The legendary Le Café Du Teau:

Before the invasion of chain restaurants, “the Café” was one of Augusta’s most popular restaurants and nighttime hot spots. Le Café Naturel was its first name, and it started small, offering vegetarian fare (people still talk about the alfalfa sprout sandwiches). Over more than 30 years, it evolved into an upscale dinning destination specializing in French, Creole and International cuisine.

But it was more than a restaurant. It featured work by local artists and hosted exhibit receptions. It hosted the city’s best New Year’s Eve and Halloween parties. It became as much a nightclub as a café and was well known for live music -- especially on Sunday nights, when it stayed open late and featured jazz. When the local dining climate got more competitive, the café adapted and expanded, adding a tapas bar with wood-fired pizza stove, but unpaid taxes, fines and other financial problems eventually led to its closure. The restaurant owned by Don Du Teau was put up for sale in 2006.