John Kessler: “Decatur Has Emerged as Greater Atlanta’s Most Vibrant Dining Destination”
Decatur Metro | October 30, 2011 | 9:10 amThe front of the AJC’s Sunday Living section today features an extensive recent history of Decatur by John Kessler, told through the eyes of its restaurants and bars. Here’s the intro…
The Acunto pizza oven lays claim as the Maserati of kitchen equipment — beautiful, sleek and powerful. Handcrafted in Italy, these racing-car-red ovens can transform a pile of burning wood into an inferno capable of cooking a pizza in 90 seconds.
Of the three restaurants in greater Atlanta that boast Acunto ovens, two sit 500 feet apart in Decatur. The new pizzeria Sapori di Napoli occupies former office space and promises to give the east side of metro Atlanta some of the cheesy magic of Antico Pizza Napoletana on the west side. No. 246, about two blocks from Sapori di Napoli, offers a hugely ambitious Italian menu in the space that old-time residents knew for decades as the Square Table, a down-home diner.
The Square Table was a stalwart of a very different Decatur.
246. Ate. Ten!
You are so clever, Parker!
Brilliant!
-1.
Not because I don’t find this witty and amusing but because there’s apparently a new policy that nobody can say anything without someone taking them to task for some insignificant but perceived slight. In this case, I suppose I need to speak up for the Roman numeral lobby 😉
Well shucks.
246. 2 visits, 2 salads, 2 hairs…
-1 for inclusion of Decatur Diner.
I agree that the mention of Decatur Diner makes it read like it was NOT written by someone who lives in Decatur.
Kessler does live in Decatur.
I know. He lives on the same street as the Diner. But I said mentioning the Diner makes it read like it was written by someone who does NOT live in Decatur.
I would appreciate the resurgence of Decatur more if people didn’t feel compelled to slam the city before their bar, restaurant, family (pick one) arrived. It wasn’t a slum before you decided to locate here. It won’t be a slum when you move to the next trendy locale.
Umm…No one said they thought it was a slum.
Perhaps they’re referring to this quote from the AJC article:
“People from outside used to think of Decatur as a crappy little town,” says Cakes & Ale’s owner and chef, Billy Allin, recalling the 1980s and early 1990s when the city was still recovering from the reconfiguration of its town center for the MARTA line more than a decade before.
Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but that isn’t someone saying “Decatur was a crappy little place”, it’s talking about what it’s image outside the city used to be, in one person’s experience.
I flinched when I read Billy’s quote, too. First of all, who ever really thought of Decatur as a crappy little town? I’ve lived in the ATL metro area for 25 years plus (remember the Square Table well) and I only recall people talking about Decatur being kind of sleepy.
I cringed when I read that too. However, I admit to thinking and voicing such sentiments myself from time to time. I moved here almost 20 years ago. My recent year and half exile aside, I’ve lived in or near Decatur since the early 90’s. The downtown of the Square Table and Grog Shop was a very different place. In some ways it was indeed “crappy”. It’s only in hindsight that many of the charms of that town are revealed.
While I would not really want the Iberian Pig to revert to the Grog Shop, I do miss having a place where lawyers, mechanics, salesmen, plumbers, police officers and naive grad students like myself could all meet to play pool or darts. And on a similar note, the Square Table would not draw a single visitor downtown from beyond a mile radius but I doubt that Ford Fry is ever going to ask someone how school is going and remind them to call their mother because she probably misses him. No. 246 charges fifteen bucks for a small pizza from their thousand degree oven and I’m sure it’s awesome, but I’d gladly pay many times that for one more hard-as-a-hockey puck sausage biscuit and a flat Coke with Speros Millas.
The beauty of Decatur is that it’s been able to keep much of its charm and character while going through the transition to destination status. We may not have liked the perception that people had of the town fifteen years ago, just as people in Alpharetta or Dunwoody may not appreciate their towns being viewed as suburban hells, but it’s silly to deny that such perceptions exist. I just hope that we never completely lose the unique local character of this great town that I’m proud to call home again.
Is he still alive? He was so nice! Loved going there as a student and being teased for not wanting the anchovies on my salad.
Speros passed away in 2009.
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/08/24/the-square-tables-speros-millas-passes/
Sleepy is a good way to describe the way Decatur was when I moved to it as a single person. It was family-oriented with mostly good schools back then but not trendy. No eating establishment was open downtown on Sunday evenings except Mick’s, which got old. I did most of my socializing outside of Decatur whereas now it’s just the opposite. Decatur was also less safe and I’m not just referring to parts of the south side. Many homes on the northside, including in the “Great Lakes”, had bars on the doors and windows. That’s much less common now. But Decaturites were incredibly loyal, then just as now. I was impressed by how many folks I met who had grown up in Decatur, gone to DHS, maybe left for awhile, and now were back in Decatur to stay.
The message I got was that it was “crappy” until HE got there….
Not sure why you have such a bone to pick Pete, but you are so wrong. Here is the entire quote with the context given by the author:
“People from outside used to think of Decatur as a crappy little town,” says Cakes & Ale’s owner and chef, Billy Allin, recalling the 1980s and early 1990s when the city was still recovering from the reconfiguration of its town center for the MARTA line more than a decade before.
Cakes and Ale didn’t open until, what? 2007? 2008?
Not to mention he also followed up by saying, giving credit to other restaurants around Decatur: ““But now it’s hopping. There’s such a nice variety, and people walk to the square to see where they can find a table.”
He was at Watershed for 3 years before C&A. No bone to pick – I just didn’t have good experiences there. Too pretentious for me, er, excuse me, for Decatur, IMO.
I say give the guy a break. I’m sure that the reporter spent 30 minutes talking to him and this was the quote they chose to use. I’m sure even Billy “cringed” a little when he read it. If you’ve ever been quoted in a newspaper then you would probably understand. In any even, I don’t think he meant that Decatur was a “crappy little town.” He said people from OUTSIDE Decatur had that impression.
He was from the “outside” before he got there.
Great to see our little “village” is finally getting some real accolades! But amazingly weird how Kessler barely mentions Decatur’s stalwart, Cafe Lily. Ask your average Decaturite, and they’ll tell you it’s the best restaurant in town. Ask an outsider, and they’re more likely to mention the trendy spots. As a local, I can personally vouch that CL is just as good as any of those other places, albeit not as fancy. But they’ve been there for over 10 years and still get good reviews. And I’m sure we’d all like to see Decatur Diner gone before the end of the year and something eclectic take its place. I’m happy Decatur has finally “graduated” in the eyes of the critics, though!
Everyone’s entitled to their favorites, Pete, but as a fellow local, I’ve never been able to discern Cafe Lily’s charms, despite repeated attempts. I’m glad people (local or otherwise) enjoy it, because I love seeing businesses in our town succeed (especially for as long as CL has), but the actual quality of the fare here has just never impressed me.
Maybe it’s the lump in your throat?
Well, as we all know, lump, there’s no accounting for taste, but restaurants simply don’t succeed unless the food and service are good, especially in a deep recession. In other words, something’s obviously working over there. At least CL doesn’t pretend to be something they’re not, which is all-too common with restaurants these days.
So it’s okay to cast aspersions on the Decatur Diner but not Cafe Lily largely because (as far as I can discern) you personally prefer one and find the other tacky? Hmm… I’m not a fan of either place, but I accept that both have their adherents. Sounds like Kessler does too. But I don’t think either warrants attention outside of the neighborhood. You seemed to take offense that Kessler failed to mention CL as anything but a neighborhood place, and at the same time affirmed that that’s exactly what it is.
My point is, I’m a Decaturite and John Kessler is a Decaturite and we’re just not as enamored of CL as you are. And it stands to reason that there are many locals who are similarly ambivalent. So don’t generalize that it’s somehow common knowledge that everyone in Decatur loves the place as you do. Isn’t it enough that it’s successful?
?? Wow! Somebody’s acting a bit pretentious, eh? Not to mention slightly defensive? I never said “everyone in Decatur” likes Cafe Lily. And I never said there were no other good restaurants in Decatur. Sure, CL is my personal favorite, but YOU shouldn’t generalize that most Decaturites DON’T like Cafe Lily as much I do! (notice how I say, “most,” and not “all”) Doesn’t warrant “attention outside the neighborhood”? Sure doesn’t sound to me like somebody who wants to see Decatur succeed. I’m beginning to think you might be Kessler himself in sheep’s clothing.
Well, I can definitely lay your concerns to rest. I am most certainly not John Kessler (nor do I always agree with him).
I’m glad you like Cafe Lily. I glad many people do. I wish them all success. Let’s just leave it at that.
But please don’t accuse ME of wanting to see Decatur or its businesses fail when you’re the one saying things like this: “And I’m sure we’d all like to see Decatur Diner gone before the end of the year and something eclectic take its place.”
Decatur Diner is not a real restaurant. It’s a flimsy prop-up, a sham. It has nothing to do with what we’re talking about. I only mentioned it in agreement with Bo’s post from earlier.
I can only think you missed the point of my original post entirely. I was merely slamming Kessler for writing about the Decatur dining scene without giving enough attention to one of its most successful places (which also happens to be my favorite place). That omission, in my opinion, doesn’t do Decatur justice (and I also like to root for my favorite places). Many a trendy place has come and gone during CL’s lifespan (and Watershed’s, for that matter). Every restaurant in Decatur is a “neighborhood” restaurant, by definition, unless it’s part of a chain, and CL remains one of the “neighborhood’s” biggest success stories, despite your opinion, my opinion, and yes, even Kessler’s opinion. Happy to lay it to rest and to leave it at that.
I’m not sure what you two are actually arguing about.
Good grief. Me either.
“Were” arguing about. Don’t fan the ashes.
Good grief, both of you!
Hmmm, I have always gotten excellent food, wine and coffee at Cafe Lily and exceptional service from Host to wait staff. It is one of my go to places and I always spend a lovely lunch on my birthday there.
Even weirder is Kessler’s treatment (i.e., failure to acknowledge its existence) of Cafe Alsace, which is every bit the stalwart Cafe Lily is. In fact it’s been open two years longer than Lily.
Bravo, labdad. Yet another venerable spot and another one of my… er, excuse me, Decatur’s faves. 😉
For the record, I love Cafe Alsace.
I just wish Cafe Alsace had a damned bathroom.
It doesn’t? I could swear I’ve used the bathrooom there!
Of course it does. You have to walk through the kitchen to get there (which I sort of like), but there definitely is one.
Take a look at the last page of the menu next time you’re there. There is no public bathroom in the restaurant and there is a paragraph explaining how it wasn’t required when the place opened 14 years ago. I’m sure there’s a bathroom for the staff and I’m sure patrons can use it if necessary, but officially there is no public restroom.
Christ, people will argue about ANYTHING. I’ve taken a piss there, and I didn’t have to sneak past the staff to do so. Is that good enough for you?
This is a new policy – the restroom was open to patrons two months ago, but the policy changed sometime in the interim.
FWIW, I ate there Saturday night. When was the last time you ate there Jeff? The meal was great, but honestly, I may think twice about going there anymore if I can’t go there anymore.
Admittedly, it’s been some time since I last ate there. Maybe a year. If they really have closed off the restroom to customers, I will likely not go there to eat anymore.
Went there for brunch last Sunday. The restroom is no longer public access. There is a note on each table alerting customers. We held back on the second cups of tea!
Without a doubt-it was Cafe Lily that paved the way-solid, great people, wine spectator awards, consistent-great value
The fact that Decatur Diner received a mention minimizes the entire article
Yes Decatur use to be a bit of a crappy town but a crappy little town that many of us have loved for years.
Oh wait, that says lump in the road.
This is a silly thread. Mr. Kessler wrote a flattering article about Decatur’s dining scene. He suggested it was happening. Hard to disagree with that.
+1
Blogs are for free discussion, where you may read, ignore, agree, disagree, and/or chime in at will. Nothing wrong at all with criticizing Mr. K’s article through thoughtful debate.
I am detecting a common structure to DM threads that involve issues people really care about:
Step 1: Post on DM about a restaurant, transportation issue, crime, CSD, and/or parenting
Step 2: Snarky comment
Step 3: Counter-snark
Step 4: Increasingly hostile snarks and counter-snarks
Step 5: Comment by DM to keep the snarks civil–no personal attacks allowed
Step 6: Slightly less hostile snarks and counter-snarks
Step 7: Snark about how stupid it is to even care about this non-issue
Step 8: Comment about how snark and counter-snark is what blogs do and it’s ok as long as no personal attacks occur
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Sort of disheartening, isn’t it? I’m trying to turn the tide, but it ain’t easy.
Maybe we could post abbreviated comments, like “Step 5. Enough said.””, and the whole process would go faster! The good news is that real information, useful discussion, and humor occurs among the snark, hostility, and cynicism. At least once a week, I learn something useful that I absolutely would not have known if I just relied on the AJC, NPR, internet news, and my own small network of similar-thinking friends, family, and acquaintances for my information.
Thank you for your efforts.
Yes, thank you.
Ha! Then, Step 9: a meta-comment on the DM community. I confess my guilt in being a lazy and reflexive step 7’er. So I’ll try to say something more thoughtful.
Here’s what I took away from the John Kessler piece, based on my experience with the Decatur dining scene. It seems like there might now be a critical mass of destination dining in Decatur. Restaurants that serve the community but also attract metro-wide and even regional attention. And I would agree with him, that Brickstore and Watershed were the first to grab that sort of attention but did not combine to create what’s looking like a chain reaction. All in very close proximity. (Although I am mystified as well by the mention of the diner, unless it was to fill in his argument that all needs are served, even if those needs occur at four o’clock in the morning.)
I think this movement has been struggling to be born for a while. In the meantime, a few places have been quietly surviving, like Alsace and Lily. Others have bloomed and then gone away. Does anyone remember Trattoria 515? Or the Cuban tapas place in the same spot on North McDonough?
Now, a generation later, we have this cluster of really noteworthy spots. And this change has occurred in the middle of an epic economic downturn. Pretty amazing.
Let’s not forget Cosi (Cosecha), Atlantic Star, Eurasia, Bundo’s, Coyote Grill, that little French place in the now Wells Fargo bldg (was it Claudette’s?), among others I can’t remember right now… An Indian place near Eddie’s Attic? RIP, all….
I used to love Coyote’s when it was in the place where Big Peach is now. In its new location, not so much for some reason. So sorry it had to leave the square-environs.
It was forced to leave. The landlord raised the rent 4x over local rents. Not much profit in Mexican food but the tortilla soup is still delicious.
Their current landlord is not much better.
And let’s not forget Oz Pizza. They served a pretty decent stoner pie for a while there…
loved oz pizza!!! was our fav, for sure!
Don’t forget our dear departed 5th Earl…I still get a hankering for their sandwiches and soups.
+1 I do miss 5th Earl. Nice folks; nice little wine bar, great mussels, too. WIsh they’d find a new spot to land somewhere in the city, but I guess their time to do so may have passed.
I can’t remember if it was Trattoria, Cosi/Cosecha, or something else but there was a Latin place of some sort right where Sammiches is now and it served the best osso buco ever. Flan was pretty good too. I was heartbroken when the place disappeared. I still have a faint hope in the bottom of my irrational heart that it will come back, somehow, sometime….
Trattoria was in the Sammiches space. Owned by the same people who had Camille’s in VA Highlands and San Gennaro on Cheshire Bridge. Wonderful food! Would be a huge hit here now.
Trattoria was yummy but there was also a Cuban tapas place in that spot at one time. Also very good. I think it was owned by the same folks who owned the long-lived Mambo in VaHi.
I think this might have been the place with the osso buco and flan…..
I’ve got no snark today, but you all are getting me hungry.
Heehee: all needs are served, even if those needs occur at four o’clock in the morning. That sounds like the old Ponce!
I waited tables at Mick’s (orgianlly Buck’s) in its heydays 1989-92. The square was pretty dumpy back then; downtown was deserted/uninviting when I got off work at 11PM. We were catious about walking to Trackside for a nightcap. I think the opening of Eddies Attic did a lot to push the square in the right direction. I remember the Food Company opening on the square in the early 90s.
Didn’t Food Company originally open on Church north of Clairmont?
Yes, I remember that. It was in a converted cottage that had a porch, I believe, in the general area of where Roly Poly used to be. Did something like Jaunt, a hair salon, take over the location after Food Business moved to the Square?
I’m pretty sure Food Company and Food Business were two separate things. The Food Business was a restaurant on the square for a number of years . The food was excellent. I still miss that place.
In the early 90’s there was a different business called the Food Company in one of the little houses along Church St. I don’t believe there was any connection to The Food Business. They sold take out gourmet food. Didn’t last long.
The owner of The Food Business did try a take out venture on Ponce in the space that is now Taco Mac. It was called Metro Market. So sorry that didn’t last . Loved the bakery and the takeout food.
Both places were probably ahead of their time. A bit before dining out /take out became such a regular part of life for so many households.
As I recall, the owner of Food Business/Metro Market got an offer from Emory she couldn’t refuse. Coordinating all of Emory’s catering,or some such. Can anyone confirm? Anyhow, it provided a regular paycheck, with benefits, and let her continue to cook creatively.
That explains it–Food Business, not Food Company–never realized the two were not the same.
Agree that Metro Market was wonderful. I always thought it must have done something wrong business-wise because the concept was apt, even then. The landmark Decatur Kid Boom had already started and was simmering although it was famously not recognized yet by a certain school system. Busy working Decaturites with toddlers in tow were looking for good prepared food and Alon’s was not on their routes home from work and daycare. Perhaps Metro Market catered a little too much to the urban professional crowd–I don’t think all the downtown condos were built and occupied yet. It needed organic baby food and mac n’cheese for the rugrats. I thought that was what doomed Voila, where Farm Burger now is–I loved their to go meals but the food was not acceptable to the little ones whose taste buds were still so sharp that they prefered bland over unique or spicey. On the other hand, if Metro Market had survived and thrived, Sawicki’s, Oakhurst Market, The Mercantile might have had too much competition to take root.
The concept was novel for the area, but doomed from the start. It was confusing in there. You had toilet paper and kitty litter right next to gourmet cake mix. The kitchen was designed for large-scale baking and catering, so there was a lot of wasted space for the rest of the market. To make things worse, everything was way too expensive. If I remember correctly, at that same time, there was a nice, little Harris Teeter where Kroger Jr. is now, and it suited the neighborhood far better. At the Metro Mkt location. a true, Happy Herman’s-type gourmet market (without the sundries) would probably still be open there today!
My recollection is slightly different. As I recall, the Food Business occupied the little yellow cottage on Church Street for maybe a year or two, then moved to the square after Clark’s Music (?) closed up. Same place, two locations.
Then, I believe Metro Market was a joint venture between the woman who owned Food Business and another person, while she was still involved in the restaurant. Not positive though.
Yes – same place, two locays. The cottage became a hair studio. I believe she sold FB to her bar manager (and maybe others), who opened Birdi’s. I heard she partnered with her then FB chef to open MM.
The Food Business located on Church St. is before my time in Decatur. I always knew it in the location on the square. I guess that first location is what FM Fats was talking about. My mistake .
There was something called the Food Company (.. or maybe Food for Company ?) that set up on Church St in one of the small houses in the lates 80’s / early 90’s. It was near the back entrance to Clairemont Oaks. All the food sold was take out but I think the the house had a small deck on the side with a couple of tables . That house later became a hair salon .
I’m sure of this because I mistakenly thought the Church St take out place was a new branch of the The Food Business on the square. Tried it once and realized my mistake.
I think the place you’re talking about would have been in the late 90s. I feel like the Food Business moved from Church to the square somewhere around 96 or 97. When they were on Church, they had a huge (for Decatur at the time) brunch following on the weekends.
I’ve been here since the early 80’s . For some reason Food Business didn’t get on my radar until it moved to the square. Too bad, I’m sure I’d have loved those brunches.
I guess my memory is foggy on this. I thought Food Business was on the square a while before the Olympics. Thanks for setting me straight.
The Food Business opened on Church as mostly a gourmet take out. It moved to the Square in the old Clark’s Music space and converted to Birdi’s in 2002. Food Business was owned and operated by Deena Keeler who stayed on as a consultant to Birdi’s which was owned by Dewayne Mullis, Doug Sheffield and Sherri Dupree. Deena also owned the Metro Market.
DIdn’t Deena leave Food Business so that she could get a degree in nutrition? She did delicious catering out of the Food Business before it moved to square, I thought the big kitchen at MM was to help facilitate catering. mmm.
wow, this whole “history of Decatur restaurant locations” is making me feel old.
Big fan of Cafe Lily. The Pinchitos is one of my favorite dishes anywhere.
Which came first, Bucks or the Square Table? I remember when that’s all there was. Could not ever get myself to walk into the Square Table. They had posters of food in their window that were faded…all the red and yellow faded out so that the food looked blue-ish green. Couldn’t get beyond that.
Oreo cheesecake.
Square Table was long before Bucks. I think Square Table was open about 30 years. I ate there the day it closed and had a long talk with Speros. A very sad day. For all you restaurant history fans, who remembers The Plantation Cafeteria, Stan’s Sandwich Shop and The Cake Box, aka, The Fat Shop.
And Conversations was a fancy newcomer! And there was a Huddle House on the square.
Good ones! I believe Conversations was the first new business to go in the vacated Belk Gallant store.
Definitely Square Table. That restaurant was a fixture in the 70s and 80s. Buck’s was opened around 1986/87 by Steve Nygren and eventually evolved into a Mick’s when he added this less formal restaurant model to his Peasant Restaurant Group.
Over 60 responses and nobody’s even mentioned the Hardee’s…
You and I are probably the only ones who remember it.
Oh no. I remember that Hardee’s where Chik-fil-a is now. I remember thinking the first time I saw it, how out of place it seemed. I remember the excitement when I saw that it closed. I remember disappointment when I heard another fast food restaurant would take its place. I remember the joy I get every time that hint of pickle juice that my chicken sandwich marinated in hits my tongue.
Grrrrr.
Long before Hardee’s, in the lot behind it where the school buses are parked, was a Burger Chef.
Wow! How old are you, Udog?
What about Ruby Tuesday, people? Trendy gourmet restaurants will come and go, and salad bars live forever!
Kessler has heard you!!!
http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2011/10/31/decatur-best-emerging-restaurant-nabe/
Beat me to it! Thanks Mr. “and the Carpenter”!
All my neighbors gave me such delicious oysters last night when I was trick or treating!!
LOL! Wally, you do crack me up.
I don’t think any of you mentioned Conversations Restaurant. They are the ones that really blazed a trail back in the late 1970s when the Decatur MARTA station first opened. Aside from the aforementioned Claudettes, it was the first “nice restaurant” that was open for dinner and served drinks. Their carrot fritters were awesome. It was located in the space below Eddie’s that now houses Sammiches — well before Trattoria, Cafe Monserrat and Babalu (the Cuban Restaurant some of you referred to) that later occupied that space.
Hmm. It may have been Cafe Montserrat that had the great osso buco.
I’m so glad you mentioned Conversations — we used to really enjoy it back in the days before we even had Buck’s. The Shrimp Parfait appetizer was to die for.
Cafe Lilly is still the place in Decatur where I’ve had my most enjoyable meals. Perhaps not as cutting edge or elegant as some of the newcomers, but I’ve never not had a delightful time there.
But then, what do I know . . . I’m a regular at Evans.
Pizza by Candlelight
Silent movies on the wall, wood burning fire place, red and white checkered table cloths… and no alcohol.
My in-laws had their first date there.