On my last trip back to San Francisco for Thanksgiving, I made a brief detour through Atlanta for the opening of the latest, hottest, hippest joint in town. One of the owners is a former co-worker from a Very Large Software Company just down the road off 101. Not realizing that it takes the same amount of time to fly from Frankfurt to Atlanta as it does to fly from Frankfurt to San Francisco, I arrived in Atlanta bleary-eyed and exhausted but no rest for the weary. A quick stop at the drug store to replace my confiscated mascara and face lotion (I love flying!), a quick change at the hotel, and it was off to opening night.
Owner Rodney Wedge created the concept of this food-focused restaurant highlighting the flavors of the Old South in a hip, modern environment. He describes the menu as "Modern Southern" cuisine featuring southern dishes with a unique twist such as Redfish Niscoise, Rabbit Pot Pie, Pan Roasted Trout & Crab Cake and a new take on Surf and Turf with smoked catfish and seared foie gras, drizzled with sweet potato bourbon dressing. YUM! Some other unique dishes include Finger Lickin' Pickle Sickles, Fried Green Tomatoes with pimento cheese and blue crab fingers, Bluefin Tuna Cubes with smoked garlic aioli, cornflakes and sesame.
They spared no expense when designing the $2 million venue first by hiring the uber-celebrity interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn (from TBS's Movie and a Makeover) to add his signature look and unconventional color schemes to the Midtown destination. Flynn's whimsical interiors are known for juxtaposing mid-century modern with aged farmhouse design. The space is divided into two areas with the upstairs (Sweet) being the sophisticated wine dinner and premier event location and the downstairs (Lowdown) catering to the power lunch, happy hour and dinner theatre crowds.
Rodney Wedge, Founder & Owner, and his wife Tonya (my former co-worker)
