Fashionado is a fashion and lifestyle brand where readers indulge in a myriad of trending topics from the world of design, fashion, art and luxury. Via the FashionadoTV digital platform, Fashionado founder, E. Vincent Martinez, hosts interviews with celebrities, fashion designers, artists and industry professionals.
More than three months ago the @fashionado Instagram account was hacked along with our personal one. I was able to recover the personal account but we were unsuccessful at recovering Fashionado’s. After repeated attempts, about ten times to be specific, I conceded and let the hacker win, BUT not before writing an article about my experience with useful tips on how NOT to get hacked.
Read MoreThis is my personal American horror story and I’m writing it in hopes to offer more help than Instagram did for me. I am in disbelief that Instagram would allow a hacker to cease control of someone’s account, a trademarked name no less, and claim it as their own.
Read MoreSpringtime is officially here, and if you’re ready for a beachy spring break without the actual drive to the beach, head to Chiringa instead. Located about 30 minutes north of the city, in Alpharetta, this seafood restaurant will transport you to the beach with its food, drinks, and atmosphere.
Read More
Watch our interview with the filmmakers behind Mucho Mucho Amor. Alex Fumero, Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch share stories about the life of Walter Mercado and production of the film.
Every single day for decades, extravagant Puerto Rican astrologer, psychic, and gender nonconforming legend Walter Mercado charmed the world with his televised horoscopes. Equal parts Oprah, Liberace, and Mr. Rogers, Walter was a celebrated daily part of Latin culture, who at his peak reached over 120 million viewers. Since childhood, Walter was regarded as a healer, but his greatest miracle might have been his personal transformation from shy farm boy to flamboyant showman. Walter enthralled much of the world with sequined capes, opulent jewelry and pressing horoscopes that shared a message of love and hope to his devoted viewers — until one day he mysteriously disappeared.
Over a decade later award-winning documentarians Cristina Costantini (Science Fair) and Kareem Tabsch (The Last Resort) plus producer Alex Fumero (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) received unprecedented access to Walter during his post-fame seclusion and invite us into his home and interior world. With MUCHO MUCHO AMOR, they capture Walter’s final two years, when the pioneering icon grappled with aging and his legacy, as he prepared for one last star-studded spectacle. We invite you to view the first trailer for MUCHO MUCHO AMOR, the new Netflix Original Documentary about the iconic Latinx astrologer Walter Mercado. We hope you will discover the magic, mysticism and the love of Walter Mercado. A hit at the Sundance Film Festival this year, the film is releasing globally on Netflix July 8th.
For many, Walter Mercado has been a household name for generations. He was that optimistic/larger than life character that came into everyone's household via television. For some he was even bigger than Oprah and uber flamboyant like that of Liberace. But he was always full of love, life and inspiration! We need some Walter right now!!!
Every day for decades, Walter Mercado mesmerized 120 million Latinx viewers with his extravagance, glamour, and artistry. Viewers across generations and all over the world gathered around the TV eagerly waiting for him to deliver his daily reading of your sign. Award-winning documentarians Cristina Costantini (Science Fair) and Kareem Tabsch (The Last Resort) direct MUCHO MUCHO AMOR, produced by Alex Fumero (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson). “We sincerely hope you will become inspired by Mercado’s message of understanding, peace mucho paz and above all love mucho mucho amor.”
FASHIONADO
ABOVE: A scene from “When the Beat Drops,” the festival’s opening-night film, screening Sept. 27.
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IN WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, Molly Shannon delivers a surprisingly upbeat take on 19th-century New England poet Emily Dickinson.
In The Happy Prince, Rupert Everett plays Irish poet-playwright Oscar Wilde in his twilight years, a role for which he’s received early raves.
Matt Smith, best known as the BBC’s 11th “Dr. Who” and “The Crown’s” Prince Philip, has the title role in Mapplethorpe, embodying the famous — some would say infamous — New York City photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989 at age 42 of AIDS-related complications.
The biopics are among the highlights of the 31st annual Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBT film festival, running Sept. 27-Oct. 7.
The event screens 128 films in 11 days at one of three locations — Midtown Art Cinema, Out Front Theatre Company in West Midtown and the Plaza Theatre in Poncey-Highland. About 50 films are full-length narrative features or documentaries. The rest are short films and Web series (grouped into 16 programs).
The event expanded from eight to 11 days last year and attracted 10,000 moviegoers, according to fest director Jim Farmer. The year’s films speak to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender experience in 25 countries, including Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Tunisia, the U.K. and, of course, the United States.
The lineup includes a starry staged reading of The Laramie Project, about the 1998 gay-bashing death of Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard (7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company). It features Atlanta-based TV, stage and film actors Amy Acker, Steve Coulter, Randy Havens, Jessica Meisel, Rosemary Newcott and Tara Ochs. All proceeds benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation, in remembrance of the 20th anniversary of his murder. Details, tickets HERE.
The festival’s opening film, When the Beat Drops, has a strong Atlanta connection, Farmer says. The 87-minute documentary details “bucking,” a term for athletic dancing created in the American South by gay African-American men who were banned from cheerleading or being major/majorettes because of homophobia.
Atlanta native Anthony Davis, who’s in the documentary, helped grow the dance into a nationwide program that now includes an annual competition in Atlanta. Davis, actor-choreographer-director Jamal Sims, producer Jordan Finnegan, and other cast and crew members will attend the screening.
Paul Rudd (left) and Steve Coogan in “Ideal Home.”
Also worth checking out:
Lez Bomb, with Cloris Leachman, Bruce Dern and Steve Guttenberg, about a closeted young woman played by Jenna Laurenzo, who wrote and directed (Sept. 28, Landmark).
1985, with Cory Michael Smith as a closeted gay man coming home for Christmas. Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis play the parents (Sept. 29, Landmark).
Studio 54, a 90-minute documentary about the legendary New York City disco, a hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (Sept. 29, Landmark).
Ideal Home, with Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan as a bickering gay couple shaken by the 10-year-old on their doorstep (Oct. 6, Plaza).
In the festival’s first two decades, Farmer says, the lineup was dominated by coming-out stories. “And while those are still here and always relevant, we’re dealing with so many other things.”
A scene from the documentary “TransMilitary.”
Several films address transgender issues: The 93-minute documentary TransMilitary (winner of the 2018 audience award at the SXSW film festival) looks at 15,500 transgender individuals in the U.S. military (Oct. 6, Out Front); Man Made follows four men in a bodybuilding competition (Oct. 3, Landmark).
The fest holds its first horror night (Oct. 5, Out Front), with a late-night program of shorts preceded by the feature films What Keeps You Alive, about a lesbian couple’s not-so-cheery anniversary getaway, and Devil’s Path, in which two men meet on a gay-cruising park trail.
Pick up the free 78-page Out on Film guidebook at the screening venues and throughout Midtown. It includes the full schedule and information on every film. Details and festival passes ($175 + $200); three-packs ($30); and single tickets ($11 per screening) available HERE. Daily updates also on Out on Film’s Facebook page HERE.
TOP: Some of the scenery at New Realm Brewing Co., where you’ll find elevated eats and craft beer near the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine. Photos: David Danzig.
THIS EDITION of our bimonthly dining column catches you up on projects coming to Midtown, Spaghetti Junction, Buckhead and the Atlanta BeltLine, and leaving East Cobb and, again, Buckhead.
Despite a dearth of historic structures in Atlanta, a few 20th-century icons still hide in plain sight. Midtown’s “Castle,” a six-level, 1910-era mansion, is one such survivor that is now home to the all-new ROSE + RYE. After an interior architectural makeover, the space feels modern and elegant.
Rose + Rye’s one-sheet menu stays in the epicurean fairway with American cuisine that has a slight Southern flair. Steak tartare, chilled yellowfin tuna, pork tenderloin and a buttery-soft filet mignon are among the confidently executed dishes. And with a name that includes the word “rye,” you can imagine which way the excellent cocktails lean. Think of Rose + Rye as a good jumping-off point for a show or concert at the Fox Theatre, the Woodruff Arts Center or the High Museum of Art.
SNACK BOXE BISTRO, new to the Spaghetti Junction area, puts a modern spin on Lao street food — the sort of dishes you’d buy on city streets from a stall or food cart. Try the sticky rice, an extremely dense and rich rice that comes in a bag. You eat it with your fingers and dip it in sauces like a sweet roasted pepper or chili lime fish. Other standouts include the chicken larb (pronounced LOB), the Nam Kha and the lemongrass ribs. We Westerners will love Snack Boxe Bistro for its English menu, simplicity, cleanliness and prices. Not a single dish tops $10, an absolute steal for food of this quality.
NEW REALM BREWING CO. has to be one of the most exciting openings on the Atlanta BeltLine. The 20,000-sq. ft. colossus of a brewery and full-service restaurant is on the Eastside Trail and shares a building with Two Urban Licks, which was cool before we’d even heard the term “beltline.” New Realm’s second-story, indoor/outdoor terrace commands an impressive perch with views of the BeltLine’s concrete ribbon, Ponce City Market and the Midtown skyline.
The Spanish-style tomato-braised pork meatballs at New Realm. Photo: David Danzig
Inside, the experience is genuine brewpub, where the smell of hops is in the air. The beer lineup includes pilsners, IPAs, pale ales and even a triple IPA, which boasts an alcohol content of 11.5 percent. Quaff your beverage of choice with elevated comfort food — Springer Mountain Farms beer-can chicken, Spanish-style tomato-braised pork meatballs, Korean pork buns, she-crab soup and wood-fired pizzas.
Ponce City Market’s iconic — and long-vacant — tower will become home to RFD SOCIAL, a new concept from Slater Hospitality, owners and operators of PCM’s rooftop Skyline Park and Nine Mile Station. The name comes from the 1920s radio show “Dinner Bell R.F.D.,” which was broadcast from the tower’s 11th floor. RFD Social will include the Parlour, a “re-energized” extension of the indoor lobby with a public bar area, and Roebuck Room, a special-events space that will hold up to 175 people.
Kevin Gillespie
Kevin Gillespie, former “Top Chef” combatant and owner of Gunshow and Revival, will open COLD BEER, a 7,000-sq. ft. cocktail bar/beer garden near the BeltLine’s Old Fourth Ward section. Expect three patios, all facing the BeltLine and one on a rooftop. The beer garden spot plans a sizable dining room and bar.
Cold Beer will join a new Shake Shack and Hazel Jane’s Wine & Coffee in the Edge mixed-use development at Edgewood and DeKalb avenues. Construction should begin midyear, with an opening anticipated for mid-2019. Recent news of a renal cancer diagnosis for Gillespie, reportedly, will not slow the project. We wish him well — and the privacy he and his family have requested.
Say hello to happy news for Buckhead. Roswell’s popular LITTLE ALLEY STEAK is opening a second spot there, likely in early May. The new Little Alley moves into the space that once belonged to Emeril’s and AJA. Look for an oversized dining room; a 2,500-sq. ft. outdoor terrace with a full bar, lounge and dining patio; and more than 356 bourbons.
Much to the chagrin of its fans (and it had many), the HOUSTON’S on Lenox Road closed after 30 years and a high-profile boycott organized by rapper T.I. The two sides mended fences in early February (“We may now enjoy the spinach dip again!” T.I. tweeted), but allegations of racial profiling hurt the restaurant’s reputation. The spinach dip is still available at the Peachtree Road and Northside Parkway locations.
MUSS & TURNER’S in East Cobb closed less than a year after opening. In a press release, namesake Ryan Turner said the closure was due to location and a dining market less fertile than the eatery’s original location. The original Muss & Turner’s — and its secret alter ego, Eleanor’s — (check out the speakeasy’s walk-in refrigerator), continues to be a popular spot.
Bob Amick
Finally, wave and say bye-bye to ONE MIDTOWN KITCHEN.
The restaurant was a millennium pioneer in the modern Atlanta dining scene but, after 16 years, founder Bob Amick decided to focus on his consulting business instead.
One Midtown’s slightly younger sibling, Two Urban Licks, and six other Concentrics-brand Atlanta restaurants, continue on.
ABOVE: Tiger Mountain focuses on fine, dry, white European wines and has a list of awards as long as the mountain views from the property’s 75-year-old Red Barn Café. Photo by Wendy Palmer.
IF YOUR BUCKET LIST includes filling yours with wine, North Georgia is a fine place to start. The state has some 50 wineries (impressive considering the challenges of grape-growing in the Deep South), with most in or near the mountains, tucked into bucolic niches and spread across rolling landscapes.
Photo: Stonewall Creek Vineyards
While other wine regions are undoubtedly more famous, don’t discount Peach State grapes as a secondhand rosé. North Georgia wine country delivers killer views and a rural charm that will relax you even before the sipping starts. The area also produces wines that win regional, national and international awards.
Admit it, wine is sexy. Oenophiles discuss the body profile, the legs and the finish in a provocative way, and it all means something. Body is how the wine feels in your mouth. The legs are judged by how much liquid clings to the glass. Thicker, slower legs mean a higher level of alcohol or sugar. The finish, or aftertaste, shows quality.
Whether you’re wine-confused or a wine connoisseur, Georgia’s vineyards welcome you. We quaffed at three grape-producing gems in Rabun County, where they craft thousands of bottles of red, white and dessert wines annually.
If you need a place to stay in Rabun (these wineries don’t offer lodging), try Lake Rabun Hotel, built in 1922 and the last of its kind. Think Old Europe meets rustic-but-genteel American South. Each room ($114 and up) is different, and named rather than numbered. (Details: lakerabunhotel.com or 706.782.4946.)
When plotting your own wine getaway, don’t discount vineyards near Dahlonega and at Château Élan in Braselton. All that wine isn’t going to drink itself.
Founder/winemaker Mike Brown dismisses the idea that the everyday person is not a wine expert. “Do you know what you like? Then you’re an expert at what you like,” says the former financial services executive.
Photo: Wendy Palmer
The whimsical tasting room (which Brown built, along with the winery) lends itself to easy conversation and new friends made over a glass or three (perhaps why 12 Spies received a TripAdvisor certificate of excellence). The vino veranda has country views defined by layers of green and a wood-burning oven for pizza parties. Tastings are $1 per pour. The Cabernet Franc alone is worth the trip. 12 Spies also makes an aptly named, for Southerners, Bless Your Heart muscadine (less sweet than others).
Brown says the winery’s name is from the Old Testament and came to him as he sat in church. The wines have playful names, too, like Holy Moses Red and Lordy Mercy, a Seyval blanc and Petit Manseng blend.
Brown doesn’t enter contests. Yet. But his business has grown from some 500 cases in 2012 to a probable 3,000 this year. For him, it’s about the wine and especially enjoying the people who enjoy the wine.
Details: 550 Black Branch Road, Rabun Gap. 706.490.0890. 12spiesvineyards.com.
Stonewall Creek’s valley view is striking, and its wines won multiple awards at the 2016 Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge.
Uncork and unwind in the homey tasting room or on the expansive covered patio, which overlooks 3,000 precisely planted vines and the rise of Glassy Mountain.
Co-founder/winemaker Carl Fackler, a retired orthopedic surgeon, now uses his tactile skills on the vines. Everything is done by hand, from planting and harvesting the grapes to labeling every bottle in the 900 cases produced each year.
Photo: Wendy Palmer
Leftover wine goes into fine wine jellies, served with cheese and crackers in the tasting room. You’ll often find Fackler and wife Carla there, conversing with visitors. Max the dog will wag you inside.
Red wine lovers will love Stonewall Creek. Its Cabernet Franc is an award winner; the mild, tasty 2015 Malbec is aged 12 months in French and Bulgarian oak. The Malbec is named Three Eagles, for the couple’s sons, all Eagle Scouts. Tastings here are $10 for six samples or $6 for three samples.
Details: 323 Standing Deer Lane, Tiger. 706.212.0584. stonewallcreek.com.
In 1995, a fifth-generation family farm became Tiger Mountain Vineyards, the first in the area and the first vinifera (white Mediterranean grape) vineyard in Georgia. At 100 acres, it’s still one of the largest.
Photo: Wendy Palmer
John Ezzard, who made his living as a urologist, was born on the farm in 1936, and founded the winery with wife Martha, a onetime columnist and author (The Second Bud, Deserting the City for a Farm Winery). He died in November, but you might meet Miss Martha, who at 77, still is a force of nature.
Tiger Mountain focuses on fine, dry, white European wines and has a list of awards as long as the mountain views from the property’s 75-year-old Red Barn Café. That list includes prestigious international honors.
Your many choices here include whites (a one-of-a-kind, late-harvest Petit Manseng) and reds (go for the Malbec). The challenge is deciding which of the eight wines to taste for the $10 it costs.
Each May, Atlanta’s Seed & Feed Marching Abominables visit to perform and “wake the vines” for growing season. This year, that happens May 12.
Details: 2592 Old 441 South, Tiger. 706.782.4777. tigerwine.com.
Cavender Creek Vineyards
Five acres of vines produce Norton, Petit Manseng and cabernet sauvignon grapes. Two of Cavender’s 2016 reds are award winners. Tastings are $12 for four samples, with the option of adding a shot of “wine shine” (apple or peach) for $3. Also tempting: the sangria and wine slushies. Stay on-site in the 1820s log cabin ($225 nightly), and relax on the porch with Tinkerbell and Tucker, two Great Pyrenees who look after the place. Donkeys and free-range chickens will keep you company, too. 3610 Cavender Creek Road, Dahlonega. 706.867.7700 or cavendercreekvineyards.com.
Château Élan Winery and Resort
The granddaddy of Georgia wineries was founded in 1984 and recently changed ownership. There’s much to do on its 3,500 acres: You can go gourmet at mealtime, stay a few days, swim, play golf, get married, take cooking classes, disappear into the spa and, of course, drink wine. Should you tire of wine (???), grab a pint at the Irish pub. Tastings are $25 for seven samples; $63 buys eight samples, a guided tour, and a sampling of chef-selected cheeses and seasonal goodies. 100 Rue Charlemagne Drive, Braselton. 678.425.0900 or chateauelan.com.
Photo: Kaya Vineyard and Winery
Kaya Vineyard and Winery
Numbers tell the tale here. You’re at an elevation of 1,600 feet and can take in views from a 2,000-sq. ft. front porch. Fill your glass with the reserve chardonnay, a 2017 award winner, or any of 19 other estate-grown varietals. Tastings start at $14 for five samples. On-site cottages open to guests this summer. Kaya holds its annual “Jeeps in the Vines” party on April 25 (live music, dozens of Jeeps and, of course, wine). 5400 Town Creek Road, Dahlonega. 706.219.3514 or kayavineyards.com.
Montaluce Winery & Restaurant
Italian-style la dolce vita (the sweet life) is served daily. Montaluce’s wine and food are 2017 North Georgia Top Chef and Wine Tasting winners. Tastings are $18-$23 for five samples (white only, red only or mixed). Montaluce also makes mead. Weekend wine hikes are $45. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, with a Sunday brunch that includes chef-made cinnamon rolls. 501 Hightower Church Road, Dahlonega. 706.867.4060 or montaluce.com.
Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery
The first Georgia winery to win best in class and double gold medals at both the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles International competitions offers Napa Valley-style opulence. Tastings are $20 for six samples. Lunch and dinner (reservations required) are served in the Vineyard Café. Ask about the gourmet winemaker’s dinner. Check out the library and 19th-century wine artifacts. 180 Wolf Mountain Trail, Dahlonega. 706.867.9862 or wolfmountainvineyards.com.
Fashionado is a fashion & lifestyle brand where readers indulge in a myriad of trending topics from the world of fashion, design, art and culinary. Via the FashionadoTV digital platform, Fashionado founder, E. Vincent Martinez, hosts interviews with celebrities, fashion designers, artists and industry professionals.
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