The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ex-Patriots, Falcons owner, musician hit hot spot
The New England Patriots have some of their most prominent alumni in town as they get ready for Sunday’s game.
Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Willie McGinest and Richard Seymour (a former Georgia Bulldog), hit the private Club at Chops Lobster Bar on Tuesday night. Dining upstairs at the same time, coincidentally, were Atlanta Falcons and United owner Arthur Blank and Zac Brown, whose band performs at the Pandora-sponsored “Bud Light Dive Bar at the Tabernacle” concert tonight.
Meanwhile, we caught up with a guy at the impressive dawn of his career in Midtown on Wednesday. New York Giants running back and offensive rookie of the year contender Saquon Barkley put in an appearance at “She’s Next, Empowered by Visa.” The conference for women entrepreneurs was held at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.
“I’d rather be in the game, but to be able to come out to a place like this and be surrounded by women doing a great job in their community, it inspires me to one day start my own business,” Barkley said. “It’s amazing to be around.”
Asked for his Super Bowl predictions, the Penn State alum gave his take: “I think it’ll be a good game, but you can’t bet against Tom Brady.”
The high-end, low-end, midrange dining scenes downtown
Posh plates abound this week, and the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta has some especially blinged-out options on the table. Executive Chef Gilles Schreiber has curated a menu seemingly with high rollers in mind, with items such as the 36-ounce prime dry-aged porterhouse for two for $190, the wild mushroom risotto with egg yolk and black truffle for $55 and Beluga Imperial Kaluga cav- iar for $235 per ounce.
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, man of the people he is, appeared at a party for somewhat lower rollers — the media — at the Georgia Aquarium on Tuesday night. His delicacies included his signature “pizza,” with thin-sliced salmon and a dollop of caviar affixed with creme fraiche to a crispy crust. You’d think it’d feel weird eating seafood at the Georgia Aquarium, right? It didn’t. Maybe if I was a better person.
If you’re dining anywhere this week, including midrange places, remember to take care of your servers. Wandering through downtown the other day, we overheard a most energetic pre-service pep talk at a popular casual spot. Whoever was in charge had each member of the team prepping for Super Bowl tourists with team-building games like, “Which menu item are you and why?” Seriously. Please, tip generously.
Get your game-day look together without getting sued
NFL means Never Forget Legal when it comes to using a certain two-word term this time of year, which is why you see businesses advertising events that creatively skirt the aggressively copyrighted term “Super Bowl.” The league has literally threatened legal action against churches that planned officially labeled watch parties. Nice.
To steer clear of copyright tangles, fashionistas Teresa Caldwell (you may know her son, rapper Bow Wow) and Nicole Jones plan the Touchdown Trunk Show from 1 to 7 p.m. today and Saturday at their pop-up shop at Salon Moraee, 2521 Piedmont Road. The event features sips and light bites, music from D J Rasyrious, and hair and makeup touch-ups from Alesyah Flores. Proceeds benefit the TJ Martell Foundation, which raises money for medical research.
Meanwhile, Ashley Wallace, designer and owner of Atlanta’s House of Wallace, has a line of stadium-friendly bags ready for the Game That Shall Not Be Named. The crossbody ($48), clutch ($54) and carryall ($69) are all see-through and meet security size specs. Check them out at her shop at 56 E. Andrews Drive.