Table Talk: “Funwoody” Regulars + Sweet Kugel
Dec. 16 — Happy Tuesday, and Happy Hanukkah to all celebrating this week! Welcome to the table, friends.
Last week turned into a fast-moving train of parties and events, and days later I’m still recovering. But I love December for exactly this reason because it means I get to dress up, attend a month’s worth of parties with friends and family, and indulge in food and drinks I might otherwise regularly avoid. (Did I eat late-night dino chicken nuggets topped with creme fraiche and caviar paired with Champagne at a party over the weekend? Sure did.)
🦕 OK. Enough about my post-party noshing. Let’s get into today’s newsletter.
This edition of “Family Meal” features a story from Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz on “Funwoody,” a small collection of restaurants centered around a shared courtyard. Over the last four years, Funwoody transformed a sleepy strip mall in the heart of Dunwoody into a bustling food and drinks hub for locals.
Plus, Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi brings you an Atlanta grandma’s recipe for sweet kugel. And for “The Move,” I tell you where to order comforting chicken piccata paired with a hot toddy on a cold night.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
‘Funwoody’ Transformed a Dunwoody Shopping Complex Into a Community Hub
🍻 Attorney Howard Evans ends most days with a gluten-free beer or two at BAR{n} Booze {n} Bites, the whiskey and wine bar located near his Dunwoody home. The laid-back watering hole is part of “Funwoody,” a group of indoor-outdoor restaurants centered around a courtyard at The Village Dunwoody complex that transformed the sleepy suburban strip mall on Chamblee Dunwoody Road into a bustling community hub.
Evans tries to frequent BAR{n} daily. The restaurant stocks two of his favorite gluten-free beers: a Redbridge lager and a Lakefront Brewery pilsner. Carrying specific beers for him is one of the many reasons why Evans has been a loyal regular since BAR{n} opened in 2021.
“This place is like ‘Cheers’ because there are so many regulars and people that come here that I know,” said Evans of BAR{n}. He posts up at the compact bar almost every day, unless he’s attending a Braves game as a longtime season ticket holder. Funwoody chefs will even whip up an off-menu, gluten-free meal for Evans, who often finds himself chatting with strangers and friends seated at the bar for happy hour.
🐴 That’s exactly the type of community vibe and service experience DASH Hospitality Group founder David Abes envisioned when he opened BAR{n} four years ago. It was his first Funwoody restaurant. With a barn-like exterior and farmhouse accents, including a painting of a horse from a neighboring farm, the restaurant’s decor reflects the Atlanta suburb’s agrarian roots.
“There really weren’t many restaurants around here,” said Abes of opening BAR{n} in the northern DeKalb County city, where fast-casual and chain restaurants are still king.
“People were driving out to Alpharetta or Roswell to go and have a nice meal, so I decided to open the type of place I would want to hang out at, something casual with no dress code, but still with really good food and service,” he explained of the premise behind the collection of restaurants at the Dunwoody complex.
Abes grew up in the neighborhood, riding horses at nearby Banister Farm and riding his bike through the same shopping center where he now owns and operates five restaurants: BAR{n}, barbecue joint Morty’s Meat & Supply, seafood spot Message in a Bottle, Mediterranean-inspired Yoffi food truck, and Good Vibes Ice Cream & Soda Pop.
🎶 A shared courtyard offers seating year-round, with full-service outdoor dining at BAR{n} and Morty’s, complete with heaters and fire pits in winter, and live music on summer weekends.
Over the last four years, Funwoody has become a community gathering place for many local residents, from families and remote workers to retirees and young professionals. Evenings and weekends see people grabbing food and drinks at Funwoody restaurants, then attending group activities like trivia, line dancing, or cheering for their favorite teams during games on the big screen.
“[Funwoody has] really become a community center, and that’s why it means so much to regulars like me,” Evans said of why he keeps returning.
But for Abes and his staff, community goes beyond just providing space for food, drinks, and fun in Dunwoody.
🤝 Community service plays a big role in the Funwoody business model, Abes told Rough Draft. Restaurants at the complex regularly host and support fundraisers for local schools, churches, and synagogues. Abes and his team also organize an annual outdoor food festival at Funwoody called Green Eggs & Kegs. To date, it’s raised more than $40,000 for Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation) in honor of his son, Mitchell Abes. The young Abes was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child. He currently works for his dad as DASH Hospitality’s brand manager.
“During our opening week, this lady gave me a hug and said she’d lived here 30 years and needed a place like this in Dunwoody,” Abes recalled.
He jokes that people now tell him they prefer his restaurants to the Dunwoody Country Club, underscoring Funwoody’s casual, approachable atmosphere and acting as a hangout for locals.
Georgia Grown Holiday Gifts at Cook’s Warehouse
SPONSORED BY GEORGIA GROWN
🍑 Georgia Grown goodies make the best gifts! Whether you buy them for stocking stuffers or you build your own beautiful gift basket, nothing says you’ve got great taste like a gift from our local craft food makers!
Stop by for chef demonstrations to sample a few bites, and meet the farmers!
✨ Join us Sat., Dec. 20 from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse at Ansley Mall.
Grandma Honey’s Sweet Kugel Recipe
🍯 This week, we’re bringing Rough Draft readers a sweet kugel recipe from Carolyn Chayet (aka “Grandma Honey”) as part of our Grandmas of Atlanta recipe series.
Chayet has lived in Atlanta for nearly 60 years. She and her husband were seeking warmer climes in the 1960s, relocating their Cleveland-based food delivery business to Atlanta.
At 89, Chayet likes to stay active. In addition to reading, baking, and spending time with her six great-grandchildren, Chayet attends weekly pilates classes, makes it a point to visit New York-style deli Bagelicious in Marietta every Friday, and is an avid mahjong player. She learned to play mahjong at the age of 19.
🀄 “My husband bought me a mahjong set and [he, my brother, and my sister-in-law] taught me how to play,” Chayet said, who still plays mahjong once a week with a group of friends. “We only play Siamese mahjong now,” she added.
According to her granddaughter, Jaime Levitt Corry, Chayet worked at a wholesale bakery in the 1990s.
As for the nickname, Grandma Honey, Chayet said she manifested that moniker on her own. “When my grandchildren were born, I wanted them to call me ‘honey’ because I call everyone honey,’” Chayet explained. “Grandma Honey was a good choice because honey makes people smile.”
🕎 Kugel, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipe containing eggs, sour cream, spices, and egg noodles or potatoes, is often served on holidays or for special occasions, and can be made either sweet or savory.
Chayet’s sweet variation on kugel features a cinnamon-sugar cornflake crust and carries a flavor profile reminiscent of French toast casserole.
“Many years ago when I worked at Pacesetter Steel Service, our controller, Jon Rapaport, used to bring in this kugel many mornings,” Chayet noted in her 2020 cookbook. “It smelled so good while baking and tasted even better. I have many good kugel recipes, but this one is the best.”
📋 IngredientsKugel
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz sour cream
- 8 oz broad noodles
Topping
- 1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
- 2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- Cinnamon to taste
🥣 Directions
- Prep the kugel: Mix eggs, sugar, butter, cream cheese, and sour cream in a food processor.
- Boil the broad noodles according to package directions.
- Prep the topping: Mix cornflake crumbs, softened butter, white sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Combine noodles and processed mixture in a greased two-quart glass dish. Sprinkle topping over mixture.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
- Then uncover and bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
The Move: Chicken Piccata at Breaker Breaker
🐔 For the last month, my Instagram feed has been a little chicken heavy. That’s because I’m on a mission to find Atlanta’s best restaurant chicken dishes. So, for the love of chicken piccata, get yourself to Breaker Breaker in Reynoldstown.
Breaker Breaker on the Eastside Beltline transformed into Long Haul Lounge for the winter serving hearty and warming dishes. (Think the lemony, buttery, breaded goodness of chicken piccata atop egg noodles, bowls of tomato bisque and New England clam chowder, and platters of steak frites with béarnaise sauce.)
💯 My move at Long Haul Lounge: a maple-infused hot toddy, crispy rice and greens salad with winter citrus to prep the palate, and chicken piccata that reminds me of my mother’s. I’m in my comfort food era right now and regret nothing.
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