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With the opening of Deadwood Saloon at 66 12th St NE, the Crescent Ave restaurant strip just got a little more crowded (again).  Deadwood has moved into the space that formerly housed Twisted Taco and opened with an attempt to bring something “unique” to Atlanta.  Strip away the cow-covered chairs, Captain Morgan statue, and kitschy thematics, what you have is a bar hiding out as a restaurant. 

The layout of the space is essentially the same; however, the patio out front is a little more refined and there is now an upstairs deck.  The latter might have been there before, but I was never sober during previous visits to the space to confirm or deny that.  So far, the menu looks like a mish-mash of funkified Tex-Mex and basic American food.  Details after I sample it.  The website is up, but still getting filled in.

Deadwood Saloon Restaurant Address & Information
66 12th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30361 // 404.671.4290 // Deadwood website // Deadwood menu // Deadwood on facebook

Grant Park’s Young Augustine’s rose from the ashes of The Standard early this year.  This neighborhood take on the gastro pub is the brainchild of Chris Johnson, owner of The Standard, Andy Gonzales, a well traveled chef, and Kyle Faucher, the manager who I know little about.  While the fate of the Standard seemed set by a series of tragic circumstances, these three gents set out to infuse the space with a bit of life.

Frequenters of 327 Memorial’s previous tenant will remember the joint for its dive bar atmosphere and low-brow bar food.  That’s all a distant memory.  The one notable holdover is the bocce ball court out back.  On the other hand, the interior has been blown open, leaving a community table in the middle and a long, polished wood bar against the back wall.  Taking it all in one Saturday afternoon, and on the heels of some rather flattering reviews, I had high hopes for YA’s.  Unfortunately, the interior was the first thing, and just about the last thing, that I actually enjoyed during my one meal there.

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Fresh out of the groomer, The Thirsty Dog Tavern is now open in Peachtree Hills.  A hot mess of Olive Garden meets The Titled Kilt plus Park Tavern with a touch of Taco Mac, it’s a reworking of Vita, the previous tenant at 2100 Peachtree.  While it’s location is ideal for the nomad in you and me, I was able to coax Deez from his real world responsibilities so that we could enjoy a little lunch at Atlanta’s newest pet friendly establishment.

The restaurant itself is conceptually all over the map, but the food is most similar to those nationwide chains that try their best to serve basic Italian fare.  If memory serves me right, the vast portion of the menu at TDT is a holdover from the previous restaurant.  That is no surprise when you consider that Vita’s Tony LaRocco, as noted by John Kessler, is one of the proprietors.  Along with Dave Heany, formerly of Star Bar, LaRocco has driven out one failed concept and replaced it with a straw-grasping alternative in the hopes of righting the ship.  While little there was horribly wrong, save for the fried food, there wasn’t a single aspect of the meal poking at me for further inspection.

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Hudson Grille is a high-end sports bar with three spots around the ATL.  As of this past week, they have added a 4th with their new venture in Midtown Atlanta.  Located in the former Artistry location, you’ll find them trying to be the Burger King to the McDonald’s that is Taco Mac.  That is, much like every fast food chain, they have moved in right on top of their competition.  HG Midtown sits directly across the street from Taco Mac’s Metropolis location.   There ya have it!

Hudson Grille Midtown Restaurant Address & Information
942 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 // Hudson Grille website // Hudson Grill menu (pdf) // Twitter // Facebook

The  north end of Inman Park is packed with small businesses, a few markets, and a number of restaurants.  Amongst them, the Albert has been a long standing member of the community and the area’s requisite watering hole.  While it might not seem worthy of a foodie review, I can assure you it is.

The restaurant itself sort of meanders back and forth between a dive bar and a pub.  The majority of seats in the place are either at the bar or at a booth; and, a handful of offbeat pieces of artwork, a Golden Tee machine, a pool table, and a few TVs will keep you entertained.

The food is straight up bar fare with chicken fingers, wings, burgers, BLT’s and the like as your options du jour.  It’s all decent, given what it is, and the prices and portions are more than reasonable.  A fixed rotation of daily specials can make a trip to the Albert down right ridiculously cheap, and the chilled out vibe will almost always guarantee a good time.

Mind you, it’s a place for the everyman, where tattoos, button downs, and everything in between, are welcome.  Sure, sometimes the food is a little overcooked, and you might catch a few too many lit cigarettes if you’re a non-smoker, but as a hangout spot, the Albert is well oiled.  They aren’t trying to offer the beer menu of The Brick Store or the gastro-inspired food of The Porter, they’re just trying to be themselves.  Though I’ve never actually grabbed a table, the staff and service are always friendly, and I’ve never left feeling fleeced or cheated.  Similar to The Local, The Albert has become a popular hang out, and for good reason.

Note: The picture, starring Todd the bartender, came courtesy of the Albert website, hopefully – they don’t mind

The Albert Restaurant Address & Information

918 Austin Ave Atlanta, GA 30307 // 404.872.4990 // The Albert website // The Albert menu
The Albert on facebook

Engine 11 is the latest tenant in the cemetery that is 30 North Ave.  Despite being within walking distance of Georgia Tech, the Fox Theatre, and a number of Midtown residences and hotels, this location  has been a death knell for all previous comers.  With a complicated parking situation and a busy roadside, any restaurateur that has taken on Fire Station No. 11 has had a lot of obstacles to overcome.

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The 1080 block of Peachtree is bustling with new life.  In the past few months, we’ve seen Noon Midtown start to serve up gourmet sandwiches and RA slice up some “progressive” sushi.  Now, the latest entry to the Crescent Avenue strip is Rí Rá Irish Pub.

Armed with all the fixins of what everyone expects out of a snazzy Irish pub, Rí Rá has subtly announced their lofty standards.  I must admit that this chain was unknown to me until word hit that they were opening here in town.  Even then, I didn’t spend a lot of time reading up on the place.  It turns out that our recent dinner there was a bit more informative than I anticipated.

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For the longest time, my previous rants on The Nook occupied the top spots on my popular posts list.  As that list is based on the number of page views (aka – number of times someone read(s) each post), it was a bit of a surprise.  Those writings were nothing more than news blurbs on the then yet to open restaurant.

But alas, I try to give the people what they want.  Given the Nook’s proximity to my pad, I hustled on over there just as soon as I got a chance.  I had to sample the food, the folk, and the booze.  Though this post is a week late, I took good notes and remember the meal well.

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