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Thursday, May 1, 2008
A Dip in Fine Dining
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHEF OWNERS Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison in the kitchen at Bacchanalia, the city’s most celebrated restaurant.
Photo: W.A. Bridges, Jr./AJC staff
Speaking with chef-owner Anne Quatrano on Tuesday, she told me of her and husband Clifford’s plans to open Abattoir, a “meat-centric” casual spot that will hopefully open later this fall in the White Provisions complex. While not a steak house, the menu definitely operates around four-legged things, with an emphasis on local pork and lamb, and eventually (hopefully) local beef.
She also talked sadly about something we may already know, but don’t want to admit. For the first time, her fine dining establishments — Bacchanalia and Quinones at Bacchanalia — have taken a big dip in sales from the numbers last year. “This is not a good time for the restaurant industry,” Quatrano told me.
Gas prices, an impending recession, losses to personal investment portfolios and 401 K plans — all these threats make it hard for a family to justify spending a couple of hundred bucks on dinner, no matter how incredibly good it is.
But as recession looms, we need to also realize that fine dining, just like fine arts, are the life blood of a city’s pulse. They are vibrant offerings that give a city its personality. Even in the direst of times we need to support, in whatever way we can, the efforts of our native artists and craftsmen, a group that includes our local chefs and restaurants.
I’ve asked this before, but want to know — how hard is the looming recession hitting your dining options? Have you made changes? Do you eat out less? Have you ruled fine dining out all together?
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