For the final stop on the Eastern Suburban BBQ Tour, the children and I visited Glenn’s, a restaurant with a lot of local history which is hanging in there despite a long series of setbacks. As I enjoyed the finely chopped, hickory-smoked pork, I was reminded of the flavor and consistency of what I think of as “classic Atlanta barbecue,” as exemplified by such older restaurants as Old Hickory House. But it is not only the food; Glenn’s backstory also reminds me of that restaurant. Glenn and Jean Yontz opened the first location of this chain in 1987 and, over the next decade, various family members opened satellite locations throughout the suburbs. At its peak, there were five stores in the chain, stretching from Snellville to Stockbridge. The chain failed in 2005. Continue reading “Glenn’s Bar-B-Que, Conyers GA (CLOSED)”
Tag: closed!
Osteria Cibo Rustico, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)
Earlier this month, Marie and I were invited to visit Osteria Cibo Rustico, a new restaurant in the Toco Hill shopping center on North Druid Hills Road. It opened in November in the space previously occupied by Mirko Pasta. It’s a new concept from the company that runs some well-known Atlanta restaurants like The Big Ketch and Tin Lizzy, but close-ish enough to what Mirko had been offering that they could, after a very short downtime, reopen with many of the same staffers in place, and count on a very loyal customer base to come back and give them a try. Marie and I were quite impressed to see so many people visiting on a Wednesday evening; the place was nearly full and with a pair of large parties. It says great things about a staff to see so many of their previous incarnation’s customers willing to come sample the new product. Continue reading “Osteria Cibo Rustico, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
1968 at Cafe 101, Doraville GA (CLOSED)
Here’s a place that we’ve been intending to visit for ages now, and not necessarily because of the food. In fact, the restaurant has changed owners since I first thought about stopping in for a meal, and, slightly, changed names. Many, many different restaurants (and, apparently, a car dealership!) have found a home in the old Oogleblook building on Buford Highway. Sensational Subs – a very nearly defunct Atlanta chain with, apparently, only one location remaining – had a store here in the 1990s. It has been called Café 101 since at least 2005, but there have been at least three tenants in that time, with three different menus. It’s been a Chinese restaurant since late 2007. In August, the restaurant was quietly renamed 1968 at Café 101, after the year that Chef Kao began cooking in Taiwan. His partner, Chef Yang, specializes in northern Chinese dishes. Continue reading “1968 at Cafe 101, Doraville GA (CLOSED)”
Pizza Pura, Asheville NC (CLOSED)
In the previous chapter, I mentioned that, by chance, we visited both of the two restaurants in Asheville owned by Laura Reuss and her husband Ben Mixson for supper before we left. I picked White Duck and asked Marie to pick another, and we never looked at the other’s choice beyond the names and were pleasantly surprised to find the two restaurants were sisters. Before the night was over, we’d be more than just pleasantly surprised. Continue reading “Pizza Pura, Asheville NC (CLOSED)”
Shrimp Boats: The Story of a Shipwreck and its Survivors
(Second edition, Sept, 2015)
One of the most fun elements of our hobby has been researching long-lost southeastern restaurant chains. It’s comparatively easy to get a little backstory about a single business, but the story can become much more convoluted and fascinating when we’re digging into the past for little traces of what’s left when something distinctive and fun is trying to vanish. We’ve enjoyed learning about the story of Zesto in Atlanta and Columbia, and really loved tracking down what we found about Kay’s, Kay’s Kastles, and Ice Castle. Continue reading “Shrimp Boats: The Story of a Shipwreck and its Survivors”
Tostones Latin Cafe, Doraville GA (CLOSED)
This is Marie, contributing an article about Tostones Latin Cafe, a Carribean/Latin American style restaurant on Buford Highway. Strictly speaking, tostones are pounded fried plantains. This restaurant tops those with meat (chorizo, chicken, steak, etc.) and other ingredients. We were contrary and didn’t have any. Continue reading “Tostones Latin Cafe, Doraville GA (CLOSED)”
Alison’s Restaurant, Dunwoody GA (take two) (CLOSED)
Three Fridays back, we invited some bloggers to join us for another visit to Alison’s Restaurant in Dunwoody (see our original post about this good place, from back in May, here). I think that this is a simply splendid little neighborhood spot, the home of some classic Southern comfort food in a very nice setting with excellent service. But on this trip, Alison pulled out some secret weapons that elevate her restaurant from splendid to must-visit: the fried green tomatoes here are downright amazing, to say nothing of the pot pies. Continue reading “Alison’s Restaurant, Dunwoody GA (take two) (CLOSED)”
Marie, Let's Eat! 