Grand opening: Fuzzy’s Place reborn
August 18, 2008 at 12:04 pm by Scott Freeman in NewsThe loss of Fuzzy’s Place last year was a blow to Atlanta’s music scene, and to the regulars who frequented the North Druid Hills Road for drinks and Cajun food. But after the death of Fuzzy Cawthon in 2006, majority ownership in the bar was turned over to his brother who elected to shut the doors after 30 years of business.
But there’s good news: The staff of Fuzzy’s Place have opened their own place. Fuzzy’s Place, meet Zuffy’s Place. It opens today at a new location at 1860 Corporate Blvd., right around the corner from where Fuzzy’s used to be.
“We’re all excited,” Keirsten Alexander, a co-owner of Zuffy’s said last week when I visited during the bar’s soft opening. “When Fuzzy’s closed, we looked at everything within two miles. And this was the perfect location.”
Zuffy’s will continue to feature the recipes of the late Cajun chef Joe Dale. Alexander says four of the line cooks from Fuzzy’s are on staff, as are a half-dozen other Fuzzy’s veterans.
But there’s a new twist: Alexander says Zuffy’s will now use fresh ingredients for its menu items. The instant grits at Fuzzy’s for the shrimp and grits will now be stone ground. The shrimp will be fresh, not frozen. Even the chicken fingers will be made on the premises.
“Fuzzy’s never really embraced Joe Dale’s food,” Alexander said. “We want to make those great recipes and deserve ingredients that are top notch. Fuzzy’s was a box, we wanted to get out of that box.”
But as great as the food is, Fuzzy’s Place was also one of the city’s best — and most cramped — listening rooms. Zuffy’s listening area is almost triple the size of Fuzzy’s, large enough that the room is considering booking some national acts there.
The music kicks off tonight with two Fuzzy’s Place regulars: Mike Veal at 8:30 and then Java Monkey after that.
“The soul of Fuzzy’s was the people, the bands and the staff and the customers,” Alexander said. “I can’t wait to start hugging people. It’s just overwhelming to be opening the doors.”
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
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