Tag: Alon’s Bakery

Voluptuous babes with knowing smiles are hard to escape at Motorboat, a water sports–themed sandwich shop and deli on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Baywatch plays on the TVs, and the walls are covered with artwork resembling the jean shorts–clad pinups painted on the side of fighter jets during World War II. You either hate or love the wink.

Mario Ali, owner of Belli Pizzeria in Colony Square’s Politan Row, opened Cafe Belli in Hapeville in March. There, he’s been serving Ferrero Rocher and lavender matcha lattes, along with espresso, cappuccino, and cold brew made with Italian coffee beans. Last weekend, he expanded the cafe offerings to feature a bar program in the evenings.

Like naming a baby, picking the right name for a restaurant can trigger high-level anxiety. Will the name be easy to pronounce and remember? Will it stand out from the others? How Google-able is it?

I’ve always had a thing for spoons—their shape, their size, their depth, the roundness of their bowls. But far too often, I am given the wrong kind of spoon—if I get one at all. Plus, praise for Mary Ingersoll-Weeks and Alon’s Bakery's cheese counter.

When Alon Balshan left Israel, he was 25 years old and his bank account—which was his pocket—contained 500 American dollars. He made his way to Atlanta and, in 1992, opened his bakery in Morningside. We talked to Balshan about his culinary roots and his time in the South.