Hot 'Lanta for the weekend

Live in Atlanta and we go to Chattanooga pretty often. The downtown is great, and while there are a lot of chains, there are some local gems, too. My favorite is The Blue Plate (191 Chestnut St.), right across from the Aquarium. 212 Market is my other favorite place to go when we're there. And there's a little Italian place up the hill by the Art Museum called Tony's Pasta Shop and Trattoria. I love Stick Fingers, too, but try these three local places as well.

 

Six Feet Under is a solid choice. Can't go wrong there. If you have a taste for metal music, The Highlander Bar and Grill has awesome food (it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives). The ambience is not for the feint of heart.

Shameful that I haven't been to Vortex ... but for local flavor you might try out Pitty Pat's Porch. Gotta have grease? The. Varsity.

Another one: Marietta Diner, next to the Big Chicken. Unbelievable food and desserts.

Little Novelista No. 2 is starring as Queenie in "Snow White Goes West" this weekend in Griffin, 40 minutes south of downtown. Tix are $10 each. If you make the drive, I'll buy. And I'll give you a textbook salute. I've had training.

 

Oh, COME ON, Pitty Pat's is touristy. Vortex and the Varsity are great if you're an inveterate meat eater, but I strongly recommend Richard Blais' place, Flip (either the original location on Howell Mill, or the new one in Midtown) for gourmet burgers and a truly eclectic menu of milkshakes, flash frozen using liquid nitrogen.

Personally, I find the Georgia Aquarium to be a little too kid-oriented for adults checking the place out minus little ones. World of Coke is fun if you're interested and willing to try every single solitary Coke product currently produced (some of them are truly nasty flavors, you've been warned). I always advise visitors to go to the High. Great museum.

 

Never been to Pitty Pat's, but there's literally nothing more touristy in Atlanta than The Varsity. Anyone who goes there and lives within a two-hour drive is not welcome to be my friend.

 

Pitty Pat's is the Atlanta gastronomic equivalent of The Lady and Sons in Savannah. Which I also do not recommend unless you have truly low blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. And probably not even then.

 

mmmmmmm googling Pitty Pat's.

 

Haven't been to Pitty Pat's in years, but IMHO Mary Mac's Tea Room on Ponce de Leon is a less-touristy and cheaper alternative to Pitty for really good Southern food.

 

Oooh I had heard about Mary Mac's. Met a guy who works there one night at Joe's on Juniper and my friend who had been there said it's fantastic. I might go there Thursday for lunch then.

 

Sounds like we need a get-together at the Vortex.

Who's down?

 

Depends on when but I could try.

 

Have family in town this weekend, otherwise I would be happy to oblige.

 

I dunno. Whenever you guys can get together. Friday night is out, however, as we already have tickets.