at 10th & Piedmont. The back wall in the bar is polished concrete! I think it's stunning and was totally surprised to learn that it's concrete! The entire restaurant is beautifully appointed.

[DEX Industries MODA Field Trip]

"By the Numbers" | 10th & Piedmont | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

In addition to having some delicious dishes on its menu, one of 10th & Piedmont's most sought out features is its location on the corner of one of Midtown's busiest intersections—with lots of pedestrians! The people-watching is awesome and the atmosphere is totally magnificent, especially on a mild spring or fall day, or evening.

THINGS TO KNOW before going to 10th & Piedmont:

• There's a small parking lot on the Piedmont Avenue side of the restaurant. Keep an eye out for signs indicating that valet is in operation. There's street parking, but not always a lot.
• Brunch is a festive time to go to 10th & Piedmont! If you go to brunch, be sure to order the award-winning Chicken & Waffles!
• 10th & Piedmont is walkable to or from Piedmont Park and a short distance from the Atlanta Botanical Garden and other tourist destinations in Midtown.

OF NOTE: 10th & Piedmont opened in the former space of Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeeshop. It was such a popular destination that the store sign from Outwrite was included in last year's "Atlanta in 50 Objects" exhibition at the Atlanta History Center.

Outwrite was Atlanta's largest independent bookstore located in the center of Atlanta's LGBT Community from 1993 until 2012. The store also hosted an outstanding series of author events, including one when I met Roseanne Barr. She's AWESOME!!! 

Here's our visited Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers", one per month for the first 10 months in 2017:

ONE midtown kitchen
599 Dutch Valley Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

TWO urban licks
820 Ralph McGill Boulevard, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Local Three Kitchen & Bar
3290 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

Bar Margot at Four Seasons
75 14th Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

5Church Atlanta
1197 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30361

Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House
437 Memorial Drive, SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Seven Lamps
3400 Around Lenox Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30326

Eight Sushi Lounge
930 Howell Mill Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Nine Mile Station
675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

10th & Piedmont
991 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Disclaimer: If you live in Atlanta or visit on a regular basis, you know how quickly the Atlanta restaurant scene can change. Our lineup was subject to change based on the Atlanta restaurant landscape over the first 10 months of 2017. Also, all opinions are our own and not at all influenced by the restaurant owners, staff or PR firms, whether we treated ourselves or were hosted by the said restaurant.

If you've enjoyed this series, please follow us on:

atlantafoodie on Instagram
wanderlust ATLANTA on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Thank you so much for coming along on what we think has been a FUN food journey over the first 10 months in 2017. Our selection of restaurants was a subjective choice of what we thought was an exciting new way to experience Atlanta restaurants: "By the Numbers". Please, tell your friends and family what we've done and invite them to have a look back at our super fun taste tour!

MODA Field Trip: DEX Industries

Who would have thought that so many people would be interested in cement?!

Recently, I went on my first Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) "Field Trip"...with a LOT of fellow MODA enthusiasts. We went to and toured DEX Industries, which is "a leading provider of sustainable product using responsible practices dedicated to exploring, pursuing, and executing creative applications of concrete and terrazzo."

DEX Industries Showroom

Alright, I don't want this post to sound too much like a commercial for DEX Industries, although I would totally endorse them and I will be telling all my designer and architect friends about them. My goal here is to induce excitement for MODA Field Trips. As a matter of fact, I'm so excited about their Field Trips that I've already purchased my ticket for the next one!

So, to preface what we toured, Lauriel Leonard is the "Concrete Blonde" of "Iron Man and the Concrete Blonde", creators of vignette #11 in The Next Wave. Lauriel is a designer and is co-owner of DEX Industries and she's a lovely and wholly fun hostess. We started in the showroom.

The showroom features walls and sinks and other vessels, all made from cement, many with aggregate. DEX Industries sponsored a reception prior to the tour where the great turnout enjoyed wine, beer, and nibbles and we got to meet their bulldog—sweet, sweet dog!

Polished Concrete Tile Wall, DEX Industries

Terrazzo Sink and Polished Concrete Wall,
DEX Industries

Polished Concrete Wall, DEX Industries

Craig Smith, co-owner and husband to Lauriel, led the tour. His passion for what he does came through at every point of the tour. He spoke of the company's humble beginnings and he's still humble about how far he's come since the company's beginnings. 

MODA Field Trip at DEX Industries

I have to say, it's far and few between that I meet someone who loves what he's doing as much as Craig. I admire him for that. And you should hear him speak about the sustainability practices the company has adopted...he's quite excited about them, and for good reason.

I'll touch on a couple of sustainability practices he noted. The first one, which is to me is super-cool, is the sourcing of material from a Georgia-based company that makes fiber optic products. The by-product, large clear glass "drops," is purchased by DEX in the amount of thousands of pounds a year. It's converted to aggregate material that ends up in counter tops and other DEX products.

Fiber Optic Byproduct to Become Aggregate,
DEX Industries

They also package the crushed material as "DEX Glass" and sell it to other companies that use aggregate. The cool factor in this is that prior to DEX's sourcing this material, it was all going to landfill!

DEX Glass, DEX Industries

Another practice is the recycling of water (for those who do not know, it's been reported repeatedly that water is our next "precious resource") and they're also beginning to collect, and use for product manufacture, rainwater in a 30,000 gallon cistern. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

Back to aggregate...DEX can use practically anything as aggregate, which shows up in its finished products. We saw examples of crushed glass, wine bottles, Nautilus shells...lots and lots of aggregate-suited materials.

Materials Used as Aggregate,
DEX Industries

We saw a lot of terrazzo samples and the diversity of the aggregate used. Craig told us that even though they can make a wide range of colors—saw some beautiful blue, orange and green samples, the brighter colors typically ordered by restaurants and casinos—but, the majority of orders are neutral in color.

Makes sense...a turquoise or lavender kitchen counter, no matter how much a homeowner loves the color, doesn't lend much to resale value.

Terrazzo samples at DEX Industries

A couple more things before I wrap up.

In the shop—the huge, massive shop—there were examples of just how large a format they can work in, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they can go a LOT bigger. Here's one of a pattern that I particularly liked...

Large Format Polished Concrete Wall Tiles, DEX Industries

I have to say, Craig put in a lot of time and consideration for our tour. He had in advance laid out samples, ensured safe pathways, and was gracious enough to show us ALL areas of the plant...we got the VIP tour!

After the tour, we wen't back to the showroom (keep in mind, I've shared only the tip of the iceberg of DEX operations) to again visit the finished products with a new understanding of how they were created. 

DEX Industries Showroom

Like any showroom, this one contains complimentary furnishings to help visitors visualize the cement and terrazzo products in a real-life setting. My favorite were the "chandeliers" adorning the room. Gorgeous! (This artist is also featured in the current exhibition at MODA)

DEX Industries Showroom

I have a photo of DEX's Lauriel and MODA's Katie, Barbara, and Jennifer that I wanted to share, but it was raining that night and being a person who has naturally wavy hair I know the havoc humidity wreaks on one's coiffure. So, thank you for posing ladies—you're every one gorgeous and lovely, but I wouldn't do that to you.

But, when you go see the exhibition at the Museum, the photo below serves as an introduction to Lauriel. Looks like they had a lot of fun making the Bio Wall!

Lauriel Leonard, DEX Industries

On the Bio Wall—depicting the 40-plus designers who've created The Next Wave—Lauriel, the Concrete Blonde, says, "'Be original' is an integral design philosophy for me. Original design, original finishes from an age old material...concrete."

The next MODA Filed Trip is "Burnt Wood and Bourbon"—an "opportunity to learn directly from Square Feet Studio and Skylar Morgan Furniture Design about the unique work they are producing." There will also be an opportunity to do some wood burning and there will be a bourbon tasting...sounds like fun, right?

Of course I have more photos from this MODA Field Trip...head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page to see those, and others. See you soon at MODA!