Big Decatur restaurant news! Celeb Chef Kevin Gillespie announced this afternoon that he’ll be opening a new restaurant, Revival, in the former Harbour House Pub location at 129 Church Street this summer…
Atlanta-based chef, restaurateur, and author Kevin Gillespie, the man behind the nationally recognized Glenwood Park restaurant Gunshow, is taking aim at a beloved Southern institution with his newest project. Revival, located on the site of the former Harbour House Pub in Decatur, promises a fresh take on the traditional, family-style Sunday dinner, with a focus on farm-raised and artisan-prepared ingredients.
“I have fallen back in love with the traditional dishes I grew up eating, and those that represent the beautiful culinary traditions of the Deep South,” Gillespie says. “Inspired by the cooking of my grandmothers and the history of our region, I want to breathe new life into that classic family-style restaurant, or ‘meat and three.’ We hope to showcase the dishes with a passion and precision that is largely unavailable currently.”
Revival’s menu will offer a blend of meats, fish, and fresh vegetables, with seasonal options that change daily. Lunch will be served a la carte, while supper, Gillespie says, “will more closely resemble a classic Southern family-style spread served in your grandmother’s home. Revival will be like going to your grandma’s on Sunday—except every day.”
The setting even promises to echo a visit to your grandmother’s house, with a lush garden in the front and a spacious yard in the rear. Revival will be located at 129 Church Street in Decatur and is scheduled to open in early June.
Hells YEAH!!! This is fabulous news–Gillespie’s got the chops to make a real go of it. Can’t wait to welcome him & his peeps to the Decatur scene!
Wow! Huge news! I’ll miss Harbour House but CAN’T WAIT for Revival!
I went to Gunshow. Everything I had was really good. Some of it was even great. But not a single thing was worth what it cost. I ain’t paying $25 for meatloaf, bubba. I’ll stick to Our Way Cafe or eat at home, thank you very much.
I am a huge fan! I am thrilled!!
This sounds like it could be similar (but pricier) to Greenwoods out in Roswell. Old house with a garden and yard. Meat and three type food, though more “foodie” oriented, I’m sure. But if the fried chicken is even close to as good as Greenwoods, I’m in trouble.
Perfect venue for this kind of restaurant. I always thought this location is a challenging one and would need a destination restaurant to succeed.
Love the concept, love the location. But as J_T said… those prices better not be ridiculous. (Even if they are, the foodie hipsters will eat it up.)
His stated vision reminds me of “Founding Farmers” in Washington DC. The meatloaf there is only $16 🙂
I guess bocce is history, but hooray for another Decatur eatery that isn’t likely to be crawling with rowdy toddlers.
It DID say “dinner at your grandma’s”… Unless Chef Kevin is gonna come out of the kitchen and make you go get a switch from the yard, I guess.
Yeah, but the switch would be for the clueless parents who let their offspring run wild whilst they natter obliviously amongst themselves.
Aha, maybe that’s the meaningful delineation between generations–those who lived their first 5-6 years under threat of being sent to get a switch, and those who didn’t!
That location is terrible (relatively speaking, of course) and I share the concerns about high prices for southern staples that are well done at downmarket places for a fraction of the price.
Like everyone else, I like Gillespie’s cooking, but I don’t have high hopes for the long term viability of this one —
Completely out of context here but I don’t think I have ever seen a portrait of Kevin without his arms crossed and his tattoos glaring. I wonder if he poses like this for family photos?
The AJC uses a different photo / different pose.
While I appreciate “elevated comfort” food, I am getting sick of restaurants charging high prices for basic southern eats. I can throw down a Sunday supper to compete with most of what I’ve eaten out at Southern themed restaurants. I agree with J_T…not paying $25 for meatloaf. Decatur needs far more affordably priced eats in general. I hope this isn’t more of the same.
So I’m curious as to what some would consider an acceptable price for meat loaf. Greenwoods, the place I mentioned in a previous post, charges $15.95. Now some would say this is still too expensive for meatloaf, but it’s quite good (or it was the last time I had it several years ago), the portion is large, and it comes with two sides and bread. The venue is very similar to Harbor House.
I’d pay $9.99 for a good portion of meatloaf with two sides. Do you hear me, Kevin Gillespie??? I might even spring for an overpriced or cocktail if you don’t gouge me on the vittles!
My guess is, for $9.99 you’ll get a taste of his version of pimento cheese. Maybe two pieces of carbs as vehicles to get the said pimento into your mouth.
“I’d pay $9.99 for a good portion of meatloaf with two sides.”
So 50 cents more than Folks, nee Po’ Folks, charges. In the City of Decatur. With a celebrity chef. Got’cha.
Yep. It’s freaking meatloaf. I don’t need a “celebrity chef” making it. Sheez. Now get off my damn lawn, son!
And that’s why there’s Our Way Cafe. Go give ’em some love!
So not even a premium for all of the ingredients not coming off of a Sysco truck?
Nope. Sysco truck doesn’t come to my house and I can make a damn fine meatloaf for a pittance per serving. Same reason I can’t order bbq out anymore after getting a Big Green Egg. I’ll only pay a premium for things I can’t, or don’t want to, make myself.
Blue Ribbon Grill in Tucker has Meat Loaf for $9.95 with mash potatoes, gravy and green beans.
I would cheerfully pay $15.95 for meat-and-three served in a nice restaurant atmosphere IF the deal truly included the crucial aspect of “dinner at grandma’s house” mentioned above–ZERO TOLERANCE for misbehaving minors.
Hell yes. A zero tolerance policy I can get behind!
+ 1,000,000!!!
What is the feminine form of the word “curmudgeon” 😉
Sh*t. I meant to reply to STG.
I dunno… Straight Talkin’ Gal? 😉
Surprisingly, someone has considered this important question: csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum/2010/0211/The-quest-for-equal-opportunity-nouns. But with no resolution.
I don’t know, but if you want her to REALLY act like one, start singing Journey songs to her.
So the requirements for Decatur Restaurant success is
1. Local
2. Locally sourced
3. Chef driven
4. Cheap, family friendly prices
5. Very, very, quiet families
Can I just add that I’d like the servers to tip me when I eat there? I mean, that’s realistic, right?
Now hold on a minute there, Mr. W. I never said that high prices would prevent success. I just said that I personally wasn’t likely to pay the prices I expect to see. The new Decatur yuppie foodie hordes, on the other hand, will eat the crap* out of it!
*Yes, some of them will literally eat crap on a crudite if someone they saw cook on tv serves it to them.
There are several comments regarding price in this thread.
I am all those people. Or else I’m the only one that matters. Don’t harsh my buzz with your logic and stuff. Really, I just wanted to say “crap on a crudite”, damnit.
Don’t conflate “cheap” and “family friendly.” Apparently, price is no barrier to families. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that the more someone is paying for their meal, the more determined they are to not let their own howling offspring ruin it for them. Never mind that they’re ruining my meal for me, who doesn’t possess that magical ability to tune out the mayhem.
And the more determined they are to insist that it’s simply unreasonable that other diners should hope/desire for relative calm (not deathly silence, mind you–just a manageable din), or that the servers dare pray/hope not to be tripped up by munchkins who just can’t sit still. I mean, seriously, people–you’re just being anti-child and anti-family!
What if one restaurateur of this fellow’s stature were to take a stand and insist on civilized comportment by patrons of his establishment? Imagine people accompanied by misbehaving children being asked to intervene. Those who refused, being asked to leave… Just imagine, word getting around that here is a place where anyone with good manners can go for a top-notch meal and be assured their experience won’t be ruined (and their money and time wasted) by other people’s children running wild. The average proprietor can’t get away with it because they can’t afford to get blackballed by the parent mafia. But a celebrity chef could pull it off, I believe.
Oakhurst has become a nightmare because of unattended children. I tried to eat out there one night recently and some dude had his kid STANDING on a dining table and another laying down on the table playing with phones. No one thought this was strange.
Not to mention the unholy mess that some families with under-5’s leave–on the table, embedded in the seats, on the floor, the walls…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen some hapless busperson arriving at a table to prepare it for the next diners, only to get that shell-shocked look that comes with seeing a table/booth look like a scene from Animal House. I feel really bad for them, and also, frankly, more than a little disgusted with the parents. When did it become OK to allow your children to make the kinds of messes in public that most people wouldn’t dream of allowing them to make at home? Or, if they do allow it, how do they justify not teaching their children basic table manners & decorum? Children as little as 2 can be taught the basics–I know, because we were taught, and my sisters taught their children as well. But most saliently, we weren’t taken out to nicer restaurants until we’d mastered the basics. Thankfully, there are lots of well-behaved kids & parents who care to make sure they stay that way (in public). There are also way too many of the opposite, and they always seem to find their way into the places where I am at an hour long past when children that young should be in bed.
What’s the point of paying $50 for a meal that you can make at home for $10 if you can’t leave a mess?
“When did it become OK to allow your children to make the kinds of messes in public that most people wouldn’t dream of allowing them to make at home? ”
I’m constantly asking this. I think it coincides with the change that saw parents being friends with their kids more so than being their parents, but that’s just a theory. Also maybe it’s connected to what seems to be the norm now, which is that paying money, even the relatively small amount for things like meals out, game tickets, etc., entitles people to behave however they want.
True story: Two parties of diners enjoying outdoor meals at an establishment in Oakhurst. One consists of several parents and 2 or 3 or 4 little kids. The other consists of several adults and a well-behaved adult dog (on its leash, quietly lying next to their table). Kids are running around, indoors and back out, and eventually hit upon the idea of throwing pebbles at the dog. Their aim is good. Dog has no place to hide. Owners of dog seek help from server to intervene; server alerts manager. Manager asks parents to intervene, which they pretend to do but not really. People with dog give up, skip dessert and coffee, and leave (never to return, we can assume). Children continue as before, manager relieves besieged server for remainder of meal. When settling the check, one of the parents makes very snarky comment to the manager, disparaging the dog owners. Manager goes to the kitchen and bangs head against wall.
Anyone of any age who throws pebbles at my dog risks a major face slapping. Speak to the server? Leave it to the manager? Time for a direct hand on shoulder pinch their tiny faces come to Jesus moment.
That was my response, too. But the larger theme was how the manager felt helpless against the risk of alienating the parents, who would surely put the word out to all their cronies.
Anybody that lets their brat hit my dog with pebbles (or anything else for that matter) won’t get the benefit of having the server or the manager called–they’ll have to deal with me directly. Best believe I will CUT a MFer over my dog, especially if someone’s so slack that they won’t stop their kid from being cruel to an animal.
While I agree that the kids’ behavior was terrible I think that threatening to slap and stab children is completely inappropriate and over-the-top.
Read it again–it’s the parents who’d be in peril.
I don’t believe that anyone suggested slapping or stabbing children, but I’m also taken aback by this conversation. Surprising since it’s one that occurs endlessly, brought up and relished in by those delivering their distaste.
I also find it interesting that it’s often commenters who advocate for compassion most loudly in other areas on DM who pipe up here and lay down their disdain for parents of rowdy kids. I’m guessing it’s because we feel like we “know” these parents’ situation, that they took this upon themselves, and that in that same situation our behavior would be much different. In many other areas of conversation these same commenters would be touting our need for understanding and the general lack of understanding of other, more judgmental viewpoints.
“Anyone of any age who throws pebbles at my dog risks a major face slapping.”
I stand corrected. I took it as a statement of emphasis more than anything else, though it makes me quite uncomfortable.
“Compassion”?? Are you seriously arguing that someone making a conscious choice to let their children misbehave egregiously in public, disrupting other people’s dining experiences, is deserving of compassion?
Why not? Are you aware of all the other factors influencing their life and actions at that particular moment? Are they just inherently bad?
I have seen some DM threads get a little off track before, but this takes the cake. We go from the price of meatloaf to threatening to cut children and/or their parents for harassing a dog (STG, does it really matter if she was referring to the parents instead of the children?).
And while we are throwing out hollow threats, if you touch my kid…(talking to you AMB).
Pretty sure it’s J_T’s fault.
My bad.
No worries. Apparently it was Fats’ fault anyway.
Going out to eat is a discretionary choice. If their life is too stressful right then, for whatever reasons, to permit them to manage their children reasonably, then they ought to consider getting takeout or ordering food to be delivered and eating at home.
The reason this debate is perennial, and has the potential to become so heated, is that complaints about EGREGIOUS behavior get treated as though we’re a bunch of child-hating monsters who insist on dining in total silence and decorum. That’s not the case. I’m not complaining about the occasional squawk or overturned glass of milk or light litter of crumbs. My resentment is born of the countless times I’ve spent the money to dine out in what was generally considered a relatively civilized establishment (not the Chuck E. Cheese tier), only to have the meal completely disrupted by one or more children being allowed to indulge in prolonged yelling and/or running around and bumping into other diners’ chairs and making everybody in the vicinity (except their parents) a nervous wreck for fear they were going to trip a server carrying a scalding tray of food. When my dining companions and I can’t hear each other speaking in conversational tones because a youngster is screeching six tables away, then no, I don’t have “compassion” for that parent. They are choosing NOT to stay home, then choosing NOT to take the child outside until they calm down. In a doctor’s waiting room or any place where people have no choice about being, my expectations are totally different. But dining out in a restaurant is not something people MUST do, and they’re not entitled to do it in a way that disrupts other people’s experience.
Regarding the children hitting the stranger’s dog with pebbles: I’d be genuinely interested in what you and others think would be the appropriate response on the part of the dog owner, in that situation. What would you have done? What do you think the restaurant manager should have done?
Stress affects discretionary choice. They are interdependent. To say that they are stressed and at the same time fully capable of discretionary choice seems a bit of a false reality in this situation. (I know you’re rolling your eyes now, but hopefully you get my point)
As sure as you assume that you’re being portrayed as intolerant, I’m sure my position is being read as dreamily obtuse. I assure you that we’re not that far apart. But in a conversation where there are fake threats of violence being thrown around, responding with “consider the other extreme” can be an effective way to redirect the conversation.
Oh, good grief. I’m as compassionate as can be in situations that merit it. For example, parents with a kid who starts acting up/crying on a plane = deserving of compassion, because they’re as stuck as everyone else it (I certainly wouldn’t expect them to disembark at 30,000 feet). Parents with a kid who starts acting up/crying in a restaurant = not deserving of compassion because THEY CAN LEAVE, BUT THEY DON’T. There is NO excuse for any parent to allow a crying/screaming/misbehaving child to continue to doing so in public. I know people whose kids are autistic, and they truly cannot control their children’s outbursts–but when they happen, what do they do? They leave as soon as possible, or remove their child from the public area until s/he calms down. My ire is not directed at the children in any of these situations, however–it is, and always has been, directed at the parents. If that’s not the kind of parent you are, then none of my remarks are directed at you, and you shouldn’t take offense. If you’re offended anyway, then that’s cool, too–you get to be. But I also get to be disenchanted (and to express said disenchantment) with people who believe their rights trump everyone else’s. Parents who allow their kids to misbehave in public without taking steps to correct it fall into this category.
And this threadjacking was actually started by FM Fats (sorry, Fats– you did bring up the “free from rowdy toddlers” first. 😀 ).
Thanks. At least we’re back on the original threadjack topic now and haven’t descended to the chaos that is the yelling of “If you hurt my dog, I’ll slap your child/If you hurt my child, I’ll…” That’s where it was headed.
STG, to answer your question, I probably first would politely ask the child to stop (something like, “Please don’t throw rocks at my dog. It is [upsetting] [hurting] him/her”). If that didn’t work, I would approach the parents and ask them to step in and make their children stop. (If the parents were closer than the child, I may skip the first step. But, when you ask parents to discipline their child(ren), it is likely they will become defensive and things won’t go so well from that point forward). If that didn’t work, I would ask the manager to ask that party to leave (loud enough for the offending party to hear of course – I would want to make them uncomfortable an/or embarrassed and/or angry if we had come to that point). And if that didn’t work, I would leave myself.
Dawgfan: I would have done exactly the same as you, if I were in the dog owner’s shoes. (Which should tell all of us–and Congress–something about the existence of common ground where often least expected!)
I’m a little frustrated that so many people missed–or chose to ignore–the point I intended to make in relating this incident. That is, we have reached a juncture where a restaurant proprietor feels helpless to enforce fundamental rules of civility in their own establishment. That dismay was behind my original post speculating about what might happen if a celebrity chef with enough juice made the choice to say, We reserve the right to refuse service to anybody who is disrespectful to their fellow customers.
The parents’ decision to not intervene and overall lack of supervision as you describe it are both abhorrent, but I don’t have a lot of sympathy for anyone expecting to dine anywhere in Oakhurst without kids at the restaurant. Every restaurant in Oakhurst is kid friendly (at least until later hours) – they all have kids’ menus and most, if not all, have large decks which are in many ways ideal for kids. And I can only assume you were sitting outside since it is unlikely the dog was indoors. You weren’t at the Kimball House or Parkers or the Pig and you may need to adjust your expectations accordingly. And if you expect/demand zero tolerance for children, stay home (or at least don’t dine in establishments were kids are generally welcome). Even the best behaved kids have their moments, despite the intentions and efforts of their parents. Although children can be disruptive, so long as I see their parents trying to get a handle on the situation, I tend to be sympathetic as I know what it feels like when your children aren’t behaving as they should.
“Even the best behaved kids have their moments, despite the intentions and efforts of their parents. Although children can be disruptive, so long as I see their parents trying to get a handle on the situation, I tend to be sympathetic” — Me, too. That’s not the situation I and others complain about.
^Exactly. I get tired of people who seem to skip over this salient point in our comments.
This is exactly what I was thinking when I read your previous comment. I’ve cleaned up many restaurant floors after my in laws have just walked away from the mess.
Not to mention that a lot of hipster foodie restuarants make their bank on old, traditionally African-American soul food recipes. Just put a white celebrity chef at the helm, and white people love chitterlings and beef tripe. Lame food appropriation at it’s best.
Wow, where are you finding all these horrid children?? I eat out way too often in Decatur and Oakhurst and am not finding these awful toddlers. In the defense of babies and toddlers, sometimes parents really can’t help the mess at the young ages. My kids are in the older, well behaved (sigh, I can’t believe I am being forced to eat out with my parents and not even allowed to be on my electronic gadget) age, but I remember when they were young. I thought they behaved horribly, but people from other tables would actually comment on how well-behaved they were. This is my only indication that other parents have terribly low standards for their own children.
Re. the new restaurant-I am thrilled that I will apparently never have to leave Decatur. I will pay more for great food and good service and good ambiance. I wish the restaurants that charge a lot or above average, but do NOT have superior food and superior service would realize they need to lower prices or improve the other.
I think there’s a hormonal thing that happens to parents after they have children. Even though my children are big now and I have totally lost touch with what the hip stroller brand is these days, I still react to the sound of an infant scream with “Oh those poor parents, they must be so tired…” rather than annoyance. In fact, I usually volunteer to hold the infant–kind of miss being needed that way.
Re mess: We used to have an ~ 4’X4′ plastic, foldable mat that we brought to restaurants and put under the high chair. When we left, we folded it up and emptied the contents in a garbage can. And something similar for the table–disposable, I think. And we tipped REALLY big. Plus, we didn’t eat out that much–you had to have energy and time to transport and transition from home to carseat to carrier/backpack/stroller to highchair/booster seat back to carrier/backpack/stroller to carseat to home.
“Wow, where are you finding all these horrid children??”
Same question here. Sure, I’ve also seen occasional bad behavior and parents who are sadly indifferent to it. And for my money, little kids do not belong in higher-end restaurants at all after about 7pm. But this thread seems to suggest truly intolerable behavior is endemic, which makes me think people are being over sensitive to even mild misbehavior.
Maybe you overprotective parents should be more concerned with your children’s obnoxious behavior than my possible reaction to having my dog abused. I will take your child by the shoulder and I will get in their face and they will have a come to Jesus moment for hurting animals. Only their tiny psyche will be hurt though.
So stop making this more than it was.
Sorry, but I don’t think anyone is making this more than it was. You don’t get to make other people’s kids have a “come to Jesus” moment.
And putting all threats aside, if you were to do as you say, do you not see the potential/likelihood that the situation will escalate quickly? My first instinct would be to get your hands off my child, and I am not sure I would ask politely (or at all for that matter).
And let’s not even get into the fact that restaurants are designed for people, not dogs. I agree that kids shouldn’t go into dog parks b/c the dogs may inadvertently hurt/scare a child, but I also think that people who bring their dogs to restaurants with kids must understand that those kids may misbehave and may not treat their dogs as they wish. (And, I am not defending the kids or the parents in the pebble throwing situation – they both were wrong).
Well stated. I would be very angry and take immediate action if one of my kids threw rocks at a dog. But I’d have even less tolerance for another adult grabbing my kid by the arm.
“but I also think that people who bring their dogs to restaurants with kids must understand that those kids may misbehave and may not treat their dogs as they wish.”
I was actually with you till you got to this^ point. Wrong, wrong, wrong–and this attitude is part of the problem. Just because something might be a possibility doesn’t mean it’s reasonable to expect that one should anticipate it and “understand” it. People who bring their dogs to restaurant patios are not obliged to be understanding if a kid begins to hurl rocks at or otherwise abuse it, because this is completely unacceptable behavior. There are basic standards of behavior, and it’s not too much to expect children at restaurants, inside or outside, to abide by them. You wouldn’t like it if my dog came over & took a dump under your table, and if I allowed it, that would make me a bad pet owner. Yet, by your logic, such a possibility is certainly feasible, dogs being dogs, and you should curb your expectations accordingly and take it in stride. Nah. I don’t think so.
I suggest you think about the man who slapped a child in a Georgia Walmart a few years ago. He was charged with felony child cruelty and sentenced to a year in jail.
My dad can beat up your dad!
Also, meatloaf taste better when it costs at least $40 a slice. That is just the facts. 😉
To be clear, it is not acceptable to place your hands on someone else’s child, regardless of how awful the behavior or how oblivious the parents. Confront the parents, summon the management, call the ASPCA or whatever, but keep your hands off the child. Failure to do so is a surefire recipe for fisticuffs, incarceration or worse. It can only end badly.
Here’s my problem with such expensive meatloaf-if the meat is so good-local, organic etc, then why would you be grinding it up for meatloaf? A $40 steak seems reasonable. A $40 plate of meatloaf-not so much.
I like meatloaf and children better than steak and dogs.
Just because you can make a meatloaf, doesn’t mean you should have one.
I like all four of those things. As long as they are all cooked medium – rare.
Now my comments are being moderated. Feels like I’m being disciplined for challenging the moderator’s comments earlier.
You’re so quick to assume the worst of me. The system moderated that comment, not me. The fact that this comment went through without moderation at all should be proof of that.
It was the one addressed to Dawgfan, correct?
From out here in the audience, the system is you. As I understand it based on past experience and observation, “the system” holds comments for moderation if they contain hyperlinked URLs; and other comments get moderated at your discretion. That may well be an incomplete understanding of how it all works, but it’s what I have to work with.
When I posted the comment, I got a message that it was being held pending verification of identity and to watch for the email. Unclear why that happened, since I had not logged out of my browser or otherwise caused the site to lose track of my identity since my last comment a while earlier. The email came through almost instantaneously and I followed instructions. I then got a screen indicating that identification had been verified and the comment would be held for the moderator’s approval.
I was indeed quick to comment about that, but all I said was what it felt like.
Understood. There are words that can’t be said, so those get moderated. But if you got an email confirmation then the system thought something changed about your login. It almost always works but not always. I’m not sure why that comment got held honestly. I looked through it and didn’t see anything obvious.
P.S. you can post one url now and not get moderated.
Welcome Kevin!
http://youtu.be/DpQw3WLP3E4
Looks like Avondale.
Well, if Kevin G reads through these posts, he made decide to locate his new concept in Avondale.