ATLANTA — Atlanta has long been considered the capital of the New South. It boasts the world’s busiest airport and 16 Fortune 500 companies. It is a black entertainment mecca. So many movies are shot here that people call it Y’allywood.
Getting traction as a great restaurant city has been harder. It has been tough to compete with neighbors like Charleston, S.C., New Orleans or that sexy food upstart, Nashville. As a national food contender, Atlanta never had the culinary firepower or customer base of New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Diners made do with a parade of meals at local or national chains, punctuated by the occasional steak in a pretty room.
But now, as the nation’s infatuation with Southern food matures and Atlanta’s recession-battered economy recovers, a city that often looked over its shoulder for culinary validation and inspiration is coming into its own.
Getting traction as a great restaurant city has been harder. It has been tough to compete with neighbors like Charleston, S.C., New Orleans or that sexy food upstart, Nashville. As a national food contender, Atlanta never had the culinary firepower or customer base of New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Diners made do with a parade of meals at local or national chains, punctuated by the occasional steak in a pretty room.
But now, as the nation’s infatuation with Southern food matures and Atlanta’s recession-battered economy recovers, a city that often looked over its shoulder for culinary validation and inspiration is coming into its own.
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