GO OUT ON A LIMB

When Tom Catherall called it quits on the Here to Serve restaurants, he left a giant hole in Midtown where Shout used to be. Everyone was hit hard - the gay Sunday brunch crowd, the small firm business lunch crowd, the dinner between museum and theater crowd, and certainly some of Atlanta’s most fun and chatty servers. Shout did so many things so well without looking too much like it was aiming for the lowest common denominator. I am pleased to report that where Shout once was, 5Church is now holding it down and then some. The valet service is great and they have umbrellas. The patio and the upstairs deck are both shaping up to open as soon as the weather cools a bit. The decor is stunning. The layout of Shout always made it hard to people watch, with the darkened booth niches and huge circular bar blocking the view from the stairs. 5Church has really opened up the place, as well as classed it up by opting for a stark black and white color scheme that plays off the loud street art on the walls. Upon closer inspection, the whole ceiling is covered with the entire hand-painted text of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Wear some hot pink and prep for a great photo op.