In a city where restaurants come and go faster than a MARTA train, Canoe ’s ability to last 30 years is no small feat. It has been graced with a stunning location on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Vinings, a long line of illustrious chefs ( Gerry Klaskala , Terry Koval ), and that elusive “it” factor that brings diners back time and again. “I think we have approachability and consistency—that’s the key,” says Canoe Executive Chef Matthew Basford. “You can’t be here for 30 years if you’re not consistent.”

Basford began working at Canoe as a line chef in 2005, and he knows the place inside and out. “I’ve seen it from the bottom looking up, and now from the top looking down,” he says. He didn’t originate the restaurant’s beloved smoked-salmon appetizer or its ever-popular popc

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