McKinnon’s keeps it classy
NOLA-style cuisine and old school charm is alive and well at Aziz Mehram’s 45-year-old Buckhead restaurant
Time has indeed gone by for Mehram’s legendary Buckhead restaurant, open since 1972, but the French Creole and Cajun recipes — and the old-school neighborly vibes — remain the same. “After 30 years, they made me singer,” says Mehram. “‘As Time Goes By’ is my wife’s favorite song. I own the restaurant, but I’m going to eat the same food, drink the same drink and perform the same songs you do.”
Located just down the street from the Peachtree Road Highrise, a squat, throwback Buckhead housing plaza, McKinnon’s offers far more than fine dining. Mehram is a natural host and greets customers — or as he calls them, friends — with a kiss. He leads some to the main dining room, an elegant, old-timey space with dark wood walls softened by red lighting that casts pink shadows. Families are seated in the grill room that resembles a beachy bayou diner with booths that serve as private dining cabins. However, the hottest table is in the bar, where large parties await their turn to croon at open mic night with McKinnon’s pianist Fran Irwin.
No value assignedThe restaurant was developed in a collaboration between namesake Billy McKinnon and Mehram. McKinnon had trained at Galatoire’s, New Orleans’ famous century-old Bourbon Street institution, and opened his first Atlanta version of the legendary restaurant on Cheshire Bridge in 1972. McKinnon’s moved to its current location on Maple Street ten years later and became a destination restaurant for many famous Atlantans, including Dick Rich of Rich’s Department Stores and Atlanta’s first Jewish mayor, Sam Massell. McKinnon later returned to his native Savannah and passed away about six years ago, but Mehram has carried on his legacy with integrity to New Orleans’ classic cuisine.
“I believe it is up to me to make the experience,” he says. “I go table by table every single night. We don’t look at clients like a figure, we get to know them and make them a friend.” In this way, McKinnon’s has made a name for itself without running ads or spending money on marketing. They don’t even have an official Facebook page. “The most effective form of advertisement for us has been word of mouth,” Mehram adds.
Throughout the years, Mehram has served as bar manager, general manager and then owner when he bought the restaurant in 2002. Hailing from Tabrese, Iran, the man has cooking in this blood. “Tabrese is to Iran as New Orleans is to America,” he says. His first introduction to Louisiane cuisine came from training under celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme, who started a nationwide craze for Creole and Cajun cooking back in the 1980s.
No value assignedMehram still has a copy of the restaurant’s first menu, which shows that it hasn’t changed much in the past 45 years (aside from the prices; back then entrées were just $8.95 a plate). Louisiane style fish (now $23) with sautéed jumbo lump crabmeat, toasted almonds and hollandaise has been a featured dish since the restaurant opened. Initially served with trout, it’s now made with grouper. Bouillabaisse, a French seafood stew, gets a Creole twist from Mehram himself with mussels, shrimp, oysters, crawfish tails and the star: a melting scallop ($24). The house specialty dessert, chocolate marquise, is dense, dark chocolate napped with crème Anglaise and has been a favorite since 1972.
McKinnon’s is housed in the former Joe Dale’s Cajun House, a popular Atlanta piano bar that closed down 50 years ago. Following suit, McKinnon’s kept playing music and hosted a live piano bar six nights a week in its heyday. Now, they offer three nights of music (and spontaneously singing diners) on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights and will soon be adding Thursdays. Pianist Irwin has been with McKinnon’s for more than 30 years and can play almost anything in any key. On Wednesdays, local musician Bob Fountain fills the grill room with music from the organ.
No value assignedMehram remembers a time when there were no high-rises in Buckhead, and many of his customers can recall the same. For them, McKinnon’s has been a spot to be entertained, eat well, and celebrate everything from romantic dates to retirement parties. “Some of the people may have some age,” laughs Mehram, “but it’s just because they have been coming here for over 40 years.”
McKinnon’s Louisiane Restaurant. 3209 Maple Drive. 404-918-8516. www.mckinnons.com.