Have magazine, will travel... to dinner

Written by NEIL MONROE

For several years, brothers Robert and David Bearden, and their wives, Janice and Lela, have been eating out once a week, usually on a Wednesday, at restaurants across Fayette and Coweta Counties.

After a time, their choices narrowed to a few favorite spots, and an age-old conundrum set in: a bit of boredom.

Many of us have been in the exact same situation. We look at a friend, our spouse, our kids and say, “Hey, let’s grab some dinner.” The response is usually, “That sounds great…but where?”

After yet another discussion about where to eat, Janice saw the July 2022 issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine (NCM) and came up with a somewhat brilliant solution: visiting each of the restaurants from the magazine’s 2022 “Best of Coweta” (BOC) competition.

In the ensuing months, they’ve made a big dent in the list, eating at 15 of the 29 restaurants listed in the competition. They are anxious to hit the ones they’ve missed in coming weeks.

“It’s been an adventure for us,” Janice says. “We go out to eat once a week and plan to keep going until we’ve hit all three first, second and third place winners in each food category, using the ‘Best of Coweta’ rankings as our guide. It’s like a vacation.”

“We all order something different and then discuss the food, the atmosphere and service,” she adds. “We even check out the bathrooms, the building, and talk with management if they’re receptive.”

Not only have the Beardens hit 15 of the 29 BOC restaurants, there is also a written record to prove it. After their meal, the Beardens discuss their visit, and Janice compiles written notes on each restaurant. She shared her notes with NCM, which include comments such as “a few too many tables…good food…lots of memories.” They’ll even discuss parking and the location of restrooms.

Given their thorough approach, the Beardens don’t always agree with the BOC rankings. One unnamed spot, given a number one ranking in its category, did not impress the group. “We all agreed that we could not understand how this place got a first place ranking,” David said. “It wasn’t decorated well, and the food just wasn’t very good. But we still had a great time going. That’s what’s fun about this adventure. We never know what we’re going to find, because nearly all of these places are new to us.”

How dedicated are the Beardens to their goal of hitting all 29 restaurants? Very dedicated. They’ve even gone to restaurants featuring Mexican food, which as a group, they don’t really like.

This dedication to the BOC rankings has enabled them to come to some conclusions about which restaurants do well. “Proximity to the square in Newnan is a big factor,” Robert says. “People enjoy walking the square. It’s just a wonderful place.”

While the group has several stops to go, they have a list of favorites – subject to change, of course.

Their top three restaurants, so far:

• Redneck Gourmet

• Goldens on the Square

• Partner’s Pizza at Summergrove

For a combination of good food, value and lunchtime entertainment, the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse gets a thumbs up from the group. And for dessert, they’re very impressed with Rock Salt Milk Bar.

“They’re all good, that’s for sure. As for whether we agree with each list, probably not. Some could certainly be rearranged,” Robert says.

Lela encouraged others to use the list to eliminate some of the indecision that many of us face when we’re looking for some place to eat.

“It’s such a fun chance to experience some place you wouldn’t normally visit,” she said. “It gives you a reason to go, and even if it’s not the best, you know you went with a purpose.” NCM