Networking Pick #1: OCEAN PRIME

      Ocean Prime – 3102 Piedmont Road NE Atlanta, GA 30305

           I've featured Ocean Prime Restaurant before as a fabulous restaurant to visit because of its superb food, drinks and service, as well as its gorgeous decor and atmosphere. Now I'm recommending it as a great place to network and meet people as well.

          Randy, the general manager, and his staff are experts at making sure that every customer receives the VIP treatment and has a superior dining experience. From the least of us to the greatest, patrons of Ocean Prime get the red carpet experience. Maybe that's why the least of us (me) and the greatest of us (Denzel Washington) like to dine here. Now I know a few of my sensitive readers are thinking, "the least of us and the greatest of us???? Shoot......Denzel aint no better than me!!!" I know, I know, we're all God's children blah, blah, blah..... I gotcha. But for those of us who know what I mean, there's something to be said about a restaurant that has been in the city for less than a year and has made this type of splash in the already saturated Buckhead restaurant community. Local and visiting celebrities with so many dining choices, place this spot high on their priority list. Ted Turner hosted a dinner for about 100 of his people here; Knicks head coach,  Mike Woodson, hosted a dinner for 40 of his friends when he was here with the team; Rapper, TI, hosted a dinner that same night. On other occasions, I've known Ludacris to be there as well as Actress Tasha Smith, several high profile ministers, and corporate professionals galore.

          For all this glam, you'd expect exorbitant prices that only the elite can afford, right? Not true. I won't lie, you COULD run up quite a tab here if you ate any and everything you wanted off the menu. However, if you're "balling on a budget" (look for an upcoming post on the fine art of doing this in the near future), you can still dine here and pay your car note at the end of the month. If you're on a tight budget, stick to appetizers and a 1-2 drink maximum. Remember, your purpose is to meet people; not get full and drunk!! The open and spacious patio and bar area, make mixing and mingling easy and I guarantee you will be in good company.