Tonight we dine, ah, but where? I consider myself relatively “well-dined,” in the Atlanta food market; however, with new and delicious spots popping up left and right – how the heck are you supposed to know which awesome hot spot to try next?
Call one of my best girl buds and roommie, Kennedy (long for K), she’ll tell you where. This self-proclaimed “foodie” is an avid food blog reader and always seems to know what just opened, whose service sucks and who’s on the ‘must eat there rotation.’ Check out some of her favorites: www.blissfulglutton.com, www.foodiebuddha.com, www.amyonfood.blogspot.com (no, not me Amy – I wish).
Lucky me, her blogger obsession makes its way into my inbox. I get the best of the best from blogs: e-mail from K: “check out what blissful glutton has to say about Holeman & Finch (a team A & K favorite – it’s right next door), ‘This is the kind of place Atlanta needs. The cocktails, staff and atmosphere were just fabulous.’” Funny we discovered that the day it opened…should have posted first.
I rely heavily on other social media sites such as Daily Candy, Thrillist.com and Restaurant Eugene e-newsletter (yes, that counts), that appear in my inbox daily. Each tells me about the fresh, the yum and the neat. They offer less of an opinion and more of an FYI. Sometimes you want to check out a place (or an event) blindly, without knowing someone else’s POV first – sometimes you just need to make up your own gosh darn mind! Bloggers can be pretty powerful influencers, swaying potential dinners’ opinions on places they’ve never been. Beware restaurateurs and chefs – a blogger can drive insane traffic or destroy you!
How does one get foodie blogger status, anyway? Do you have to be world renowned chef to know what good food tastes like? I think not. Nine out of ten times, or maybe six out of ten times, my eclectic friends and I have already tried the restaurant and are generally right on par with what these food bloggers have to say.
Below are some of my favorite restaurants – the short list:
- Holeman & Finch
- GA Grill
- Woodfire Grill
- 4th & Swift
- Abattoir
- Floataway Cafe
- Anis
- Restaurant Eugene
- Paul’s
Now go eat somewhere delectable and tell someone about it.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
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