In a recent story, highlighting a trip to the new Method Coffee and Tea Lounge in Emory Village, Emory Wheel reporter, Ranjani Prabhakar, tells this story about its predecessors…

“It is interesting to see such a progressive shop emerge as a consequence of its predecessors. Caribou Coffee closed its doors only two years ago because the cozy space didn’t fit into an expansive corporate plan. The company’s new requirements called for drive-thru windows and massive square footage, neither of which came with the Emory Village setting.

Caribou’s successor, Inman Perk, only occupied the Village space for about a year. The small café was only filling the space as a temporary location before it too moved on to a bigger space in the nearby Toco Hills shopping center.

With luck, Method will not also become a victim of circumstance or move on to a bigger and so-called “better” location. The intimate space suits it.”

Wow…that sure is a different story than the one told to us by the owner of Inman Perk back in May, which involved $20,000 in needed renovation and a predatory landlord.

So 1) Where did the above story come from? and 2) who’s blowing smoke?

The Emory Wheel reports on a whole laundry list of car break-ins recently at Emory’s Peavine Parking Deck that sits along Fraternity Row (near the massive, new, under-construction Psych building)   But the article also goes on to state that this “trend mimics similar cases around the Emory area, including Decatur”.

According to police, most of these recent break-ins involve stealing GPS units.

The misses and I were lucky enough to attend the pre-pre-opening party at the Grange last night.

This was the very first opportunity to see the full operation in action.  The space was hopping with family, friends and relations, all enjoying the plentiful food and drink.

Here are my impressions, broken up into self-prescribed categories.

The space:  As has been previously noted…the Comers brightened up the interior by replacing the red rugs with hardwoods, painting the walls above the wood paneling an off-white color, reupholstering everything with a lighter green fabric and adding additional lighting.  It worked.  For a building with so few windows, it no longer feels like a cave.  Even the mafia booth now looks inviting!

The drink:  Here are the taps I can recall: Guinness, Highland Gaelic, LaGuinitas Censored, Harp, Strongbow, Sweetwater 420, Weinstephaner, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Peroni.  I believe there were at least two or three more that I’m blanking on.  No surprise here…The Grange knows how to pour a Guinness (which I can now say from personal experience).  There also seems to be a pretty extensive wine and liquor list.  So, regardless of your vice, you’ll be well-covered.

The food:  Now I’m no Blissful Glutton, but I do love my pub food.  Many items at the Brick are old standbys for me (Fingers & Chips mostly).  Last night at the Grange, we sampled the staples. I ordered the Shepard’s Pie while my  wife dove into a basket of Fish and Chips.  I must admit that my experience with Shepard’s Pie is limited, but to me, this was as good as comfort food gets.  Sirloin with peas and carrots, topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar.  Really good.  Icould see this being perfect for a cold or rainy day.  (Colin says its as close to their mom’s recipe as they could get it)

Onto the fish and chips.  With these, I’m pretty picky.  All too often the fish is too greasy.  But at the Grange we’re talking more authentic fish & chips, so instead of fish pieces/chunks, this is just one very substantial piece of fish over fries.  Because its larger, the fish stays more moist and flaky after frying than smaller chunks, and our piece really wasn’t greasy at all.  It was also very flavorful, and I found myself cleaning my wife’s plate/basket after finishing off the shepard’s pie.

The people:  To me, this is what this place is all about. People and atmosphere.  The Comer’s seem to be well-aware that even if they presented you with the best poured pint, if the waitress was giving you the fish-eye while you drank it, it wouldn’t taste all that good.  And though it wasn’t the typical crowd last night, (and you could tell that the staff were all dealing with the newness of everything), I’ll go out on a pretty sturdy limb and say this is going to be the one area where the Grange will really outshine the Angel.  Service is really important here.

Kids:  Some people were asking about the kid-friendliness factor.  We saw at least three kids (from infants to toddlers) last night.  High chairs are available and there’s a creative kids menu.  So while it might not be the “kid-friendly” idea of someone OTP (table crayons and balloon parties), its definitely right up the alley of kid-friendly Decatur-style.

Ultimately, I’m really excited.  The Grange is primed to be the next great addition to our community.

Check it out for yourself this Saturday after 6p!