Omnivore Atlanta

We went — where else? — to the Shed at Glenwood Wednesday night, for the $3 sliders and had another great meal. I’m addicted to the barbacoa but tried a new one made with meatballs, which turned out to be another winner.

The place was packed last night. In fact, we had difficulty finding a parking space.

Speaking of parking, I headed to P’cheen Monday for its “Bone Lick BBQ” night. After 10 minutes, I gave up trying to find a parking space, so I didn’t get to pig out on the Carolina-style ‘cue. Instead, I headed to the Standard for its regular Monday night special of Indian curry. …

As I mention in this week’s Grazing column, we ate at Solstice Cafe twice recently. Today, Erick Newman, a partner in the restaurant who recently assumed management of it, made this cryptic announcement on Facebook: “Erick Newman has signed his separation agreement with Solstice Cafe and thanks all of his friends for the support they provided.”…

The Reynolds Group is this week’s winner of the Florid Writing Award in its announcement of a new pub:

Rí Rá Irish Pub, debuting in mid- July at the intersection of 12th Street and Crescent Avenue in Midtown, will epitomize a true Irish pub experience, building a comfortable neighborhood environment where conversation flows as smoothly as Guinness ebbs in the glass. Constructed from a pub meticulously restored in Ireland then shipped to Atlanta, the location is destined to be Midtown’s latest hotspot, offering an impressive line-up of live music, a comprehensive drink list and fare that defies pub standards. After all, when your name is translated as “celebration and good fun,” it would be blarney to have it any other way!…

How I dearly and futiley wish that well-intentioned PR firms would learn that they can greatly, hugely, impressively increase the chance of their oh-so-very-important news being published by sticking to the facts and leaving out the baroque, frilly, subjective adjectives.

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FILL 'ER UP: The dining room at Leon's Full Service

Every time I go to Decatur, I feel like I’m an extra in a movie set in a small town. Friendly people pace the sidewalks with their friendly dogs or head to friendly coffee shops like Java Monkey, where a poetry reading was underway Sunday night when we passed by. Really, in Decatur, I feel like Mr. Rogers.

Please, won’t you be my neighbor? I’ll buy you big mugs of draft beer at Leon’s Full Service (131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-687-0500) and feed you slightly strange food. It’s a beautiful night to get wasted in this neighborhood.

Actually, I don’t drink, but Wayne makes up for that. And he had plenty of company during our Sunday night visit. Leon’s, open about 10 days, was packed with a 30-minute wait for a table.

This new gastropub has been opened by the same folks who own the nearby Brick Store Pub. The name derives from its original use as a gas station. Although at least two retail businesses preceded this latest use, there’s still a faint ambiance of the filling station, mainly in the large windowed garage door. But most gas stations don’t have a boules court right outside the door, as Leon’s does. (more…)

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Here’s the artsy, low-lit, moody dining room at Solstice Cafe, mentioned in my Grazing column this week. It’s got everything but a fortune teller and a hookah. Check it out. Really, the food is mainly good and inexpensive.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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Wayne and I dined at Solstice Cafe (562 Boulevard, 404-622-1976) in Grant Park Thursday night. This very laid-back, inexpensive cafe recalls the original Cafe Diem, with the same kind of menu of pastas, salads and a few entrées. Like the original Cafe Diem, Solstice also attracts a very eclectic crowd to its studiously shabby, candlelit interior. We were happy they were playing Amy Winehouse’s CDs.

I ordered this entrée of a chicken breast roasted in a crust of crumbled Ritz crackers, served with a Marsala sauce and garnish of portobello mushrooms. Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and asparagus were also on the plate. The sauce was disconcerting on first bite, lacking the usual intensity of Marsala sauces, but the more I ate, the more I liked it.

Wayne ordered a decent Caesar salad with grilled chicken.

Our cuisine editor, Besha Rodell, reviewed the restaurant in February and reported that lunch and breakfast are the better meals at Solstice. Read her review here.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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