RESTAURANT REVIEW
MARY MAC'S TEA ROOM
TAKE YOUR ADVERSARY TO LUNCH
(You Really Should)
By Abbey Morrow
Counsel on Call
[email protected]
M
ary Mac’s Tea Room has
been an Atlanta institution
since opening its doors in
1945. Although Mary Mac's
has changed hands a few times in its
70+ year history, it remains at its original
location in Midtown and its made-fromscratch recipes have hardly changed.
When we walked into Mary Mac’s, we
were immediately greeted by a smiling host team equipped with walkietalkies and earphones and quickly
whisked into the Atlanta Room, which
was adorned with locally-themed décor.
The restaurant was busy, yet did not feel
crowded, and I was able to speak to my
dining companion at a normal decibel.
Mary Mac’s offers full Southern-style
fare consisting of entrées, family style
meals, gluten-free and vegan options.
20
March 2016
The restaurant also sports a full bar.
We each ordered “the table wine of the
South,” Mary Mac’s fresh-brewed iced
tea. I ordered the fried chicken breast
(with two sides). As it was my first time
dining at Mary Mac's, I was also treated
to a complimentary cup of “Pot Likker with
Cracklin’ Bread,” a turnip like soup and
homemade cornbread. It was delicious.
My fried chicken was perfectly crispy on
the outside and tender on the inside. I
also enjoyed sides of fried okra and
homemade grits. My companion ordered the vegetarian platter (up to four
sides of her choosing). She particularly
enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and
noted they had just the right amount of
panko bread crumb coating. We were
too stuffed to share one of the homemade desserts but will certainly return
By J. Wickliffe Cauthorn
Cauthorn Nohr & Owen
[email protected]
to test the Georgia Peach Cobbler.
The service was outstanding, even in
the midst of the lunch rush. We never
felt rushed. Our food arrived quickly, our
drink glasses were refilled immediately,
and the check was delivered promptly.
Mary Mac’s is great for entertaining outof-town guests, hosting functions in one
of their private rooms, and lunches with
colleagues. Reservations are available
for large parties during the weekday. They
also offer delivery catering options, and
you can order carryout either by calling
or placing your
order online. ■
Mary Mac’s Tea Room
224 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
404-876-1800
www.marymacs.com
F
e b r u a r y w a s Ta k e Yo u r
Adversary to Lunch month.
Atlanta Bar Association
members were encouraged
to take an opponent in an ongoing matter to lunch. The purpose is
clear: to build relationships in the Bar
outside of the adversarial context of
litigation or heated negotiation. Sometimes
lawyers forget that lawyers are people, too.
I have been involved in a very heated
lawsuit for more than a year. The lawyers
have done their best to be professional,
and that is to be commended. I cannot
say everyone
has always been
friendly – which is
understandable.
Several months
ago, I received a
voicemail from one
of the associates
on the other side of the case. I figured
it must be an attempt to resolve some
scheduling issue or something like that
(we are the silent associates in this
litigation: seen but not heard). Instead,
he was reaching out to me because
of a sarcastic post that I made on a
neighborhood listserv. It turns out, he
lives across the street. We exchanged
pleasantries and made the typical promises: you guys should come over, we
should grab a beer, etc. Never happened.
Finally, we got in touch with one another.
We went to Watershed on Peachtree.
It turns out we have been practicing for
the same amount of time, we bought our
houses within a year of each other, and we
were both expecting a daughter any day.
We discussed concerns about parenting,
likes and dislikes about our neighborhood,
and generally got to know one another.
After that lunch, the value of the Take
Your Adversary to Lunch program
was clear: it builds relationships.
It is one thing to go to happy hours or
sit politely at a table with other lawyers
over dinner. It is another thing entirely
to sit across a table – one on one – with
someone with whom you are actively
doing battle. Sitting across a table from
someone for an hour requires more than
simply congeniality or professionalism
because it forces a level of intimacy and
empathy that most of us only have with
friends. Many times, in the heat of litigation, you forget that you are dealing with
someone who is basically just like you.
The important takeaway from my lunch
at Watershed is this: I need to take the
other lawyer to lunch as much as possible, not just in February. I need to
communicate with my colleagues on a
personal level outside of the adversarial
environment of litigation. I need to do this
while a matter is pending and we are
still in an antagonistic posture because
as members of the Bar, we need to
break down the walls we build up during conflict. We need to empathize
with our opponent so that we develop
healthy working relationships. Over time,
this may change the unnecessary and
sometimes harmful posturing that goes
on during litigation. Take your adversary to lunch. No, really, you should.
As for Watershed, it is a great place for
lunch. Watershed is easy to get to. It is
in the Brookwood Hills neighborhood
and convenient from Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown. Watershed can
accommodate large groups, and they
are open for lunch Tuesday through
Saturday with a Sunday brunch. ■
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
21