If you were on death row and had to pick your last meal, where would it be from and what would you choose? Most of us would have to think long and hard about a question like that, but my friend and partner, Dave Jones, says his final meal would be from AfroDish, in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. “If I only get one meal, it’s the oxtail that Ralph makes. No question.” It’s a meal that I chose for lunch this past weekend and certainly won’t be my last.
Owner Ralph Sarpong came from Ghana to Atlanta to study finance. He’s put his money skills to a practical test. For about a decade and a half he’s been serving up African and Caribbean fare in Atlanta’s municipal market, located downtown. “This has been a great location for us, because many people who work downtown or at Grady Hospital or Children’s Hospital, as well as students at Georgia State and people from Atlanta’s immigrant communities, like to come to AfroDish for lunch. They’ve discovered the great variety of authentic dishes we prepare fresh every day.” Those specialties include stewed goat, curry chicken, jerk chicken, recipes that include several that Ralph learned from his grandmother. The prices are low and the portions substantial.
My personal favorite at AfroDish? It’s the patties ($1.75), a Jamaican meat pie. The beef is my favorite, but they come in vegetable and chicken too. Warning: the contents are lava hot! I burn my tongue every time because I just can’t wait for them to cool.
If you want to make your own oxtail soup, Sweet Auburn Curb Market is one of the few places you can find the raw ingredient for sale. Oxtail is name for the tail of a cow and can be found at the SACM meat vender, skinned and cut into sections or whole. The boney, fatty meat makes a rich broth for stews.
Sweet Auburn Curb Market houses a wide variety of food vendors, including restaurants, produce stands, and meat markets. It’s a year-round destination for visitors and a lively gathering place for community members. You can tour the market on your own, or through Atlanta Culinary Tours. Ralph will personally serve you a sample from AfroDish on the tour.
AfroDish, Sweet Auburn Curb Market
209 Edgewood Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303
Monday - Saturday 11am - 6:00pm
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