Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Once upon a time, before Normaltown had cute hipster printing shops and donuts and there wasn’t a big hole in the air where Allen’s once was, there was a modest restaurant there called Normaltown Cafe. Then it operated on Tallassee for a while, in the space that’s now Sr. Sol. Old Athens folks will appreciate that it is reopening, although this time in Danielsville, at 200 General Daniels Rd., near the Hardee’s.
In the old days, there was a dedicated phone line that you could call to hear a recording of what was on the menu. Now there’s a Facebook page, which seems like it could perform a similar service. The food has never been anything fancy: just basic, stick-to-the-ribs country cooking plus cobbler and breakfast all day long. (Update: Judy Johnston says Normaltown Cafe won’t do breakfast in its new incarnation but probably will resurrect the phone line with the menu. Old school!)
Not content to stress himself out with the other two million things he’s working on, Hugh Acheson is now working with concert promoter/venue owner Live Nation to redo the food at its 30-something amphitheaters around the country. First, the company, which is enormous, has agreed to source its produce from within 100 miles of each venue. Really. Second, the meats (chicken fingers, burgers, hot dogs) will be hormone-free and, as Acheson says, “raised to the Humane Society’s standards.”
Acheson couldn’t give me a lot of details, but he is working on actual dishes, not just the vegetarian option mentioned in the story linked above and not just consulting (although he’s doing that, too). He added, “Even small changes are good when it comes to big companies… they are truly wanting to make it better.” When asked if there’s anywhere in Georgia we can taste this stuff when it’s implemented, he said that Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood and probably the Tabernacle in Atlanta will offer it.
In brief but welcome news, Hendershot’s got its liquor license as of last night.
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