Dunwoody, Georgia parking lot (pic submitted by Chad)

The final Decatur Strategic Plan “Community Academy” is tonight at the Holiday Inn Conference Center beginning at 7pm.  Tonight’s topic: Understanding Development Issues.  From Decatur Next…

Join us Wednesday night, November 17, from 7-9pm, as we consider the prospect of development and how we can get the most out of it. From attracting the right projects to leveraging good design, we’ll move beyond tired discussions of whether new development is good or bad and start to look at the big gray reality in between.

During the meeting at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, participants will examine how much development is currently allowed under Decatur’s existing zoning, how much of that is already built, and what our prospects are for future growth. Then, in focused table discussions, we’ll take on the questions of how we attract the type(s) of development we want the most, along with what design tools or regulations might be necessary to ensure we all keep getting along.

You can’t really see it in the my terrible camera-phone picture above, but Pambili African Artworks has “Closing Sale” signs in its windows.

The shop had recently moved over a unit into a smaller retail space in the Artisan building.  As was reported here in the past, Pambili is owned by Nelson Mandela’s former Corrections Minister, Sipo Mzimela.

Am I the right person to ask this question?

As a person who certainly enjoys to eat, but doesn’t participate in that much food experimentation and certainly doesn’t get out as much as he used to – thanks kiddo! – the short answer is “No”.  But try to stop me.  I’m going to ask it anyway.

After a long-winded set-up of course.

With the recent announcement that Eurasia would be closing and replaced by another big name in the Atlanta restaurant scene – Ford Fry – just a few weeks after it was announced that Fox Bros. BBQ was opening a “Big Tex Cantina” in downtown Decatur, I’ve been a bit shocked at the restaurant evolution in Decatur over the past year or so – and during a pretty nasty recession no less!

I recall seeing an online poll recently regarding Atlanta’s best restaurant/food neighborhood that ranked Buckhead #1 and Decatur #2.  Now I’m not that hip on the restaurant scene, but the number of best-in-class establishments opening their doors in this city recently would suggest to me that Decatur might finally be able to give Buckhead (or the Westside?) a run for its money.

While Decatur has long been well-established when it comes to pubs and casual dining options, only in the past year or two has it begun to round out its options with a number of new higher-end and yogurt options.  All that’s left to pine for is a daily phalanx of food carts up and down the MARTA plaza.  To quote Richard III, “My horse for a soup cart!”.  Or something like that.

So, what do you think?  Do you think Decatur is now the unofficial food mecca of a food-obsessed Atlanta?  Perhaps think of it this way:  if you had to bring a “foodie” friend to one Atlanta neighborhood/city, which would it be?

(Atlanta food critics: feel free to chime in!  Either below or with your own posts/articles elsewhere.  I would enjoy hearing your opinions too!)