by hud report staff

It’s summer, Lake Lanier is bustling and we’re headed to Buford, Georgia to see what’s goin’ on.

Every year, as the boundaries of Atlanta proper burst at the seams, multitudes of Atlantans flock to this area to live, work and play. It hasn’t been that long since The Mall of Georgia entered the scene and with the revitalization of downtown Buford -- visitors can now find arts, antiques, upscale restaurants, live music clubs & more.

The Town of Buford was established in 1871 and incorporated in 1872 as the City of Buford. The original developers named the town after Colonel A. S. Buford, the president of the railroad that ran from Atlanta to Charlotte, NC. For more than 60 years Buford was the largest city in Gwinnett County and even had the first bank.

Buford was a thriving tannery community, known as “The Leather City.” As the Bona Allen family opened the doorway to the rest of the country with their leather industry, Buford became one of the leading suppliers of leather shoes, boots, saddles and harnesses.

Many of the tannery town’s old buildings have taken on new lives as frame shops, art galleries, restaurants, art studios, antique and interior shops.

Downtown Buford is in the midst of multi-million dollar revitalization; adding brick sidewalks, antique street lamps, an amphitheatre and two downtown parks to add to the quaintness and old-town atmosphere.

The recently restored Bona Allen Horse and Collar Factory built in 1911, is now known as the Tannery Row Mercantile and home to Schumacher’s Family Restaurant, The Pizza Pub, the Tannery Row Artist Colony, Main Street Museum and the Bona Allen Antiques Mall, where monthly auctions will feature antique furniture, collectables and art produced by Tannery Row resident artists. The four-story building is the centerpiece of the market and equipped with a new elevator, restrooms and a climate controlled environment. A sculptor is being completed to atest to the Mercantile’s history. The story behind it is that Roy Rogers and Trigger took a private train to Buford in the 1940s for Trigger to be fitted for one of Bona Allen’s renowned saddles. The statue features Trigger rearing, with Rogers in pointed boots and western gear standing to the side and the saddle craftsman, John Johnson, standing on the other.

We can’t cover them all but here is a sampling of what Buford has to offer:

1. 37 Main • A Speakeasy
37 East Main Street • 770.614.7197
www.37main.com

Sister restaurant/bar to Aqua Terra Bistro, menu is tapas with international influences. Live music and jazz performances nightly. Tuesday 5 - 10 p.m., Wednesday & Thursday 5 - 11 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

2. Aqua Terra
55 E. Main Street • 770.271.3000
www.aquaterrabistro.com

The richly textured brick walls of this nineteenth century commercial space provide an attractive home for this funky, small-town bistro with gourmet American-fusion cuisine. Aqua Terra has developed a local following for the pastas, salads and sandwiches at lunch and adventurous dinner offerings. The American menu features panko-crusted tomatoes and crème brûlée as customer favorites. Comfort food rules in the roasted pork loin with cheddar risotto and fresh veggies. The wine list isn’t long, but it’s well chosen, offers good by-the-glass selections along with a port and single-malt Scotch list.

3. Buford's Grill
70 North Lee Street • 770.945.2420

Choose from breakfast & lunch plates, biscuits, sandwiches, burgers and hotdogs or go for the buffet.

4. Main Street Gourmet
54 Main Street • 678.271.0537

A sunny cafe splashed with modern art, this charming cafe serves contemporary sandwiches, salads, soups and light plates daily for lunch and dinner.

5. Maynor’s Steaks & Blues
39 W. Main Street • 678.714.2871
www.maynors.com

This rib joint offers great food with live blues and light jazz on the weekends. Inside, this quaint place you will find blues legends posters that compete for your attention with the beer selection and Texas-style ribs and baked beans to die for. Drink some beer, eat some ribs, talk to strangers and make new friends. House specialty spare ribs cut by the half slab or slab, and plates of pulled pork are the centerpiece of this classic barbecue restaurant.
Tuesday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

6. Mickey’s Hotdogs
359 W. Shadburn Ave. • 770.945.5676

A casual place to grab a hot dog with all the toppings and dessert. Open Tuesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

7. Petey & Polly’s
306 W. Main Street
678.482.9300

Ron & Dianne Verplaetse’s Petey’s Parlor and Polly’s Dining Room features home-style dining and desserts in an ice cream parlor, catering and coffee house. Open for lunch and dinner. Call for extended summer hours.

8. The Pizza Pub
Tannery Row Mercantile
554 W. Main Street • 678.714.9669

Debra Buczkowski’s Pizza Pub offers appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wings, subs, desserts and yes, pizza. You can also find Terrapin and other beers on tap. On Friday & Saturday the Pub serves up fish fry and shrimp dinners.

9. Schumacher’s
Tannery Row Mercantile
554 W. Main Street • 678.546.9822

Wilfried and Aimee Hausy are the owners of this family restaurant serving German cuisine with an American flair in Tannery Row. Shrimp cocktail, herring, escargot, potato pancakes, Atlantic salmon, chicken, rainbow trout and pot roast can all be found among many other authentic German dishes on the menu. Wednesday - Saturday 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday Brunch 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

10. Sperata
9 East Main Street • 678.546.9111
www.speratarestaurant.com

Sperata offers fine dining, conference and reception facilities, corporate and private functions and catering. Sperata’s new chef is Jack Hunt (formerly of Grapes & Hops).

11. Sunny’s Café
15 Scott Street • 678.714.6869

Breakfast, lunch, coffee bar.

The following restaurants may not be on Main Street, but are also in the Buford area...

12. Amerimex Grill
4545 S Lee Street • 770.614.7544

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

13. Anthony’s Italian Grill
3280 McEver Road
678.546.7535

Family-owned, full service restaurant and bar serving lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Menu focusing on Italian specialties features shrimp scampi, chicken fettuccini, Alfredo dishes along with pizza, chicken wings, hamburgers and ribs. Live bands on weekends.

14. Big Creek Tavern
3050 Big Creek Rd. • 678.482.1662

Serving lunch and dinner, Big Creek is known by the locals for the good food. Open year around Big Creek is casual dining on beef, chicken, old-fashioned American food, shrimp & crab legs. Lots of side dishes to choose from and an assortment of salads. There’s a Billiards table, video games, beer, wine and blues on tap. Live bands on weekends. This is Hall county - no alcohol on Sunday but breakfast is served at 10 a.m.

15. Cluckin’ Pig
1625 Buford Hwy • 678-541-0233
www.cluckinpig.com

16. Dockside Grill
6900 Holiday Road • 770.945.2208

Full view of Lanier in a casual outdoor cafe setting. Featuring hand-cut steaks, the famous Docker burger and sandwiches including grilled grouper, tuna, and mahi. Owners Chris, Janet and Christopher Bennett also have a second location at Aqualand Marina in Flowery Branch.

17. Fireside Cafe
4685 S. Lee Street • 770.945.8132

Country home cooking is the key at this little breakfast place where most things are made to order. Open Monday - Friday 6 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. - 12 p.m.

18. Fish Bones
6470 Holiday Road •770.904.6555

Catfish and family dining. Thursday & Friday 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Saturday 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. and open Sunday for lunch.

19. Hideaway
4264 Buford Drive • 678.482.0076

20. Homespun Restaurant
4992 Highway 20 • 770.932.1164

This 13-year-old home spun eatery offers Southern cooking, private room and take-out in its non-descript location. Open Mon. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. and Sat. 7 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

21. Larry’s Biscuits
4360 Friendship Rd. • 770.945.5651

Owner Larry Beacham has developed quite a following after 8 years of supplying biscuits and such to the area. He hocks biscuits from 5 a.m. to noon on Friday and to 11 a.m. on Saturday. Larry switches to ice cream on Saturdays 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and 12:30 - 5 p.m. on Sundays in a shop out front. Beacham was born in the log cabin above his stop and stills lives there today.

22. Lefty’S BBQ
4965 Friendship Road • 770.945.9131
www.leftys-bbq.com

Since 1982 ‘Serving no swine before it’s time.’ $14.99 All-You-Can-Eat Ribs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Includes all you can eat ribs, slaw, baked beans, choice of fries or potato salad, hushpuppies or Texas toast.

23. Mazatlan Mexican
1570 Buford Hwy. •770.945.8083

A typical Mexican restaurant. Park in the back and walk around. Head for the deck -- built around two trees, it offers a lot of shade. There’s an average selection of Mexican and American beers.

24. Old McDonald’s Real Pit BBQ
5774 Holiday Rd.•770.945.8608

Monday - Wednesday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

25. Peachtree B B Q
1875 Peachtree Ind. Blvd. •770.932.8090

Mike McCallister has spent 19 years in the same spot on Peachtree Industrial delivering a full menu of Western/Cajun-style BBQ from his BBQ trailor -- Wednesday through Sundays. McCallister painstakingly removes all fat from the meats before he prepares them. A regular accuses him of adding a secret ingredient ‘that keeps ‘em coming back.’

26. Puckett’s Restaurant
4360 S. Lee St. • 770.945.6081

Buffet-style dining with specials for each day of the week. Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

27. Third Coast Grille
5713 Holiday Road • 770.614.9508
www.thirdcoastgrille.com

Located on the shores of Lake Lanier, Third Coast Grille will bring the islands to you... Fresh salmon, trout, jumbo shrimp and crab will let you feel the sand under your feet. Full bar and live music some weekends. Monday - Thursday 11:30 a. m -10 p. m., Friday 11:30 a. m. - 11 p. m. and Saturday Noon - 11 p. m. Third Coast will soon be moving to a new location on Friendship Road, check the website for date.