June 9th - Strip Steak and Sushi @ Atlantic Station

My fledgling romance with Atlanta is not without its complaints. Although the streets of the southern city are beautiful, they tend to be schizophrenic with name changes. There is no grid, but rather a collection of random intersections turning, weaving, and wandering through the urban landscape and its surrounding suburban paradises. I nearly lost both myself and my patience while attempting to travel to Strip Steak and Sushi for Tuesday's 5p-7p happy hour. Thank goodness for GPS and the nearby Ikea.

Atlantic Station is a mixed use property just west of downtown featuring designer shops, office space, condos, restaurants, a movie theater and a rather oddly placed gym. In its midst is a grassy area for events and family gathering. After parking underground, I made my way to Strip fully expecting to encounter a fierce networking crowd of professionals knocking back cosmos and swapping business cards like their lives depended on it. Not so...and there in lies my second complaint.

Networking tends to be a tenuous undertaking round these here parts. Although folks gather at trendy spots, it is not with any purpose outside of just hanging out. If I'd been in Las Vegas, the place would have been packed at 5:00pm and a couple of folks would be working on drink number three. I would've made at least two contacts in that first hour and rounded out the night with five more. Whether on or off Las Vegas Blvd, I would have had to speak from my gut in order to be heard by the person sitting next to me. So, I couldn't help but be shocked by the mere couple of suits sitting at the bar speaking on their cell phones. I smiled and was thankful that I would be meeting a pal from high school. (HEY LiL BOBBAY!!!)

I gripe, but Strip has potential. It's a cool little spot. Served large helpings. Well stocked bar. Served Riesling although it cost me $7.50 for half a damn glass. But then again, the entrees were half price. No obnoxiously loud mood music to disturb me. Enjoyed a very cool conversation with the homey who gave me the lowdown on some more spots to hit in the next couple of weeks. I do want to like this spot, so I went to the bathroom to study the fixtures. Way cool. I loved the designs of the doors and the full length mirror. It had a very industrial look but managed to incorporate art by having an alcove adjacent to the mirror with a lovely little custom-fitted painting. I ended the night by walking through the wonderland of Ikea. I know it's kind of crazy to potentially go into anyone's house in the world and see the same Billy bookcase but so what. I love that store.