Cover Story: Classic!

Hotlanta didn’t just earn its nickname based on the temperature. My, oh my, how we do love our trendy ways: hot neighborhoods, hot clubs, hot cocktails ... and certainly, hot restaurants. We’re ruthless about it, too. We migrate from place to place, lemongrass martini in hand, without an iota of loyalty. One month you endure an hour wait to get into the newest Buckhead sizzler on a Monday night. Three months later? They can take you at 8 p.m. on a Saturday without any hassle whatsoever.

Yet a faction of Atlanta’s dining scene thrives outside all the rigamarole. These are restaurants many of us have heard about, though we’ve never actually eaten at them. They’ve been around forever — which, in Atlanta time, means 20 years or more.

The regulars at these places may be getting up in years, or the restaurant may be off the beaten path, but they do steady business nonetheless. For those of us who don’t frequent them, dining at one of these spots becomes a touchstone of a bygone era. We choose them as much — and, in some cases, more — for the experience as for the food.

There must have been a time when meat-and-threes and burger joints were the dining-out norm. Fine dining arrived to the city in the form of exactingly wrought French fare in prim surroundings. “Neighborhood restaurant” meant spaghetti and meatballs. “New American” translated as cheese bread and chalkboard menus.

We wouldn’t change our current multicultural culinary collage, but we’ve found the fun in stepping through the time continuum and tasting Atlanta in the past tense. Here are eight oldies but goodies we’ve come to appreciate for their utterly nontrendy ways.

Bambinelli’s

Alfredo’s or Nino’s? When the subject turns to old-school Italian joints, Atlanta’s longtime residents love to argue the merits of those two Cheshire Bridge landmarks. I just let them banter while I casually slip off to Bambinelli’s by Northlake Mall. East Coast transplants — and I know you are legion — will instantly flash back to childhood memories. The dim lighting. Bonnie Bambinelli’s warm welcome from her roost at the cash register. The piano player, Fava Silver, and his cascading versions of show tunes in the corner. You sit, and the server whisks over a basket of doughy, garlicky rolls — the perfect foil for red sauce. You know the menu before you read it. Veal parm. Baked ziti. New York-style pizza. Grouper francese with that eggy batter in white wine sauce over angel hair pasta. For dessert? House-made cannoli, of course. Madonna, it feels good to be home.

-- Bill Addison
3202 Northlake Parkway, 770-493-1311, www.bambinellis.homestead.com.

Mary Mac’s

You can be guaranteed that a restaurant almost as old as your mom probably hasn’t changed much over the span of its 59-year life. This holds especially true for Mary Mac’s, whose canary yellow dining rooms are currently serving its nth generation of diners. Favored by Bill Clinton during his visits to our fine city, this genteel “tea room” is as intense a time warp as you’ll find anywhere in Atlanta. You expect to see gentlemen in hats and white-gloved ladies supping on traditional Southern favorites, including the famous fried chicken, country-fried steak, and chicken and dumplings. The “big bowl of fried okra” is a massive, delicious mound of crisp okra carefully breaded and deep-fried. Should you pay a visit to Mary Mac’s, don’t forget your ma’ams and sirs, and eat your vegetables. If in doubt about what to wear, don’t hesitate to slide into the seersucker.

-- Cynthia Wong
224 Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-876-1800.

Matthew’s Cafeteria

For those of us frantically plugged into our urban lives, Tucker and its Main Street prove almost jarringly placid. Matthew’s Cafeteria ideally matches this strip of closely knit buildings that evokes an obsolete America. The utilitarian room must look much like it did when this restaurant started more than 50 years ago. Businessmen, young families and senior citizens all grab trays and stand politely together in line. In a sneaky move, dessert is the first choice you make. Will it be coconut cream pie, jammy strawberry cobbler or timeless banana pudding? (Go for the banana pudding.) Choices change daily, though Thursdays are renowned for the beloved turkey and cornbread stuffing. Sides are enticingly homey. What a pleasure to eat crisp, honest, fried green tomatoes that aren’t gussied up with fancy-schmancy additions like goat cheese and roasted red pepper coulis. Never grasped the appeal of squash casserole before? Matthew’s cheesy, crackery concoction will make you a believer.

--BA
2299 Main St., Tucker, 770-491-9577.

Nikolai’s Roof

Ka-kling! Half of the waitstaff in the restaurant gathers around the table to unveil our lidded entrees with a synchronized clang and a swooping flourish. We simply sit back and bask in the Über-service with knowing smirks. The grande dame of downtown, perched atop the Hilton, has been wowing prom-goers and anniversary revelers with its Russian-style coddling since 1976. Yes, the room is dated, but the velvety paneling and geometric chandeliers have been maintained so lovingly they shine like a movie set. Highlights of Nikolai’s Franco-Russian fare include flavored vodkas to start (particularly the lime and the Russian tea and orange infusions); the pricey but opulent caviar service; and picturesque souffles that would make Julia Child warble with pride. And gosh, on a clear summer night, it does feel magical to gaze out the picture windows and admire how green our city looks from on high.

-- BA?
Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland St., 404-221-6362.

The Pleasant Peasant

Born right around the same time as me back in 1973, the Pleasant Peasant still reels ‘em in with its classic dishes and soulful feel. Opened 31 years ago with a meager $25,000 investment, the Peasant may not skate on the fine line of cutting-edge cuisine, but it does what it does pretty well. The French onion soup with a “Swiss cheese lid” is dark, rich and satisfying, and the crispy calamari make an ideal companion to glasses of wine enjoyed at the short but lovely bar. The popular, pecan-crusted swordfish still holds its own, as does the gooey, buttery apple-walnut pie. Exposed-brick walls, a pressed-tin ceiling and beautiful old tile floors create an intimate, romantic atmosphere that so many new restaurants lack. The Peasant proves that with age comes grace.

-- CW
555 Peachtree St., 404-874-3223.

Petite Auberge

Owned and operated by the Gropp family since its opening in 1974, little has changed about Atlanta’s oldest French restaurant. Some call it stuffy, but there is something to be said for the lost art of tableside service, particularly when it comes to setting dessert afire with a magician’s sleight of hand. The calorie-wary might want to avoid Petite Auberge, however; this establishment is very much a shrine to the glory of sauce-based cuisine. Classic is as classic does — Black Angus filet is topped with mushroom duxelle, wrapped in puff pastry and accompanied by bordelaise and bearnaise sauces for an impressive beef Wellington. Coq au Vin is deep and hearty. Crepes provide the favored vehicle for additional richness. They are filled with shrimp, scallops and lobster sauce for an entree, or stuffed with hazelnut-chocolate ice cream for dessert. Better French food can be had, but dinner at Petite Auberge still feels like an event.

-- CW
2935 N. Druid Hills Road, 404-634-6268.

The Colonnade

There is, simply put, no place like the Colonnade. Mosey into the dining room any night of the week and you’ll find it teeming with its astonishingly disparate clientele. I don’t know what they put in those Parker House rolls (have you tried the new whole wheat variation yet?), but the Colonnade experience seeps into your unconscious. You understand it immediately. It’s a place to gather with friends. It’s not a date restaurant, but you do come here to share a meal with someone you’re sure about. Food-wise, it’s always a tough decision. Fried chicken tonight? Prime rib? Grilled trout? New chef Erick Herndon grills a mean T-bone steak with herb butter as a special. And the sides are even more difficult to settle on: Is it a tomato aspic and collards kind of evening? Maybe I’m more in the mood for creamed corn and sweet potato fries. “Wedge of lettuce?” scoff out-of-town guests. “It’s a Southern thing,” I reply. I’m so grateful there’s somewhere in this transient town where I can actually use that line.

-- BA
1879 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-874-5642.

The Varsity

Back in 1928, when the original Varsity location opened, Atlanta’s population was a mere sixteenth of what it is today. To accommodate a growing number of customers, founder Frank Gordy moved the business to its current address on North Avenue to introduce one of the elements that makes the Varsity so dear and near to many: curbside service. Few things better capture the essence of car-centric Atlanta than ordering and being served a full meal in your own auto. I won’t lie to you; light, low-fat food isn’t the Varsity’s forte. But there’s only one place to go should you crave the tongue-tingling creaminess of an Orange Frosted, a hot dog whose pink saltiness recalls county fairs or onion rings, and whose greasy goodness cures the most intense of hangovers. Although it’s not on the menu, when you’re asked, “What’ll you have?” order yourself a pimento cheeseburger. Then take it into one of the TV viewing rooms upstairs for a genuine, nowhere-else-but-Atlanta experience.

-- CW
61 North Ave., 404-881-1706.