Sunday, June 29, 2008
Quick, Food, Q&A

Digging in Michael Benoit’s new Garden

A Quick Q&A

Courtesy of Michael Benoit
Michael Benoit

Michael Benoit, along with his brother and sister, opened the original Vortex back in 1992. Today, he oversees two Vortex locations, known for their delicious burgers, offbeat décor and a healthy dose of attitude. Not content with merely serving what many consider to be Atlanta’s best burgers, Benoit recently opened Bone Garden Cantina, promising authentic Mexican food in a similarly funky setting bedecked with paintings and sculptures with a skeletal theme. The Sunday Paper subjected him to the Quick Q&A to get the skinny.—Woodrow Manning

Q How hectic is it trying to get a new restaurant off the ground while running two successful ones?
A After 16 years, the two Vortex locations now have management teams in place to handle the day-to-day operations. This has afforded my wife, Kristen, and I the opportunity to open Bone Garden Cantina, and be very hands-on. So right now, we're both on premises every day from open until close. It’s fun, but exhausting.

We haven't really told anyone that we've opened. The idea is that a “soft opening” will allow us ample time to work out any operational kinks before we do any marketing. But amazingly, a lot of people have already found out about us, even though the Bone Garden is kind of hard to find. We grew the Vortex by word of mouth, and we’ll probably end up growing the Bone Garden the same way. When you offer unique, tasty food and good service in a fun atmosphere, it makes people want to share the experience with their friends. It creates a very loyal following.

What prompted you to pursue Mexican fare?

My wife and I are both from California, so we grew up with a wide variety of Mexican food. And we love Mexican food. There are a lot of “Americanized” chain restaurants and a few Tex-Mex places in Atlanta that we like, but we thought people might be ready for something a little different. So we're offering something slightly more traditional.

The two Vortex locations are as notable for their atmosphere as for the food. What kind of experience are you aiming for with the Bone Garden?

The Vortex is known as the place to go for the best burger in Atlanta. We want the Bone Garden to be known as the place to go for great Mexican. And the atmosphere is based on the Mexican holiday known as Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It’s colorful, festive and creative. I’ve built some sculptures and painted a mural, and some artist friends of mine have also created some great paintings for the space. The place will always be a work in progress—a kind of living art project. It’s really fun. An outdoor art garden and deck are currently in the planning stages as well.

What else have you got in the works? What’s up at the Laughing Skull Lounge?

The first Tuesday of the month we hold the Boozer Doodle Foxy Figure Drawing and Tater-tot Bonanza. When the Bone Garden is up and running smoothly, I may begin work on an adult-themed puppet show fairy tale based on life in Atlanta. But in the meantime, I have a lot more skeletons to build. SP
Bone Garden Cantina is located at the Lumber Yard at 1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. For more information, call 404-418-9072 or visit www.bonegardencantina.com.