Used and Orderly

Maybe I've just had bad luck with used bookstores, but before I walked into Bound To Be Read Books, I had never encountered one that was so...alphabetical. Neatly arranged. Hell, a cat seems to live on the premises, and yet I caught no whiff of old cat litter or decaying mouse carcass. Not only does Bound To Be Read Books look well-organized, apparently the books are catalogued so unless you really, really want to, you're not required to dig through aisle after aisle to try and find a mildly legible copy of Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. You can just walk right up to the counter and mutter "Do you happen to have _____ ?" A minor miracle, if a bit too clean, almost suspiciously bereft of dust and clutter, especially considering its location in the occasionally rough-and-tumble neighborhood of East Atlanta; but a used bookstore miracle, all the same.

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Bookstores • East Atlanta

Afternoon Delight

No, not that kind of afternoon delight, it's just that the only time to step into this unique little ice cream parlor is truly the afternoon. There's nothing too complicated about the East Atlanta Village Ice Cream Shop, particularly their Blue Bell ice cream. If you like it from the grocery store, you'll like it from here. The real reason to seek out this tiny storefront is the smoothies and baked goods. The brownies could explain the slight spike in crime in this part of town, as people just can’t get enough of 'em. And the smoothies? I'm going to put it out there that the smoothies could fall under the category of one of Atlanta's best-kept secrets.

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Shopping • East Atlanta

Jack of all Stores

Traders Neighborhood Store is the sort of place you patronize when you're in the market for unusual birthday cards, Jesus action figures, a pop-up Kama Sutra book, and a lovely couch on which to awkwardly practice those new maneuvers, all in a single store. And seeing as Traders is located in the indelibly hip East Atlanta, you can probably practice those new maneuvers (clothes on, please) on the couch, in the store, without raising a single brow. Though you'll probably save more money looking for furniture or towels at Target or Walmart, you can sleep easier at night purchasing those things at a local business like Traders. So if you get another big stimulus check in the coming months and are looking for some way to contribute to the US economy (i.e. blow your money), stop by Traders.

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Shopping • East Atlanta

Can't You Hear the Thunder?

East Atlanta's Australian Bakery Cafe: resident home of authentic Aussie meat pies, sausage rolls, and people who believe that Vegemite is actually an edible substance and not ancient pesto mixed with gravel. If you're strolling to East Atlanta and simply need a snack to keep you going, the choices are numerous, and most of them delicious. I stuck with a tried-and-true Steak and Mushroom Pie and was far from disappointed. For the less adventurous palates there are tamer, local selections, and cookies and pastries for pleasing kids and angry partners. Don't forget to check out the fun mural on the wall outside the store. Not period-defining art, but it'll make you smile.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta

WWJD?

It appears that the owners of Holy Taco know they're going to need a little divine intervention if they're going to succeed where three other restaurants have failed. But if you're going by looks and atmosphere alone, you'd swear that Holy Taco could quickly become a place of worship for East Atlanta boozers. The patio is divine, the decor is pleasing and the beverages leave your taste buds singing their praises. But that's just about where the inspiration ends. Sadly, the shrimp tastes fishy, the tostones are bland without a drop of dipping sauce in sight, the margaritas are itty bitty considering the price tag, and you gotta pay for each round of greasy chips and salsa. Christ Almighty! In a neighborhood that already boasts two other taquerias, Holy Taco is going to have to pray and kiss some serious Baby Jesus ass if they hope to survive.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta

Low Expectations

How can margaritas that look and taste just like lime-flavored water get me completely and irreparably shit-faced? I don't know either, but I do enjoy the magic. When Cantina La Casita opened in 2005, the food was tasty and cheap, the wait staff was quick and friendly and the drinks were strong. After 3 years in operation, the quality has gone downhill and the wait staff seems more challenged. But hey, the grub's always affordable and the drinks still pack a punch, which is, let's face it, why you go to La Casita anyway. That and the fact that the patio is a killer spot for whiling away a few hours with chips, salsa and good friends. Plan on 1) Dropping a large chunk of change pitchers and 2) Finding alternate transportation for the return trip--you'll need it. As long as you don't go expecting greatness, La Casita won't let you down.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • East Atlanta

Live While You're Alive!

Mama always told me never to mix my grapes and grains. But upon a recent visit to The Glenwood, where a well-laid plan for a single drink with friends quickly devolved into rowdiness and shutting the place down, all my wise drinking rules flew right out the window. I blame the menu. You see, every dish is paired both casually (with a cold brew) and classily (with a nice glass of vino). To make matters worse, the wait staff is ridiculously friendly and seriously averse to seeing a patron with an empty glass. The beer list rocks hard. The bartenders are efficient and mix well. And wine just feels right. Top that off with a lively, unpretentious crowd and partaking in an unwise beverage combination seems inevitable. Just be sure to nosh on some of The Glenwood's better-than-bar-food specials, which are served late for those of us who have become a bit overly-spirited. Particularly good is the classically southern pimento cheese plate appetizer. It's served with saltines, fried pickles, candied pecans and pepper jelly—items that taste just fine on their own but, unlike PBR and Pinot Noir, are even better when mixed.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta

The Insiders

I'm eating my flank steak sandwich, sipping on a Stella, and keeping a wary eye on the man standing on the bar in front of me. His eyes are wild, pectoral muscles and abdominals ripple, and the Charlie Chaplin cane in his hand seems to point to a sign that reads "Take your SHIT back to Buckhead." The triangular room and the trapezoidal bar of the Flatiron Bar and Restaurant seem like an appropriate place for a life-sized Bruce Lee mannequin. There's a vicious plastic rat hanging from the chandelier in the ceiling, framed pictures of classic tattoos on yellowing paper lining the walls, and a sweet haze of cigarette smoke giving the space a gauzy look and feel. Flatiron has that genuine neighborhood bar feel, and is worth the trek to East Atlanta. The hipsters that frequent this neighborhood can smell outsiders, though, so wear your coolest t-shirt in attempts to appease the locals.

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Nightlife • East Atlanta

“Fiddlin’” John Carson

John Carson lived in Cabbagetown and sometimes worked as a house painter, moonshiner, and a Fulton Cotton Mill employee. But his passion was playing the fiddle. He lived among the Scots/Irish mountain people who city folks called “hillbillies.” In a studio on Nassau Street (behind the Tabernacle) he started a revolution and recorded the first “country music” hit. “Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane” (1923) sold millions. It was first performed in the AJC-owned WSB radio studios and within seconds, Carson’s mountain fiddle and his nostalgic lyrics magically wafted across the nation. Carson helped create what is now called country music—with its “old timey” music consciousness that pined for a lost era—and put Atlanta on the musical map. In the 1920s, Peachtree Street was the heart of the American record industry long before the “Nashville Sound.” Yet, despite his notoriety and success, John Carson was ultimately left homeless when he was evicted from his Cabbagetown home. John Carson died—as most artists do—poor and alone. He ended his days as an elevator operator in the same state Capitol building that launched his fame. Now that’s entertainment!

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Landmarks • East Atlanta

Eating at the EARL

I have an admission and I am not so sure what you’ll think of me: I am a trained French chef. (I know, “well lahh-dee-dahh.”) I was on the staff of one of the top restaurants in the city. But even on the best day of the pricey places, nothing can beat a hot dog and onion rings at the EARL. Sorry, but I would trade all the foie gras (fattened goose liver; tastes like ice cream; illegal in Chicago) in the world for one of their Portobello mushroom burgers (tastes like meat; no guilt; not yet illegal) washed down with a lemon-scented wheat beer (illegal during Prohibition; legal now; still tastes good). And although the braised venison shank “Osso Bucco” I slaved over for hours was a thing of beauty, it was on par with the soul-satisfying BBQ pork sandwiches, shoestring fries, and cole slaw to be had up the street at the EARL. Furthermore, the huevos rancheros, pancakes, and hash on Sunday morning at “Dunch” (dinner and brunch mixed; Sunday afternoon until 4 with great live music) is one of those Atlanta “must dos;” nothing beats the forced suppression of snickers as you watch a bleary-eyed crowd comes in to drink a Bloody Mary or strong coffee after a liver-punishing night. Who is post-coital? Who is still drunk? Whose bed head gets the most laughs?

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Nightlife • East Atlanta

Haas – East Atlanta

I was on the hunt for Crave, the East Atlanta restaurant that closed three months ago and has since turned into Haas. Who knew? This lovely space has housed the classiest of the East Atlanta eateries, including the very metallic Iris. It has a huge patio with both shaded and open-air seating, for those of you who still enjoy tanning. That wasn’t a judgment…I like looking weathered. The interior of Haas is very woodsy and loungy; it’s woodsy/loungy chic. Ayana, the adorable daytime bartender, was eager to tell us about the new tapas menu which includes: duck tacos, mixed seafood ceviche(!), sautéed Swiss chard, and loads more—all for under $9. We had a $4 pint of Brooklyn IPA at the bar. It was delicious and made me a little cross-eyed. I am very particular about East Atlanta. It’s hard for me to see new places move in, and glam-up the neighborhood. But, in these gentrifying times, Haas has filled the dead space of Crave/Iris nicely.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta

Thread Zepplin

I’ve been digging through thrift stores since the days of selling Girl Scout cookies outside Kroger—I’m good at it. My favorite vintage shop is in East Atlanta. Thread Zepplin is home to the world’s most beautiful slouchy bags and clutches. Spend an afternoon perusing the racks of vintage Levi’s or the millions of buttons that sit next to the pretty costume jewelry. Jewelry so tacky and delightful that all the city’s drag queens will wonder wear you got it. Zepplin also has a great selection of sunglasses. Don’t go to Clothing Warehouse and pay $20 for shades; visit East Atlanta and spend a tenner for glasses no one else will have. The owner is adorable and really helpful. When I met her she was saging the entire store—maybe to rid the clothing of old ghosts. By the way, I’m thinking of opening a sister boutique across the street. What do you think—Pearl’s Jams, Hootie and the Bowtie, or Thread Nugent?

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Shopping • East Atlanta

Cantina La Casita

My late stepfather once said that you’d know if a Mexican place was good if the floor was dirty; he grew up in the wind-swept West Texas panhandle and knew his queso. La Casita is a grungy little charmer in the East Atlanta Village and I am sure that Gary would have loved it here. Usually packed to the walls with a line outside, the restaurant serves authentic Mexican roadhouse food on the cheap. I mean cheap. But this ain’t lame Taco Bell Tex-Mex—there’s more to Mexican food than that company’s potheaded, schoolboy fare. For less than a Jackson, you can split your Huggies with handmade tamales, fresh-made roasted tomato salsa, tender pork carnitas marinated in lime juice, and perfectly sweet caramelized plantains with crumbly Mexican cheese and crema. Or you can just shimmy up to one of its two bars—the layout of the restaurant is split between a rickety wood-paneled roadhouse and a spacious patio—and drink cheap margaritas, high-octane tequila, homemade sangria, and Negro Modelo. They’ll call a cab for you—you’ll have plenty of cash left over for the ride home. By the way, the place is a blast—convivial and neighborhoody. You probably won’t be taking that cab home alone.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • East Atlanta

Earthshaking Music

This ain’t Guitar Center; this is an old-school music store. The ceiling leaks, the air conditioner is temperamental, and the owner blares Hannity while his son plays hide and seek. All while a mammoth cat named Boogie presides over the panoply. This is where the players come. There’s no question that can’t be answered; the owner and his employees are musicians and studio engineers. Sure, they sell guitars, but they also offer djembes, doumbeks, claves, banjos, ukuleles, and sitars as well as something called a Devil Chaser. They get digital with computer-based recording gear along with PA rentals and DJ equipment. You can learn your new instrument with economical lessons and first-rate advice; follow-up service is offered by people who know their solder from their wood glue. Earthshaking even offers star-sightings—bands come for picks and sticks before a show at the club down the street. And have I mentioned the Hi-fi listening room? With all its quirks, Earthshaking Music is hands down the best music store in Atlanta. Do you hear me Guitar Center? This place kicks your cheap slave-labor-made-ass while laughing at your emo hair.

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Shopping • East Atlanta

Gravity Pub

It’s never a bad idea to cut tater tots into star shapes. Maybe they remind you of fifth grade when you would trade both your hotdogs and a chocolate milk for all of Jeff Gibson’s tots. Or of the time in seventh grade when you stuffed your bra with tissue only to watch it all fall out when you did the long jump in gym class… Gravity Pub is the only place in Atlanta that serves heaping piles of star-shaped tots with each meal. I’ve loved this East Atlanta bar for years, but never tried the food until recently. This dive no longer serves the $1.50 Black Labels, but they still offer a $2 PBR. They have a small library that holds a few classics, and the red vinyl booths can squeeze in most of your friends. The downstairs room (entrance hidden past the bathrooms) is like stepping into your parent’s basement where you smoked pot for the first time. They have lots of comfy chairs and game tables, including air hockey. Gravity is cheap, easy, and fun. Sunday nights they have Bingo; I won a Jesus candle.

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Nightlife • East Atlanta

East Atlanta Thai and Sushi

East Atlanta is not a fancy or upscale neighborhood, so to have a decent Thai and sushi place is a welcome venue. The name’s not pretentious, nor is the food. Don’t expect to find unique, fivestar dishes here, but you will be pleasantly surprised when you taste your Pad See U and Nam Tok, both of which are somewhat Americanized Thai dishes, but richly flavored and extremely reasonably priced at only $9 or less. I’m not a sushi guy, but I’ve heard great things about their raw fish so don’t be shy about digging in.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta

Thread Zeppelin

Los Angeles I’ve been finding treasures in thrift stores since the days of hunting M.C. Hammer pants at the Salvation Army—I’m good at it. My favorite spot is a little place in East Atlanta. Thread Zeppelin has an obnoxious name, but that’s its only downfall. The collection is well-organized and eclectic. The owner is lovely and very helpful. She can be sneaky sometimes, and I’ll end up buying loads of things I hadn’t intended on. Be strong and stick to your guns—if you don’t want the hat, don’t buy it. The two best things about the place are the shoes and accessories. I own more buttons and earrings than one should. My collection of flats is colorful and a slight embarrassment to my friends on a night out. Take a drive to East Atlanta, pop into Joe’s for a coffee, than skip over for some used Kashmir…cashmere.

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Shopping • East Atlanta

La Casita

My mom ate so many tamales once she threw up. Every time I try to get her to La Casita for the city’s best, she adamantly refuses. The small East Atlanta restaurant serves up some of the finest Mexican fare I’ve tasted. If you’ve never eaten 16 tamales in one sitting and still have a taste for them, do your self a favor and get over there. Monday nights they offer $2.50 margaritas. The patio fills up quickly, so get there early if you prefe to sit outside. On Wednesday its buy one taco, get one free. You can eat like a king for about $4.75. The servers are friendly and the customers are cool. If you go on Mondays find the British guy with glasses running around the restaurant—he’ll buy you a big shot of tequila. The Cinco de Mayo party at La Casita gave me yet another reason to wear a sombrero—lots of Mariachi music and dancing. This place is always great for a party. We want it to stick around, so pay them a visit!

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Nightlife , Restaurants • East Atlanta

Joe’s Coffee

Joe’s Coffee is one of those places only locals know about. Like a secret family heirloom or recipe passed down from generation to generation. And although you won’t rub elbows with tourists here, you may bump laptops with locals. The free wireless internet ushers in a mixture of professionals, students, and locals for a quiet place to sip, chat, and relax. The friendly, hip staff at Joe’s serves a variety of pastries, cakes, and drinks—coffee, frozen, iced—for a fraction of the cost of Starbucks. Dripping blue lights, orange tomato colored walls, and exposed brick befits the bohemian atmosphere. Sit and enjoy the eclectic, local artwork, view the mock drawing of the Sistine Chapel on the roof, and listen to the laid back music. A rainbow of comfortable couches, chairs, and cutesy ottomans cushions your butt while the chill from white ceiling fans cools your brow. Before you leave, check out the large board above the condiments for information on local concerts and events. Joe’s is a perfect location to skip school, work, or any obligation.

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Coffee • East Atlanta

Grant Central Pizza

The original Grant Central, located in Grant Park, has consistently pleased locals for over a decade with pizza, calzones, pasta, and salads. Unlike their newer location in East Atlanta Village, the original has pasta specialties like Lasagna of the Day, alfredo, and pesto. While it has a full bar, it tends to draw more family groups than young hipsters. The EAV location, however, is much larger and has half a dozen different sub sandwiches for the bargain price of $5. The meatball sub is delicious and very filling. Not surprisingly, I’ve found that the original location has a little better quality when it comes to pizza and offers my favorite topping: spicy potato.

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Restaurants • East Atlanta