My friend Joel (on the left in the photo) is thankfully leaving the ranks of the unemployed to take a job in Hotlanta Georgia. I'm a little jealous of him as Atlanta is a great food city. I would probably be big as a house if I still lived there due to all the great options for great (and often cheap) food. He'll be packing up the truck and leaving DC soon, so I wanted to give him a jump on where to go and what to do. I created a punch list to encourage him to get out and taste the city, but my knowledge of the ATL is over seven years old at this point (I moved to the Twin Cities in 2002). Below is a sample of the suggestions I sent him for my picks of places to nosh and sip. Help us out with other suggestions, and I'll pass them on. Moving to a new city is hard enough. Finding places to eat shouldn't be.
Places to eat
La Fonda Latina (Good cheap Latin food - I love the Quesadillas with corn and jalapenos as well as their queso dip) http://www.fellinisatlanta.com/lafonda.html
Daddy D’z (our favorite BBQ in ATL – near Turner Field and ‘da Hood – looks scarier than it is – GO! The ribs are not to be missed) http://www.daddydz.com/
Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack (a more approachable, but very good BBQ place north of Ansley Mall – counter service) http://www.fatmattsribshack.com/
RuSan’s (The McDonalds of sushi in Atlanta – very cheap and pretty good) http://rusans.com/
Flying Biscuit (original location in Candler Park, but Midtown location more convenient – great breakfast, but crowded and a scene) http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/
Thumb’s Up Dinner (Do Breakfast at the Edgewood Ave location – great biscuits and breakfast skillets) http://www.thumbsupdiner.com/
Agave (awesome upscale fusion southwestern cuisine near our old hood in Cabbbagetown) http://www.agaverestaurant.com/
Zocolo (had some good Mexican food when we lived there – do the heaven and hell shrimp quesadillas if they are still on the menu. Mixed reputation according to more recent reviews. If nothing else, try their knock-your-balls-off margaritas http://www.yelp.com/biz/zocalo-mexican-restaurant-atlanta
One Midtown Kitchen (a newer place with an open kitchen, beautiful people and awesome food) http://www.onemidtownkitchen.com/index-home.htm
Taqueria Del Sol (Another place with great cheap food – the line is always long but it moves fast) http://www.taqueriadelsol.com/
The Vortex (The best burgers in Atlanta and a great menu of local beers) http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/
Watershed (nationally rated upscale Southern Cuisine purveyor owned by one of the Indigo girls in Decatur) http://www.watershedrestaurant.com/
Two Urban Licks (a downtown spot owned by the One Midtown Kitchen people – haven’t been there, but J, the BF highly recommends it) http://www.twourbanlicks.com/index-home.htm
The Colonnade (an Atlanta institution where the blue hairs, the gays and everyone in between gathers for old-school southern cooking) http://www.colonnadeatl.com/
Mary Mac’s Tearoom (similar idea to The Colonnade – old school Southern cooking and an Atlanta instititution) http://www.marymacs.com/
Eat’s (Our favorite place to eat out while we were students at Emory – very good cheap food – try the jerk chicken and the Jamaican Ginger Beer) http://www.eatsonponce.net/
Partying with the Boys:
Blake’s On the Park (The standard and a classic gay bar behind Outwrite - the gay coffee shop/bookstore. Looks like a double wide with a crowd to match) - http://www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/
The Heretic (We used to call it the “hairy dick” – make sure it is not a dress code night as the crowd can veer toward the leather/levi’s set) - http://www.hereticatlanta.com/
Mary’s (Very fun and laid back hole-in-the-wall gay bar in East Atlanta) - http://www.marysatlanta.com/
Swinging Richards (where the boys are paid to get nekked) - http://swingingrichards.com/
Woof’s (Atlanta’s main gay sports bar) http://woofsatlanta.com/
Jungle (Atlanta’s big-ass warehouse dance club – go when you are looking to flash your pecs and score with the circuit boy crowd) http://www.jungleclubatlanta.com/
Burkhart’s (When I was in school, this joint was popular with the “chicken” – not sure the scene now, but they had pool tables!) http://www.burkharts.com/
Other Bars / Lounges to chill, nosh and/or slum:
Halo (will look familiar to you if you live in DC, except for the fact that it’s not really a gay place, but still attracts some dudes due to the Midtown location - very mod luxe feel) - http://www.halolounge.com/
The Flatiron (Bar/grill in East Atlanta – J the BF and I loved to go there for late night beer and burgers when I was in grad school – awesome jukebox and very good bar food) http://sites.google.com/site/flatironbar/home
Manuel’s Tavern (Casual tavern where the political movers and shakers in Atlanta can be seen having a pint next to the blue-collar set - in the shadow of the Carter Presidential center) - http://www.manuelstavern.com/
Apres Diem (almost-too-cool-café to be in a strip mall – great cocktails, wine, desserts and some decent dinner items. Good for hanging out with friends when you want to talk and look erudite) - http://www.apresdiem.com/
Joe’s On Juniper (You know the drill - casual laid back place popular with the gay boys for beer, burgers and nachos in Midtown) - http://www.joesatlanta.com/juniper/index.html
The Clermont Lounge (Something in Atlanta you have to do once, but never again. One of my b-school classmates described it as a strip bar for homeless people. I’d also add the hipsters who love them. If she is still there, look for Blondie – the now elderly trans-esque stripper that can crush beer cans with her breasts) - http://www.clermontlounge.net/
Additions, comments, or suggestions? Leave 'em below. Joel will thank you.
