West Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur GA circa 1997 (pic courtesy of Downtown Decatur Facebook Page)
Eye on the Street
11 thoughts on “Eye on the Street”
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West Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur GA circa 1997 (pic courtesy of Downtown Decatur Facebook Page)
Comments are closed.
Yesh. And a gold star for anyone who can remember the hippie-dippy, new age playhouse that preceded Ya-Yas.
Ugh–I remember YaYa’s. Nice people, borderline awful food. They had some decent apps, but the entrees were never on point for me. Ordered the crawfish etouffee once, and it came out as a glutinous mess. When I asked the waitress why the sauce seemed almost colorless, she explained that it was a “roux-less etouffee”. Welp, if it ain’t got roux in it, it ain’t etouffee, so that was that for me. They closed not too long after that.
Love the Marlay. Love the Marlay owners and staff. Love the food, the beer, the water bowls for dogs.
So this place must’ve turned into, what, Angel right after that?
I had the worst single restaurant experience of my life in that place. They erased the tab completely save for the booze, they were so mortified. They came on like gangbusters when they opened and could not handle the crowds.
I can’t tell what kind of gun he’s carrying.
Agree, really wanted to like the place, and had a good meal there shortly after they opened. They went downhill fast. Waitresses were honest. Our third and last visit the food was terrible. The waitress readily agreed with our assessment, and attributed it to a party the night before resulting in staff-wide hangovers. She assured us it had been a great party though.
Say what you will about YaYa’s, but there is no denying that they were a catalyst that launched the West Ponce corridor. The three hour waits spurred Watershed to expand into dining ( they were just groceries and gifts before ). They also drew the attention of George Rohrig, who new Dave and Leslie, and he bought the camper property across the street which included the building where Dancing Goats is located ).
Leslie Lester was the real deal in the kitchen, but was not able to handle all the trappings of a successful business – and was often not in the kitchen.
Oh, and the theatre company that was there before YaYa’s was ” Jan Cox Looks at the Secret”
Most memorable thing for me was the months long renovation by the English pub guys. Ya Ya’s interior was bare bones. Now it is the best interior in town. In fact, I go in sometimes just to admire the woodwork. So credit all around – Ya Ya’s for turning the building into a bar/restaurant and changing West Ponce; Angel for making a huge investment in the interior; and Grange/Marlay for running a great bar.
I’m not a bar person but the warm, baronial library-style interior of The Marlay and the English/New England comfort food makes this place just right for me at times.
YaYas played a role in my decision to buy a place in Decatur. We stopped there for dinner after touring some places in the area and I was really serious about one on the West end of town. Our meal was superb and I remember thinking how great it was that I would be able to walk there! I made an offer and moved in shortly thereafter. I did get the chance to walk there a few times before the food started slipping, as noted by others. I sadly passed it going to other places towards the end and watched with fascination as The Angel completely revamped it. I do applaud them for giving the place such a fabulous patio & interior. I just wish I liked the food at the Marlay better.