December 2018
Features
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Atlanta’s patron saint of pit bulls
Every morning, Jason Flatt wakes up compelled by that simple mission: He has to save a dog—especially ones that everyone else has given up as lost. As owner of Friends to the Forlorn, his animal rescue operation that specializes in pit bulls, he has saved more than 600 dogs since 2009.
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The Connector
Don’t Miss List: Our top 5 event picks for December
See the Atlanta Ballet’s new version of The Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre, watch Rudolph live at the Center for Puppetry Arts, and head to Virginia-Highland for the annual Tour of Homes.
10 standout books with Georgia ties that you might have missed in 2018
At libraries around the metro area, shelves full of newly released books are held on reserve, waiting for impatient readers. Author visits at the Margaret Mitchell House, Wren’s Nest, or the Atlanta History Center are often packed; book clubs are springing up everywhere; and literary events like the AJC Decatur Book Festival and the Book Festival of the MJCCA bring national authors to our doorstep. Here are a few of our favorites from this year’s releases.
Atlanta’s jazz scene is alive and well, even without Churchill Grounds
Instead of mourning after the demise of Churchill Grounds, many of Atlanta’s jazz musicians began playing music throughout the city. There are now 10 weekly jam sessions at venues inside the perimeter, placing Atlanta on comparable footing with more jazz-forward cities like Seattle.
Why are pedestrian and bicyclist deaths increasing in metro Atlanta?
Across the country, deaths of pedestrians are nearing historic highs, and Georgia and metro Atlanta are no different. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, the number of collisions involving pedestrians and bicyclists in the 20-county metro region has risen sharply, from nearly 1,700 in 2006 to more than 2,500 in 2015—a 53 percent increase.
The Bite
The verdict on 3 newcomers to Atlanta’s dining scene
Our mini-reviews on the Brasserie at Bazati, a French-themed restaurant; Grant Park’s Full Commission, a neighborhood spot with an all-purpose feel; and Decatur’s Son of a Bear, a fun Korean joint.
Review: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken delivers a fiery kick to Atlanta
As its name suggests, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken serves hot chicken, a style of bird born and perfected in Nashville (and, so far, unrivaled elsewhere) that’s coated in an earthy and fiery slick of spiced fryer oil after it’s been cooked to a golden crisp. Located on Moreland Avenue, Hattie B’s is Atlanta’s first Nashville hot chicken import.
Re-review: Empire State South’s surprising next chapter
It’s been eight years since celebrity chef Hugh Acheson opened Empire State South and challenged Atlanta’s notion that Southern food is something preciously preserved in the past. But a lot can change in eight years. Empire State South’s next chapter, under newly installed executive chef Adam Waller, marks a deliberate return to the basics.
The Year in Food: The most important things that happened in Atlanta’s restaurant scene in 2018
Looking beyond such fanfare as the opening of Tiny Lou’s and the rise of fast-casual everything, what else happened in the food world this year—and what does it say about Atlanta? We received a few snubs on the national stage, which might suggest that our dining scene is faltering. It could also be that we’re currently stewing on our most promising culinary ideas and talent.
The Christiane Chronicles: America, home of the unfinished plate
Christiane Lauterbach is embarrassed by the amount of food she sees sent back to the kitchen. “In some respects, I’m still not a wasteful American. I eat the tails of my shrimp. I chew on chicken bones until they are perfectly clean of cartilage. And still, the amount of food I leave behind in restaurants makes me feel like a criminal. I secretly hope that some rodent will enjoy whatever ends up in the dumpster.”
Which is the right sparkling wine for your party?
Is there any party that can’t be instantly improved by the sound of a cork popping for sparkling wine? But not all bubbles are created equally: you might want the best champagne or a rowdy midnight toast with Solo cups. To help you plan, we sat down with sommelier Steven Grubbs, wine director at Empire State South, for a blind tasting of four sparkling wines.
The Goods
Queer Eye for the Georgia Guy: The Fab Five give us one more round of local style advice
While we’re celebrating everything that is the best about Atlanta in 2018, we couldn’t help but give a shout-out to Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye. The new series released not one but two seasons filmed in the metro area this year. Before they take on Kansas City, we asked the Fab Five for one more round of local style advice.
Miscellaneous
Flashback: How World War II helped turn Cobb County into an economic powerhouse
With war on the horizon in the early 1940s, the country needed B-29 Superfortress bombers to fight Nazi Germany, and it needed them fast. A group of boosters from Cobb County pitched the perfect site: a cotton farm and field of trees in Marietta. The investment turned Cobb, until then a sleepy suburb, into an economic powerhouse.
