Restaurants in Forest Park

Thanks to the guidance of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, the culinary team at Park's Edge is proud to welcome locals into its newly renovated interior to sample contemporary American fare. Chef Jorge Pacheco summons the fragrant memories of his mother's and grandmother's kitchens as he puts his years of cooking to use in the eatery of his longtime partner, Park's Edge owner Richard Wadlington, Jr. Pacheco enhances pan-seared seafood and succulent cuts of lamb with creative flourishes, such as worcestershire-compound butter and apricot-pistachio relish. He then passes his ambrosial entrees off to friendly servers, who ferry them to guests sitting in the chocolate-hued dining room or kicking back beneath the shade of tall trees and curious UFOs on the secluded patio.

Carolyn's menu offers plenty of grabbable grub (in whole and half sizes) full of the nutrients and positive attitude needed to support your Iron Man suit. Try the Inspiration, Carolyn's take on the grilled cheese, with a trio of Swiss, cheddar, and provolone ($5.25–$6.75), or beef up with the Need to Succeed, a hot roast-beef sandwich with cream cheese on wheat ($5.48–$6.99). Unlike the average BLT, Carolyn's Commitment to Excellence ($5.48–$6.99) adds blue-cheese crumbles and laser-vision. Those who prefer their food in cocoon form will be happier with a wrap such as the Innerdrive (with pepperoni, salami, ham, lettuce, onion, provolone, tomato, and Italian dressing, $7.49). All of the sandwiches are carefully assembled from fresh-baked breads and Boar's Head meats and cheeses. Carolyn's also offers fresh salads, such as the light yet bacon-topped Cobb salad ($6.99) and personal 8-inch pizzas made from homemade dough and sauce, like the veggie delight pizza (with spinach, mushrooms, onions, olives, tomatoes, feta, and mozzarella, $7.49).

New Orleans–born chef Nick Melvin brings a worldly twist to PARISH's Southern comfort-inspired menu, cooking all the food in a cauldron made from a tuba and using bead-covered banjos to stir. In the tradition of Southern solidarity, PARISH uses fresh ingredients from local vendors for its dishes. Enchanted Mountain trout is used for the cornmeal-crusted Georgia trout ($17), while grits from Jenny Jack Sun Farm ride shotgun with the Big Easy Fried Chicken ($14). Other Dixieland dishes include a crispy eggplant étouffée ($16) with pickled raisins and popcorn rice, and stuffed catfish ($17) served on a bed of smoked maque choux. Appetizers include a chicken and andouille-sausage gumbo ($8) and Creole frites ($9) made with okra grown in the Oglethorpe state.

Though amphibious turtles may have repurposed the pie as a weapon to be launched, Everybody’s Pizza situates itself as a proponent of pizza’s unifying powers. Since opening in 1971, Everybody's has made a commitment to freshness, evidenced by dough made daily, high-quality ingredients, and absolutely no artificial flavorings, colorings, preservatives, enhancers, arsenic, or extenders. The result is a menu marked by innovative edibility and top-notch taste. Sample Everybody's beloved chewy and crisp thick-crust pizza ($12.29 for a medium cheese) with an array of non-traditional toppings available ($1.89 each on medium pizzas), including "honeyroast" garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and golden raisins. Cuisineers hesitant to commit to a full crust can try Everybody's very thin pizza crisps, which include the buffalo chicken ($14.99), with onions, cheddar, and provolone, or the Key Largo ($14.99), with shrimp, bacon, sesame seeds, tomato, and a number of cheeses. Everybody's also offers two of its own eatable inventions—pizza salads ($13.95), which lay chilled mixed salads atop fresh-baked pizza like rose petals on a lover's bed, and pizza sandwiches ($9.95–$10.95), folded-over pizzas available in a slew of styles.

Moe's guests file along the cafeteria-style line instructing the meal-makers on the preferred type of bean or meat. Banish beany burrito cravings by indulging in an Art Vandalay ($5.49, $4.49 for junior size), a culinary hug for herbivores stuffed with traditional meat-free fixings, or opt for the fresh-pressed John Coctostan quesadilla ($6.09), filled with the grilled meat of your choice, beans, and shredded cheese. Shareable selections, such as the Billy Barou nachos ($6.59) loaded with tender meat, beans, queso and jalapeños, make excellent paperweights, while the under-12 crowd can nosh the hard or soft Power Wagon taco ($4.49).

Grape Wine Bar and Bistro's resident culinary mastermind and wine-whisperer, Lavender Morrison, perfectly pairs crafted sips with their gastronomic soul mates to entice visiting palates. Every month, a host of new and unusual wines are showcased in the Discover Wine special, which lets guests sip, sample, and savor sweet nectars selected by region or varietal. These handpicked vinos arrive in 3-ounce flights for optimal grape-blood supping and enthusiastic slurping. This month's toothy tribute to wines of Italy showcases an upstanding cast of key players, including Casteggio Pinot Grigio, Contisssa Vermentino, Masseria Salice Salentino, Gran Sasso Sangiovese, and Casteggio Moscato. Sippers keen for nibbling will be privy to a weekly rotating selection of gourmet small plates, with recent offerings including charcuterie and cheese, porcini-rubbed hangar steak, and a daily flatbread of the chef’s selection.