At some point during the late morning or early afternoon on Saturday, set
aside an hour or two for a festive brunch at one of the city's
definitive gay brunch spots, perhaps Einstein's or the Flying Biscuit,
both of which are in Midtown. Flying Biscuit has the edge when it comes
to food - the turkey meatloaf sandwich with roasted red peppers and the
organic oatmeal pancakes topped with peach compote are both sublime. But
the food at Einstein's is plenty good, and this historic bungalow with
hip decor and a breezy patio has the more appealing setting.
For dinner on Saturday night, you might go with a venue that's loud and
campy, such as the tres gay purveyor of top-notch sushi and Pan-Asian
fare, Nickiemoto's. Or instead opt for a romantic, swell-elegant dining
room that's more appropriate for a special occasion. In this case, book
a table well in advance at Canoe, a refined restaurant set on the banks
of the Chattahoochee River and known for such deftly prepared
contemporary American cuisine as pistachio-seared goat cheese with
lemon-olive-oil-and-rosemary dressing, and cider-braised pork belly with
polenta, grilled endive, roasted apples, and gorgonzola.
Revelers can take to the town on Saturday night, checking out some of
the jumpin' gay Atlanta dance clubs - there's something for every taste.
Looking for the best country-western dancing around? Head to Hoedowns,
which draws a mix of women and men dedicated to the art of two-stepping.
Club 708 is your best bet if you're looking for the city's top gay
African-American hangout, while Heretic Atlanta attracts the
leather-and-uniform crowd. And for the best overall lesbian dance-club
scene, the Jungle has a popular ladies night (which also draws plenty of
guys) on Saturday nights.
One perfect way to spend Sunday is to explore Atlanta's many cool
neighborhoods, several of them generating plenty of buzz these days for
their mix of inviting neighborhood cafes, edgy art galleries, and indie
shops and boutiques. Start off in the rapidly up-and-coming Castleberry
Hill area, just west of downtown. This patch of handsome warehouses and
industrial buildings has grown into a hip arts district, with a number
of provocative galleries, mostly set along Walker and Peters streets.
You can begin your explorations with lunch at the superb (and gay-owned)
No Mas Cantina, a festive Mexican restaurant that serves tantalizingly
good tortilla soup and fish tacos. It's attached to a dramatic
home-furnishings store filled with stunning, handcrafted furniture and
decorative arts from Mexico.
There are plenty of other neighborhoods of note. Inman Park, Atlanta's
first suburb, lies just east of downtown. The area had become run-down
and derelict before gay and African-American gentrification took hold in
the early '80s, with the restoration of many of its elaborate Victorian
houses. More recent targets of gay-fronted gentrification include Grant
Park, Cabbagetown, and East Atlanta Village. And then there's arguably
the city's best district for funky browsing and window-shopping,
Virginia-Highland, which also abounds with terrific restaurants. Some
fine bets for a memorable Sunday dinner include Mary Mac's Tea Room (for
wonderfully fattening and delicious traditional Southern fare) and
Shaun's (a chic contemporary spot in Inman Park known for stellar
regional American cooking). Continue to page
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The Hunk
