Atlanta chefs are changing the perception of Mexican cuisine
In 2022, when he and his business partners opened the Mexican restaurant El Valle in Midtown, Luis Damian was clear on what he didn’t want for the space: “I didn’t want to open another tequila bar with a theme of sombreros, skeletons, and mariachi that Americans think of when they picture Mexico.”
Where to eat, sleep, and grab gifts in Auburn, Alabama
University spirit permeates this college town. A massive tiger paw dominates the main square downtown, sidewalks are adorned with diamond plaques honoring former star athletes and coaches (look for...
Notes from Underground Atlanta’s DIY arts scene
Atlanta’s long-neglected subterranean corridor is having yet another renaissance, this time as a DIY arts destination. But as redevelopment looms, the creative community wonders: how long can it last?
Ford Fry’s Little Sparrow flies into the Westside on October 2
Little Sparrow will officially open in the former JCT space on October 2. Inspired by Parisian bistros and old Brooklyn neighborhood taverns, it will be an American brasserie serving simple fare using premium ingredients and classic techniques.
Saturated color and meaningful art add soul to this Grove Park abode
When interior designer Amber Guyton first visited Shanelle Walker’s Grove Park home, she noticed lots of art propped up against the walls—but that didn’t surprise her. “My client, Shanelle, is a woman of many talents,” says Guyton. Walker is a freelancer in Atlanta’s booming TV/movie industry and owner of the local apparel line Freedom Company, a brand “rooted in Black Empowerment and Love.” She’s also a writer, an activist, and a podcaster. Guyton says, “Her home is the core of all this creativity. She wanted it to be a place where ‘Dreams Don’t Sleep.’”
Tayari Jones on her literary lineage and choosing Atlanta
Tayari Jones—author, professor, and griot of the American South—has a lot on her plate. She teaches a creative writing class at Emory University, she has book blurbs due and forewords to file, and she has words in a just-released craft book, How We Do It, where her Emory colleague Jericho Brown gathered Black writers to explain “how they go about making what they make.” “I know I have a novel,” Jones writes, “when I have a question to which I don’t know the moral/ethical answer.” She is also putting the finishing touches on her fifth and forthcoming novel, Old Fourth Ward, which is set squarely in Black Atlanta’s centers of gravity: the historic neighborhood adjacent to downtown Atlanta (and the book’s namesake) and Cascade Heights (her old stomping grounds).
A book lover’s guide to Atlanta
A roundup of independent bookstores, essential books that explain today’s Atlanta, and book events.
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Goodbye, Peachtree Road: Pop Icon Elton John’s Buckhead condo is available for $5M
One of the most successful solo musicians in history is leaving Atlanta, his home base since the early 1990s. As much as we hate to see him go, his art-filled, Architectural Digest-featured penthouse is now on the market for some lucky buyer. For just under $5 million, you could have the coveted views and 13,336 square feet to entertain in style like the “Tiny Dancer” singer.
Inside the curious world of the Delta Surplus Sale
After its 1995 founding, the Delta Flight Museum started holding sales a few times a year in its circa-1940s hangars. “We’ve sold a lot of unique items over the years, including a pressurized DC-9 door, an aircraft lavatory, aircraft crew rest bunk beds, and even overhead bins,” says the museum's director of operations.
Justin Amick comes full circle with the opening of Painted Park in the former Parish space
In January, the Inman Park space formerly known as Parish (which closed in early 2021) will welcome guests once again. It’s a full circle moment for Justin Amick, who is turning the building into Painted Park.
Review: The new Holeman & Finch is less offal, but still pretty good
Fifteen years ago, a somewhat hidden South Buckhead gastropub became a local and national sensation, based on an approach to food and drink that made it one of the coolest culinary kids in town. But yesterday’s Holeman & Finch is not today’s Holeman & Finch.
The verdict on 3 new Atlanta restaurants: Leftie Lee’s, Southern National, and Planta
Internationally influenced sandwiches in Avondale Estates, soulful Southern in Summerhill, and chic vegan at Krog Street Market.
WABE host Rose Scott sounds a lot like Atlanta
If there’s an Atlantan with something interesting to say, there’s a good chance they’ve said it to Rose Scott. Her radio program, Closer Look, which airs live every weekday afternoon on local NPR member station WABE, hosts a vibrant cross-section of the city’s movers and shakers, interviewed by Scott herself. “I always say we’re a curator of conversations,” she told me. “Community conversations.”
Alex Kinjo, of MF Sushi and Kinjo Room, opens Yakitori Kona in Virginia-Highland
Virginia-Highland has seen a lot of growth in the last few years, with businesses such as Pielands and Kinship Butcher & Sundry bringing new life to the heart of the neighborhood. Last year, Alex Kinjo (MF Sushi, Kinjo Room) quietly opened Vietnamese spot Mai Kitchen on North Highland Avenue. Last week, he launched another restaurant a few doors down: Yakitori Kona. Replacing Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, which shuttered in 2022, Yakitori Kona is intended as a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant serving Japanese street fare.
