Exploring Georgia’s first mountainside bike park, surprisingly close to Atlanta
Jarrod’s Place Bike Park is the brainchild of two thrill-seeking buddies with disparate dreams for the same industry. It celebrated its first anniversary May 7. And it’s already established itself—without really trying to—as an international destination, an anomaly in a burgeoning sport, and a boon for one of Georgia’s poorest counties.
A solar-powered bar comes to the Westside BeltLine just in time for the Lantern Parade
Lee + White neighbors ASW Distillery and Monday Night Brewing are teaming up to bring a solar-powered bar to the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail. Aptly dubbed SolarBar, it launches May 20, when the BeltLine Lantern Parade promises to bring thousands of pedestrians to the area.
Bastone to host Siciliano’s sandwich pop-up beginning June 9
If all goes well, Siciliano’s will be held monthly and eventually open as a brick and mortar elsewhere in the city. “We are definitely looking to do a sandwich shop in the future. We’re always looking at spaces,” Pascarella says. “We feel the Italian deli scene doesn’t exist yet in ATL, so we're just always trying to do our part.”
Planta and Planta Queen descend on Atlanta
From Meatless Mondays to dedicated vegans, many Atlantans are opting for more plant-based meals and diets as a way to eat healthier. Planta founder and CEO Steven Salm is here for it. He’s bringing two plant-based restaurants to the city: Planta will replace Watchman’s in Krog Street Market in late June, while Planta Queen moves into Buckhead Village in October.
Meet the team that wants to become the largest Black-owned restaurant group in the country
When I finally arrived to check out APT 4B, I met Clive Ruddock, a Jamaican immigrant who is part-owner of this and several other Caribbean-themed Atlanta restaurants—collectively, though unofficially, known as Every1Eats Hospitality Group. He, and later his partners, shared with me the unconventional but remarkable story of their rapidly growing enterprise.
The story of the Chattahoochee is the story of Atlanta. What is the river’s next chapter?
Today’s river is much better shape than it was in the 1970s. That feeds my optimism, but it’s the next part that gets me excited. Another stretch of the river is under restoration. If our own generation is as successful as the River Rats were 40 years ago, the green ribbon that cuts across the entire metro area will truly be a gift for all Atlantans.
The Christiane Chronicles: Where to find great Tamil cuisine in metro Atlanta
Where to find excellent Tamil cuisine in metro Atlanta, plus, can we please be done with Styrofoam, the little coffins made of waxed cardboard, and even the ecoconscious alternatives, which seem to be made of porous materials that suck the life and moisture out of the food?
Luxury fashion’s big bet on Atlanta
Recently, Givenchy opened an outpost at Phipps Plaza, the first for the brand in the city. Atlanta-founded label Bstroy debuted its capsule collection at the launch, which was attended by boldface names in entertainment, fashion, and culture such as Lil Yachty and Claire Sulmers. Says president and chief executive officer Renaud de Lesquen, “Opening in Phipps Plaza was a natural step forward for Givenchy. Atlanta is among the most vibrant metropolitan areas in America, and the House resonates particularly well with this diverse, creative, and dynamic market.” De Lesquen saw the opportunity many others see: All eyes are on Atlanta as a strategic setting for the evolution of a fashion brand.
Editor’s Note: Uber Forever
The way taxis work—or, more specifically, don’t work—in this town is dumbfounding. Imagine a company that promises to perform a service, then simply chooses not to. And doesn’t even bother letting the customer know.
Jerk is not a sauce
Everybody loves sauce. It’s an easy way to enhance, and sometimes outright save, the quality of an otherwise lacking recipe. But no matter how thick a sauce company might try to pour it on, there’s no culturally acceptable version of Jamaica’s famous and famously imitated jerk you can make simply by opening and tilting a bottle of sauce.