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  Harvest Midtown hits Sunday, Oct. 4 from 1pm to 5pm (that’s tomorrow as of this writing).  The event will be hosted at the Georgian Terrace in Midtown and runs from 1pm to 5pm.  This fall festival features a lot of food, wine, and entertainment from around the city.

If ya’ll are looking for full on details, check out Harvest Midtown’s website.  In the meantime, here’s a little summary of what to expect in the food & wine department.

Winemaker Mark Davidson will be hosting mini seminars on organic bio demonic wines.  They run once an hour on the 30s.  If you get a sip of something you like, head over to the Barrelman Wine & Cheese Booth to score some grape juiz.

Meanwhile, there will be food tastings from a number of nearby restaurants.  According to the HM Website, you’ll be able to score some grub from ENO, Chow Baby, Muss & Turner’s, Holy Taco, The Melting Pot, The Sun Dial, Spice Market, Rosa Mexicano, Livingston, Baraonda, Pacci, Pura Vida, The Oceanaire, Nickiemoto’s, Noni’s Deli, Dolce, Geisha House, Flat Creek Lodge, and Ri Ra Irish Pub.  If you’re interested in going, you have a couple of ticket options. General admission tix will run you $55 while VIP cost $85.  You can save $10 if you purchase tickets before tomorrow.  You can do that online.  Last but not least, the event is a fundraiser for Camp Twin Lakes.  Details on the tickets after the jump!

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Grovel … grrrr … harrumph.  Why do you do it to me?  You show so much promise, invoke so much potential, and yet … when it’s all said and done, I feel like I just gave $15 to one of those unmentionables hanging on the corner of Ponce & Blvd.  At the end of the day, you’re left scratching your head and wondering what the hell you just spent your money on [Note to parents (who do read this from time to time): NO I’VE NEVER DONE THAT].

Point is, Livingston, the much praised haute restaurant that just opened, is a disappointment; and, it disappoints in a manner reminiscent of the Phoenix in ashes.  Regardless of price point, cuisine, or vibe, there are two inevitable questions that I ask when thinking about food I just ate: 1) Did the restaurant succeed at what it attempted to do? and 2) Do I feel like my money would have been spent better elsewhere?  Guess what my answers are for both of these questions?

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Despite our swelling population, Atlanta is still very much a small town.  Word travels quick, and every foodie and their mother seem to flock to each newly minted restaurant.  While Livingston has already attracted several bloggers, not many of us have chatted it up.

Atlanta is steeped in tradition.  Underneath the new, there is always a reverence for the past.  Livingston seems to capture that in a most dramatic way.  The restaurant is named after Major Livingston Mims (left), the former resident 656 Peachtree.  Mims, who lived in a two-story building, was a a bit of a dynamo.  First a lawyer, then a private in the Confederate army, he went on to sell insurance.  Finally, Mims settled in as ATL’s mayor from 1901 until 1902.

Of particular interest here is that he was a gregarious man with an interest in food.  When once asked why he did not travel more, Mims responded:”I have … my plain wholesome food, which is the best in the world to me.” Supposedly he loved French cuisine, though I am unable to confirm that point.  The aforementioned quote doesn’t jive well with that idea.

But enough of the tomfoolery, you want to know what I thought about the food … well … you’re not gonna get that here.  At least not yet.  Though I sampled executive chef Gary Mennie’s food when he was at Taurus, Livingston is a fresh start.  In true Atlanta fashion, Mennie’s menu is a contemporary twist on Southern food with a nod to several other culinary styles, most notably: French.

I’ve eaten two meals here and want to return once more before pulling together a first impression.  Moreover, Jimmy joined me for one of my romps.  His post on the experience is spot on.  I will confirm what Jimmy said about the tableware and the disastrous choice to serve the sampler in stemless martini glasses.  You can check out my pictures at the bottom of the text.  Without going into detail, I will say the oysters kick ass, the crab salad was refreshing, the tuna tartare was abysmal and bland, and the duck fritter was interesting.  However, it was beyond frustrating to eat out of the glasses, especially considering that they used so much lettuce to elevate the food within the cup.

In the meantime, feel free to make a reservation and enjoy the show:

FOR MORE PICTURES VISIT

Atlanta Foodies On Livingston Restaurant

• EatItAtlanta On Livingston (05.08.09)
• Creative Loafing On Livingston (05.01.09)

Livingston Restaurant Address & Information

656 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, GA 30308 // P: 404.898.8316 // Livingston Reservations // Livingston Website // Livingston Menu