Christophe’s to Go, Atlanta GA

Marie and I were invited to check out a very interesting business with four locations around Atlanta, putting together really interesting grab-and-go meals to eat at home. Sure, lots of stores do this sort of thing, but few do it with such efficiency and ease and with as many unique choices. Christophe’s to Go, with dinners and lunches designed by Executive Chef Christophe Le Metayer, emphasizes organic and healthy eating, with no preservatives or artificial elements in the meals, and the four dishes that we tried were very successful around our table. Continue reading “Christophe’s to Go, Atlanta GA” →

Gypsy Kitchen, Atlanta GA

Buckhead Atlanta, the not-all-that-imaginatively-named development at the corner of Peachtree and Pharr in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, is home to some luxury apartment homes, high-end boutiques, and some interesting restaurants. At the time of writing, nine of the thirteen restaurants are yet to open, but four are already doing good business, including the first Atlanta location of the celebrated Shake Shack, and a quite neat tapa place called Gypsy Kitchen. It’s the latest opening for Southern Proper Hospitality, the team behind Big Ketch Saltwater Grill and Smokebelly; another of their restaurants, The Southern Gentleman, will be among the next to open in Buckhead Atlanta. Continue reading “Gypsy Kitchen, Atlanta GA” →

Lobby Bar and Bistro, Atlanta GA

A couple of weeks ago, Marie and I were invited to visit Lobby Bar and Bistro, an interesting little space in the Twelve Hotel on 17th Street in front of Atlantic Station. Bearing in mind that we’re awfully low-maintenance when it comes to hotels, and, apart from a morning bowl of fruit and glass of juice, never dine in their restaurants, we just about never see spaces like this. So I was very interested to learn that this restaurant – originally called Lobby at Twelve some years back – has actually been racking up a sizable number of awards. It’s on Conde Nast Traveler’s “Hot List”, Atlanta Magazine‘s “Best Hotel Dining,” and one of the AJC’s “Top 50 Restaurants in Atlanta,” and they have a brand new executive chef. Continue reading “Lobby Bar and Bistro, Atlanta GA” →

The Brasserie & Neighborhood Cafe at Parish, Atlanta GA

Parish, which I believe opened in 2007, is a restaurant in Inman Park that possibly every hobbyist in town with a blog has visited before us. Previously trading under the name “Parish Foods and Goods” (there’s a market downstairs), in August they rolled out a new menu and new name for their restaurant half, The Brasserie & Neighborhood Cafe at Parish. Chef Zeb Stevenson is bringing in local ingredients and designing some fun, whimsical plates, and these are more than amply matched by the playful new offerings from their new pastry chef, Kelly Lovett, who had previously been with Seven Lamps. Continue reading “The Brasserie & Neighborhood Cafe at Parish, Atlanta GA” →

Zeal, Marietta GA

This is Marie, contributing an article about Zeal Modern Eatery. I had been invited to join some friends there for an evening meet-up and menu sampling, and really enjoyed the place. Sadly, it was raining so I did not take photos of the exterior, but it’s in the end of a strip mall so a) easy to find and b) looks much like any other store. The interior is pretty, though, with the bar area separated from the tables so if you care to watch the widescreen with a drink you won’t be given stinkeye by people trying to have dinner. Continue reading “Zeal, Marietta GA” →

Acre, Auburn AL

Several months back, in advance of our trip to Florence AL to participate in their Restaurant Week, I reached out to several other convention and visitors’ bureaus around the southeast to let them know what their peers in northwest Alabama were up to. I wasn’t obliged to; I just liked what they planned in Florence a whole lot and figured that other organizations might enjoy watching how it developed and might follow their lead. Among the agencies that I contacted was the Auburn & Opelika Tourism Bureau, and they were kind enough to invite us to their city to treat us to an astonishingly good new restaurant called Acre. Continue reading “Acre, Auburn AL” →

Article 14, Atlanta GA (take two) (CLOSED)

Last year, we were invited to visit Article 14 in midtown for the first time. (Here’s the story.) We found it to be a very nice experience in a brilliantly-designed space. It’s on the ground floor of the King & Spalding building, and when we were invited to give their new menu a try, we definitely missed a trick by coming for supper again. In the evenings, this is a pretty good choice for people looking for a nice, quiet date night, and we certainly enjoy having those once in a while. But in the afternoons, we understand that this place is absolutely hopping with people enjoying boisterous power lunches. We should try that one day for the different experience. Continue reading “Article 14, Atlanta GA (take two) (CLOSED)” →