News for Restaurants in Atlanta
August 2008 Archive

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RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

Found again: Louise's Soul Food. Abandoning her in-town location on Ponce de Leon Ave., Louise Holmes relocated her classic Southern food restaurant to the 'burbs. There she is in greater Lawrenceville, purveying her basic, heartwarming Southern food, from great fried chicken to greens and mac 'n' cheese. We're glad we found her again. Louise's Soul Food, 1455 Pleasant Hill Rd., Ste. 104, Lawrenceville, GA 30349, 770-923-1188.

The Shed at Glenwood is a project by an alumna of Tom Catherall's Here to Serve group. Cindy Shera, for the past six years at Goldfish and Twist, lives in and believes in the neighborhood. Longtime friend and Here to Serve alum Daniel Atwood left Prime to join her in the new venture, which opened in April. The newly developed neighborhood is a remarkable architectural venture, and restaurants are beginning to fill its retail voids. The Shed serves dinner Mon.-Sat. and brunch Sat.-Sun. The Shed at Glenwood, 475 Bill Kennedy Way, Atlanta, GA 30316, 404-835-4363.

Atlanta's ever-expanding churrascaria category now adds another member with the opening of Brazil Central Steakhouse in Marietta, in the Powers Ferry Plaza. Most churrascarias are quite expensive, with one price covering the dining experience for adults, no matter how much or how little one consumes. At this restaurant, daily specials include moderately priced seafood and pasta dishes. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily. Brazil Central Steakhouse, Powers Ferry Plaza, 1275 Powers Ferry Rd., Ste. 162, Marietta, GA 30067, 770-953-0035.

Noni's Bar & Deli has opened specializing in Italian fare including panini, homemade pastas and specialties derived from owner Matt Rupert's grandmother's repertoire. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and continues into the early morning hours (2:30 a.m.). Noni's Bar & Deli, 357 Edgewood Ave., Atlanta, GA 30312, 404-343-1808.

New locations: Spoon, a popular Thai restaurant on Marietta St., will open a new operation on Moreland Ave. in Ormewood Park Shopping Center sometime this fall. Also this fall, Six Feet Under will be moving into the Jane Lofts down the street toward Boulevard. For nostalgia buffs, Fuzzy's Place will reincarnate as Zuffy's Place at 1860 Corporate Blvd., not far from the original spot. The Real Chow Baby opened a new 8,000-square-foot location in Cobb Galleria Mall on Cobb Pkwy.

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q has more Atlanta area locations on the drawing boards. A new one in Suwanee is open at 1103 Old Peachtree Rd., and in the fall another will open in The Avenue in Forsyth, which is located at 410 Peachtree Pkwy., Cumming.

Shane Touhy and Scott Black have launched Dogwood on the ground floor of the Reynolds condominium on Peachtree St. Executive chef for the operation, Touhy has done a "grits bar" designed to raise the South's favorite comfort food to a more "fine dining" level. He presents a daily type of grits---initially using Logan Turnpike's Georgia-grown grits---with such embellishments as low country shrimp or fried oysters with spicy hollandaise. Both are Georgia natives, with Touhy's wide experience including restaurants on Hilton Head Island, in Charleston and Charlotte. He comes to this enterprise from the Blue Ridge Grill, where he served as executive chef. Dogwood's general manager-partner, Black served as Blue Ridge Grill's manager and wine buyer, and was general manager at Bone's. The 150-seat Dogwood is entirely devoted to regional dishes, so expect such items as roasted Vidalia onion soup, fried green tomatoes, and smoked Georgia trout cake as appetizers alongside glazed pork chops with Silver Queen soufflé, and crawfish-stuffed chicken breast as main dishes. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat. Dogwood, 565 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, 404-835-1410.

Diesel has opened to replace Dish in Virginia Highland. Justin Haynie and Michael Gardner are the team behind the venture, which features the cooking of chef Abdul "Dooley" Shabazz, formerly of The Abbey and The Mansion. The menu features contemporary American fare with a Southern twist, so patrons will find fried green tomatoes, a country-fried rib-eye, seafood cakes and stuffed pork loin. The patio always was a popular spot for gatherings among the neighbors at this former gas station, and likely will resume its role as a magnet for summer dining. Diesel will serve lunch and dinner daily into the wee hours, closing at 3 a.m. Mon.-Sat., and brunch on Sun., when it closes at midnight. Diesel, 870 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306, 404-815-1820.

Decatur developments: Replacing Mick's at 116 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. in Decatur, Parker's on Ponce will be Decatur's first independently owned steakhouse, according to owner J.T. Scott. Replacing The Angel, one of Derek Lawford's ill-fated operations, is a new pub, The Grange Public House, at 425 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., under new owner Darren Alexander Comer. Alcohol beverage licenses were approved for both establishments at July's Decatur commission meeting, paving the way for their imminent openings.

News Bytes

News in the Wine World
Atlanta wine retailer Chris Hinton, a former NFL football player, has opened a new wine store at the intersection of Roswell and Abernathy Roads in Sandy Springs. Hinton's Savvy Cellar is a 6,000-square-foot retail space that offers beer and spirits as well as Hinton's typically superior wine, along with some accessories. Savvy Cellar, 6690 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, GA 30328, 404-236-0480.

Salami for Sale
Antica Posta Tuscan Restaurant & Bar is now selling its homemade salami retail. You can purchase finocchiona and coppa at the restaurant and take it home to enjoy. Owner Marco Betti had been serving the house-made salami in the restaurant, and it became so popular, he dutifully went through the necessary inspection process to be able to sell it retail. Antica Posta is also preparing to open a new restaurant in Raleigh-Durham. Open for lunch Sat. and dinner nightly. Antica Posta Tuscan Restaurant & Bar, 519 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-262-7112.

Chef Shuffle

The biggest chef shuffle this month is the sad news that after 22 years in Atlanta in a variety of restaurants and venues, chef Michael Tuohy of Woodfire Grill will leave the city to return to his native California roots. On August 12, the restaurant's sixth anniversary, he had his last service. He'll join Joie de Vivre Hospitality Group, a San Francisco-based boutique hotel company that, with the Rubicon Development Group in Sacramento, plans to launch a new farm-to-table restaurant called Grange (meaning "barn" in French). Grange will be located at the new Citizen Hotel, one block from the state capitol in Sacramento. The project plans to open before the end of the year. If there's one thing Tuohy knows something about, it's the farm-to-table movement, which he helped pioneer in the Atlanta area. On August 6, Woodfire Grill passed to its new owners, Nicolas Quinones and Bernard Moussa, former general manager and assistant general manager at Loca Luna. The new team plans to keep the Woodfire Grill name and philosophy. Longtime chef de cuisine Kevin Gillespie becomes the executive chef, so patrons should not notice much change, at least at the outset. Woodfire Grill, 1782 Cheshire Bridge Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, 404-347-9055.

Daniel Atwood's departure from Prime to take over the top toque at the new The Shed at Glenwood left a hole at Prime now ably filled by John McGarry, who started out at Prime then went on to Goldfish. His move back to Prime puts a well seasoned Here to Serve veteran in charge, and he wasted no time changing up some 40 percent of the menu. Prime, Lenox Square, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30326, 404-812-0555.

Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for Atlanta to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from the past. Bazzaar, R.I.P.

Sala Sabor de Mexico had been sold by Fifth Group to a single restaurateur, who also bought adjacent Vine. Now, it seems he has quietly faded from view having sold Vine and having turned the keys to Sala back over to Fifth Group, which also owns ECCO and manages Murphy's. The restaurant has closed pending re-establishment of the liquor license in Fifth Group's name, some design changes, and a renaming and slight tweaking of the concept. It will remain a casual authentic Mexican restaurant, while becoming perhaps a bit more "neighborhood friendly," said a spokesperson. Plans call for a re-launch in the late September-early October time frame. Sala Sabor de Mexico, 1186 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306, no phone.

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.

View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in Atlanta

BEYONCE INSPIRED LIBATIONS

Try these whiskey cocktails inspired by Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album.

Check the recipes.

BOURBON IN YOUR AIOLI

This cashew aioli recipe gets a kick with bourbon.

Get the recipe.

GAYOT'S RESTAURANT AWARDS

Over the years, we have been electing restaurants to be on GAYOT's Yearly Restaurant Awards.

Check the list.

News for Restaurants in Atlanta August 2008 Archive

News for Restaurants in Atlanta
August 2008 Archive