Before Shaun Doty started the popular local chains Bantam + Biddy and YEAH! Burger (which he's since sold his shares in), he was the executive chef at Mumbo Jumbo, a celebrated downtown hot spot that opened in time for the 1996 Olympics. The restaurant closed in 2003 so Doty could focus on a new restaurant in Midtown, but until then it was known as one of the best places to be seen and to grab a tasty bite and a mouthwatering cocktail.

The "modern eclectic" menu included dishes such as oxtail ravioli with a morel cream , Sardinian flatbread with bottarga and sauteed oysters with curry sauce and basil. When the restaurant first opened, an AJC story referred to the ambience as "Barcelona after dark - bold art over the bar, pentimento frescos on exposed brick walls, Gaudi-like broken tile applique on columns, Euro-lounge recorded music, kitchen right up front looking at the street."

Scroll down to take a walk down memory lane to Mumbo Jumbo:

Yellowtail snapper with daikon radish and black bean sauce at Mumbo Jumbo in downtown Atlanta. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Shaun Doty prepares leg of lamb with risotto cake in 1997. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Georgia Peach with Cabernet Sauvignon reductive at Mumbo Jumbo in downtown Atlanta. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

An interior of the dimly lit bar area of Mumbo Jumbo in 1997. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Customers at Mumbo Jumbo Bar and Grill in downtown Atlanta in 1996. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Bartender Steve Nueroth doing his best 'Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail' imitation behind the bar at downtown Mumbo Jumbo in 1999. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

The pork shank with grits and turnips at Mumbo Jumbo in Atlanta in 1999. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Doughnuts with malt ball ice cream, almonds and chocolate. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Prosciutto di San Daniele with Cerignola Olives at Mumbo Jumbo. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Exterior of Mumbo Jumbo at night. / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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Credit: Yvonne Zusel

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