I
f you haven’t been to Atlanta in
the last few years, you need to
plan a trip there asap to see
firsthand why Atlanta is now
being referred to as the “Empire
of the South”, “Hotlanta” or simply
“The A” by the locals. But if this is
in reference to a grading system,
I’d give it an A+.
Atlanta has always scored high as
one of the South’s most stylish
cities; however, this year, Atlanta
has really hit its stride. You’ll need
more than a weekend to explore the
new museum openings, walk the
Atlanta Beltline, max out your cards
shopping at the ultra-luxe retailers
and come hungry because the local
farm-fresh food scene is exploding.
Palate Pleasers
For some scrumptious locally
inspired cuisine, head midtown
to Livingston Restaurant + Bar,
in the historic Georgian Terrace
Hotel. Here, the premiere party for
Gone with the Wind was held, but
there’s nothing old-fashioned about
the food here since Chef Michael
Semancik took over the kitchen.
Standouts on the contemporary
menu include the addictive
Cauliflower Popcorn and Asparagus
Frites, Free-range Chicken Liver
“Gyoza”, followed by Sorghum &
Sea Salt Brick Chicken or the Seared
Scallops served in a flavorful tasso
and corn chowder.
Pssst: Livingston’s is located
across the street from the exotic,
Egyptian-inspired Fox Theater, built
in 1928 for Atlanta’s Shriner’s
organization before it was turned
into a theater. For the perfect
evening, start with dinner at
Livingston’s, then take in a show
at the Fox (the national tour of
Evita was there last week) followed
by a return visit to Livingston’s
for dessert, perhaps their Carrot
Cake “Twinkies” with cream
cheese filling and ginger glaze.
Center for Civil and Human Rights
is a must see
Westside Provisions District,
formerly known as the meatpacking
district, is THE place to go for really
good stuff for food lovers in Atlanta
and the reason I know this is because:
A. On either side of the footbridge
connecting the two main buildings
are signs pointing this way to “really
good stuff” and
B. When I visited I was blown away
by the high caliber of food available
in the market, the award- winning
restaurants, and the specialty food
stores. Truth be told, I’d change the
signs to “really great stuff”. There
are also some stellar clothing
boutiques such as Billy Reid, Calypso
St. Barth and Sid Mashburn,
a modern haberdashery.
Culinary finds here include
Bacchanalia, voted Atlanta’s
best by Zagat every year since
1996, Abattoir, an American
chophouse, and Jeni’s Splendid Ice
Creams (Jeni’s ice creams are made
from the ground up with milk from
grass-grazed cows and whole
ingredients that they blend, bake,
peel, chop, skin, pulverize, and
blowtorch) which totally blew my
taste buds away! In Star Provisions,
a hybrid café/bakery/market with an
Anthropology vibe, you can enjoy
a delish lunch on the deck (I highly
recommend the Fried Chicken Salad
Fabulous Fox Theater
ABOVE
Mandarin Oriental’s
Gorgeous English Garden
with Buttermilk Dressing or the
plump Shrimp Po’ Boy sammie) and
then it’s one stop shopping for a
farm-to-your-table dinner.
Pssst: Newbie Preserving Place is
tucked away in the corner of the
bottom floor, but it is well worth
the treasure hunt. Once you locate
54
this gem, you’ll find DIY canning
supplies, a seasonal selection of
house-made preserved products
such as ATL-1 Steak Sauce, Hot
Peach & Ginger Jam, and
Watermelon Rind Pickles. With
fond memories of growing up on
a farm that produced cotton and
peaches, owner Martha McMillin