Spice to Table (spicetotable.com), a long-awaited, new dining concept by Chef Asha Gomez, is now open at Studioplex in the Old Fourth Ward. Open for breakfast and lunch daily excluding Mondays, Gomez describes the new restaurant as an “Indian patisserie” with menu items like spiced oatmeal, samosa pockets, caramelized onion and spiced cashew crostatas and quiche for breakfast. While lunch will feature tomato pies, vegetable rice pulao, pork vindaloo sandwiches, curried chicken stuffed bread, soup of the day and a salad of the day. As INtown was going to press, Gomez announced that she was closing her lauded Cardamom Hill restaurant on Northside Drive to focus on Spice to Table.
Petite Auberge (petiteauberge.com) turns 40th this summer and is celebrating by adding Sunday brunch to its menu. Located at 2935 North Druid Hills Road, brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Former NFL quarterback Nate Hybl will open Gusto Wood Fire Grill in at Brookwood Village, 1935 Peachtree Road, later this summer. The space was formerly Saigon Café. The menu had not been made available at press time.
Burger 21 (burger21.com), a new franchise founded by the owners of The Melting Pot, has signed a multi-unit franchise agreement to develop three restaurants in the Atlanta area: Buckhead, Cumberland Mall and the North Druid Hills areas. The Buckhead location is expected to open sometime in 2015.
Mali Hu of One Sushi Plus in Brookhaven will open a Japanese steakhouse called Katana in late summer across from Lenox Square at 3345 Lenox Road in Buckhead.
Fadó Irish Pub will open in Shops at Metropolis during the first quarter of 2015. Fadó Midtown will occupy the former La Tagliatella space at 919 Peachtree St. A Gaelic word meaning ‘long ago,’ Fadó will offer an Irish menu, local beers and cocktails.
The Pig & The Pearl (thepigandthepearl.com) is now open at Atlantic Station featuring brisket, pork shoulder, duck and sausage alongside fresh raw and smoked seafood and shellfish.
The 4th annual Great Atlanta Beer Fest will be held at Turner Field on Sept. 6. This event will feature 150-plus beers, ciders, and a small selection of wines. There will be live music with the Geeks Band, college football on big TVs, fun and games on Scout’s Alley and around the event. Advance tickets are $35, $40 after Aug. 29, and $50 day of event. Get tickets and more information at greatatlantabeerfest.com.
Michael Lo, George Yu and Damiano Pak have opened Makan (makanatl.com), the Indonesian or Malay word for eat, in downtown Decatur, 130 Clairemont Ave. The menu is inspired by Asian street food and traditional Asian comfort food that you might find in market stalls in cities like Hong Kong, Taiwan or Seoul.
Doc Chey’s Dragon Bowl (dragonbowlatl.com) is now open in Emory Village at 1556 N. Decatur Road. Owner Rich Chey converted the location of Doc Chey’s Noodle House to focus on customer-created bowls with grilled meats, healthy grains and a variety of locally grown/seasonal ingredients.
Tin Drum Asiacafe (tindrumcafe.com) is offering up fresh noodles and Asian street food cuisine in its new location at 2566 Briarcliff Road in North Druid Hills.
Kula Project (KulaProject.org), a local non-profit focused on creating sustainable farming communities in developing nations will host the second annual #FORTHEFARMER campaign on Aug. 14 in partnership with several of Atlanta’s top restaurants. Each participating restaurant will donate 20 percent of sales from the evening to be invested in small-scale farmers in Rwanda. Participating restaurants include: 1920 Tavern at Opulent, Buttermilk Kitchen, Etris Kitchen & Bar, Foundation Social Eatery, Harbour Bar and Fishhouse, MAX’s Wine Dive, Murphy’s, Osteria Mattone, Real Fix Pizzeria, Salt Factory, Serpas True Food, Table & Main, The Optimist and more.
MAX’s Wine Dive (maxswinedive.com) is now open in the 12th & Midtown development at 77 12th St., Suite 6B offering “gourmet comfort food” (Southern fried chicken, oysters, mac ‘n cheese) with a selection of wines from around the world.
TRACE (traceatlanta.com) is now open at the W Atlanta-Midtown offering a “farm-to-hotel” menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner with a healthy take on classic Southern dishes and cocktails.
Chris Hadermann, John “JP” Piemonte and Mike Evertsen have started their own restaurant group, Southern Proper Hospitality. The trio have opened a string of notable restaurants –East Andrews Café, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill and Smokebelly among them – and is formalizing their privately held company and adding two more restaurants to the group this year. Gypsy Kitchen and Southern Gentleman will open later this year at Buckhead Atlanta. At the helm of the company’s day to day operations is Guido Piccinni, chief operating officer, who previously worked at fine dining restaurant Pricci, the acclaimed Five Diamond Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Cresta & Duc in Italy.
Virginia-Highland’s Bar Meatball (barmeatball.com) now has its own food truck. The mobile menu includes meatballs with sauce, meatball sliders with fries, and true Italian-American pasta topped with meatballs.
The historic Midtown home known as The Castle at the corner of Peachtree and 15th streets is getting a new lease on life as a restaurant. The renovated space will launch with a big party hosted by Maxim magazine on Aug. 29 at 9 p.m. For tickets and information, visit this link.
Breakfast spot J. Christopher’s on Ponce de Leon Avenue closed Aug. 3 and is searching for a new space in Virginia-Highland.