I need to know if I’m crazy or not. I have this odd habit of each time I choose a fancy restaurant for a nice date night in Atlanta with my husband or other couples, I go looking around for somewhere divey nearby to go to after. Do any other Southerners do this? In other words, is this learned behavior or ingrained in us? For instance, last Saturday, we snagged reservations at Lazy Betty in our neighborhood.
If you haven’t heard of Lazy Betty, it is the brainchild of executive chef Ron Hsu. This Atlantan was at Eric Ripert’s three-Michelin-star Le Bernadin in NYC for seven years. He also competed on The Final Table on Netflix. He’s created a foodie paradise in a little corner of our hometown so you need to know he exists. If not for those reasons, then go for the Georgia shrimp causa with avocado mousse. Similarly, the aji-potato emulsion has inspired pure unadulterated fandom from me. It tastes like creamy mashed potatoes with shrimp and avocado and is presented as beautifully as a Victorian painting. Those in-the-know wrangle a seat on the patio or at the chef’s counter to watch Hsu and team in action. You’ll discover there are only three menus to choose from and as my kid says “you get what you get and you don’t get upset”:
10-course tasting menu with $130 optional wine pairing, $165
Seven-course tasting menu with $100 optional wine pairing, $130
Four-course with $60 optional wine pairing, $85
It was lovely. An experience. Surprising at every turn. And we dressed up to go there.
We ordered the Siberian Reserve caviar service to start because why the hell not? Above all, it was magical to be out of my house and feeling like the world was normal again. (Albeit I was wearing a mask between each course.) I highly recommend it to any Atlantan (or visitor!) that wants an exquisite dining adventure. Expect dishes such as dry-aged duck with vadouvan spiced carrots and burnt onion jus or ravioli doppio with roasted fall squash and caramelized sunchoke.
Ok, so here’s the part I need to see if resonates with anyone else.
Afterward, I made plans to head down the road a few blocks to Lloyd’s Restaurant & Lounge. Lloyd’s is one of those new bars (opened in 2018) that is made to look worn. It has those red, old-timey Pizza Hut lamps and dark pleather booths. Think The Den underneath Beetlecat. Think the original Buckhead Saloon (back when it was next to The Fish Hawk on Peachtree) with peanut shells on the floor. I knew I wanted a night cap in more chill environs to round out the evening.
See, Lloyd’s serves spinach and artichoke dip with Ruffles potato chips and Coors banquet beers. I love Lloyd’s just as much as I love Lazy Betty.
It’s the ying and the yang.
The two sides of my personality.
Moreover, it’s the Southern girl in me that loves a honky tonk-esque saloon where people are always friendly and the vibe is casual. It’s why every time I go to Hal’s in Buckhead, I have to make plans to go to Johnny’s Hideaway afterward. Or post-eating at O-ku or Cooks & Soldiers on the Westside, I swing on over to Northside Tavern when we’re done.
All I know is, last Saturday night I went from $25 glasses of wine to $6 Champagne Velvet beers. I felt right at home drinking both. In other words that’s Two-Sided Southern to me.
