Steamhouse Lounge's beloved lobster bisque took top honors from readers for best soup in and around Atlanta.

YOUR PICKS
1. Steamhouse Lounge
You say, “I gotta tell ya, if you haven’t tried the Lobster bisque at the SteamHouse, you’re missing something……itz by far the best I’ve ever had and I’ve tried them all over the world…..huge chunks of lobster meat and a very well kept secret ingredient that separates itself from the others!!”

2. Souper Jenny
3. Stone Soup Kitchen
4. Bone’s
5. Breadwinner Cafe and Bakery

Tofu Village is home to some great soups, including the yuk khae jang (chopped beef soup, shown here) and our pick for best soup in and around Atlanta, the kal bi tang (short rib soup). Photo: Becky Stein / Special

OUR PICKS
1. Tofu Village
The AJC dining team’s specialist in Southern and Neighborhood Fare Jenny Turknett says, “Prepare to dig in and sit for awhile with the kal bi tang (short rib soup) at this unassuming spot in a Marietta strip mall. …

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You're unlikely to see them together, but both Harold M Leaver (left) and Chris Kayser return to Atlanta stages for the Christmas season, beginning Friday, Nov. 25. Leaver plays Crumpet the Elf in Horzion Theatre Company's production of "The Santaland Diaries" and Kayser plays the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in Alliance Theatre's "A Christmas Carol." Photo: Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com

FRIDAY
Stage: For those who celebrate one holiday at a time, this weekend brings the start of the Christmas season and that brings a perennial Atlanta favorite back to the stage. Chris Kayser returns to the Alliance Theatre as the miserly Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol,” which opens Nov. 25 and continues through Dec. 24.

Stage: Harold M. Leaver returns as Crumpet in “The Santaland Diaries,” an adaptation of David Sedaris’ tale of working as a Christmas elf at Macy’s.The show opens Nov. 25 at Horizon Theatre and runs through Jan. 1.

Stage: “Christmas Canteen 2011” is a nostalgic musical revue …

Continue reading Weekend best bets: Nov. 25-27 »

Pura Vida was the clear winner among readers and the AJC's international dining specialist. (ADRIENNE HARRIS/special)

1. Pure Vida
Readers love chef Hector Santiago and Pura Vida, with one reader calling it the most creative food in Atlanta.

2. Havana Grill

3. Tierra

4. Papi’s

5. Las Palmeras

1) Pura Vida, Virginia Highland

The AJC’s dining team’s specialist in International Cuisine Gene Lee says, “Pura Vida is the easy top choice for this category. Chef Hector Santiago and his Virginia Highland restaurant has come a long way over the years with a stint on Bravo’s Top Chef for Santiago to send the restaurant’s evolution into overdrive. The attached sandwich shop Super Pan and El Burro Pollo, the weekend-only burrito store in the same space, offer some of the best intown dining options for around a $10 price tag.”

2) Las Brasas

3) Las Palmeras

4) Las Arepas de Julia

5) Havana Grill

Continue reading Best non-Mexican Latin American restaurant »

He might be retiring from "Live! With Regis and Kelly," but don't expect him to just fade away. Regis Philbin will be in Atlanta just two days after his final appearance on that long-running talk show to talk about his memoir, "How I Got This Way." It's part of the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

FRIDAY
Holiday: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Lake Lanier as the Magical Nights of Lights spectacular gets going this weekend, for those who like to start their holiday activities a little early. The display happens nightly beginning tonight and running through Jan. 1

Dance, holiday: Ballethnic Dance Company’s “Urban Nutcracker” might be the earliest “Nutcracker” of the season, but it’s definitely the most Atlanta- centric. The annual production relocates “The Nutcracker” to Atlanta’s own Sweet Auburn Avenue in the 1940s. Performances takes place at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts Nov. 18-20.

Comedy: Former “News …

Continue reading Weekend best bets: Nov. 18-20 »