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.
Read AJC food editor Ligaya Figueras' full column here.
Past columns:
About the Author
Ligaya Figueras is the AJC's senior editor for Food & Dining. Prior to joining the AJC in 2015, she was the executive editor for St. Louis-based culinary magazine Sauce. She has worked in the publishing industry since 1999 and holds degrees from St. Louis University and the University of Michigan.
