February 2019
Features
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After Atlanta icon Herman Russell died, DNA proved Joycelyn Alston is a daughter he never knew. That’s when things got complicated.
Sixty years ago, as he was building the construction empire that would make him one of Atlanta’s richest and most influential men, Herman Russell fathered a daughter out of wedlock. Now, four years after his death, Joycelyn Alston is fighting her three half-siblings for a portion of their father’s vast estate.
How pop-up restaurants are making Atlanta’s food scene so much better
As obvious as the physical transformation of Atlanta’s restaurant scene has been, an underground dining revolution is also underway. The latter—waged by chefs hosting pop-up “restaurants” and dinner series, as well as entrepreneurs offering incubating spaces—isn’t as easy to observe as the former. But it’s similarly impressive. In many ways, it’s more impressive.
Chef Ron Hsu’s ambitious journey from Manhattan’s Le Bernardin to Candler Park’s Lazy Betty
Chef Ron Hsu, who held a top creative position at New York’s super-high-end Le Bernardin and gained global exposure when he recently competed on Netflix’s The Final Table, spent a year perfecting his modern cooking at the $100-a-head pop-up, Lazy Betty. That was just a warmup for his next act. No one can quibble with Hsu’s credentials, his competitive nature, or his will to succeed.
Redeeming the Cyclorama: Why the century-old attraction is anything but a monument to the Confederacy
Conceived in Chicago, created in Milwaukee, and premiered in Minneapolis, the Cyclorama was meant to celebrate the Union’s great triumph in capturing Atlanta and hastening the end of the Civil War. But when the painting moved South, new audiences flipped its meaning, bastardizing the spectacle into a testament to white Southern pride. For decades, it was a masterpiece of misinterpretation. Now, it has a new life at the Atlanta History Center.
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The Connector
Louder Than Words: Zuckerman Museum of Art’s newest exhibition spotlights artists who practice nonverbal communication
Zuckerman Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Louder than Words, focuses on the idea that a strong voice doesn’t necessarily need words. Teresa Bramlette Reeves, the museum’s director of cultural affairs, curated the exhibition to focus on 21 artists who practice nonverbal communication in all its forms, from protest or sign language to silent performance. We chatted with three of the show’s Atlanta-based artists about their work.
Don’t Miss List: Our top 5 event picks for February
Drink piña coladas and get lost in Atlanta’s tiki lounges with the Atlanta Tiki Tour, strip your clothes and run through town for Cupid’s Run, and watch more than 70 movies exploring the diverse reality of Jewish life and culture at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
Fighting to kneel: A Kennesaw State University cheerleader sues for the right to protest on the playing field
Similar to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, five cheerleaders for Kennesaw State University decided to kneel during the national anthem at a football game to protest unjustified killings by police officers. When the school decided to move them off the field if they were going to kneel, Tommia Dean, one of the cheerleaders, filed a lawsuit against the school’s higher ups for restricting her freedom of speech.
Meet Jonas Ho, Atlanta’s LED-lit evangelist of electric skateboards.
About five years ago, Jonas Ho was watching YouTube videos when he discovered a novel way to spend the $500 burning a hole in his pocket: a battery-powered MotoTec skateboard. Since then, Ho, the owner of Noble House Tattoo in Stockbridge, has become a mad scientist of electric skateboards, turning his board into a 51-pound street cruiser lined with lights and capable of traveling up to 32 miles per hour on city streets.
How John Carroll discovered blackout poetry and accidentally built a community of hope
Years ago, when John Carroll felt hopeless and alone, he discovered blackout poetry—turning newspapers and book pages into poetry by blacking out words with a marker. Now, with tens of thousands of people following his Instagram, Carroll is demystifying what it means to be an artist, a poet, and a person who struggles with mental health issues.
The Bite
Review: Banshee is East Atlanta Village’s most sophisticated spot
Banshee no doubt elevates East Atlanta Village’s reputation as a dining destination—a reputation that has been slow to take shape, despite several attempts by distinguished chefs. Yet the restaurant still feels very much of the Village, which is to say irreverent, chill, and clearly the product of a cohesive, creative vision.
The verdict on 3 newcomers to Atlanta’s dining scene: Adalina, Gato Nights, Tuza
Vinings has a new traditional Italian restaurant, Adalina, which has former Empire State South chef Joshua Hopkins at the helm. Candler Park’s Nicholas Stinson opened Gato Nights, which is dubbed “a weekly investigation into deep regional Mexican cuisine.” And Berkeley Park welcomes Tuza, a taco shop that is an ode to Mexico City street food.
The Christiane Chronicles: For the love of wine varietals
Less aggressive than a Muscadet, livelier and more aromatic than a Pinot Grigio, falanghina is a little-known white varietal that has, of late, become more visible among wine geeks—and it deserves to be all the rage. Also: the fall of the meat-and-three in Atlanta.
The rise of the “zero-proof” cocktail in Atlanta
As the craft cocktail movement has taken off, so-called “zero-proof” cocktails have evolved from slapped-together afterthoughts to well-considered compositions. While most modern-day cocktail barkeeps have the tools, know-how, and creativity to prepare an interesting, nonalcoholic drink on the fly, more establishments are choosing to invest time in developing zero-proof recipes and are dedicating sections of their menu to them.
The Goods
Where to shop in Atlanta now: East Fork, Neva Opet, and Amour Vert open
East Fork pottery has built a devoted digital following that spawns wait lists for new releases; now it has a retail store in Westside Provisions District. Also, be sure to check out the latest SCAD FASH exhibition, Cinematic Couture, Amour Vert’s new Ponce City Market location, and Atlanta’s small-batch leather handbag company, Neva Opet.
Rejuvenate winter-weary skin with these 3 luxe facials from Atlanta’s top spas—or their DIY counterparts
We asked Aviary Beauty & Wellness Collective, the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, and Exhale Spa at Loews Atlanta Hotel about the best facials to rejuvenate your skin after a cold winter—and products you can use at home.
My Style: Lauren Haynes, founder and CEO of Wooden Spoon Herbs
Herbalist Lauren Haynes spends a lot of time in the woods. Her small-batch apothecary, Wooden Spoon Herbs, uses plants to create healing salves, creams, syrups, and tinctures and is housed in an 800-square-foot studio in the North Georgia mountains.
Room Envy: This cozy kitchen moves the refrigerator and small appliances out of view
Bravo to kitchens that function well—without a predictable recipe of ingredients. For a clean look, builder and designer Pam Sessions located the refrigerator and small appliances in an adjacent pantry and forewent the ubiquitous barstools for a luxurious banquette.
Miscellaneous
Flashback: John Lewis wanted to go to Congress. He didn’t make it the first time.
John Lewis likes to remind supporters to never give up. In January 1977, after President Jimmy Carter appointed then U.S. Rep. Andrew Young to be ambassador to the United Nations, Lewis joined a dozen candidates vying to replace Young. Come election night, Lewis lost to fellow Democrat Wyche Fowler. “Two months ago, nobody knew who John Lewis was. This is only the beginning.” Elected to the House in 1986, Lewis began his 17th term in January.
