Redeye July 01 2004
Someday I may quit bitching ...
... but never wining. On Wed., June 23, a friend and I wandered North Highland sampling wines. I'd say we went on a bender, but it was more a straight shot: from the recently opened wine bar in Market One, Taste, to the Muse Art Cafe to JavaVino. Taste is very American, with its lively wine descriptions (20 glasses and 300 bottles are available) and odd corner cafeteria-meets-contemporary boutique look. Conversely, Muse is so very European. It only offers four varietal choices of medium dry reds, an equal number of whites and no emphasis on label or vintage, but plenty of tasty appetizers and friendly table service in an unhurried street cafe environment. Newbie JavaVino is a touch sterile, like a suburban house still needing some upholstery to sink into while you sink into your coffee cake. The coffee is a rich Nicaraguan, however, and the light emphasis on Chilean and Argentinean wine is a welcome change — both zesty and aromatic. Between the three you can get glassy-eyed by the glass till 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., depending on the place/night.
Loud and proud
The weekend of June 25-27 brought many things to be proud of: the meticulously thematic celebration of Bohemian Debauchery at eleven50; 3 DOT Productions (host of Breaklanta!) celebrated its three-year anniversary at the Crescent Room; and patrons of the annual Corndogorama at the Earl celebrated local music and nights of gobbling down corn batter-shrouded meat products and beer, and then mornings where it all wanted to come back up. But I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh, yes, that:
In between the monsoon season's swells, you may have looked to the skies, restaurants, bars, clubs and parks and noticed a plethora of rainbows because it was also Pride. I managed to watch Sunday's parade, and it was quite festive. I leaned over to someone and said, "I think I'm catching the spirit." He told me I could pitch the spirit, too, if I liked. (Hey-o!) One thing I noticed: For a parade featuring a lot of lesbians, it seemed everyone had an equal hatred of Bush. (Thank You! I'm doing two shows nightly in the Catskills starting next week.)
But seriously, I caught the parade from the corner of Peachtree that houses Bazzaar. I awkwardly transition here to mention Bazzaar because the kitchen has recently been taken over by chef Richard Blais, and his sensational seasonal innovations are offered daily till 10ish for those looking for expressive, effervescent bites to accompany romance.
Keep one RedEye open. And send all comments, questions, observations and invitations to redeye@creativeloafing.com.