Name Your Favorites
By Doc Lawrence
ATLANTA-The call from a big media editor triggered
memories of delicious meals, gregarious hosts and terrifically interesting
venues. “What do you remember about Atlanta’s older restaurants? Were any in
Atlanta truly distinctive?” she asked. I remembered enough to start a
conversation and even surprised myself that some were still around. The idea
was to produce a retrospective: Good places to dine in an earlier version of
Atlanta, making the case that the city has a rich dining background long before
today’s boom with the revolving door of restaurant openings and closings.
Mary Mac’s Tea Room is still serving to packed houses with a
clientele that on occasion includes Jimmy Carter and the Dalai Lama. The
Colonnade on Cheshire Bridge holds strong with roots going back several
generations. And Petite Auberge near Emory University is still serving French
and German cuisine, adding performances by the Capital City Opera Company each
month
But who remembers Dale’s Cellar, a first-rate gourmet
restaurant in the basement of the Imperial Hotel? The Paradise Room in the
state-owned Henry Grady Hotel. Jim Sanders’ Top of Peachtree? Leb's, Herren’s,
Emile’s, or Ship Ahoy, all within two blocks of the Rialto and the Balzar
Theatre? I can almost taste the chicken pot pie at Rich’s Magnolia Room, which featured a Nathalie
Dupree-inspired menu.
The Coach and Six was always packed and you could eat your
weight in broiled lobster tails at The Crossroads in Midtown. Downtown had
standard bearers like The Diplomat, a true supper club. The 70’s were the
heyday of Joe Dale’s Cajun House. Sorrento’s served Italian cuisine with live
Atlanta jazz by the legendary Roy Mays and the All Stars. Harry’s Steakhouse on
Spring Street was just around the corner from Johnny Reb’s.
Black-owned restaurants were wonderful and thrived even
during the sad days of racial segregation. Paschal’s and Shepherd’s come to
mind, but there were many others.
These restaurants were almost exclusively locally owned and
words like fresh or local sourced weren’t needed. Customers assumed this.
My memory has its limits. Many recall places where families
enjoyed Sunday dinners, birthday and anniversary celebrations or a good place
to have a meal with cocktails and wines. Share these recollections and I’ll use
them. Photographs and old menus are invaluable. I have several and the prices
for entrees are a far cry from today’s 40 bucks for previously frozen salmon
served with mysterious lines of liquids.
This will be the major part of a feature story with
television on the horizon. Join the fun with your memories, menus and photos.
Doc Lawrence: editors@docsnews.com
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Memories from the early to mid 1950s: Gigi's Pizza across from the Colonade at Piedmont and Lindberg had the best thin crust Pizza. Gigi's is now near the intersection of West Paces Ferry and Northside Parkway. Ding Ho's on Harris and Peachtree near Davison's is remembered for its steep stairs that were a little scary to this little boy of the early 50s. S & W Cafeteria had a large pool of fish in their restaurant across from Davison's. The Krystal behind Davison's, a short block from the Carnegie Library had 5 cent hamburgers and 7 cent cheeseburgers, the most memorable thing about them being the heavy duty odor of onion that would remain on one's hands for days. Abe's Deli was next to the Garden Hills Theatre. I loved their Spaghetti. The Crossroads and Leb's were popular eateries to teenagers and others. The latter offered delicious 95 cent huge hamburgers, and $1.10 cheesburgers. The Colonade on one occasion had a leaky roof with buckets to catch the rain, and impressive, elderly, African American servers. The "plank " steak was served on a large wooden plank with mashed potatoes squeezed into an attractive swirl abound the edge of the plank. This delicious meal would have set one back about $1.15. The Varsity was simply the Varsity with 5 cent cokes and hamburgers in the 1940s. The french fried onion rings were, and still are delicious, the odor would remaining with you for a while. The pimento cheese burgers seemed even more delicious then, then now. The place never catered to the Capital City Club crowd. Ship Ahoy down from the Rialto theatre offered delicious food at reasonable prices. The Miami Buffet was very popular, reasonably priced and was originally downtown, then moved across from the Biltmore Hotel on Peachtree. Caruso's moved from Ponce de Leon Ave. to the corner of Piedmont and Cheshire Bridge Roads. That restaurant and Mama Mia's on Peachtree in Buckhead were my first acquaintance with delicious Italian food. Of course, there were Toodle Houses, Twelve Oaks, Fan and Bills, and The Diplomat. All fond memories of 50s Atlanta. Stuart Meyers
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