accessAtlanta

AT DYNAMIC DISH on Edgewood Avenue, chef/owner David Sweeney creates some of the most elegant and flavorful vegetarian fare in town. That Sweeney's "organic delicatessen" is situated in a modest storefront, along a desolate stretch near Sweet Auburn and the Old Fourth Ward, is both exciting and somewhat puzzling. Kudos are in order for bringing healthy food served in a sophisticated setting to this changing neighborhood. But you can't help wonder if enough people who appreciate Sweeney's kind of careful sourcing and cooking will find their way to it.

SPARE AND CHIC: Inside, the atmosphere is surprisingly sedate, and the look is spare and chic — with a mix of burnished brown concrete floors and long communal tables fashioned from thick slabs of butcher block, appointed with centerpieces made of glass cylinders filled with pecans and dried sumac. Ceiling fans are outfitted with black drum shades. Herbs and vegetables are arranged in glass vases behind the counter, where you place your order. Recently, a shadowbox filled with rows of bright orange persimmons greeted visitors with an artful reminder of the season.

BECKY STEIN/Special (ENLARGE)
The menu includes lentil walnut pate (on toast with pear slices) and butternut squash soup.
BECKY STEIN/Special (ENLARGE)
Dynamic Dish also has culinary collectibles for sale.
MOST POPULAR STORIES How and where to have a blast on the Fourth LA police plan for huge crowd at Jackson memorial Big. Bang. Boom! Atlanta's fireworks options sparkle Sandra Bullock movie takes over Atlanta private school
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
RELATED LINKS: • More restaurants news • Find other restaurants

LOCAL GOODNESS: Seasonality is everything at Dynamic Dish. Sweeney says the name comes from the biodynamic concept of organic farming and the idea that food produced from healthy soil and contented animals is the healthiest. Much of the natural and organic ingredients Sweeney cooks with come from local farms within a 100-mile radius of the restaurant. "I'm a big believer in eating what's growing around you in the season," he says, "because your body adapts better."

TASTES OF FALL: So far, the menu at Dynamic Dish is rather limited. There's usually soup, an entree special, salads and sides, and sometimes a sandwich. Right now, greens are in season, along with pumpkins, squash, turnips, beets, fennel, leeks and sunchokes — and most dishes reflect that. Recently, a colorful penne pasta dish featured Hokkaido squash (also known as Red Kuri) — a Japanese variety that has a wonderfully nutty flavor that recalls pumpkin and chestnut. It was mixed with toasted pumpkin seeds, fennel and peppers, and offered with freshly grated pecorino cheese. Current soups include pumpkin ginger, minestrone with squash, and kohlrabi cream. There's also been a grilled cheese sandwich made with kale, roasted potatoes and flax seed, and a rosemary roasted tofu sandwich, with basil walnut pesto and roasted carrots and onions. Lentil walnut pate comes on toast with sliced bartlett pear. Thin, crispy pecan shortbread cookies make a perfect dessert nibble.

SHOPPING KITSCH: The kitschy charms of Dynamic Dish extend to a selection of culinary collectibles for sale. A wide farmhouse table is stocked flea market-style with '50s Dansk, Salton hot trays, fondue sets, and wooden salad bowls. A metal etagere is filled with a small offering of grocery items: fair trade coffee; chow chow; balsamic vinegar; fleur de sel; tubes of spicy mustard. On Sundays this month, Sweeney is presenting a Christmas market, featuring what he describes as "home-baked goods and international stocking stuffers."

•

Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

• Credit cards: All major

• Prices: $4-$12

Reservations: No

• Recommended dishes: Soups, salads, pasta dishes

• Parking: Street parking

• Wheelchair access: Yes

• Smoking policy: No smoking

• Noise level: Moderate

• Takeout: Yes

• Verdict: True to its name, this vegetarian restaurant features a dynamic array of dishes made with seasonal local and organic ingredients.