A couple of years ago, when I was digging around to find whatever I could about the 1969-74 Shrimp Boats buildings, I would often find addresses, pull them up in Google Maps and see only a vacant lot where one of these cute old buildings used to stand. Every once in a while, though, I’d see a rather old image taken from the camera truck in some region without a heck of a lot of traffic and think “Well, I know that in 2008, at least, the building was still there.” Continue reading “Ming’s Chinese Restaurant, Valdosta GA”
Tag: not fooling anybody
Porkie’s Original BBQ, Apopka FL
Last week, I mentioned that I have a hypothesis that, rather than seeing barbecue traditions evolve region-to-region, in Florida it’s more likely that individual restaurants will crop up that have the look and feel of what the owners grew up knowing someplace else. Now, obviously, that can happen anywhere, and will; witness the Texas-style meat market, Moonie’s, just northeast of Atlanta in Flowery Branch. But I suspect that this is much more common in Florida than anywhere else in the southeast. Absent a strong regional barbecue identity that defines what everybody in town expects, places can pop up with the flavors and tastes of other regions much more easily. This is somewhat related to what Todd Brock was getting at in his excellent story about Atlanta barbecue in Creative Loafing last October, which you should read. Continue reading “Porkie’s Original BBQ, Apopka FL”
Mama’s Cocina Latina, Atlanta GA
I had an interesting lunch last month at a place on Piedmont where the souls of quite a few defunct restaurants have all collided. It is called Mama’s Cocina Latina, and its story is a really amusing one. Continue reading “Mama’s Cocina Latina, Atlanta GA”
Patrick’s Sub Shop, Atlanta GA (take two)
A couple of years back, I wrote a long and rambling chapter about Patrick’s Sub Shop, marking the first occasion in our blog to celebrate the great lost chain, Shrimp Boats. At the time, I did not know very much about this old location on Collier, but as I began digging into the background of some of the other stores, I found myself wanting to take a few more pictures of the building. One day, of course, the bulldozers will come. They always do. Continue reading “Patrick’s Sub Shop, Atlanta GA (take two)”
The Greater Good BBQ, Atlanta GA
Regular readers might have noticed that over the last month or so, I’ve been sampling all the barbecue joints around Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood that we have never featured before. Last of these is the second home for The Greater Good, whose first store, in Tucker, opened in 2012. Continue reading “The Greater Good BBQ, Atlanta GA”
Photo Post 16: South Cobb Drive
There used to be a great site called Not Fooling Anybody. It’s been stuck on this “Please Stand By” page for years, but some of its backmatter still exists if you play on the Wayback Machine. Our friend David recently reminded us of this hobby that we love – spotting and documenting conversions of old restaurants and businesses – when he found a newer, similar site, Used to Be a Pizza Hut. I figured there were a couple of converted Pizza Huts that I could shoot for these guys. Then I figured that a few more things stood out in my memory, and they’re all on the same stretch of road. Well, almost. Continue reading “Photo Post 16: South Cobb Drive”
Boyd’s Bar-B-Q, Smyrna GA (CLOSED)
In early November, my daughter and I were driving along South Cobb Drive in Smyrna and were surprised to see that a new barbecue place had moved into the building that had once been the home of StaQs. It’s an old, 1960s-era Waffle House, and this stretch of road has not been all that kind to restaurants in the last five or six years. We decided to swing by the next time we were in the area. She had a doctor’s appointment nearby in early December. I figured, wrongly, that she would eat lunch at school and have a side with me once I collected her. No, I made the mistake of sharing plans and she skipped lunch at school, waiting until we got to the counter to order to hit me up with puppy-dog eyes and tell me how hungry she was, and how good those wings sounded. Dadblasted young’un.
Well, I can’t say as I blame her. I’d have probably pulled the same trick on my parents. Continue reading “Boyd’s Bar-B-Q, Smyrna GA (CLOSED)”
Marie, Let's Eat! 