As we continued turning down PR invitations for hot new launches and thumbing our noses at Atlanta’s coolest and hippest and newest places in favor of looking into the past at much older restaurants, our travels took us to McKinnon’s Louisiane, which opened in the mid-1970s, when Buckhead was not quite as rich and trendy as it is today. The restaurant, a dry cleaner, and a music store occupy a distinctly downmarket little strip mall that’s visible from Peachtree. I think that every developer in the southeast is drooling over this prime bit of real estate. Continue reading “McKinnon’s Louisiane, Atlanta GA”
Tag: buckhead
Buttermilk Kitchen, Atlanta GA
Yet another in a long list of Atlanta restaurants that opened to wide acclaim since we started our blog without us finding the time to visit, Buttermilk Kitchen is in a little place that’s too far for a quick lunch from Marietta, where we live, and too far for a quick lunch from downtown, where I used to work, and they’re not open for dinner. On weekends, they have a breakfast-only menu, but as I rarely care for breakfast, it was, madly, not a priority to visit. Continue reading “Buttermilk Kitchen, Atlanta GA”
Doraku, Atlanta GA
Grant and I had the opportunity to visit Doraku together, but sadly at the last minute there was an emergency at home and only I could go. He missed out and we will surely have to return. I want his opinion on the octopus. Continue reading “Doraku, Atlanta GA”
Del Frisco’s Grille, Atlanta GA
Some restaurants in Atlanta just steadfastly stay off my radar, even after I’ve read about them. I think there are just so many of them that, even enjoying this hobby, I don’t quite catch everything. That seems to be what happened with Del Frisco’s Grille, which opened in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood three years ago. It’s in a very neat location on Peachtree, with Atlanta’s only double-decker patio, facing Peachtree, kind of between Lenox Square and Capital Cities Plaza. Once upon a time, I worked for a company whose larger offices were in Capital Cities. Del Frisco’s might have been outside my everyday lunch budget, but I’m sure I would have enjoyed coming here with co-workers for an occasional treat. Continue reading “Del Frisco’s Grille, Atlanta GA”
Gypsy Kitchen, Atlanta GA (take two)
Here’s something that will (probably) never be repeated. When a media outlet or PR company invites us to sample a restaurant, I go ahead and schedule a slot for a story, just in case we want to write about it. Well, I was pretty sure that another trip to Gypsy Kitchen would warrant a story today, because Marie and I enjoy that place a great deal. I keep saying that I probably like it more than anybody else in Atlanta does. We had not been by in the last six months, when the new executive chef, Matthew Ridgway, took over, however, and I was very curious to see what changes he’d made. We only got to speak with Chef Matthew for a brief moment, but the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, Garrison Finzer, told us quite a lot about the new menu, and how the kitchen itself has had a major overhaul since the restaurant opened to – and let’s be fair – somewhat mild and mixed reviews. Continue reading “Gypsy Kitchen, Atlanta GA (take two)”
Smokebelly BBQ, Atlanta GA
Smokebelly BBQ opened about eighteen months ago. It’s on East Andrews in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, and it immediately raised eyebrows among a couple of our peers when it boasted of “Chef-Crafted Q.” It’s part of that recent wave of restaurants that are owned by a group and figured that they could let some executive chef types have some fun with barbecue in a relaxed setting, probably with bourbon. No, this is a million miles away from the sort of middle-of-nowhere, decades-old, family-run place that we enjoy the most – and come back tomorrow for a story about one of our favorites – but I’d honestly prefer a business not try to fake authenticity. If they want to do barbecue, probably with bourbon, I’m happy to enjoy their offerings on their own merits instead of judging them against old places. Continue reading “Smokebelly BBQ, Atlanta GA”
Anis Cafe & Bistro, Atlanta GA
A couple of chapters back, I mentioned that Marie’s father was in town and had hoped to have a meal at a French restaurant. As we enjoyed dinner of middle eastern food at Kish in Marietta, I looked up some possibilities for someplace new to us, and Anis Cafe and Bistro in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood popped up. I turned to David and asked whether I remembered correctly, that he’d mentioned this place to us once. He reminded me that he loves Anis and hoped that we’d go. Continue reading “Anis Cafe & Bistro, Atlanta GA”
Marie, Let's Eat! 