Monday, July 2, 2012

ATLANTA

(includes Decatur)

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Bakery at Cakes & Ale – 151 Sycamore Street (Decatur); 404-377-7960; cakesandalerestaurant.com.
High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet – 2241 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 7; 678-701-7623; highroadcraft.com; soon to move to Marietta location; try pistachio honey ricotta.
Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge – 1009-B Marietta Street NW; 404-815-9886; octanecoffee.com; try grilled PB&J.
Sublime Doughnuts – 535 10th Street; 404-897-1801; sublimedoughnuts.com; “doughnuts good enough for someone’s last meal on death row”; try A-Town Mocha.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Cakes & Ale – 254 West Ponce de Leon Avenue (Decatur); 404-377-7994; cakesandalerestaurant.com; washed ebony tables and zinc bar; arancini, gougeres, and great cocktails.
Jct. Kitchen – 1198 Howell Mill Road, #18 (Westside/Home Park); 404-355-2252; jctkitchen.com; down-home gourmet cooking; slip upstairs to bar with tremendous downtown view.
Holeman & Finch Public House – 2277 Peachtree Road NE; 404-948-1175; holeman-finch.com.
Kimball House – 303 East Howard Avenue (Decatur); 404-378-3502; kimball-house.com; decent restaurant with better bar; in former train station setting.
Leon’s Full Service – 131 East Ponce de Leon Avenue (Decatur); 404-687-0500; leonsfullservice.com.
Manuel’s Tavern – 602 North Highland Avenue NE; 404-525-3447; manuelstavern.com; quintessential neighborhood bar; voted “Best Bar in Atlanta” by Atlanta Magazine, “Best Neighborhood Bar” by Creative Loafing, and among “Best Bars in US” by Esquire.
Paper Plane – 340 Church Street (Decatur); 404-377-9308; the-paper-plane.com; speak-easy-ish.
Sound Table – 483 Edgewood Avenue Southeast (old 4th Ward); 404-835-2534; thesoundtable.com; try Jaguar’s Milk Punch (hot drink with Sombra mescal, Don Diego tequila, white crème de cacao, and hot milk); “do as your told and you will have a good time”; also, tapas.



HOTELS
Mansion on Peachtree – 3376 Peachtree Road (Buckhead); 404-233-3993 or 888-767-3966; rwmansiononpeachtree.com; Rosewood hotel.
St. Regis – 88 West Paces Ferry Road NW; 404-563-7900 or 888-627-7231; stregisatlanta.com; 40K' square pool.
Stonehurst Place – 923 Piedmont Avenue NE; 404-881-0722; stonehurstplace.com; upscale bed & breakfast/boutique type place.



RESTAURANTS
Abattoir – 1170 Howell Mill Road NW; 404-352-3547; starprovisions.com; fresh, local provisions.
Atlas – 88 West Paces Ferry Road NW (at St. Regis Hotel); 404-600-6471; atlasrestaurant.com; upscale hotel restaurant serving artfully plated American food made from seasonal ingredients; tremendous art collection.
Baccanalia – 1198 Howell Mill Road NW; 404-365-0410; starprovisions.com; Atlanta’s “flagship”; international fine dining.
Bantam + Biddy – 1544 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 301; 404-907-3469; bantamandbiddy.com; rotisserie chicken.
Beautiful Restaurant – 2260 Cascade Road SW; 404-758-3883; beautifulrestaurant-atlanta.com; open since 1979; soul food.
Cakes & Ale – 254 West Ponce de Leon Avenue (Decatur); 404-377-7994; cakesandalerestaurant.com; washed ebony tables and zinc bar; chef from Chez Panisse; pork and trout featured.
Cakes & Ale – 155 Sycamore Street (Decatur); 404-377-7994; cakesandalerestaurant.com.
Dolce Italian Atlanta – 3035 Peachtree Road NE (at Shops Buckhead Atlanta); 678-686-2267; dolceitalianrestaurant.com/buckhead-atlanta; chic spot for Neapolitan pizza & classic cocktails in mid-century modern digs with terrace.
Empire State South – 999 Peachtree Street; 404-541-1105; empirestatesouth.com; location in mid-town, hotel-office complex is less than inspiring; best place for southern classics.
Eugene – 2277 Peachtree Road NE; 404-355-0321; restauranteugene.com; upscale Southern.
Farm Burger – 410 West Ponce De Leon Avenue (Decatur); 404-378-5077; farmburger.net; good fried okra.
Flip Burger Boutique – 1587 Howell Mill Road; 404-352-3547; flipburgerboutique.com; try foie gras milkshake.
Harold’s Barbecue – 171 McDonough Boulevard SE (at Lakewood Avenue); 404-627-9268; excellent Brunswick Stew (thick vegetable soup, really) and best cornbread within 100 miles; atmosphere has not changed in last 50 years; pork is slow-cooked, succulent, and tender; sauces are very good.
Heirloom Market BBQ – 2243 Akers Mill Road; 770-612-2502; heirloommarketbbq.com; run by American-Asian chef Jiyeon Lee; Korean-inspired.
Holeman & Finch Public House – 2277 Peachtree Road NE; 404-948-1175; holeman-finch.com; try buttermilk fried quail with Tabasco butter.
Hop City Craft Beer & Wine – 1000 Marietta Street, Suite 302; 404-350-9998; hopcitybeer.com; 1.5K beers.
Horseradish Grill – 4320 Powers Ferry Road; 404-255-7277; horseradishgrill.com; try pulled pork.
Jct. Kitchen – 1198 Howell Mill Road, #18 (Westside/Home Park); 404-355-2252; jctkitchen.com; down-home gourmet cooking; trendy Southern; shrimp & grits; very loud.
King + Duke – 3060 Peachtree Road Northwest (Buckhead); 404-477-3500; kinganddukeatl.com; colonial cooking, updated; modern pub look.
Il Localino – 467 North Highland Avenue Northeast; 404-222-0650; illocalino.com; freshly sourced Italian.
Miller Union – 999 Brady Avenue; 678-733-8550; millerunion.com; tweaks southern “meat & 3” tradition; fresh ingredients; try butterscotch marshmallow ice-cream sandwich or “Almond Joy” ice cream sandwich.
Miso Izakaya – 619 Edgewood Avenue SE, #101 (Old 4th Ward); 678-701-0128; miso-izakaya.xanga.com; Japanese tapas.
No. 246 – 129 East Ponce De Leon Ave (Decatur); 678-399-8246; no246.com; Italian plates prepared in wood-fired oven; hip & loud.
Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge – 1009-B Marietta Street NW; 404-815-9886; octanecoffee.com.
Optimist – 914 Howell Mill Road; 404-477-6260; theoptimistrestaurant.com; retro “fish camp” place; great seafood.
La Paz – 2950 New Paces Ferry Road SE; 770-801-0020; lapaz.com; Mexican; slightly upscale.
Paper Plane – 340 Church Street (Decatur); 404-377-9308; the-paper-plane.com; more bar than restaurant.
Pricci – 500 Pharr Road NE; 404-237-2941; buckheadrestaurants.com/pricci; upscale and for special occasions; classic Italian.
Pura Vida – 656 North Highland Avenue; 404-870-9797; puravidatapas.com; grows many of own produce from private garden; try tilapia ceviche.
St. Cecilia – 3455 Peachtree Road NE (Buckhead); 404-554-9995; stceciliaatl.com.
Sobban – 1788 Clairmont Road (Decatur, at Mason Mill Road); 678-705-4233; sobban.com; Korean-Southern diner.
Straits – 793 Juniper Street NE; 404-877-1283; straitsrestaurants.com; owned by Ludacris; Asian-Southern fusion.
Umi – 3050 Peachtree Road Northwest (Buckhead); 404-841-0040; umiatlanta.com; modern Japanese.
Victory Sandwich Bar – 280 Elizabeth Street NE; 770-676-7287; vicsandwich.com.
Wisteria – 471 North Highland Avenue NE; 404-525-3363; wisteria-atlanta.com; try Honky-Tonk Hummus (made with boiled peanuts).



SERVICES
Westside Arts District Walks – wadatlanta.org; 3rd Saturday each month.



SHOPPING
Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co. – 2817 Peachtree Road NE (Inman Park); 404-467-4670; cacaoatlanta.com; chocolates.
Get This – 662 11th Street; 678-596-4451; getthisgallery.com; originally skateboard aesthetics, now reaching beyond.
Kiang Gallery – 1011-A Marietta Street NW; 404-892-5477; kiang-gallery.com; American and Chinese artists.
Krog Street Hall – 99 Krog Street; 770-434-2400; krogstreetmarket.com; food market.
Sid Mashburn – 1198 Howell Mill Road NW; 404-350-7135; sidmashburn.com; men’s wear.
Saltworks – 664 11th Street NW; 404-881-0411; saltworksgallery.com; art.



SIGHTS & SITES
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center – 535 Means Street NW; 404-688-1970; thecontemporary.org; West Side pioneer of modern arts; in former truck repair facility.
Fox Theatre – 660 Peachtree Street NE; 404-881-2100; foxtheatre.org; best concert venue in Atlanta.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site – 450 Auburn Avenue NE; 404-331-5190; nps.gov/malu; worth taking tour of well-preserved, Inman Park home where MLK grew up; excellent guides give unique perspectives on Civil Rights leader’s formative years; tours begin every hour on hour in winter & every half hour in summer (same-day reservations only).
Margaret Mitchell House – 990 Peachtree Street; 404-249-7015; margaretmitchellhouse.com; features guided tours of apartment where Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With Wind (see her typewriter!), Gone With Wind movie exhibit, exhibit showcasing her life and times, and gift shop; throughout year, presents various programs designed to honor and preserve her legacy.
Stone Mountain Park – 1000 Robert E. Lee Boulevard (Stone Mountain); 770-498-5690; stonemountainpark.com; quartz monzonite dome monadnock; enormous Gutzon Borglum bas-relief on north face, largest in world; carving depicts 3 Confederate figures: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis; more than 5 miles in circumference at base; surrounded by Stone Mountain Park; summit reachable by walk-up trail on west side or Skyride aerial tram.

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