Monday, December 31, 2007
Food & Life / Food media Atlanta: Worst food town in the world?
Posted by Besha Rodell @BeshaRodell on Mon, Dec 31, 2007 at 3:50 PM
According to Denver Post sports columnist John Henderson, Atlanta is the worst food town he's been to, at least this year. As evidence, he uses these three examples:
Worst breakfast: The Flying Biscuit Cafe, Atlanta (1655 McLendon Ave., 404-687-8888). According to the AOL City Guide, the pancakes here are rated the best in the U.S. I'm a pancake maven and they were the worst I've ever had in the U.S. They're an inch thick with the texture of leavened dough. I took four bites and was full and disgusted. Serving apple juice in a plastic Tropicana can and syrup in a cold plastic jug didn't help.Worst sandwich: Gibney's Pub, Atlanta (231 Peachtree Center Ave. #A7, 404-688-0928). An Irish pub in Atlanta is not a wise choice for a chicken sandwich. It was a huge slab of overcooked chicken breast inside a bun the approximate size of an English muffin. The slice of what looked like Velveeta was a fitting touch.
Worst overpriced meal: Sun Dial Room, Atlanta (210 Peachtree St. NW, 404-589-7506). On the 72nd floor of the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel, the Sun Dial Room should be 72 miles below the earth's crust. The view is as good as the food is bad. My grilled tenderloin of beef tasted like something I cooked as a junior in college. As bland and nondescript as you can imagine. But I only paid $75 so I didn't feel too bad.
It's funny, because I spent a semester of high school in Denver, and it was unequivocally the worst six weeks of my adolescence. The kids there were horrible to me, the school was very segregated and beyond that cliquey, and the downtown was boring and deserted. Based on my limited experience of Denver, would I go calling it the worst city in America? No, I would not! I can't fathom how Henderson, who frequently writes about the food he eats on the road, feels he can judge a town from its overpriced downtown tourist traps. Next time, Mr. Henderson, take a look at the Loaf's Best of Atlanta issue for a guide and see if we're still the worst then.
You can read Henderson's full article here.
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
This reads like some schmuck got stuck downtown during a conference and took the advice of the Westin concierge. What- No review of Jalapeno Charlie's? But c'mon, best pancakes in America? Those oatmeal belly-busters are completely inedible.
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At least Flying Biscuit is popular with locals, so that's a valid place to use as an example of Atlanta restaurants, but I don't know of any Atlantans who eat a those tourist/conventioneer spots live Gibneys or the Sun Dial. I took a look at the Gibneys menu when I was walking around downtown once. It's a place that looks like a British pub but almost exclusively serves the most mundane of American bar and grill foods - it just screams "tourist trap." The popularity of the Flying Biscuit is about as inexplicable as that of J. Christopher's. There are so many truly excellent breakfast spots in Atlanta such as West Egg, Ria's, Radial, and Highland Bakery. There's no excuse for that kind of mediocrity.
please note "sports columnist" as job description That means he is as qualifed to comment on food as Olbermann on politics.
Darin - I am with you on the Biscuit. After four years in ATL, I finally had a breakfast there after invitation from two friends. The sad thing was that my friends, a wonderful Frenchman and his French-Canadian girlfriend, think they had Southern food. At least they liked it.
Flying Biscuit was good 10 years ago! Now it's to southern food as Moe's is to Mexican food. BLAH!
I actually wrote the guy and he was pretty cordial about it. He coped to it just being an article about his travels covering baseball so that explains the downtown thing. I implored him to 1) stay in midtown next time and 2) e-mail me when in town so that he can at least get some decent suggestions. We'll see.
I walked into flying biscuit one day and the host screamed "welcome to the biscuit!"
Totally with you on the downtown tourist traps, but totally with him on the Flying Biscuit. This place has been coasting on its reputation for years, and the Midtown location has always been mediocre at best. It feels like the dining press gives it a pass though. It would be interesting to see longtime favorites like this one given a fresh review.
You guys are all right about the Flying Biscuit. I did write an article about them when they sold to Raving Brands - I was pretty new to town at the time and was seriously confused about why the place was such a big deal. The article ended up being more about the cultural ramifications of a small, beloved local business selling out to a corporate franchise operation than about the food. I have to say I haven't been back since, and have had no desire to go back. I'm not sure where I'd send this guy for pancakes. I've had some good ones at Solstice Cafe in Grant Park.
Best pancakes I've had at an Atlanta restaurant are at Radial. My favorite are their pumpkin ones, which aren't always on the menu but I crave regularly. Thumbs up buckwheat p'cakes are very good too.
And I couldn't agree more about the Biscuit pancakes. Worst thing for me is when I noticed that they cook them all ahead in batches. At least that's how it was done the last time I went there many, many years ago... Can imagine who would call them the best in Atlanta!
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