Lynne Sawicki and I share the same accountant and it was he who informed me that Lynne (who used to work with my family at Indigo) had her own place in Decatur by the name of Sawicki’s - Meat, Seafood and More. I decided to get over there and try it. It’s located on Ponce right across from CVS in downtown Decatur. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the most amazing hunk of Wagyu Kobe Beef Ribeye I’ve ever seen. Then I was reacquainted with Lynne who doesn’t seem to have aged since I last saw her?! Very odd. How did I miss out on that phenomenon? So this was about 3 weeks ago and I’ve probably eaten Sawicki’s (or picked it up for my staff) at least 6 or 7 times since. It’s outstanding and the guys are all over it. Andrew is partial to the Beef tri-tip with french fries and herbed aioli on toasted baguette, Craig has declared the French ham and swiss panini with aioli and tomato to be his favorite. They all routinely order the Meatball sub with fresh mozzarella and homemade marinara on a warm baguette. I usually get a really flavorful salad with all high-end fresh ingredients, but I tried the Roasted lamb with red onion jam, lettuce and tomato on baguette and it was very good.

I wanted to write about Sawicki’s because I want to spread the word and let as many people as possible know about this rare oasis of quality. It’s VERY hard to find a really good sandwich and/or specialty shop in and around these parts. I’m often amazed at how unappreciated or unnoticed quality offerings can go in our money-grubbing metropolis. I know that half the battle is getting someone to actually TRY something so they can realize and understand the difference from what they’ve been accepting previously. For example - anyone who uses Onyx just once would absolutely NEVER go back to a chain store for service again. Anyone who can appreciate real food with attention to detail and the craft will certainly return to Sawicki’s again and again. I’m hooked, and I haven’t even tried half of the offerings I see awaiting me in those chilled cases. I’ll be ordering a couple hand cut 2″ thick ribeye’s soon amongst other things to take home and have my way with. If you haven’t been to Sawicki’s - get over there and try it. It’s tops.

A huge perk of our new Decatur location is that we’re no longer limited to the sad selection of slop trough offerings that surround our Northcrest location. Decatur abounds with great places to eat. For starters, there’s 2 great coffee houses within just a few blocks of our shops. Java Monkey (for those who like the more textural, funky style coffee shop) is on Church just across from Marta. Very nice folks. Good coffee. The one I’ve spent the most time at is Dancing Goats at the bottom of Ponce across from Watershed. I used Dancing Goats as my office for the duration of the Decatur renovation (say that 5 times fast). It’s a large well lit space with lots of good seating and great coffee. On a side note - I counted 16 laptop users in there the other day and 8 of those were Macs. That’s an unusually high ratio but perhaps not amongst the “coffee house crowd”. I guess I now have one leg in that crowd, but if anyone hears me raving about espresso machine technology or swooning over barista’s - please slap me sharply across the face……then duck (it may take me a moment to realize it was for my own good). But I digress….

There are so many quality lunch spots in Decatur, one could easily transform into a quivering mass of blubber if one wasn’t careful. At Watershed you can get high-end southern fare made with fresh ingredients and great attention to simplicity and purity. Sort of a refined version of Matthew’s in Tucker. If you want a truly excellent sandwich, you need look no further than Sawicki’s on Ponce across from CVS. Pastries a Go-Go is another favorite spot…and the list goes on and on. I’m having to alternate between salads, dry cheerios & fruit so I can allot an occasional “bad” lunch because let’s be honest - who the hell REALLY enjoys going out to lunch and picking at a salad while the person across from you is cramming a Rueben and fries down their gullet? Not I.