June 2017
Features
-
Anne Quatrano: The queen of Atlanta fine dining
At 58, she’s at an age when many of us would start slowing down. Instead, Quatrano owns and runs Star Provisions and its sandwich shop; Floataway Cafe; and W.H. Stiles Fish Camp. “There is a lot of overthinking of food now, and I’m not interested in that.”
50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
In compiling this list, we set out to define the essential experiences that offer a survey of the state’s unique character, from the golden isles to the Appalachian foothills, from the kitschy to the jaw-dropping. Whether you’re a fourth-generation native or a brand-new transplant, it’s time to start traversing Georgia’s clay.
Mr. Rigolizzo and the amazing miracle weed that will save Sparta, Georgia! (Or not.)
Michael Rigolizzo, who may or may not be the best thing that’s happened to Sparta, Georgia, in generations, drove into town for the first time four years ago and found himself charmed. To be charmed by downtown Sparta requires a generous spirit and a vivid imagination.
-
The Connector
Mixtape mix-up: Why the RIAA is taking Spinrilla to court
The DIY nature of mixtapes is crucial to understanding the success of Spinrilla, a mixtape website and app founded in 2013 by Dylan Copeland after he left Georgia State University.
Beacon Atlanta will transform Grant Park warehouses into office and retail
By early 2018, the southern fringes of Grant Park can expect restaurants, bars, artist studios, a chiropractor, dentist, fitness studio, childcare facility, and plenty of offices—all of which will be punctuated by a 65-foot decorative metal tower.
The Chief: Erika Shields wants to change the way Atlanta police tackle crime
Atlanta Police Department chief Erika Shields has a lot of progressive ideas, such as having APD build relationships with the city’s top 100 young offenders to help break the vicious cycle of arrests and jail. But will Atlanta’s next mayor keep her around?
Atlantan Tori Tinsley uses art to cope with the slow loss of her mother to dementia
Two bubblegum-pink blobular creatures stand in an unfamiliar woods in Tori Tinsley’s acrylic painting, “Forest Hug.” One reaches toward the other, who looks away without reaching back. The eye-popping work may look cartoonish, but it’s an artistic expression of Tinsley’s grief.
50 years of Six Flags: Looking back at the highs and lows
Four years before Orlando welcomed Walt Disney World, the Southeast’s first theme park—Six Flags Over Georgia—debuted. Now roughly 300 acres, the park counts 12 roller coasters and a half-century of highs (and a few lows).
The Agenda
Neil deGrasse Tyson: The expanding universe will have “no impact on Atlanta traffic”
Neil deGrasse Tyson may not quite be a household name, but among those interested in modern space exploration, he’s basically Beyoncé. He’ll speak at in Atlanta at Cobb Energy Centre on June 15.
The Bite
Fresh on the Scene: Hopstix, Jai Ho, Muss & Turner’s, One Rooster Mongolian Bar
A pan-Asian restaurant that brews a citrusy pale ale, a fresh Indian kitchen, the new Muss & Turners, and a Chipotle–meets–stir-fry fast-casual Mongolian restaurant
Review: Food Terminal signals Buford Highway’s next era
The restaurant looks more like an upscale food hall with neon lights and yellow-coated industrial metal stools, and it serves Malaysian food, which is inherently a mix of Chinese, Indian, Singaporean, and Thai flavors. There is no better cuisine to illustrate what Buford Highway has become: a collage of cultures, where different is treasured and even sought out.
Home for Dinner: Abiodun Henderson, founder of Gangstas to Growers
Abiodun Henderson founded Gangstas to Growers last year to train formerly imprisoned youths how to farm, and she’ll soon teach her first class of six with the help of local farmers from Grow Where You Are and Truly Living Well. Even after a tiring day of working outside, she still cooks dinner for her family at her Southwest Atlanta home.
Drink This: Lawn Dart
The base for this citrusy liqueur from Old Fourth Distillery is a cane sugar spirit, which brothers Jeff and Craig Moore infuse with lemons.
7 great neighborhood markets in Atlanta
In a city that often feels like a tangled patchwork of sovereign territories, these independent grocers anchor their neighborhoods with a strong sense of place and pride. (And maybe even a really great cheeseburger.)
The Christiane Chronicles: Pops have nothing on paletas
Well before the King of Pops elevated the ice pop to an unprecedented (and expensive) gourmet status, modest shops were making frozen treats by hand all over Atlanta’s Hispanic neighborhoods.
The Goods
Luxurious and ecoconscious: Ashley Alves’s handbags strike the balance
Patchworking silks. Hand-embroidering hibiscus. Silk-screening original drawings. Designer Ashley Alves does it all for her new 38-piece collection of ecoconscious, luxe handbags, Bolsa Verde.
“I didn’t want to kiss my nephew with toxic lipstick!” So this Atlantan created a clean line.
Sarah Biggers’s criteria: Products have to be cruelty-free, vegan, free of harsh chemicals, affordable, effective, and glam. This spring she introduced lipsticks and glosses. Expect foundation, blush, and more later this year.
Room Envy: This Virginia-Highland dining room will have you all atwitter
This cheerful—some might even say cheeky—dining room sets the tone for relaxed gatherings, which is the way we like to entertain in the South, says interior designer Lathem Gordon. For this Virginia-Highland home, she and partner Cate Dunning expertly layered colorful materials and patterns.
My Style: Brick + Mortar owner David Kowalski
“Good design is beautiful, it’s well-made, and it’s inspiring—but it also has a story,” says Kowalski, who uses this philosophy to stock his eclectic boutique, Brick + Mortar, at Westside Provisions District.
It’s summer! Stay cool (and fit) with these water-based workouts
Go wakeboarding on Lake Lanier, do stand-up paddle yoga on the ‘Hooch, get some high-intensity water aerobics, or try a sprint triathlon with the YMCA
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Note: The symmetry of 50
Back in 2011, when this magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary, we latched onto the number 50 and spent the year casually obsessed with it. But when we talked a few months ago about expanding the “50 Things” conceit statewide, I got a little nervous.
With a Leica camera, a visually impaired photographer showed Cabbagetown to the world
Oraien Catledge might not have been able to see that well—a childhood illness left him with impaired vision—but he knew where to look.
