June 2015
Features
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One Last Bite: The AJC’s John Kessler on leaving Atlanta
John Kessler is leaving the AJC at a time when newspaper budgets are shrinking, institutional knowledge is expendable, and the traditional restaurant critic is being treated more and more like a quaint anachronism.
Woodstock on the Water: An oral history of the Ramblin’ Raft Race
Every third Saturday of May during the 1970s, Atlanta hosted a raft race on the Chattahoochee River. Sounds simple, and it sort of was, until the race took on dimensions that even its founder, Larry Patrick, never imagined.
Going Country Without Nashville
Here in Georgia, a few country musicians are taking a pass on Music City, choosing not just to live here but to write, record, and perform here. The decision comes at a cost.
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The Connector
A close-up look at Atlanta-filmed Halt and Catch Fire’s Mutiny set
When it comes to meticulously era-appropriate set design, Halt and Catch Fire is the heir to the recently departed Mad Men. We asked production designer Christopher L. Brown (who has worked on both series) to walk us through the office set of Mutiny, a startup featured in season two.
Canine CellMates offers prisoners and shelter dogs a second chance
Days in the Fulton County jail are highly regulated. Inmates are told when to rise, when to eat, and when to sleep. But a select dozen inmates don’t just follow orders; they give some, too. Specifically: Sit. Stay. Shake.
There’s a drive-thru Waffle House in Stone Mountain
The Norcross-based chain is testing the concept for the second time; the first WaHo window opened in August 2008 and closed after a year.
Four things to know about Shameik Moore
One of the breakout performers at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Shameik Moore. He stars in Dope as Malcolm, a nerdy high school student navigating the rough neighborhood of Inglewood, California.
Summer reading list: Six new books from Georgia authors
From fantasy thrillers to tales of tennis glory, these six books from some of Georgia’s own are sure to keep you entertained while enjoying your summer vacation
Study: Warehouse clubs are making us fatter
What makes Americans obese? We can point pudgy fingers at giant restaurant portions or weigh the effect of sedentary Netflix binges, but here’s another hefty culprit: supercenters and warehouse clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale, and Walmart.
Video: A drone’s eye view of Stone Summit Atlanta
The 30,000-square-foot climbing wall includes routes that score 5.14 for technical difficulty—a rating assigned to pitches on the Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Stay classy, Atlanta: Erika Preval teaches modern manners
When new acquaintances learn what Erika Preval does for a living, they react physically. “People automatically stiffen; there’s a visible change in posture,” says the founder of Charm Etiquette, a one-woman training ground for gracious living.
The Bite
Technique: One Flew South’s Tiffanie Barriere on making festive punch bowls
Whether you’re planning a formal wedding reception or backyard cookout, a festive bowl of punch can serve as both a striking centerpiece and a tasty thirst-quencher. Tiffanie Barriere’s big-batch concoctions are more refined than the empty-out-the-refrigerator “hunch punch” she’d make for family get-togethers back in Texas.
Atlas
The chance to dine like modern royalty—waited on by attractive servers who manage to be attentive, alert, and friendly without being fawning—is a kind of gift to the city, the first luxurious hotel dining room since the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead fell victim to a crumbling economy in 2009.
Fresh on the Scene: American Food and Beverage, Diner, and more
Mini-reviews of four new Atlanta restaurants, including Le Fat, Diner, Gu’s Dumplings, and American Food and Beverage
Lion Tamer Bread is a haven for traditional bread lovers
Brian Dulisse, former baker at SUgar Moon Bake Shop, has opened his own shop near Emory University, Lion Tamer Bread. Dulisse features his homemade breads for those who can’t get enough of the crusty goodness that a good loaf offers.
The Christiane Chronicles: Atlanta’s best baklava, and are all the good restaurant names taken?
The best baklava comes from a shop famous around Atlanta for its pita, Leon International Foods. And a restaurant’s food may be highly complex, but that doesn’t mean its name needs to be.
Cake Art is a baker’s paradise
Looking for dinosaur cake toppers or 20 different colors of sprinkles? Cake Art is like a baker’s version of craft mecca Michaels, offering fondant in every hue, Darth Vader–shaped pans, and all the cake cutters and piping bags you’ll ever need.
Get to canning with Preserving Now’s Lyn Deardorff
Lyn Deardorff didn’t start canning until she got engaged and met her future, canning-obsessed, mother-in-law. Flash forward 40 years, and today she’s one of the South’s resident canning experts, teaching classes as Preserving Now at Piedmont Park, Serenbe, and the Nashville Farmers Market.
The Goods
Destination: San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio has been called “the Venice of America” because of the river that meanders through the heart of town. And now the city, a gateway from South to Southwest, has extended its River Walk walking and biking trails to stretch 15 miles, heading both north and south of downtown.
Editor’s Pick: Fresh bouquets from French Market Flowers
Around 80 percent of cut flowers in the U.S. are imported (mostly from South America), but at Krog Street Market’s French Market Flowers, you can pick up a bouquet that’s locally and sustainably grown by Cindy Tarrant and her husband, John.
The Love List: Rad Dad
You probably know a dad who’s pretty cool. Lucky for him come Father’s Day, we live in a hub of great menswear—lots of it made right here.
Room Envy: A colorful Parker Kennedy-designed foyer
Interior designers David Ecton and Lance Jackson of Parker Kennedy may be based in Atlanta, but their bright style takes inspiration from Palm Beach.
Meet John Petersen and Riley, designers of Gunner & Lux and Little Lux
When his daughter Riley was born, artist John Petersen began collecting vintage gems and baubles, thinking she might like them for dress-up one day.
Miscellaneous
June 2015: A river ran through it. So did beer.
In this month’s issue, we revisit another moment in Atlanta’s history—the legendary Ramblin’ Raft Race, which turned a 10-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee into something that was part circus and part bacchanal.
American Legion Fayette County Post 105
The military veterans of Post 105 had spent their best years doing hazardous jobs on behalf of their country, and now, on a windy blue morning, they did one more. Nearly 700 worn-out American flags had accumulated at their headquarters, deposited by various local patriots, and it was time for the quarterly cremation.
