Johnny Rockets, Atlanta GA

So Johnny Rockets, a deeply 1980s concept restaurant which occasionally attempts to evoke the 1950s, invited some local media to come visit their newly reopened store at Phipps Plaza and learn about their company. The store in the Phipps Plaza mall had been there for many years, but the entire mall food court was gutted last year, along with several clothing stores on the upper floors, to make way for the Legoland Discovery Center. By all accounts, this attraction is doing very good business – there seems to be a ridiculous amount of things to do here – but the restaurant’s shindig was held at the time that Legoland closes each weekday, so we didn’t see any rampaging mobs of children, or gangs of obsessed grown-ups desperately digging through the bins in the gift shop looking for the last, elusive bricks that they need in order to replace the red half-height two-by-sixes that they lost when their Harry Potter Quidditch set fell off the mantle and some of the Legos fell into the fireplace.

Yeah, that’s right, I said LEGOS. I PLURALIZED your brand, Lego. And I might do it again. Continue reading “Johnny Rockets, Atlanta GA” →

Moxie Burger, Marietta GA

As soon as I learned that there was a place called Moxie Burger in Cobb County – it’s in Paper Mill Village over off Johnson Ferry, where Cobb thumbs its nose across the river at Fulton, taunting “Ha-ha! We have more lanes than you!” – I wanted to visit, because I am shallow enough to appreciate businesses just because of their name. Very, very few people around these parts seem to care for the soft drink Moxie. If locals have even heard of it at all, it’s a surprise. Most people who do try it recoil from the bitter taste, baffled as to how something that still has fizz could taste so flat. Continue reading “Moxie Burger, Marietta GA” →

Tom’s Folly, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)

Wrapping up my recent trips to the eastern side of Howell Mill Road and the neighborhoods there, I stopped by Tom’s Folly after I noticed the restaurant, which is set up in an old bank building, and found the name charming. I didn’t know anything about the place when I opened the door, although my heart sank as I saw the “only 18 and over” sign, stepped in, nearly choked to death from the smell of old cigarettes, and made my way back outside to the front patio. Continue reading “Tom’s Folly, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)” →

The Starlight Cafe, Marietta GA (CLOSED)

Growing up, I remember a restaurant on the Marietta Square called Jimmy the Greek. At the time, I was aware that CBS Sports had a commentator who went by that name. It’s not like ten or eleven year-olds pay that much attention to who provides commentary and picks before the games or the fights, but Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder (born, according to Wikipedia, Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos in Steubenville, Ohio in 1918) was so well-known that, like his peer at ABC, Howard Cosell, he was parodied on many of the sitcoms, variety shows and Saturday morning programs that I watched as a kid. And, as a kid, using child-logic, I concluded that the real Jimmy the Greek must have not only owned the restaurant by that name in Marietta, but also greeted guests and cooked all the food. I vaguely recall being disappointed to learn that was not the case. I really wanted to meet another celebrity. By the age of eleven, I think the only celebrities that I had ever met were behind tables at car shows. Continue reading “The Starlight Cafe, Marietta GA (CLOSED)” →

Two Dairy Bars in Northeast Bama

While dairy bars are not unknown in Georgia – we’ve visted, for example, Dari Spot near Gainesville and Jiffy Freeze in Canton – the actual name “dairy bar” is very uncommon. The only place in the state that I’ve found that uses that name is a joint called Cree-Mee down near Unadilla. In Alabama, the term is more widely used. Just so we’re on the same page, I’m talking about little places that specialize in no-frills fast food and soft serve ice cream, effectively the same sort of food that you could typically expect to find at a Dairy Queen, but independent, local and, usually, very old. Continue reading “Two Dairy Bars in Northeast Bama” →

Snacking on Saint Simons

Usually, our visits to Saint Simons give us many chances to walk around, take in the sights at our own pace and enjoy some pretty good meals. Our most recent trip, two weeks ago, was no exception. We had a nice visit, got some sun and exercise, and ate well. Continue reading “Snacking on Saint Simons” →

Yeah! Burger, Atlanta GA

One of Atlanta’s celebrity chefs is a fellow named Shaun Doty, and two years ago, he opened the first of what’s now two locations of Yeah! Burger. It’s a fun, upbeat little place with a nice covered patio to better enjoy the lovely spring weather that we’ve been having. A couple of Saturdays ago, the overnight rain having washed away the pollen, the four of us made our way over to the Howell Mill location, having spent the morning playing with the baby at the Children’s Museum. Continue reading “Yeah! Burger, Atlanta GA” →