Living on the Westside can be tough sometimes – a ton of the cool/hip shit, especially ethnic food, is on the other side of the universe from me, as I was reminded today as I drove over 30 minutes in traffic to get some good Indian grub.
The Westside can be sparse, and as is the case everywhere, development is slow going. At the end of Moore’s Mill (Bolton area), a large mixed use and apartment complex development was planned which has come to an indefinite halt. Many of the existing properties were purchased, tenants moved out, windows were boarded, but the money dried up and now they just sit there empty, adding to the existing eyesore that is the sewage treatment plant intersection. Hell, even Mr. Drumstick burned down.
Luckily they do throw us a bone on occasion (most recently Abattoir), and this week I’ve seen or heard about a few more openings in my area.
Repeat Atlanta recently announced two new openings – Bocado, which has yet to open in the new development near Octane and 5 Seasons, and Urban pL8, which is already open in the former Milk & Honey space. Milk & Honey was a disaster, and this location is quite poor in my opinion, despite being so close to the invigorated White Provisions district. It’s going to be tough for a restaurant to be successful in this location until the nearby townhome development is complete, but construction has seemed to go on forever, and even then the market for townhomes of that price has surely shrunk. The Urban pL8 food could rock though, so ya never know.
Bocado is in a much more happening area, and the Spanish cuisine marketplace in the ATL surely has space, so I’m cautiously optimistic for them.
In other opening news, there is a development on Chattahoochee Blvd, right before you get to Nuevo Laredo, that has been built out and totally empty for a year. The first sign of life came in the last couple of weeks, there are now signs up for two new restaurants, Johnny’s NY Pizza, and a creatively named place called The Brunch House.
Based on what I could see of the interior, these places are nowhere near opening, but I am not too confident about this location. Johnny’s may have deep pockets that can last what will surely be a long amount of time to grain traction in this location, but The Brunch House better bring the heat from day one.
I also noticed a new place on Howell Mill, next door to Mr. C’s, called Key West Seafood Market. It’s clearly a tiny space, but I would love it if there was somewhere close by with some quality seafood I could cook at home, even if it is a limited selection. I realize this may be wishful thinking in Atlanta, but you never know.
Westside, throw it up!
