Food is music to his ears

Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges has accomplished something few of his music contemporaries have: He’s a successful restaurateur, with an upscale eatery in Midtown. Straits, which serves Singaporean cuisine with must-have menu items such as the kung pao chicken lollipops, celebrated its first anniversary in style last Friday, when the Grammy Award-winning rapper honored actress Jane Fonda and Mayor Shirley Franklin at an open-to-the public gala.

Sure, Kanye West has his burgers, and Jermaine Dupri has had a go with his Buckhead soul joint.

But Straits has actually caught the eye (and taste buds) of the foodie cognoscenti. I gave the spot three stars in a review last year, citing certain tableside desserts as the only real problematic part of the experience. And Food & Wine magazine just unleashed a 10-page high- gloss spread about Straits, including recipes from chef Chris Yeo, whom Bridges met “though a friend” at a charity event.

Last week, I sat down with the 31-year-old guy at his home in College Park. It was as eye-opening an experience as eating at his restaurant for the first time. Answering the door, Bridges was dressed in a black cotton pullover and black jeans and offered me breakfast (it was three minutes past 1 p.m.). “I’m still on West Coast time,” he said with a smile.

For a guy whose lyrics are unprintable in a newspaper, Bridges is immediately likable. He’s charming and affable, even if his lyrics aren’t. Taking a rare few days away from the music industry, the rapper “loves his home,” though he spends as much time as possible at the restaurant when he is in town.

“I’m a foodie!” he exclaims, finishing a breakfast heavy on fresh fruit prepared by his lifelong friend Willie Box, who Bridges put through culinary school and who now works as the rapper’s personal chef, as well as “the eyes and ears” of the restaurant. Straits, in the space which once housed Spice, was at the beginning nothing more than a real-estate purchase for Bridges and his mother, Roberta Shields. But then he met Yeo, who owns restaurants in San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., and tasted his food, Bridges was hooked on the idea of opening a restaurant.

When asked why Straits has been so successful, Bridges is quick to point out how good he thinks the food is, how great the modern ambience is and how wonderful the service is. But looking at it as a critic, I would have to point to his business philosophy as the prime ingredient of success —- he caters to a diverse community and serves very good food. When something is broken, he fixes it, keeping close tabs on everything. “I hate getting calls about the hot water heater being broken,” he quips.

“People are going to come to the restaurant out of curiosity. To see if I’m there. But that’s not what’s going to bring them back a second or third time.”

By the end of the interview, we are sharing stories of our favorite places to eat. I turn him on to La Oaxaquena Taqueria in Jonesboro (he loves Mexican food, but not as much as Italian). He turns me on to Cafe Martorano in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “Check this out,” he says, pulling up the restaurant’s Web site on his custom-made laptop with “Disturbing tha Peace,” his record company, embossed on its cover.

So where does he like to eat in the ATL? “I love Rathbun Steak and BLT. And I love One Midtown Kitchen and Horseradish Grill. I still love that fondue place in Buckhead —- Dante’s, right?” Right.