Cakes & Ale and Atlanta Get NY Times Travel Treatment
Decatur Metro | May 8, 2011In this morning’s New York Times travel section, Kim Severson takes a look at Atlanta’s food scene from a national perspective and determines that Atlanta “is a bit defensive about its food”, but, “…over the past few years, Atlanta has experienced a notable upgrade in ambition that reflects a new kind of sophisticated Southern sensibility centered on the farm but experienced in the city.” (And yes, as you might expect, Scott Peacock’s name is mentioned in the next sentence.)
But Peacock’s left us for documentary filmmaker pastures over a year ago, and the meat (or should I say “guts”?) of this article centers around three, current and thriving Atlanta restaurants, farm-to-tabling it with the best of ‘em.
Nestled right next to the Atlanta city limits, Decatur is the love child of Berkeley and Mayberry. Along with the newly fashionable West End of the city, it’s where Atlantans are eating. And if they’re lucky enough to get a table, they slip inside this 1,000-square-foot corner shop and let Billy Allin, the chef, take care of them.
The washed ebony tabletops and little zinc-topped bar offer an appeal almost as immediate as the little gougères, filled with warm cheese, and the fried rice balls called arancini (with fennel pollen!) that will help you make it through the cocktail list.
The food here rarely overreaches, and it’s driven by what is growing in the local fields, including the garden behind the house Mr. Allin shares with his wife, Kristin, and their children.
Thanks to Commissioner Patti Garrett pointing out the link!
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I’m surprised people aren’t upset about the old Mayberry meets berkely saying. so many people I’ve met who have moved to Decatur in the past decade are against that saying. Lol, I know quite a few who want decatur to be know as the berkely of the south and want to banish any thoughts of “Mayberry”.
I’m only against it because I’m too young to really get the reference to either city. :). I’m smiling but it’s true.
Update the phrase. That’s a good post for a couple of laughs. Tomorrow!
HUH?!? What’s not to love about Decatur’s ” lookin’ out for everyone & tryin’ to do the right thing” Mayberryishness? It’s our enthusiastic embrace of all things community– from festivals to volunteering to coming together to plan Decatur’s future- that really makes us shine!
Maybe she meant Walnut Creek, which is more like it.
Defensive? How dare they? Not me!
“Decatur is the love child of Berkeley and Mayberry”??? Pretty confusing references and cliches about Diana Ross, People’s Park, and Andy Griffith. And since when is Decatur illegitimate? While I agree with the NYT assessment of Cakes and Ale, the writing seems uncharacteristically amateurish. Besides being a “love child, Decatur is “nestled right next to Atlanta City Limits…” Nestled? “Nestling” seems more appropriate for towns in valleys or up against mountains. Plus Decatur was here first. So Atlanta is plopped next to Decatur rather than Decatur being nestled against Atlanta.
You sound like old school Decatur now! Atlanta is a suburb of Decatur!
I liked the word “nestled”, but only because its a better descriptor than “suburb”. Gives you a better sense for Decatur’s location in relation to Atlanta. Not sure about “love child” though.
I like the term “inburb” which is not yet in dictionary.com or Wikipedia but is used on the web to describe a variety of cities in Texas, Denver and Montreal, as well as an area in Baghdad! Suburb is just an inaccurate term for Decatur. The word orgins according to dictionary.com are:
suburb
c.1340 (implied in suburban ), “residential area outside a town or city,” from O.Fr. suburbe, from L. suburbium “an outlying part of a city,” from sub “below, near” + urbs (gen. urbis ) “city.” Close to crowds but just beyond the reach of municipal jurisdiction, suburbs in 17c., especially those of London, had a sense of “inferior, debased, and licentious habits or life” (e.g. suburban sinner, slang for “loose woman, prostitute”). By 1817, the tinge had shifted to “inferior manners and narrow views.” Compare also Fr. equivalent faubourg . Suburbanite formed 1890; suburbia first attested 1896, probably influenced by utopia , originally in England with ref. to London.
Like all words, “suburb” has evolved in meaning and use over time (not to mention that there are many types of suburbs, such as “garden suburb,” “streetcar suburb,” “exurb,” etc). However, one defining characteristic remains unchanged and that is that suburbs are places that can exist, especially when measured in economic terms, by virtue of their proximity to and relationship with a larger city or metro area. So, despite its popular association with OTP subdivisions and strip malls, Decatur is a suburb whether we like it or not.
Decatur does not suffer from the typical economic challenges being faced by stand-alone towns. It is “sub” urban in the sense that it “forms a subdivision or subordinate part of a whole.”
That said, the ‘burbs still blow.
It’s worth noting that this article also sends some love to Miller Union, whose owners live in Winnona Park–so really two nice Decatur shout-outs.
Any press is good press. Having said that, I regret to report that Ms. Severson’s piece is condescending and amateurish.
She also complains about an open letter from a reader that, as it turns out, was gracious, informative, and empathetic — anything BUT “condemning.” I give Ms. Severson credit for supplying the link to the open letter, which compares well to her NYT piece.
And so the long day wore on.
FWIW, Kim Severson is our fellow Decaturite. She might even read this here very blog.