Give strip mall spots a chance, Atlanta

I ardently believe that the entire experience of dining out should be enjoyable. That’s why I prefer to eat in walkable neighborhoods rather than driving to a strip mall, parking, stuffing my face and driving back home feeling all bloated and burpy. Why not walk it off with a post-dinner stroll and a quality chat to boot?

Until now, that attitude has seen me snub pretty much any restaurant that occupies space in a strip mall. That won’t work in Atlanta, city of strip malls. However, those malls are filled with some high-quality food offerings, which I was reminded of recently when I ate at Il Bacio, located in Lindbergh Plaza in lower Buckhead.

I assumed Il Bacio was a chain restaurant, considering it is surrounded by Home Depot, FexEx, AT&T and Target. (Again, unfair. Why should I think all chains are evil? But we’ll hold that for a later date.) My new friend Paula set me straight.