The Atlanta Lawyer March/April 2011 | Page 32

etc. Courthouse Bites By Courthouse Bites I t is 12 noon at Powell’s Country Kitchen (116 W King St Dalton, GA 30720 • 706-278-1545) in downtown Dalton. The dining room is brimming with life as it has every lunch hour for the past 30 years. Generous portions of meats and sides are dished out to their loyal blue and white collar following of lawyers and law enforcement officers, judges and jurors, construction workers and retirees, all sharing conversation (and even tables) as they await the day’s offerings. Here I sit, an Atlanta lawyer amongst a sea of locals, wondering just how lucky I was that I asked that bailiff for a restaurant recommendation on the way out of court. A sociable meat-and-three like Powell’s is the epitome of Southern courthouse dining and, with a simple tip from a bailiff, I was able to have a memorable meal in Whitfield County. Sometimes though, we are not so lucky. On a recent visit to Butts County, I hit up an Assistant District Attorney for a lunch recommendation. He asked what I was interested in and I gave him my usual response, “Tell me about a place I shouldn’t miss.” The ADA responded, “I highly recommend Ingles.” (Yes, the grocery store chain.) It is experiences like these that led to CourthouseBites--a blog devoted to Georgia courthouse restaurants where lawyers can learn about the Powell’s of our great State from the courthouse diners who know them best. Locals can tout their hidden gems, or we can report on a great find from one of our journeys, while everyone can browse restaurant reviews by jurisdiction so that we no longer have to hedge our bets on last second recommendations. Just to show how lucky I was to find Powell’s, I have spoken to several Atlanta lawyers who have frequented the Whitfield County courthouse and not one of them had eaten there. Likely because of the restaurant’s non-descript storefront, most of us would walk right past the place if we did not know what was on the other side. This is Georgia, so it is no surprise that Southern cuisine and barbecue account for the majority of our celebrated courthouse haunts. Watershed (406 West Ponce De Leon Ave Decatur, GA 30030 • 404-378-4900) in DeKalb County and The Swanson (933 Carroll St Perry, GA 31069 • 478-987-1938) in Houston County are far from historic but both have received national recognition for their traditional Southern fare. Lucky for us lawyers, both are within striking distance of the courthouse. A recent article in Garden & Gun listed The Swanson as one of the best fried chicken plates in the South. Watershed has won almost every “Best 32 THE ATLANTA LAWYER March/April 2011 [email protected] of…” award known to man and has been called “the restaurant that defines the South.” Athens/Clarke County is home to not one, but two legendary soul food joints both within reach of the courthouse. Weaver D’s (1016 E. Broad St Athens, GA 30601 • 706-353-7797), of REM Automatic for the People fame, is in its 25th year of dishing out its inspirational meat-and-three’s to the college kids and courthouse crowd. Going on almost thirty years, Wilson’s Soul Food (351 N. Hull St Athens, GA 30603 • 706-353-7289) was recently featured in O Magazine and sets itself apart with its dedication to vegetarian sides. So while the famous fried pork chops are the mainstay here, do not expect any ham hock in the collards and green beans. In Fayette County, there is a barbecue rivalry between Speedi-Pig (715 Glynn St South Fayetteville, GA 30214 • 770-719-2720‎ ) and Melear’s (420 Glynn St South Fayetteville, GA 30214 • 770-461-7180)—sitting just a few hundred yards from each other. If you ask around, the locals typically love one and hate the other. Breakfast at Melear’s, though, is the place to be if you want to rub elbows with the judges and local lawmakers. With courthouse dining, that is sometimes just as important as the food. Running into the judge at lunch lets him or her know that you are one of them and not one of those “snobby” Atlanta lawyers. For a piece of American culinary history, a visit to Macon’s NuWay Wieners (430 Cotton Ave Macon, GA 31201 • 478-743-1368) is a must. Founded by James Mallis in 1916, Nu-Way is one of the oldest and most famous hot dog restaurants in the country. Featured in The New York Times, on PBS, The Today Show, the Travel Channel and even Oprah, those little dogs covered in chili and slaw have received critical acclaim as well as historical significance from food history buffs and hot dog connoisseurs alike. While there are now several locations, courthouse goers are just a couple short blocks from the Cotton Avenue original underneath the famous neon sign. Many courthouse squares are now host to a variety of international eateries. An unlikely find in the dreadful surroundings of the Fulton County courthouse is Pixels Cafe (30 Decatur St SE Atlanta, GA 30303 • 404-659-1139). You certainly cannot find a three or four star restaurant anywhere near the busiest courthouse in Georgia (why is that?). But, in the heart of GSU proper, behind a façade touting the standard wings and phillys that seem to dominate the downtown lunch scene, lies surprisingly authentic Korean cuisine. Try the bibimbap, a rice dish with vegetables and meat in a spicy sauce, or the bulgogi, a Korean barbecue sandwich, The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association