Color Atlanta green this spring

If you’re eating it and it’s bright green, it might be matcha.

This grassy green tea is flavoring meals all over Atlanta right now: matcha donuts at Sweet Hut (933 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-600-4800, sweethutbakery.com), matcha iced coffee topped with matcha cream at Boba Bee (5150 Buford Highway N.E., Doraville. 770-710-0993, Facebook: Boba Bee), Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix at Trader Joe’s and even McCormick’s organic matcha seasoning on your local grocer’s shelves.

Atlanta pastry chefs love the earthy flavor and the way it works with sweet flavors. Baristas and their customers love the energy boost and the antioxidants.

You’ll find matcha up and down Buford Highway, where its Japanese heritage makes it right at home, but you’ll find it in Atlanta’s finest dining spots as well. Learn more about matcha and its place in the Japanese tea ceremony at Chamblee’s Zen Tea (5356 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 678-547-0877, zenteaco.com) or try the matcha desserts at Atlas at the St. Regis (88 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-600-6471, atlasrestaurant.com).

Want even more matcha in your life? Check out “Matcha: A Lifestyle Guide” (Dovetail, $25; www.dovetail.press), published just last month.

Take a look at Bon Ton’s oldschool laminated menu, and you’ll notice an interesting mix: New Orleans-style po’boys and Vietnamese banh mis, Cajun gumbo and lo lat rolls.

What’s happening here? This Myrtle Street joint with the Bourbon Street-meets-Saigon party vibe is the latest example of Next-Gen Vietnamese dining in Atlanta. A partnership between Eric Simpkins and Darren Carr of the Lawrence and Hieu Pham of Buford Highway’s Crawfish Shack, it’s a little bit Chamblee and a little bit Midtown.

Sipping a Hurricane or Smoked Bourbon Mai Tai at Bon Ton (674 Myrtle St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-996-6161, bontonatl.com), you may get a feeling of déjà vu.

Bon Ton recalls Guy Wong’s Le Fat (935 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-439-9850, lefatatl.com), where classic Vietnamese food is served with modern panache in a swanky, Indochine-era room designed by Smith Hanes.

The elegant Le Fat and tackyin-a-good-way Bon Ton are a long way from the city’s brightly lit pho parlors we’ve come to love. They are the latest chapters in the tale of Atlanta’s immigrant communities: expressions of how successful restaurateurs from blue-collar beginnings start new ventures on expensive intown real estate.

Let’s hope there will be more to come.

Dine with cats? No, not at home. Out!

It’s the place where everyone is smiling. Your local cat cafe. Yes, Atlanta now has one — and another on the way.

It took only 20 years for the trend to make its way from its origins in Asia across the Pacific to the West Coast and now to Atlanta. Java Cats Cafe (415 Memorial Drive S.E., Atlanta. 470-305-7575, javacatscafe.com) opened in late March . What should you expect? Smiling people petting cats. Smiling people drinking Ebrik coffee and Rishi tea and watching the smiling people petting cats. Cats being adopted and everyone applauding. Timed reservations to sit with the cats keep the crowds small, and separate ventilation systems mean even the allergic can dine safely in the cat-free side of the cafe while enjoying the view.

And there’s food. Cat-themed coffee shop treats and drinks and light meals of things like grain salads and wraps.

And the cats? They’re from PAWS Atlanta, all chosen to thrive in a social setting. It’s working so well that during the first week the cafe was open, 11 cats found homes.

The food is delicious (especially those vegan seed bars), but it’s also doing good. It comes from Gathering Industries, a nonprofit that’s offering culinary training for people who have been homeless.

So your visit is good for your heart, good for the cats and good for the community. Was there something else you wanted from your afternoon out? Like visiting another cat cafe? Well, Happy Tabby Cat Cafe (529 Irwin St. N.E., Atlanta. 678-640-4404, facebook.com/ happytabbycatcafe) is scheduled to open soon.

Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here!

We’re not talking withered franks stewing in hot dog water. We’re talking all-natural, locally made wieners topped with everything from kimchi to curry and wrapped in a freshly baked bun.

Doggy Dogg’s James Hammerl is the “Doggfather” of Atlanta’s high-end hot dog scene

Whether you prefer your martini with gin or vodka, with a twist or dirty with two olives, this highly personal classic cocktail is popping up on menus all over town.

Hightail it to 8Arm (710 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 470-875-5856, 8armatl. com) for the 1908 classic Gibson of gin and dry vermouth garnished with a pickled onion. Sip an old-school, ice cold glass of gin with a twist while people-watching at the Colonnade bar (1879 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-8745642, colonnadeatlanta.com). Variety is the spice of life with two refreshing vodka martini takes from newly opened Jai

Bubbly over bubbles

We’ve seen the rise of bold bubbles like prosecco and cava, but the effervescent category goes beyond these two familiars. Consider pétillants and pét-nats, who take their cue from the king of sparkling wine: Champagne.

“Pétillant” and “Loire” might become your two favorite French words. This dry, lightly sparkling style is low on alcohol and is perfect for patio drinking. Bread and Butterfly (290 Elizabeth St. N.E., Atlanta. 678515-4536, bread-and-butterfly.com) lists a Louis de Grenelle chenin blanc pétillant from France’s Loire Valley by the glass. Grab the gang and a bottle of Vouvray Brut, Domaine de Vodanis pétillant for bocce and bubbles at Empire State South (999 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-541-1105, empirestatesouth.com), a 2017 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program. Head to the south of France and Limoux (possibly the birthplace of bubbles) at Kimball House (303 E. Howard Ave., Decatur. 404-378-3502, kimballhouse.com), which offers Château Beausoleil, Blanquette, Crémant de Limoux by the glass or bottle. Pro tip: When you spot “pét-nat” or “pétillant naturel” on a menu — order it. Naturally sparkling and low in alcohol, these wines are dry with light but tight bubbles.