Atlanta Magazine

 The word “staycation” rose to popularity in the early aughts, earning a spot in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary in 2009. The idea of vacationing in one’s hometown remains alluring, as it requires less pre-planning than...

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.

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.”

In August, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, lead by Edward Blum, filed a complaint against Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, claiming its Fearless Strivers Grant Contest—which offers grants to Black women-owned businesses—is a “racially-discriminatory program” that violates the law’s “guarantee of race neutrality.” The case will be heard in federal court later this month.

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.

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.

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.

Chicheria MX Kitchen comes from the team behind Buena Vida Tapas & Sol, Juan Sebastian Calle and Adam Berlin. A Baja-inspired spot, it’s intended to bring a new style of Mexican food to the area, focusing on nutrient-rich, vegetable-laden items made in house. Top Chef alum Whitney Otawaka consulted on the menu, which executive chef Alejandro Tamez (Otawaka’s former sous chef) will implement.