Live For Buzz

Judging from the quality and quantity of Buzzer reviews, The Midway Pub is off to a really strong start. People love the space, what they’ve sampled so far from the menu, the big beer selection … and the free shots Midway staff was pouring during their opening nights.

I opened up a specific reviews topic for Midway, and in four days it’s generated 178 posts. In case you’re wondering - yes, that’s a lot. And that’s on top of 192 posts in the topic created leading up to the opening and another 87 in a “Midway is close to opening” topic. A lot of that traffic is a result of the big growth in Buzz membership I’ve seen this year (more than 600 new members since the first of the year), but I think it’s safe to say that The Midway Pub is opening strong. And that’s a great thing for their owners and for East Atlanta Village.

On EAV Buzz: Reviews: The Midway Pub and The Midway

Despite the aggravation of their recent sidewalk blockage, East Atlanta is eagerly awaiting the opening of The Midway Pub on Flat Shoals Avenue, and Buzzer Not Fred’s Nate confirmed that the opening will happen on Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m.

If history is any indication, The Midway staff had best be ready for anything but a “soft opening” on that night. Buzzers swarmed The Glenwood, Kasan Red and Holy Taco when they first opened, and packed houses on what might otherwise be quiet weeknight openings are to be expected with Buzzers get wind of it.

But the good news is by and large Buzzers understand that things aren’t going to go smoothly on opening night, but it’s been a real trial by fire for recent openings.

And April 29, 2008 will be a big day in East Atlanta. For about seven years the building where The Midway is going has been vacant and neglected, and Flat Shoals south of Glenwood has been a lonely place up until now. But with The Midway, East Atlanta Icehouse and the bakery planned for a small building right on the edge of the commercial district, things are picking up on EAV’s south side.

On EAV Buzz: - The Midway Pub Opens 4-29 5 p.m.

A lot of East Atlantans were fans of the now-closed Le Cafe Hinds, an out-of-the-way French restaurant tucked away on Stokeswood Avenue on the edge of EAV. Problem was, if you didn’t live in East Atlanta, you probably didn’t know the place existed, and despite generally good reviews, ultimately the restaurant failed.

Rumors have been circulating for a little while that Anderson Hinds may be looking to bring a new concept to the cafe space he still controls, and today Buzzer Kevy Duty ran into Mr. Hinds and confirmed that barbecue will be the concept for the restaurant’s rebirth.

Barbecue is a tough business - you gotta be really good to build an audience, and a bunch of Buzzers are fans of Fox Bros. BBQ up on DeKalb Avenue. But we’re all fans of non-empty storefronts, so this is good news for the neighborhood.

On EAV Buzz: BBQ is happening!

You have to have been around East Atlanta a good while to remember The Village, a very small, very dingy, red-windowed bar next door to what is now Kasan Red. Somehow they managed to squeeze blues bands into the place, and it was a rockin’ joint. It shut down a few years ago and the space has sat vacant.

But that may soon change. Buzzer Not Fred’s Nate got some good “on the street” details about plans to re-open the place sometime “soon” (soon being a relative term when dealing with the city of Atlanta). From the early intel, it sounds like the owners may be trying to focus on music and plan to really upgrade the space. Not much they can do about the size, but EAV has enough big spaces already. Buzzer Joe Brown’s Beard says one of the owners may be involved with Yin/Yang in Midtown.

On EAV Buzz: The Village - I heard a rumor

They guys opening the old Echo Lounge space as the East Atlanta Icehouse have been busily at work, and their placeholder website says they’ll be opening in May. Good news for a space that used to be a big driver for EAV nightlife and has sat vacant for too long.

A Buzz topic this week started off with complaints about construction workers at the Icehouse parking on the sidewalk, meandered into speculation that their target audience is “Skin/Oi/Meathead” and that said crowd will terrorize EAV and wound up with talk about gay skinheads. Believe it or not, such topic wandering is not unusual at the Buzz.

On EAV Buzz: Echo now Ice House or Box or Irish Pub or Whatever

It’s been a long, hard road to turn the old Tucker Auto Electric building into yet another EAV restaurant/bar, but soon the doors will swing wide for the opening of The Midway Pub in East Atlanta. Apparently held back by the city permitting problems and other roadblocks that are all too familiar trying to do business in Atlanta, the outward signs of the pending opening have emerged over the past couple of weeks.

A giant patio, new trees planted (a “streetscape” requirement) and a new sidewalk poured, the Midway is quite a transformation from the old Tucker Auto Electric building that sat vacant for years.

Buzzer Hollywood stopped by to chat with the owners this week, and he came away impressed. Other Buzzers, reacting to the word “sandwiches” rumored to have been spoken by the Midway chef, cast typical Buzzer doubt over The Midway’s prospects.

And I’ll give a little advanced link love to the Midway, though their site is nothing more than a parked page as I’m writing this.

On EAV Buzz: The Midway … 10-9-8 …

Good news on the restaurant / bar front - a place called The Glenwood is set to open, not surprisingly, on Glenwood Avenue. A welcome turnaround for a strip of East Atlanta buildings that has sat vacant far too long.

On EAVBuzz: The Glenwood?

It’s official(ish) - My Sister’s Room is bailing on Decatur and setting up shop in the old Good News Cafe space on Glenwood. Word is that Inman Park Properties brokered the move, buying the building specifically to lease to MSR.

On EAVBuzz: My Sister’s Room Confirmed???

It’s more of a concept tweaking than anything, but Crave has closed and will be quickly re-opened as Haas. Folks in East Atlanta aren’t happy to see places close, so good news that this turned out to be less of a closing and more of a re-imagining.

On EAVBuzz: Crave???