Costco Food Court News + Restaurant Openings!
March 20 — It’s Thursday, friends, and happy first day of spring! Also, Nowruz Mubarak to everyone celebrating the Persian New Year over the next 13 days!
For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for strawberry stovetop cobbler! We also have a story on James Beard award-winning chef Terry Koval’s new amaro and wine bar in Decatur.
➕ Plus, we have stories on a second location of a sprawling Beltline restaurant and bar complex opening at Star Metals and the relocation of Candler Park tea room Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party. As always, expect the latest Atlanta dining news, including an update on the hunt for the Costco hot turkey sandwich and recent restaurant openings around town.
In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal.” This edition features a story on the 2025 food trends to watch out for at Atlanta restaurants and where to find a superb martini at an Atlanta brewery.
Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!
🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra
🌼 Springtime in Atlanta means it’s time for the 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Held in Piedmont Park April 11-13, this three-day outdoor event has fine art, live music and entertainment, children’s activities, and more — and it’s free to attend! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Have You Heard
🥪 A Costco turkey sandwich update: thanks to an eagle-eyed “Family Meal” newsletter subscriber, we now know that the hot turkey provolone sandwich is back on the menu at the Perimeter Costco! Beth told you about the popular sandwich’s return to the food court menu earlier this week in the Tuesday evening edition of “Family Meal.” Costco paused the sandwich during the pandemic. But the $6.99 hot turkey sandwich – made with oven-roasted turkey breast, provolone cheese, red onions, tomatoes, and basil-garlic mayo – has found its way back onto the menus at select Costco locations around the country this year.
📚☕ Listen up, Decaturites who love coffee AND books. Little Shop of Stories will expand into the former Starbucks next door, teaming up with Bellwood Coffee in the venture. Look for a full coffee bar and cafe from Bellwood and more retail space from Little Shop this summer.
🥰 Did you know that teachers can get FREE coffee on Fridays from Three Peaches Gelato in Midtown? Located along the Eastside Beltline trail at Monroe and 10th, teachers receive a free medium coffee with any purchase on Fridays. The shop also gives students a 15% discount with ID on weekdays, from 2-6 p.m. The more you know.
🍣 In Buckhead restaurant news, Michelin-starred Omakase Table opened at Buckhead Landing yesterday. The restaurant’s original home on West Marietta Street will transform into something new in April. Stay tuned for more on that restaurant.
👨🍳 Nonprofit-run restaurant Café Momentum, which helps young people who’ve been in juvenile detention build professional skills through training and mentorship in the hospitality industry, opens in Downtown Atlanta on March 26.
🍨 Over in East Atlanta, Hal’s Ice Cream (pictured) opened at Halidom Eatery food hall this week. Hal Blackman partnered with Atlanta-based Morelli’s Ice Cream in the operation.
🍷 Loving this wine and food deal from The Reading Room in Decatur. On Wednesdays, the coffee shop and wine bar features a pairing special, like a Cubano and mango-cilantro slaw with a glass of wine for under $25. Follow on Instagram for more Wednesday wine pairings from The Reading Room.
🌸 Spring is FINALLY here and Block and Drum is ready for it! The sprawling, eco-friendly restaurant and drinks district in downtown Chamblee includes an outdoor courtyard with a stage and screen for live bands, sporting events, and movie nights. Follow Block and Drum on Instagram. And be sure to check out the coffee shop and listening bar here, too.
👩🌾 Give a follow to A Sip of Paradise Garden on Instagram. Founded by Atlanta bartender Keyatta Mincey-Parker, the community garden in the heart of East Atlanta Village provides a healthy, safe space for the bartending community to gather for gardening, workshops, and events. The 50+ members of A Sip of Paradise Garden also grow ingredients here for making cocktails served at bars and restaurants across Atlanta. You can donate to the garden here.
Insider’s Guide to The Masters Tournament at Lake Oconee
SPONSORED BY VISIT LAKE OCONEE
⛳ Since the spring of 1934, golf enthusiasts have journeyed to Augusta, Georgia, to witness the legendary Masters Tournament. Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week.
🏌️ From luxurious lodging at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, to savoring a meal at local favorites, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay. For golf lovers, the area’s stunning courses provide the perfect opportunity to test your skills while soaking in the beauty of Greene County.
⛳ Find your reason to linger longer during Masters week – April 7-13.
Top Stories
An amaro and wine bar opened in Decatur
🍷🐟🍷 Terry Koval, a James Beard-awarding winning chef and the owner of The Deer and The Dove, debuted his latest Decatur establishment earlier this week. Fawn amaro and wine bar opened next door to Cafe Alsace, seating just 35 people.
Purposefully designed as an intimate gathering place for wine, amaro, and clever takes on seafood, Koval, along with his wife and business partner, Jenn, spent the last year completely renovating the century-old building.
Ladybird will bring its sprawling Beltline restaurant and bar scene to Star Metals
😋 A second location of Eastside Beltline restaurant and bar Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall, owned by Michael Lennox and Electric Hospitality, will open at the new Stella at Star Metals residential tower along Howell Mill Road.
Located on nearly an acre of land occupied by a warehouse and parking lot just off of Howell Mill Road, the Westside Atlanta location of Ladybird will feature a similar vibe to its Old Fourth Ward counterpart. With a national parks-themed aesthetic, Ladybird on the Beltline includes a sprawling assortment of indoor and outdoor seating arrangements, multiple bars, including a cabin core-decorated Ranger Station on the second floor, and a snacky food menu.
⏩ Read more about the plans for Ladybird at Star Metals here.
Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party pulling up stakes in Candler Park
🫖 Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party will serve its last high teas in Candler Park on March 29 and 30, ahead of its early April relocation to the dining room at Grant Park biscuit and coffee cafe Howdy ATL across from Zoo Atlanta. However, a scaled-down operation in Grant Park means Dr. Bombay’s will only serve high tea on weekend afternoons.
While the new location will feature some of the books and knick-knacks currently part of the decor at the Candler Park tea room, owner Katrell Christie plans to hold a rummage sale for other Dr. Bombay’s items on March 30 and 31.
⏩ Read more about the relocation here.
🌼 Springtime in Atlanta means it’s time for the 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Held in Piedmont Park April 11-13, this three-day outdoor event has fine art, live music and entertainment, children’s activities, and more — and it’s free to attend!
SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍓 Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to give you two great recipes to try at home using ingredients you can buy at your local farmers market. This week, it’s all about the greens and the sweets – whatever your heart desires! Click here for the spinach namul and strawberry stovetop cobbler recipes.
