Georgia Food

[patrice]

My youngest son has been accepted at Georgia Tech and we are traveling to Atlanta for orientation. In preparation, I am looking for good grocery stores, good restaurants, good anything! We are excited! Any suggestions?

[Little Bit]

Don't know a lot about Atlanta in recent decades, but since Alton Brown's show "Good Eats" seems to be filmed in the area pretty regularly, a fan website has locations of some of the stores mentioned.
Admittedly, some of the places mentioned on this link are NOWHERE near Atlanta, but a good many of them are, and might be a decent place to start.

HTH!

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/References/TheLocations.htm

[magdon]

Congrats to your son! GaTech is a great school, and Atlanta is a fun town. It's been 3 1/2 years since I lived there so some of this may be outdated. Good grocery stores: Harris Teeter, Publix, and Harry's in a Hurry (gourmet & prepped items). Also the DeKalb Farmer's Market. My personal restaurant likes (that I still recall) are Babette's Cafe, Harvest, Doc Chey's, Bacchanalia, Flying Biscuit Cafe, and Dusty's (for BBQ). The Varsity is also an Atlanta experience. As is Stone Mountain and it's lazer light show (depending on your kitsch tolerance level). Have a great time. I'm sure some BBers who currently live in Atlanta will have better advice.

[lhall]

Well, it all depends on what type of food you want to eat and how much you want to spend.

Bachanallia is good but painful on the pocket book, and I was told it takes 3M to get reservations.

There are tons of resturants in Downtown, Midtown , or Buckhead.

You can check out http://www.accessatlanta.com or http://www.atlantacitysearch.com for information on places to eat. Atlanta City Search is only the city proper, Access Atlanta includes all the many suburbs.

Leigh

[Melman]

A couple of updates on grocery stores though...all the Harris Teeter's have closed...and I'm pretty sure all the Harry's in a Hurry have closed. There are 3 of the full-sized Harry's Farmers Markets still open though...they were bought by Whole Foods and carry some of the WF brand names (like 365). I still want to go to the Dekalb Farmers Market though...I've heard wonderful things about it!!

Interested in shopping opportunities that don't necessarily involved food? At Exit 115 on I-85 is the Mall of Georgia. It's a HUGE mall (I think I read something like the 15th largest mall in the country). At Exit 108 is Discover Mills...it's one of the Mills Corporation malls. Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza are off Lenox Road (someone mentioned the Varsity...I think the exit for Lenox Mall is one of the next ones after the Varsity exit. Be sure to check one of the maps websites.) The North Georgia Premium Outlet Mall is about 30 miles north of Alpharetta...up Ga-400. They have a Williams-Sonoma outlet as well as a good variety of other outlet stores.

I guess I do more mall shopping than eating in Atlanta. ;-) I always make sure I go to Harry's when I'm down there!!

[lhall]

Originally posted by Melman
(someone mentioned the Varsity...I think the exit for Lenox Mall is one of the next ones after the Varsity exit. Be sure to check one of the maps websites.

The Varsity is on North Avenue just on the opposite side of the interstate from Tech. You'll see it. Lenox is a few exits up. You can take Ga 400 from I-85M and get off at the Lenox Rd exit. Then follow the signs. 3 floors of shops and Phipps is across the street. Actually, if you go via GA400 then you'll see Phipps first.

Leigh

[krhm]

Hey, I live by the Mall of Georgia! I was there last night, as a matter of fact. It is a great mall, but quite a haul from Tech. And the only restaurants there are chains...Macaroni Grill, Red Lobster, Chili's, etc. Right now though, I-85 is undergoing major weekend construction, and I would NOT recommend heading this way until after October when the road expansion is complete.

The Harry's Farmers Market in Roswell is by far superior to the one on Pleasant Hill in Duluth, IMHO, and you could avoid the whole I-85 mess. But lately I've found the Whole Foods markets to be just as great if not better. I'm sure there are some closer to Tech, but the one I go to is off of Roswell Road.

I don't know about restaurants or anything downtown, but the links that Leigh gave you will help a lot.

[patrice]

I have gone to Whole Foods up in the Chicago area and enjoy them, so I will be sure to hit them in Atlanta. Dusty's for BBQ sounds like the place for my son. Your replies are so positive, I know we will have a good time (probably not enough time) and my son will be glad to call Atlanta his new home. Thanks for your suggestions!

[rissole]

Originally posted by patrice
My youngest son has been accepted at Georgia Tech and we are traveling to Atlanta for orientation. In preparation, I am looking for good grocery stores, good restaurants, good anything! We are excited! Any suggestions?

Your son got accepted to Georgia Tech? Oh, I'm sorry. ;) Seriously, I went to Georgia Tech, so I have good reason for saying that! I assume he's starting Tech as an undergrad? Thankfully, I did my undergrad somewhere else. Not to bum you out or anything, but my impression of the undergrads there was that, in general, they don't have a lot of fun. They just seem too stressed out and unhappy in general.

ANYWAY, that's not what you asked. :) Tortillas and Eats on Ponce de Leon Avenue are pretty popular restaurants for college students. And every Tech student eats at the Subway on Spring St. at least once. Let's see, there's also a Mexican restaurant (can't remember the name) at the Kroger shopping center on Howell Mill Rd., but it isn't all that memorable. Then there's the Chinese Buddha on 14th Street. It isn't gourmet, but it's cheap and the food isn't bad. One good and inexpensive Indian fast-food restaurant is Zyka in Decatur (see www.zyka.com). And if your son ever feels like splurging, there's an all-you-can eat buffet at the Prime Meridian restaurant in the Omni Hotel. It runs around $14 and is usually pretty good. Well, that's all I can think of at the moment.

Best wishes to your son!

[Melman]

Hey krhm...I've never been to the Harry's in Roswell. I have been to the ones in Alpharetta and on Pleasant Hill. I like Alph the best of those two. How do they compare to the one in Roswell?

I really want to find out about the Dekalb Farmers Market though. One of our coolest kitchen shops is having a trip to Atlanta this weekend specifically to go to the market. I figure if this shop is sponsoring it, it MUST be excellent!! Can anyone compare it to something like Harry's or Whole Foods or whatever? And could someone post directions to it????

Thanks!!!

[krhm]

Oops, Melman, I should have said the Harry's in Alpharetta. We used to live over there about 4 miles from it, so you would think I would remember. We used to have so much fun going over there and picking out a bunch of exotic stuff, buying a good bottle of wine, and then coming home and experimenting. Somehow, the one of Pleasant Hill seems more mundane, has less of a selection, and isn't as big. But it is still pretty cool!

I've only been to the Dekalb Farmers Market once, and it was a while ago, but it was better than the Harry's in Alpharetta. You name it, it is there, and it was much cheaper. After we left, I felt a little dazed! (Actually, I can't believe I haven't been back...I need to plan a trip). There is a website: www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com that will give you a little mini-tour. As for directions, I won't be much help since I don't know the area at all!

[lhall]

Originally posted by rissole


Your son got accepted to Georgia Tech? Oh, I'm sorry. ;) Seriously, I went to Georgia Tech, so I have good reason for saying that!

I too hated my year at Ga Tech, I only went there for my freshman year. Decided engineering wasn't what I wanted to do, got a degree in history instead. Tech has a rep for admitting students then trying to flush out the ones that can't handle it. To their credit, they are working to fix this problem of freshman retention. I have this on good authority from a Ga Tech employee. Just be aware of this problem so you can help him get through that tough first year.

Leigh

[NJHunt]

I went to Tech and hate to hear all of the negative feedback.

I love Tech and I am a Yellow Jacket through and through. And I am a female.

I did meet my husband there - during our 4th year (most don't graduate in 4 years). And I wasn't looking for a husband. My husband, who has an undgrad and masters from Tech, is now doctor and we are in New Orleans were he is completing his residency. Tech teaches its students to think and process ideas very differently. It is something my husband and I have taken with us in our careers. I wish your son the best. It is hard, but the work pays off.

Atlanta is a fabulous city. I miss it so much. We actually hope to eventually settle back down in Atlanta when my husband's training is complete. I miss the shopping and the food (though, there is great food here in New Orleans and the people here are great).

Some of our favorites while at Tech were Fellini's pizza (by the slice) on the corner of Howell Mill and Collier. We also enjoyed R.Thomas - open 24 hours and all natural on Peachtree Street. The Flying Biscuit is good too and now there is one on the corner of 10th and Piedmont. Check out Piedmont Park, too. The renovations are really nice. Also, check out Eatzi's on Piedmont and Peachtree. Gourmet take out food - best cornbread I have ever had. My favorite chain is Houston's. Best shopping is Lenox and Phipps Malls (across from each other). I don't have Target in New Orleans, so that is a thrill for me when I go to Atlanta.

Good luck and enjoy your visit.

[patrice]

I value everyone's input. I think the comments about Georgia Tech are the same comments you could hear about many universities. I am glad I am not hearing "whooooa! It's a great party school, dude!" Your comments have given me an idea for a new thread. Thanks