MAY
2001
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& COVER INFO |
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Hud's Corner & Cover Info
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Big Cowboys' grin...
by ron hudspeth
Pardon Cowboys' owner Steve Albeck if he has a Texas double-wide grin on his face these days. His giant Cowboys' nightspot on North Roberts Road in Kennesaw is headed to a record year (another Cowboys in Dallas, Tex., is also doing well) and a third Cowboys is set to open in early fall adjacent to Dave & Buster's on Steve Reynolds Boulevard in Gwinnett. But that isn't the half of it. Albeck has just spent a year battling deadly throat cancer and won. "They told me that if it had been five years ago I wouldn't have made it, but the advances in treatment and medicine have come that far in that length of time," says Albeck, who celebrated his wellness by buying himself a new plane and learning how to fly. "I lay in that hospital bed and thought about all the things I'd never done and wouldn't get a chance to do. Now I'm gonna do 'em."... You have to appreciate the honesty of the guy standing with cardboard sign at the14th street exit of the downtown connector. This beggar's sign reads: "Why lie, I need a beer."
What's hot and when?
The most frequently asked question from readers is where to go in Atlanta on which night? Not easy since the city's entertainment districts stretch 50 miles in every direction and the masses in the year 2001 tend to wait until the weekend to head out, but here goes: Sunday is a slam dunk since American Pie, which cranks up shortly after noon and rocks into Sunday morning, still owns this day in the city. However, this time of the year, Buckhead decks like Three Dollar, Steamhouse and the renovated Atlanta Beergarten (now Clutch Cargo's, Bayou Laroux's and Go Lounge) beckon with fair weather crowds... Monday? Toughest night of the week. Outside of Johnny's Hideaway and the predominately black happening at Puff Daddy's restaurant on Peachtree in SoBuck, most places are tombs, making this the night to stay home and clip your toenails. Tuesday is a sleeper but a great night to try one of Midtown's new slick bar-restaurant happenings like Spice or Cherry. They're almost impossibly mobbed weekends, but hit 'em Tuesday and you get the best table or seat at the bar. A Tuesday night Apple Martini night at Bluepointe has also taken off... Once Wednesday was the city's hottest week night, but no more. Might try the Perimeter crawl with happy hour at sleek Goldfish, then wander to Park Place Cafe for one before checking out Rendezvous late night. Out in Vinings, little Padriacs on Cumberland Parkway is jammed. If you're in Buckhead, check out the deck crowd building at the new Brio on Peachtree and nearby when the weather's nice the Three Dollar Cafe deck is one of the livliest in the city. Thursday is, well, the favorite night of many&emdash;enough people, but not packed to uncomfortable. Might start with stops at The Clubhouse at Lenox and The Tavern at Phipps, then wonder to Midtown for a walking tour of the Crescent Avenue area nightspots like The Leopard Lounge, Lava and Nomenclature. If you you're in the suburbs, try the Bayou Room in Cobb or Kazoo's in Gwinnett... Friday and Saturday? Check out our Sweet 16 list in the Nightclubbin' section. If you can't find a crowd on Friday or Saturday night, you must be in Valdosta.
Old is better?
Yes, the new site of The Atlanta Steeplechase somewhere out there between Canton and Rockmart (home of the Rock Martians) is nice, huge and major league, but the former site on John Wayt's farm near Cumming will always be like Wrigley or Fenway to yours truly... OK, Atlanta's late night club operators, we've seen enough of "South Beach" type clubs. Give us something new and unique. And in case you didn't know it, the real South Beach clubs down in Florida are in a serious slump and a new nightclub district being carved out of an industrial area in Miami proper is kicking their butts. Why? Parking and prices. Sound familiar?... This past month's Sunday crowd at the Dogwood Festival, thanks to a perfect day and our ever-growing metropolis, was the largest crowd of humanity ever in one day in Piedmont Park. And certainly, a record setter for pooches too. Today Atlanta has more dogs than it had human beings thirty years ago... Check out the new Earthlink.com Theatre&emdash;formerly Center Stage&emdash;on West Peachtree for a concert. It's undergone an impressive renovation, but still maintains its great sight lines and intimacy. Don't recall anytime in my Atlanta history where the city had four such great intimate musical venues like The Variety Playhouse, The Roxy, The Tabernacle and now Earthlink Live.
Raunchy good
Every Atlantan with a little adventure in his blood owes it to his or herself to catch a group like Truckadelic doing its thing at the Star Community Bar in Little Five Points. Where else can you sip a Pabst Blue Ribbon and listen to a kickin' band with a lead guitarist named Billy Rat playing wonderful trailer park rock. Where else can you hear such ballads (It was Truckadelic's CD party for their latest release, "Hey Y'all... Watch This!") as "It's Saturday night, I've got another erection, and I'm all alone again." Poetic stuff... One group got away with murder in Buckhead, but a second killer has been brought to justice. Maurice Shahid was sentenced to life in prison plus five five years for killing Jeffrey Wiggins outside of Cobalt on East Paces Ferry in Buckhead on January 17 of last year. The gang of pro footballer Ray Lewis murdered two young men outside Cobalt two weeks later during Super Bowl in Atlanta, but were acquitted of the crime after a Three Stooges prosecution by Fulton County prosecutors. In the first killing, Gena Ross of Lithonia picked up a $50,000 reward offered by the Buckhead Coalition leading to Shahid's apprehension.
Buckhead swing
Stay tuned: Longhorn Steaks founder George McKerrow Jr., is talking with George Rohrig about possibly taking over the landmark Peachtree Cafe on East Paces Ferry and giving it a facelift and a new concept. It could go nicely as a double punch in the revitalization of Buckhead with the opening of McKerrow's swank rooftop Capital Grille across the street in June... Couldn't come too soon. Word from several 28-year-old women on Buckhead's Bolling Way Strip: "We feel too old to hang out there."
Rainwater flows to the north...
by bo shurling
Restaurants continue to open in north metro Atlanta, well, faster than rainwater is falling in the drought-stricken South these days. Refreshingly appropos, the newest addition to North Fulton fine dining is Rainwater, a 22,000 square foot restaurant and private/special event facility at 11655 Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta. The owner is Andrew Fotos, who formerly operated Araxi, one of the first fine dining restaurants to open in North Fulton. The cuisine is described as a collection of American regional foods that celebrate fresh seasonal tastes and distinct flavors. Appetizers and starters include pan seared scallops; filet en croute; she-crab soup; duck confit; a seafood trio of smoked salmon, tuna tartare and scallop seviche; and a portabella tower which is layers of mushroom, roasted red pepper, spinach and goat cheese with basil oil and balsamic reduction. Among the entrees are grilled salmon topped with lump crab meat, avocado, teardrop tomatoes and scallions; pepper seared tuna with sauteed heirloom tomatoes, balsamic reduction and mango coulis; sweet corn encrusted grouper; pork tenderloin stuffed with three kinds of apples served with sweet potato mash and a woodpecker cider sauce; a grill of a medallion of beef, chicken and salmon served with asparagus and mashed potatoes; and a grilled vegetable stack which is layers of freshly grilled vegetables with ricotta and fresh mozzarella cheeses and a fire roasted tomato sauce. Some of the dessert offerings are a key lime pyramid, an apple beignet, warm chocolate cake and a white chocolate and dark chocolate mousse with a raspberry coulis. Rainwater's executive chef is Todd Annis, who in addition to teaching at the Art Institute of Atlanta, has worked at Bistangos, Carbo's Cafe and Araxi. The restaurant's executive sous chef is Ciaran Duffy who also worked at Carbo's Cafe and Araxi. The restaurant, which offers seating for 500, is designed in the tradition of a Tuscan villa with a mix of traditional and eclectic decor. There is a cobalt raindrop chandelier hanging from a metallic blue dome ceiling in the entrance. With its wrought iron accents, rich draperies, exposed wooden beam ceilings, rustic brick and tile flooring the restaurant's mood is described to be a mix of earthy and chic. In the heart of the restaurant is the Wine Cellar Room which allows up to ten people to dine discreetly while being surrounded by Rainwater's wine collection. Dining hours are Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The main bar is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. A few of Rainwater's special offerings are wine lockers available for rental by customers so they can store their favorite vintner's offerings; the upstairs meeting rooms facilities with screens that retract into the ceiling and modem hook ups in every room; and for weddings their is a bridal room with a shower. Pictured on this month's cover are (from left) proprietor Andrew Fotos, chef Todd Annis and chef Ciaran Duffy.
"Red-Hot' Cherry
by ron hudspeth
Hip, sophisticated, suave, cool, trendy. You choose the adjectives. The formula is the same these days in Midtown where a building and lifestyle renaissance continues. Another 80-year-old former Midtown residence at 1051 has undergone a face lift, tummy tuck and personality makeover to become the new kid on the block. Say hello to Cherry. Open just a few weeks at 1051 West Peachtree, a glance the other night at Cherry's dinner crowd revealed it to be the youngest, best-dressed bunch ever assembled at an Atlanta eatery in this writer's 30-year Atlanta memory. Like Spice, which opened a few weeks earlier nearby on Juniper Street, Cherry is a place to be seen and the atmosphere, created by the talented Patti Krohngold, is so charged one wonders if he or she should simply pass on an entree and go directly to party mode. The design is no accident. Co-owners Ray Sieradzki and Paul Gibbs are owners at Midtown's Leopard Lounge. Co-owner Dee Grimes previously worked at Lulu's Bait Shack and Mumbo Jumbo. The other owner, Tom Nahas, was a manager at The Tavern at Phipps. Cherry Restaurant and Bar is designed for fun, not just dining. A spacious downstairs' bar is set up for good times beyond a menu, and sure to be hit when the weather turns warm, are the 100 seats outside and upstairs on a wraparound patio. But atmosphere and good drinks don't do it alone in today's somewhat conservative times, so the restaurant's young owners have hired Bay Area chef Christopher Moore to run the kitchen and make the food work. Moore, a Culinary Institute of America grad, has honed his cooking skills at eateries in San Francisco, Charleston and New York. Moore's globally-influenced cuisine includes such dishes as Hoisen Barbecue Duck, Chipotle Glazed Pork Chop, Churrasco Rib Eye, Tuna Sake and Wok Lobster. Cherry has seating for 40 downstairs, 60 upstairs and 20 in a private dining room in addition to the 100 outdoor seats. There is an upstairs sushi bar also. "Midtown is growing by the day, but it's still an area that's predominately bars and nightclubs," says Grimes. "We wanted to offer a sophisticated, yet casual alternative, an attractive place where someone could have a unique meal and then hang out afterwards." "The idea is for the entire place to be uniquely designed with quirky details that act as a showcase for color, light and art," says Krohngold, who has designed hip spots like Mumbo Jumbo and Tongue & Groove. "The use of warm woods and a palette inspired by a box of chocolates work with the obvious cherry theme, without resorting to clichés." Cherry is opened for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner seven nights a week. The latter is served to 11:30 on weekend nights. Pictured on this month's cover are (from left) Sergio Leguizamon, Dee Grimes, Paul Gibbs, Ray Sieradzki and Tom Nahas.