Has the mint overrun your garden? Have you bitten into a local strawberry that’s red to its core? Have you had your first meal on the patio? Are you happy it’s spring?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution dining team certainly is, because this is the time of year when we have the privilege of updating the Atlanta 50 — our annual dining guide in which we select the restaurants that best show the breadth and energy of the metro area.

Atlanta dining hasn’t been this vital in years. This city has earned national recognition as a crucible of innovation for the new South, thanks to its forward-thinking chefs, its immigrant populations that provide a constant stream of new flavors and ingredients, and its heritage. We may need a thick slice of humble pie after this assertion, but we think some of the country’s most refined and soulful regional cooking can be found right here.

Whether or not you agree with every restaurant on this list, we hope it will make you both hungry and proud. Living in Atlanta, you should be both.