For an exceptional five-star experience, Olejko suggests you visit Baccahanalia (Howell Mill Road). The inventive, delicious food, stellar service, and stunning decor are unsurpassed in Atlanta. Olejko also recommends the three establishments owned by Kevin Rathbun. Rathbun’s, Krog Bar, and Kevin Rathbun Steak House are all located in a trendy converted stove factory called the Stove Works building on Krog Street.
For a more casual dining experience, visit Six Feet Under (Grant Park), located across the street from Atlanta’s historic Oakland Cemetery, which is known to have the best fried catfish in Atlanta; or DBA Barbecue (Virginia-Highlands), which features live blues music on Thursday nights.
If you are an art lover, the High Museum of Art (Peachtree Street) is the leading art museum in the Southeast. The Salvador Dali exhibit will be running at the High until the first of January 2011. Olejko also recommends the Tula Art Center (Bennett Street), currently home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia.
Olejko enjoys attending performances of the Grammy award–winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During the month of November, the Orchestra will be performing a selection of masterpieces by Mozart.
Smalls’ Suggestions
Damian Smalls, senior specialist of REF awards and grants, has worked for ACR for 12 years and has lived in Atlanta since the early 1990s.
Some of the things that Smalls likes about Atlanta include the art and music festivals held throughout the year, the great cuisine that can be found in every part of the city, and the city’s central location for travel. If you happen to be in Lenox Mall or Phipps Plaza, Smalls suggests that you pick up a complimentary copy of The Atlantan, which is a great resource for updates on Atlanta’s current events.
The Chomp and Stomp Festival is held annually in November in Cabbagetown Park and is one of Smalls’s favorite events. This festival is all about chili, blues, bluegrass, and folk music.
For art lovers, Smalls suggests the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery (Armour Drive), which hosts several exhibitions a year and showcases a wide range of work including interesting installations from around the world, the Apex African American Panoramic Museum (Auburn Avenue), and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, which is home to the world’s largest dinosaur and a five-story IMAX theater.
If you are looking for a trendy establishment with great food, Smalls recommends Bistro Niko (Peachtree Road), FAB (Ivan Allen Boulevard), and Rare (Piedmont Avenue). Smalls recommends JCT Kitchen (Howell Mill Road) and Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles (Peachtree Road) for great soul food, Yeah! Burger and Flip (both on Howell Mill Road) for the best hamburgers, Rolling Bones (Glenwood Avenue) for good barbecue, and Nuevo Largo for authentic Mexican food. Like Haag and Olejko, Smalls stressed that if you are looking for authentic Southern food, you have to visit The Colonnade.
