Graffiti

Hmmmm.... interesting place this is.  I walked in and expecting a american bar and grill.  I was proven wrong... very fast.  This is korean bar.  The setting is pretty nice, i think they are going for something trendy and hip.  They also have a karaoke room as well near the entrance of the place.  The staffs are pretty friendly.  If you are sitting  at the bar, a bartender will stand near you and try to socialize.  I think its their policy.   Also, for all the smokers out there, you can smoke inside the bar.  THis place is smoke permitted bar.  I can't comment on the bardenting skills since i ordered.  This place must try least one or stop by and check it out.  Inside the bar is pretty open and NOT smokey at all.  They have decent lounge area as well and few booths for little privacy.  
Why 4 stars?  Here is why... MY TAB!  i only had two guiness and my bill was $18!!!  I was afraid to order something else or order their food.  Felt like i had to take out a loan buy anything else.  BUT please do check it out.  THis place is off exit 109 from I-85.  COming from south bound, you take a right, its near the highway.  Just make sure you bring lots of cash.

This is a very cool bar for the area.  Seriously, it seems like it would be more at home in midtown or at least East Atlanta than Gwinnett county.  The bar is very well stocked and the place is very clean, especially for a smoking bar, and has modern and trendy decor even if it is a bit on the "we got everything at Ikea" side.  Still, for Duluth, this is such a step above the rest.

Upon arriving, I asked to see a menu.  The bartender pointed me to the page of food that you can order with drinks.  She seemed to indicate the full menu was not available, despite the fact that I saw some people eating items not on the list she pointed out to me.  Anyway, the menu had some interesting foods like a shrimp and scallop plate....but it was $35!  Come on, Buckhead Life Group wouldn't even charge that much for an entree, and a little bar in Duluth wants $35 for pub food?  Crazy.  The rest of the menu was made up of a frightening list of authentic Korean food including something made from squid tentacles and boiled worm cocoons.  It's really more of a selection for Adam Zimmerman than appropirate items to munch on while enjoying a cocktail.

The menu also features a bunch of house drinks.  Trouble is, there is no description at all of what is in the drink.  I pointed to a drink named "booty call" and asked the bartender what is in it.  Her answer?  "I don't know."  Needless to say I didn't order it, but her answer begs the question how would she have made it if I had ordered it?  For such a well stocked bar, the servers seem to know nothing about the bottles behind them.

I ordered a Grey Goose and tonic.  I was impressed by the free pouring and my drink was easily a shot and half, probably closer to a double.  I was also brought limes in a little bowl with toothpicks in them instead of the typical half rotten lime in that gross container most bars toss in your vodka tonic, so I was definitely impressed with that.  

What impressed me much less was the fact that I was charged $10 for the drink when the menu clearly indicated that Grey Goose is $8.  I really wanted a more premium vodka, but Grey Goose was the only one that had a price at all and I didn't want to risk being overcharged, so I figured I better get the one with a price listed in black and white.  I guess that was wrong.  In a normal situation, I would have brought this up and given the establishment an opportunity for some service recovery, but I was ready to just pay up and leave and I wasn't going to get into a whole thing over a couple of bucks.  I had already decided I would not be back for the following reason.  

Everyone on staff here definitely conveys the "if you're not Korean, we don't want you here" vibe.  For example, my girlfriend inquired about the karaoke room, and was only told "private room, reservation only."  No attempt was made to let her know how she might reserve it, how much it would cost to do so, or anything like that.  There is definitely a strong language barrier here which is understandable, but instead of trying to overcome it and make you feel welcome, the staff seems to simply not want to deal with you if you can not converse in Korean.  I do not think this is due to my own insecurities because I have lived in this area for many years and am used to being in restaurants where I am the only non-Asian person present.  Some places make you feel welcome as a patron even if you do not fit the expected customer profile, while others do not.  This one does not.  

It's a huge shame because this is a very cool space with a ton of potential.  All they really need are some knowledgeable bartenders, a more accessible (or failing that, at least more price reasonable) menu, and to lose the racist attitude.  If they could do that, this would definitely be a regular hangout for me.

I often struggle to relate exactly how much I love Graffiti to other people. Please forgive me as I take a moment to put this into context.

I grew up in the Lawrenceville / Suwanee area. With the exception of a few mexican or asian restaurants and the downtown Lawrenceville square, this area suffers from the suburban curse-

"Oh, you want to go out to eat? Alright, Applebee's or Cracker Barrel?"

"Sure, let's grab a beer. Chili's or maybe Taco Mac?"

The idea of a niche, non-chain restaurant or bar is pretty foreign around here. Don't get me wrong, there are a few... But even so they still don't depart from an archetypal example of the genre.

Graffiti is a very odd gem in the middle of the suburban wastelands. It sits on Old Peachtree and Satellite, in the same shopping center as a dry cleaners and a Subway. Noting the odd logo, you think perhaps it is some Hawaiian place or something. You walk in the door and see what at first is an odd choice of lighting and unusually modern barstools. Then you cross the barrier from hallway to main room and your mind explodes as it all sinks in.

The walls are entirely covered with graffiti done by a single (very talented) middle aged man from New York. There are more than the necessary number of bartenders and waitresses, all very friendly and pleasant. There's a bit of a Korean language barrier, but not enough to even begin to lower the service. They have an eclectic mix of Korean foods and a great drink selection. It's a touch on the expensive side, but I was so floored by how radical the place was that it was hard to care too much. Until about 11 PM they seemed to play the Mariah Carey Christmas CD on repeat - COULD IT GET MORE PERFECT? (you're welcome, Tadd)

There are several very smooth lounging areas, each with a "call for service" button - how nice is it to determine the level of doting from your waitress? Of course, there are the obligatory (and well appointed) Karaoke rooms.

The owner is an extraordinarily nice Korean woman - so nice that she obliged my request to sing a duet, and so awesome that she then requested two more.

If you live in or around Lawrenceville, want somewhere new and unusual to try, and aren't horribly racist towards Korean people, then you owe it to yourself to go here.

What are you still doing reading this? Go get in the car and go to Graffiti! I've probably already got a table saved.