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Perfect 10s for Double Zero

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Sadly homophobia still exists even in the liberal service industry. We recently approached a notable restaurant about hosting our LGBT professional networking group and they refused.

We then anonymously asked if they would host a “straight” retirement party — same date, size and price point — and they accepted.  Why would you not want to host a group of professional LGBTs who are bar friendly?

But luckily, that wasn’t the case at Double Zero Napoletana on Roswell Road. Their response to hosting the Atlanta Executive Network and Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce last month was not chilly and elusive but extremely excited.

Take a bite out of Midtown’s new 5 Napkin Burger

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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5 Napkin Burger

Invited by local PR guru Bill Kaelin to the grand opening of 5 Napkin Burger, my friends and I were excited to try Atlanta's newest burger concept on the corner of 10th and Piedmont.

The extensive renovation of what was Nickiemoto's has resulted in what 5 Napkin calls "butcher shop chic." While some of the location's old sushi regulars might recognize elements of the floor plan, the space is truly revamped and felt very cosmopolitan.

According to the company, the restaurant will seat 100 inside and 40 outside. 5 Napkin Burger opens for dinner service on Monday, Aug. 15, and will add lunch and brunch services soon after.

Best of Atlanta: Eats

The Georgia Voice Editors
Best of Atlanta
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Chef Ria Pell of Ria's Bluebird and Sauced

After two months of online balloting and thousands of votes cast, we present the best of the best — our second annual GA Voice Best of Atlanta winners.

The selection process began in May, when we asked you, our readers, to nominate your favorites for dozens of awards in the categories of Community, People, Places, Eats, Shopping, Arts & Entertainment and Nightlife.

The top three finalists in each category made it through to the next round of voting. For the month of June, a multiple-choice ballot asked you to pick among the finalists for who really represents the finest in LGBT Georgia.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and congratulations to all of the worthy winners and runners up.

Summer is the perfect time for a culinary road trip

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Indigo Coastal Shanty in Brunswick, Georgia

What happened to spring? With temperatures soaring, we just had to get out of town, and the Atlantic coast is the perfect destination. If you’re single, on a budget and with friends, head to Savannah. But if you’re married, head to Saint Simons Island or Jacksonville, Fla. They aren’t that far, not that expensive and you can drive.

My parents live on Saint Simons Island so that’s where we vacationed. I am very lucky that my mother accepts and embraces my sexual orientation and my partner. If you want something gayer and more expensive, head further south to Fort Lauderdale or my favorite, Key West.

Longtime Atlanta residents might remember Indigo Coastal Grill and Partners, restaurants created by Alix Kenagy. Chef Kate Buchanan, Kenagy’s daughter, now has the most amazing, unique restaurant in downtown Brunswick, Ga. — Indigo Coastal Shanty.

From simple to exotic, Latin fare perfect for summer relaxing

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Latin fare perfect for summer

I could eat Tex-Mex / Latin / Spanish food every day. There are so many derivatives and fusions of this type of cuisine so I don’t pretend to be an expert. All I know is that my years in San Diego showed me what authentic (and very bad) Latin fare can be.

I grew up in Atlanta with chain Tex-Mex (anybody remember Chi Chi’s?) and then in college spent years on the El Azteca patio on Ponce drinking those cheap pitchers of frozen margaritas that would make everyone hallucinate if you drank too much. Much older and wiser, my tastes have evolved.

With summer nearing, I can’t think of anything I want at the end of a long work week more than a big bowl of fresh chunky guacamole with cilantro and some warm salty corn chips; pair that with a good margarita made with white tequila, a breezy patio, chunky ruby-red salsa and you have a therapeutic experience.

How to eat like a queen on a peasant’s budget

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Fierce Dishes explores cheap eats

There is one efficient way to save money and still eat at nice places. Take advantage of the specials during the week.

The Here to Serve Restaurant Group, known for its restaurants’ architecture, has some of the best during-the-week deals. For example, on Monday at Noche you can get really good $2 tacos which normally run $4-5.

We went to the Vinings location, which has a charming, darkly lit, cantina vibe. We ordered all the tacos, which consisted of shrimp with black beans and roasted corn; crispy fish with spicy slaw; grilled veggie with charred tomato salsa; and the grilled chicken with chunky house-made guacamole. My favorites were the pulled pork with fire roasted chilies and jack cheese, and the marinated steak with pepper-jack cheese.

Delicious Italian options

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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I kept reading about Noni’s Deli on all the Best Of lists but had never been. “Noni” is a derivative from “Nonna,” which means grandmother in Italian, and many of the recipes were originated by the owner’s Sicilian grandmother.

We went late after our Atlanta Executive Network meeting and were starving. I’m not in college anymore and I can’t do late night Taco Bell. Noni’s is an excellent alternative to the typical greasy after-hours gut bombs you get on Ponce. The place was full of urban hipsters, GSU and Agnes Scott students, and maybe gay couples – you can’t always tell these days. If you live in Midtown, it’s worth the drive.

The place used to be an old school grocery store but has transformed into a very relevant downtown destination that stimulates your eyes with architectural nuisances. This is an excellent first date place. You know that awkward first 20 minutes where you want to ask “what’s wrong with you?” but instead you make small talk? Say, “ I love the shiny jagged slate floor and I’m a sucker for red exposed brick,” and you’ll impress your date or long time partner. It’s always a good idea to have subjects rehearsed when the conversation lags.

Popular eatery fails health inspection, makes amends

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Joe's on JuniperAfter failing a Food Service Inspection last month, gay-popular Midtown restaurant Joe's on Juniper is now making the grade.

The inspection was conducted by the Department of Community Health, Division of Public Health on March 16, 2011. Joe's scored a 63 out of a possible 100, earning the restaurant a “U” grade.

Click here for the full report.

Joe's has since held a re-inspection and received a 100 on March 28 according to managing partner Alice Masker.

Among the violations cited in the failed inspection were workers handling food items with bare hands when a glove or utensil was required, not having a handwash sink accessible for employee use and mold in the ice machine.

The beer is great, but you don’t have to drink to enjoy these neighborhood hubs

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Brick Store Pub in Decatur

You don’t have to drink to enjoy a good neighborhood bar experience. It’s like in Olde England where the pub was the heartbeat of the community. It’s nice to have a grassroots communal experience. These two taverns aren’t about raucous screaming drunks, but rather the convivial, connective atmosphere a good pub can deliver.

Open for over a decade, the Brick Store Pub is a vital, nostalgic stop in Decatur. Many Atlantans think of Manual’s Tavern first when looking for a quintessential pub experience, but that place is hyper straight. Brick Store’s owners know they are surrounded by Decatur’s culinary gems, so they had to up their game and not serve tired stock bar food.

The scene is mainly straight, but Decatur is the Berkley of the South, so no one cares what you are. It’s the kind of straight folks that like gays because they know we move in and increase property value. The décor is classic red exposed brick.

Neighborhood favorite provides good food for good prices

The Georgia Voice Editors
Culture
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Athens Pizza

My first partner lived around the Emory – Toco Hills area so we frequented the restaurants near us. Sadly, Mexico City Gourmet closed as did Anarkli, which was the place I first tasted Indian food, which soon became an obsession. Is there anything better than chicken tiki masala on fragrant basmanti rice? We’ll save that for another column.

I was recently in the neighborhood and passed by Athens Pizza. This place is a true anchor of the area as it’s been open since 1977, owned by John and Aseimoula Papadopoulos. You’ll see the authentic urban melting pot from the elderly patrons who have been going there for decades to young Emory students. We chatted with a lovely lesbian couple while their cute adopted Asian daughter laughed with my partner’s kids. How’s that for modern family.

The non-corporate restaurant is very Greek kitschy with Mediterranean murals and is staffed with congenial employees who’ve been there for years and actually seem to care if you have a great experience. Yes, food snobs, this is not the best Greek restaurant in Atlanta — it’s not Buckhead Life’s Kyma — but the point is you can have an affordable, relevant culinary experience.

Gay-owned Radial Cafe honored for community service by state restaurant association

The Georgia Voice Editors
Community
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Gay-owned Radial Café has been named a state winner of the 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award granted by the Georgia Restaurant Association and is now in the running for a national award.

Other state winners are AmRest LLC (Applebee’s), Arby’s Restaurant Group, Homegrown Restaurant Concents that includes Doc Chey’s Noodle House and Osteria 832.

The Georgia Restaurant Association recognized Radial Café for its many community service projects, including serving Christmas dinner to 65 homeless children who are supported by CHRIS Kids. Each child received also received a "Christmas Day Gift Bag" with movie tickets, candy and mittens.

Also, for the past decade, Radial Café has fed 180-200 members of the LGBT community walking in the Martin Luther King Day Parade. Radial Cafe also was instrumental in helping For the Kid in All of Us through its annual projects Backpack in the Park and Toy Party, helping the nonprofit collect more than 5,000 toys for Christmas and 1,600 backpacks filled with school supplies in the summer to be given to children in need.