Omnivore Atlanta

There have been conflicting reports of where and when Havana will resurface. Apparently, two restaurants named Havana are slated to open on Buford Highway in the near future. And two different people — Debbie Benedit and William Benedit — claim they are resurrecting the original “Havana.”

Mrs. Benedit (pictured above in the black shirt) has given me her side of the story. However, I have been unable to reach Mr. Benedit for a comment at this time.

Stay tuned as I gather additional facts and get to the bottom of this.

(Photo from Debbie Benedit’s website, www.havanarestaurantatlanta.com)

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It takes a lot for me to to jump off of my couch, throw on some clothes and speed over to a restaurant after settling in for the night. But that’s just what I did after getting a call from my friend (partner in crime and pizza freak), Kit Fenton, tonight proclaiming he’d just had “the best pizza in Atlanta.” I have no idea how Antico Pizza Napoletana (1093 Hemphill Ave., 404-724-2333. www.anticopizza.it) flew under my (and everyone else’s) radar. But my first visit was a revelation. Owner Giovanni Di Palma (a native of New York and Naples) is the kind of man who instantly wins your adoration. His enthusiasm and pure passion for true Naples style pizza is so infectious, I was thrown into a manic state of pizza lust the moment I entered the brand new Westside Pizzeria. Yes, lust. And anyone who wants to know where Enrico Liberato (the former pizzaiolo at Fritti) has disappeared to need not look any further.

Luca Varuni, Giovanni Di Palma and Enrico Liberato

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…


(Photos by Jennifer Zyman)

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Abattoir, the new meat-centric restaurant from Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison of Bacchanalia fame, opened last night in the White Provisions building on Howell Mill Road. The Blissful Glutton gives us a sneak peek from her opening-night meal. I’ve seen the menu and it looks awesome. Tripe stew and lamb liver fritters? Yes, please.

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John Kessler reports on his blog that Cafe Intermezzo will be opening a branch at Atlanta Harstfield-Jackson International Airport.

The New York Times takes on healthy eating on a recession-y budget,

Michael Ruhlman has a cool recipe for beef jerky.

The Blissful Glutton reviews Blue Fin Sushi in Duluth.

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She’s not making any proclamations about the food yet, but there’s some cool photos to check out and the full menu on Bliss’ post about her first visit to Flip.

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Our friend the Blissful Glutton has a report on yet another new cupcake spot.

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I just got back into town and where was the first place I went to eat?

Click HERE to see some photos of my first meal at Frank Ma South.

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We were sad to see Kitchen Witch depart on her broom last week. The writer, Kim O’Donnel, has left us to devote more time to her new blog on RealSimple.com. You can check out her blog here.

We decided to take the opportunity to switch up the section a little, and in tomorrow’s paper you will see a couple of new features.

Cheap Eats will now share a page with Mouthful, a roundup of places to find a particular food around town. Those of you who have been reading the section for a while may remember this feature from a few years back. We’ll also be debuting a short bar review titled Liquid Diet. We hope to give you a feel for some of the hot new bars and old favorites around town.

I’m also extremely excited to announce that Jennifer Zyman, aka the Blissful Glutton, will be contributing frequently to the section starting in tomorrow’s issue. Jennifer has a wealth of knowledge regarding Atlanta’s dining scene, its ethnic food in particular, and we are incredibly happy to have her as a contributer. Check out her Cheap Eats tomorrow about Supermarket Chicago on Buford Highway and her Mouthful on NY-style pizza.

I’d love to hear your feedback on the new features, suggestions for places to cover, or comments about anything in the Food & Drink section. Please feel free to email me at besha.rodell@creativeloafing.com.

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Here’s a roundup of what’s new on some other Atlanta cuisine blogs:

Blissful Glutton, probably my favorite, features a review of Asam House Thai and Malaysian Restaurant on Buford Highway in Pinetree Plaza. The blog’s writer, “Jennifer,” also reports on local restaurants offering specials that feature in-season white truffles.

I also dig Steakhead’s Atlanta Eats, although he doesn’t post terribly often. His down-to-earth style is a relief in a field that spends a lot of time stringing adjectives together. His most recent post explains why Two Urban Licks is one of his favorite restaurants. He compares the menu to a Bruce Springsteen concert.

Chow Down Atlanta features a great review and pictures of the Marietta Street tapas lounge, Utopia. There’s also a lunchtime review of Cameli’s Pizza on Ponce that inspired me to plan a visit.

AtlantaCuisine.com remains the city’s biggest online gathering place for foodies. Owner Tom Maicon’s most recent “pick of the week” is Voila in Decatur, where he found impressive beignets. Most of the action here is on the forums, where you will find, for example, 30 pages of commentary on Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and a discussion of the city’s best fried chicken.

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