Wednesday, March 21, 2001

The Bermuda Triangle of dining

By F.C. FOODIE
Food Critic

The "buzz" is starting to surround Fayette County.

Just to the north, a new restaurant in College Park is drawing foodies from around the city to sample its cuisine.

Oscar's set up shop in downtown College Park and is offering food not usually found south of the Downtown-Midtown-Buckhead food axis.

The restaurant owner restored one of the older buildings and is drawing city-wide acclaim for his unique interpretation of continental dining.

On our western borders, a new Cajun joint has opened on Newnan's historic Court Square. Early reviews give the food a thumbs up and soon, another Louisiana-inspired restaurant will open in the same area.

On our far southern borders, Paul Luna has opened a restaurant in Hogansville that allows diners to choose their entire menus for the evening.

What's wrong with this picture?

Notice the absence of Fayette County. We're the richest per capita county in the state, yet independent business folks who want to start restaurants mysteriously bypass our county.

We have a few brave folks, such as Village Cafe, City Cafe, Pascal's and Valentino's, who try to raise the bar for dining in the county, but they're few and far between.

We get our share of chains, but is eating at Outback in Peachtree City really that different from eating at one in Atlanta?

We need some of our county's leaders to help persuade some of those potential restaurant owners to call Fayette home.

Right now, our leaders are scratching their heads to see how they can persuade more tourists to spend their money in the county.

If people hear of an exceptional dining experience, they'll travel quite a way to give it a chance. Couple an exceptional meal with some of our shopping and historic attractions and you'll soon have tourists bursting at the seams to enjoy our quality of life.

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