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The Dining Diva: Christiane Lauterbach dishes on her 40 years as Atlanta magazine’s dining critic

For 40 years, Christiane Lauterbach has been a dining critic for Atlanta magazine. A Parisian by birth, and a single mom raising two daughters, Christiane was tapped by Atlanta to take over dining coverage and reviewing duties soon after she and a group of friends debuted the monthly dining newsletter Knife & Fork in the early 1980s.
Pendolino

Kevin Maxey’s new Italian restaurant, Pendolino, opens near Chastain Park

Chef Kevin Maxey boasts an impressive resume. The former vice president of culinary for Ford Fry's Rocket Farms Restaurants honed his skills at Tom Colicchio’s Craft and Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern in New York. The past four years, he’s been helping other restaurateurs fine-tune their businesses; now it’s time for him to focus on his own. On March 18, Pendolino opens in the Chastain Market development, taking over the space previously home to Santorini Tavern. It’ll serve straightforward Italian cuisine with a Southern spin, focusing its fare on a wood-burning oven.
5 things you might not have known about Freaknik, from the new Hulu documentary

5 things you might not have known about Freaknik, from the new Hulu documentary

Hulu’s new original documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told tells the story of how a 1983 picnic for Atlanta HBCU students in the meadow at Piedmont Park became, by the mid-1990s, a national Spring Break destination for hundreds of thousands of young people each April. Here’s five things highlighted in the new Hulu doc that even long-time Atlantans might not know about Freaknik’s enduring legacy.

Well Served: Chef Brody Olive on oysters and a favorite sailboat outing

In addition—new and noteworthy hotel restaurants, Atlanta's Michelin stars, and more food-related news from across the Southeast.
Fox Brox Brunch

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q now serves brunch on the Westside

Starting March 16, every Saturday and Sunday the Westside Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q location will offer brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The regular menu will be available as well starting at 11 a.m. “We’ve done breakfast taco and biscuit popups at the DeKalb Avenue location—sometimes they sell out in 20 minutes—so we learned there’s a demand,” says cofounder and pitmaster Jonathan Fox, who owns the restaurants with his brother Justin Fox.

Northern China Eatery spinoff the Dumpling Factory to open in Westside Paper

Fan Zhang, owner of the popular Buford Highway restaurant Northern China Eatery, often sees one-to-two-hour waits for his restaurant’s authentic Chinese fare. With the opening of spin-off the Dumpling Factory in June, he hopes to make the food more accessible to metro Atlantans. Set to replace Boxcar Betty’s in Westside Paper, the Dumpling Factory will serve highlights from Northern China Eatery’s menu.
Guarenteed Income Atlanta

Does Atlanta have guaranteed-income programs?

Universal basic income (UBI) isn’t a new idea, but in a dystopian world with pandemics and a growing wealth divide, the utopian concept seems more practical than ever before. Some of Atlanta’s biggest players have bought in and are investing in small-scale guaranteed-income pilot programs.
Uhuburg Helen Georgia

Why is there a giant castle in Helen, Georgia?

In a place where gaps in mountaintop treelines get noticed, the residents of Northeast Georgia watched with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation as the horizon changed its silhouette. Bit by bit, a sprawling, fantastical storybook castle emerged above Helen—complete with a turret and 12 towers, one of which is eight stories high.

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Old Fourth Ward is getting a hotel and social club in a new building called Forth

Old Fourth Ward is getting a hotel and social club in a new building called Forth

Out-of-towners eager to experience all the Old Fourth Ward has to offer will soon have a lavish place to stay. Come summer, the historic area is getting a $150 million, 16-floor development featuring a boutique hotel, members-only social club, and four restaurants and bars. Created by New City Properties, Forth is located between the Historic Fourth Ward Park and the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail.
Atlanta used to have extensive public transit, actually

Atlanta used to have extensive public transit, actually

It may be hard to imagine today, when gridlock traffic is synonymous with Atlanta, but riding public transit was once the norm. Here, a brief look at the city's former streetcar system and why Atlanta's public transit had such a decline.

The Balloon Museum at Pullman Yards will blow you away. What to know before you go.

Designed to be immersive, the family-friendly museum takes about an hour and a half to fully experience. Each exhibit is different, with art ranging from black-lit, anime-style punching bags to bubbles that emit smoke when they pop to humongous suspended inner tubes that change height. It’s a series of captivating displays that use sound and movement, as well as texture and color, to garner attention. Here's what to know before you go.
5 of the most Atlanta moments in RuPaul's new memoir

5 of the most Atlanta moments in RuPaul’s new memoir

12-time Emmy-winning global drag superstar RuPaul fondly recalls his star-making days in Atlanta in the late 1970s and early 80s in his new memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings, released this week. Here are five of the most Atlanta-centric moments recounted in the new book.
Atlanta BeltLine rail transit controversy

Atlanta BeltLine’s proposed rail is at a crossroads

Is Atlanta BeltLine rail transit the path toward a more functional, equitable city—or another expensive boondoggle waiting to happen? Weighing both sides of a very passionate debate.
Birdy Biscuits is back for one day only

Zeb Stevenson’s Birdy Biscuits is back for one day only

When fine dining spot Redbird closed on the Westside last year, it also meant the end of owner/chef Zeb Stevenson’s famed Birdy Biscuits. The weekend-only offering was known for lines around the corner, as eager Atlantans downed fried chicken biscuits, guava biscuits, and cinnamon rolls served from a walk-up window. Now, the pop-up returns for one night only.

Flavor Rich is now open for all-day brunch in Midtown

Flavor Rich began as a food truck and opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Suwanee in 2020. Now, Angelica Finley and Christopher Fletcher have opened a second location across from Emory Midtown. With double the number of seats, a larger kitchen, and the addition of a 12-seat bar, Flavor Rich Atlanta can offer reservations, an all-day brunch menu (rather than separating breakfast and lunch like in Suwanee), and seasonal craft cocktails.

News & Culture

Get lost in Atlanta’s small, independent museums

Small, independent museums like the Madame C.J. Walker Museum dot Atlanta, commemorating underrepresented or unique histories and art. They operate out of storefronts or houses and largely rely on a team of one, who keeps the museum afloat through donations or their day job. At the Walker Museum, Ricci de Forest charges a $7 admission, collects donations, and will sometimes cut hair right there in the museum to help keep things running.

The competition is fierce for the AJC’s “Best-Dressed Lawmakers”

Maya T. Prabhu launched her “Best-Dressed Lawmakers” list in 2019, a year after joining the AJC as a legislative correspondent. “Best-Dressed Lawmakers” has since become a hotly anticipated event of the legislative session, with elected representatives elbowing fiercely for Prabhu’s favor.

Food & Drink

Northern China Eatery spinoff the Dumpling Factory to open in Westside Paper

Fan Zhang, owner of the popular Buford Highway restaurant Northern China Eatery, often sees one-to-two-hour waits for his restaurant’s authentic Chinese fare. With the opening of spin-off the Dumpling Factory in June, he hopes to make the food more accessible to metro Atlantans. Set to replace Boxcar Betty’s in Westside Paper, the Dumpling Factory will serve highlights from Northern China Eatery’s menu.

One-Michelin-starred Lazy Betty starts serving in its new Midtown digs on March 16

One of only five Atlanta restaurants to earn a Michelin star, Lazy Betty is moving to its new home March 16. The acclaimed tasting menu spot opened in the former Radial Cafe space in Candler Park in 2019. Five years later, it’s taking over from Hugh Acheson’s esteemed Empire State South. Located in the heart of Midtown near 10th and Peachtree Streets, the new space is nearly 2,000 square feet larger than the old, allowing owners Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips to grow the bar program, add an a la carte menu, and expand the group private dining options.

Flavor Rich is now open for all-day brunch in Midtown

Flavor Rich began as a food truck and opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Suwanee in 2020. Now, Angelica Finley and Christopher Fletcher have opened a second location across from Emory Midtown. With double the number of seats, a larger kitchen, and the addition of a 12-seat bar, Flavor Rich Atlanta can offer reservations, an all-day brunch menu (rather than separating breakfast and lunch like in Suwanee), and seasonal craft cocktails.

ATLANTA MAGAZINE'S HOME

Room Envy: A cool kids’ room in Virginia-Highland

This multipurpose kids’ room in a Virginia-Highland addition has good ideas for all ages, thanks to the creativity of designers at Copper Sky Design + Remodel.

Room Envy: A soft and serene home office

Keeping it simple but elegant, interior designer Shawn Amtower relied on two winning surfaces for this soft and serene office: white oak and gold/brass tone.

Room Envy: Statement art and floor-to-ceiling windows elevate this Buckhead high-rise

“We focused the design of this living room around a special commission of Marilyn Monroe by Atlanta artist Steve Penley,” says interior designer Gabriela Eisenhart. Homeowner Jessica Alexander loves the way Penley painted the movie star, as it reminds her of her mom, whom she lost as a child.

RECENT ISSUES

Atlanta Magazine March 2024 cover - Culinary Travel
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