Friday, March 19, 2004
|
Friday, March 19, 2004 |
| Local restaurant scene changing By J. FRANK LYNCH Peachtree City’s reputation as a quiet suburban outpost inhabited by married couples with school-age children (and unforgiving for its lack of appeal to the single, young professional crowd) appears threatened. A growing nightlife scene, suddenly fed by the recent or pending arrival of a number of well-known Atlanta players, has apparently begun to blossom near the heart of the city. The City Council was expected to approve a request for a liquor license Thursday night to the owners of Three Dollar Cafe, the rambling sports bar and beer emporium whose flagship restaurant has occupied for more than 10 years the corner of Peachtree and Pharr roads at the heart of Buckhead’s infamous, and controversial, bar district. The Peachtree City Three Dollar Cafe is planned for 273 Ga. Highway 74 North in a building under construction in Phase III of the Wisdom Point strip of bars and restaurants just south of Wisdom Road. No opening date has been set. It will join the recently-opened Mellow Mushroom, a local franchise of the well-known pizzeria that was one of the trailblazers in funky intown neighborhoods like Little Five Points and Virginia-Highland starting 20 years ago. Already located on that strip is Hangar 74, a popular bar and restaurant that packs them in on weekends and creates parking headaches for neighboring eateries Gumba's Rotisserie, Sushi Yoshi and La Hacienda Mexican restaurant. At midweek Wednesday, Hangar 74 was standing room only as revelers bedecked in green beads and funny hats celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Cars in the overflowing parking lot showed bar patrons hailed from Coweta, Clayton, Spalding and even Meriwether counties, in addition to Fayette. Another restaurant, Wok Express, is expected to open soon next door to Mellow Mushroom. A hair salon, nail salon and dry cleaner also occupy space in Wisdom Point. Meanwhile, Smokey Bone’s Barbecue & Sports Bar at Commerce Circle across from The Avenue continues to pack in new patrons since opening March 2. The new chain, owned by the parent company to Olive Garden and Red Lobster, replaced the shuttered Don Pablo’s at the site and features a huge central bar area with dozens of video monitors showing nonstop sports broadcasts. Three Dollar Cafe’s claim to fame is a beer selection that numbers more than 350 different brands and flavors from around the world. Originally, a Taco Mac restaurant, another intown mainstay, was rumored to be coming to the neighborhood, but Three Dollar Cafe replaces it, sources say. The Peachtree City Three Dollar Cafe will be the ninth in the chain. In addition to Buckhead, the other restaurants are in Dunwoody, Windy Hill in Cobb County, Town Center in Kennesaw, Sandy Springs, Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Snellville and Auburn, Ala.
| ||