Downtown Steakhouse Not Just a Spot for Tourists

November 30, 2009

By CAROLINE COX

Moving downtown two years ago, I was a little overwhelmed– the foreign tourists, the anxious taxi drivers, the constant blaring music from Hard Rock Cafe– it was all a bit much. However, being able to walk to school and have a job close by aided immensely in my adjustment to the bustling atmosphere.

In August of 2008, I applied to work at Durango Steakhouse. I’ve been working as a hostess there for two years and I just started serving (I have previous serving experience, but they needed a hostess when they hired me.)

While from the outside it may just look like a generic steak restaurant in the hotel district, there are many things about Durango that make it quite unique, the most obvious probably being the menu.

I’ve heard several customers rave about the steaks at Durango, and for good reason– the prime rib, in particular, is slow-roasted for 2 1/2 hours, then heated to the desired temperature, instead of being cut to order. Plus, with a steak, you also get a side, a small loaf of bread, and a salad, and it doesn’t come with too hefty of a price tag. Also, the soups and sauces are made from scratch at the restaurant, a particular favorite being the house chipotle dressing.

If you’re not in the mood for steaks, the restaurant also offers several Mexican-style dishes like fajitas and quesadillas, as well as flavorful salads and zesty burgers.

Alright, let me stop coming off like an advertisement right now. The thing I like most about Durango is the celebrities I’ve seen there. Yes bitches, I said CELEBZ. OK OK, not exactly P. Diddy, but still.

Last year I was working during the AmericaSmart, which is a busy time for us since a lot of people come in town to attend the week-long fashion and product showcase. One of the speakers, who ended up coming to our restaurant with his family, was none other than Project Runway contestant Kayne Gillaspie!

I’ve loved Project Runway since the first season, and I immediately recognized Kayne when he walked in. He tried to use the fact that I was freaking out about meeting him to get me to seat him faster but alas… I only break the rules for cash, so he had to wait.

The next celebrities came in on a night that I wasn’t working, which is something I will regret forever. Mostly because it was the sexy gothed-out boys from the band The Horrors, who have played in Atlanta several times.

So. HOT. Right?! Maybe they’re more my type than yours but STILL, if you saw this walking into your job, you would do a double-take. Why they chose Durango I’ll never know, but I do know that no one working that night recognized them, and they gave their server free tickets to their show! He said they were all super nice and, needless to say, my jealousy was and is boundless. Sigh.

So there you have it, folks: if you’re looking for a delicious hunk of meat in the heart of downtown Atlanta and the music at Hard Rock gives you a migraine, look no further than Durango Steakhouse. Plus, you never know who may drop in, so I’d have my camera phone ready just in case.