Buckhead Diner

This flashy institution may have reached its peak of popularity in the eighties and nineties, but it still draws a prime time glittery crowd. Executive chef Charles Schwab—who has worked around the metro area in restaurants as diverse as Bacchanalia, Blue Ridge Grill, and Norcross’s Grace 17.20—has infused new energy into the menu. Small plates shine brightest: Try the spicy “pow pow” rock shrimp glossed with a creamy and gentle hot sauce, and the chervil-scented crab cake. Of course the kitchen still also churns out perennials like the Maytag blue potato chips and the white chocolate-banana cream pie.