July 6, 2004 – The boys from St. Thomas have made the big time with the "Texas Pit-style" barbecue business they opened last September in downtown Atlanta.
The 2004-05 Zagat Survey report on ratings for more than 700 Atlanta area restaurants hit the region's bookstores a couple of weeks ago, and in it there are accolades aplenty for Rolling Bones BBQ.
Dana Armour and Paul Feuerzeig, who both grew up on St. Thomas, started the business after about five years in the real estate business in Atlanta. The idea, which they'd been tossing around for a couple of years, came to fruition with the blessings – to say nothing of the recipes – of Bill Collins, owner of St. Thomas's internationally acclaimed Texas Pit BBQ. (See "Islanders Take Texas Pit Back North to Atlanta".)
In the Zagat survey results, Rolling Bones earned ratings of 24 for food, 22 for service and 19 for décor — "the highest overall ratings of any barbecue restaurant in the Atlanta area," according to a Rolling Bones release.
"We are delighted even to be included in this year's Zagat, but even more thrilled with those excellent ratings," Feuerzeig said. "We've worked very hard on quality, service and the cool look of our restaurant, so this is really gratifying."
The enterprising owners make no bones about their roots, stating on the main page of the Rolling Bones
Web site that they are "bringing authentic Texas Pit Barbecue to Atlanta and the world via St. Thomas."
The Web site continues: "The Rolling Bones menu features unadulterated Texas Pit Barbecue that has been mastered by central Texas native Bill Collins in his Virgin Island locations for the past 20 years. Traditional meats are slow cooked over mesquite and accompanied by two distinctive sauces and time-honored sides."
Zagat reviewers had these things to say about Rolling Bones, which offers take-out, drive-through and sit-down service, as well as catering:
"The mesquite-smoked 'meat rolls right off the bones' at this 'snazzy new BBQ joint' 'just around the corner from the MLK [Martin Luther King] Center,' where 'hand-sliced-to-order' 'brisket to kill for' 'tempts the palate'; the 'friendly' owners are 'always there' 'working hard to succeed' in the 'hip, clean' converted gas station with a 'minimalist' 1940s Art Deco decor and a 'drive-thru,' and pros predict lots of 'repeat business' for this 'great addition' to Downtown."
The high Zagat ratings follow a string of positive reviews and awards for Rolling Bones. Atlanta Magazine named it the best new drive-through restaurant for 2003. In May, it won a design award from the Urban Design Commission for Adaptive Reuse for its conversion of a long-empty 1940s gas station into an efficient, attractive structure merging Art Deco ambience with retro-modern functionality.

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