Smiley Eats!: May 2004

(as published in The Southern Voice, www.sovo.com)

Quick trip to French Quarter

353 Moreland Ave.
Atlanta, GA
404-475-7777
www.newsyoucanswallow.com

Eatery offers passable New Orleans-style menu but nothing special in ever-gentrifying Little Five Points.

As the number of young, married urbanites increases, so does the number of children associated with them.
That means places like Front Page News in Little Five Points will start showing up in all of Atlanta’s former
“counter-culture” and bohemian neighborhoods.

The place appears to be Little Five Points’ answer to the question, “Where are the family restaurants?” The location in a 100-year-old warehouse on Moreland Avenue is prime real estate for the neighborhood — covered parking, manicured sidewalks and walking distance to all of the new age and antique clothing stores that populate neighboring blocks.

The hostess starts by asking, “Inside or outside?” Isn’t that a nice change from “Smoking or non-smoking?” Still, considering the humidity on a recent evening, even the courtyard’s authentic New Orleans feel could not tempt me to dine outside.

Inside, the feel is suburban-Kitsch with walls covered in framed newspaper articles, old maps and photographs. I settle into an oversized booth that feels right out of a neighborhood pub. The dining area is a large room with exposed beams and brick that look to be original to the building. Early for a Sunday night, there are few patrons in the
dining room — scattered young couples, one elderly gentleman with three children and a few single drinkers at the bar.

But there is a distinct absence of our fey brothers and sisters at Front Page News. Just about the gayest thing in the
place is “Charmed” showing on the TV monitors and “Love to Love You Baby” playing between tracks of college rock.

The server arrives with a genuinely friendly attitude. The beer and wine selection is moderate and focuses
mainly on domestic labels and New Orleans breweries like Dixie Brewing Company. Also prominent is Abita, which
the kitchen uses to beer batter some dishes on the menu.

An appetizer menu of bar food regulars is available (Buffalo Wings, Artichoke Dip, Hummus). But I went with a couple of authentic plates, Cajun Jambalaya Egg Rolls ($7.95) and Thibodeaux Shrimp ($8.95). The egg rolls are nicely presented on loose-leaf lettuce with both a horseradish and a sweet sauce. Quite frankly, they’re over-spiced. The
taste of the dish is lost amid the heat of the spice. The shrimp, wrapped in bacon and grilled, are a tad overdone and rest on a puddle of sticky-sweet barbeque honey mustard. Since this is heavy-on-the-stomach cuisine, skip the salad course and go directly to the entrees.

Keeping up the New Orleans theme, a Shrimp Po Boy ($8.95) is served with jalapeno cole slaw. The dish is served open-faced and loaded with little fried shrimp nuggets and fresh tomato slices. Crab Cakes ($14.95) come accompanied by red beans and rice. Staring into the huge plate of oversized cakes is a bit daunting, but they are nicely flavored and surrounded by a sea of rice and beans.

The dessert menu holds such belt-busting items as N’awlins Bread Pudding and apple pie with ice cream. I
opt for the rather traditional choice with a New Orleans flare: cheesecake with warm pecan-praline sauce ($4.95).
The cheesecake is of top caliber. It stands about two inches high with a good amount of tartness and fluffy texture.
The pecan-praline sauce seems as if the most heavenly of praline candy was melted down and poured right over the
cheesecake.

Seemingly content with its lot in life, yet experiencing a definite mixed decor, Front Page News is a stable restaurant in a great location, delivering on what it claims: “a quick trip to the French Quarter every time you walk in the door.”

Smiley Eats!

Friday, May 28, 2004

Front Page News, 05-28-04

Saturday, May 01, 2004

INDEX