Southern Bella
A Hidden International Café in Decatur

The vuvuzelas have fallen silent. Those epic celebratory power slides are now the stuff of highlight reels. And you miss the world and its cup.

This calls for a rebound...

Meet Isabella’s Café, a semi-hidden neighborhood hang with a distinctly global focus, soft-open now for your international lunching, dinnering and futbol-detoxing needs (tearing off your shirt and running out after the tab optional).

Think of this as the United Nations of cafés, where social progress and world peace are best handled one bottle of South African wine at a time. Your evening begins as you step into the huge, open dining room and peruse the would-be art gallery of international prints from a local photographer. Take them in. Get in the mood. And have a seat when you’re ready... the owner will be with you promptly.

Her name is Wambui, she’s got great dimples, and she put your menu together from old family recipes and gratuitous amounts of international travel. From Persia to Kenya and India to South Africa, you’ll happily make your way through Swahili Shrimp Curry with Mango and Basmati Rice, Spicy Asian Orange Beef or Chipotle-Maple Black Beans.

You’ll be looking at a BYOB scenario for another few weeks, but the wine list is ready to go. Oh, and you’ll be happy to hear that every one of them will be from South Africa.

Which should at least hold you over until 2014.