The Farewell Atlanta Dinner

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Tomorrow is my last day in Atlanta (sniff/sniff) and so tonight I hired a bunch of actors to play my friends and to join me at my well-thought-out final Atlanta dining spot. (Well I suppose tomorrow night’s dinner will be my final Atlanta dining spot, but you get the idea). To be honest, I didn’t have to rack my brain too hard: The Flying Biscuit was the obvious choice.

Sentimentally speaking, The Flying Biscuit has me by the, well, biscuits. I’ve been going there since my freshman year of college (all seven years ago) and each time I go I get excited. I’ve gone for special occassions (birthdays), non-special occassions (weeknight dinners), dates, parties, and national political conventions. The Flying Biscuit is emblematic of my seven-year Atlanta experience.

Tonight we were celebrating me and in attendance were some of Atlanta’s finest and brightest. There were these people:

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These people:

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And these people:

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I wish I knew their names, but they were awfully nice to let me sit with them. Heck, they even bought me dinner!

I will miss this salad and of course the biscuit:

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I will not necessarily miss the catfish served on cheddar cheese grits with a raspberry onion topping:

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Mostly, though, I’ll miss Atlanta. I think Atlanta is a marvelous city, full of wonderful people, great scenery, charm and (yes, dammit) culture. I’ve cherished my time here and will look back on it fondly for years to come. It was in Atlanta that I became the person you know and love today and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. You are the wind beneath my wings, Atlanta. You’re the father I never had. Ain’t no mountain high enough, to keep me from you.

In conclusion, this is my last Atlanta post. Savor it, cherish it, put it in your pocket. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be a New York resident! That may be in a few days, so until then, keep your forks aloft and your palates soft! Your palates soft? Hasta a Neuva York!

14 thoughts on “The Farewell Atlanta Dinner”

  1. Samantha

    I agree with you about Atlanta, my boyfriend and I love it too. We spent 6 months in Atlanta on our externships from culinary school and have gone back every year or so ever since. We’re actually spending a long weekend there in September, and will surely say hi to the Flying Biscuit for you!

    Good luck on the move!

  2. giddy

    I also agree with you about Atlanta….as a former Atlanta resident, it always warmed my heart to read your reviews of all my favorite old haunts…and I will miss them when you move! Hopefully you’ll still document your trips to visit Josh and Katy and all YOUR old favorite culinary haunts!

    My husband periodically travels to Atlanta on business and arranges it so all his meals are at all our favorite places and I get so jealous–and this even WITHOUT digital photos of all the fabulous things he’s eating. Anyway.

    Good luck with the move, and though I’ll miss your Atlanta posts, on the upside, with you writing from NY I’ll just know of that many more good NYC restaurants to choose from whenever I finally manage to make a trip out there. I have several relatives in the area, so what am I waiting for?

  3. Emily

    I’m sure lots of people have recommended NYC restaurants to you, and why would people stop now that you’re a few days away from being in the city? There’s a restaurant/diner called Googlies somewhere in Manhattan that makes great milkshakes! Sorry I can’t be more specific, but I was just along for the trip in the city when I dined there.

    Can’t wait to hear about your adventures in the city! Thanks for all your entertainment thus far.

  4. Allie

    Only Mr. Manilow himself can give voice to the emotional havoc your departure has created for faithful local readers. “Happy people pass my way • Looking in their eyes • I see a memory • I never realized how happy you made me • Oh Amateur Gourmet • Well, you came and you gave without taking, but A-town sent you away . . .” (I tried to throw in a Copa Cabana reference, but that will just have to wait, Lola.)

    Go (north)West and Godspeed, Mr. Amateur Gourmet! Thank you for being such a bright beacon of Atlanta cuisine knowledge; we shall put on our brave faces and look forward to reading about your NYC dining adventures!

  7. Barry

    Dear A.G. – I have refrained from comment for a while, but now really IS the time to write. Like some of your other last-day commenters, I too like Atlanta, that’s why I live here. I even like the Flyin’ dern Biscuit, but apparently not as much as you! If you don’t hold these final day comments (mine and the others) near and dear to your ticker, something must be wrong with you.[a welling up in the eyes] You never offered comment on any of my thoughtful comments; that would have been rewarding.[small sob] I don’t even know you personally, we’ll sort of, and you really don’t know me, yet let’s say we care. I saw you out eating recently at Doc Chey’s and I decided to leave you be in your world of local food celebrity and bar exam cramming. In your absence, in our loss, we just hope for a cheerful and entertaining replacement.[a tear rolling down cheek] We wish you a happy landing in NYC which surely is filled with lawyerly pursuits, like filing briefs and writs in between meals. My NYC word to the wise, be careful what you say, as you may be enjoying a psuedo-biscuit at a neo-southern cafe as someone bonks you on the head with a cast iron skillet because you were too critical of their efforts. You will miss the biscuits my son. Now fly from the nest.[tear splats on the desk].

  8. ted

    If you must leave us, can you at least archive all the Atlanta restaurant reviews into one easy file. I need to know where to eat in my own city!

    Thanks and Godspeed!

  9. ted

    If you must leave us, can you at least archive all the Atlanta restaurant reviews into one easy file? I need to know where to eat in my own city!

    Thanks and Godspeed!

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