VIII Fifty - It's Cougar-rific!

Jezebel magazine has never steered me wrong. While subscribing to it made me feel a little too fresh in the morning, being on the mag's event list has been pure gold. This is especially true when it comes to open bars. Earlier this week I got an email from Jezebel, aka "the booze fairy," telling me about a new restaurant/bar called 850. Sure, I thought the Roman numberals mixed with the word "fifty" was pretenious - and the fact that 850 or VIII fifty refers to its street address was quite stupid. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but notice that the styling of the logo and the description of the venue was similar to the ultracool Louis XIII restaurant in suburban Minneapolis. That, and the free bar, persuaded me to check out this place in the northern Atlanta suburb of Roswell.

At first glance, the restaurant was pretty understated... except for the two Lamborghini Diablos(?) parked in front. And the photo screen. I was wearing a green Old Navy polo and dark grey Bill Blass slacks that were two inches too big in the waist - I wasn't interested in taking pictures.

Inside, the restaurant opened up nicely. Each of the three indoor dining areas are hidden away, and the raised bar immediately gets your attention. Outside there is a large center dining area with draped booths/couches all around the perimeter of the deck. You almost forget you are in suburbia until you see the Home Depot and the Goodyear in the adjacent blocks.

The drink service was remarkable given the couple hundred people clammering for free drinks. The food was mostly seafood, but the steak I sampled was superb. The Bacardi girls they hired for the event were hot and cordial, even though I got the feeling they were not interested in staying around after they got paid. Perhaps the reason for that was the clientele.

Wow. Personally, I always preferred the term MILF for describing attractive older women, but last night it seemed that only the more recent term "cougar" was apropos. If your idea of a crazy blonde threesome is Bo Derek, Sharon Stone, and Bea Arthur - VIII Fifty is the place for you. I pride myself on making friends and feeling comfortable in the most exclusive parties, but this place made me feel like a) I was sneaking in and b) I needed to be in bed. I was with a friend of mine and she even suggested I need to talk to one of these women to see if I can trade favours for one of the Lamborghinis sitting outside. If it wasn't for the fact that the place emptied out after the open bar period was over, I might have given that idea a shot.

VIII Fifty is a very cool place, with great food, and a good location if you are already living north of I-285. If you are a single guy, and you prefer girls who weren't alive during Nixon's administration, go ahead and make the drive into the city.