Scroll for oysters!
March 19 — Hello, internet friends.
🌞 Happy last day of winter! It’s finally high time for sitting outside and soaking up the sunlight, or as I like to call it, “lizarding.” This weekend will bring in some prime patio weather (note the high of 82 on Sunday), so take your non-drowsy allergy meds, slather sunscreen on your face and shoulders, and enjoy a meal, or at least a beverage, outdoors and get some much-needed vitamin D.
🦎 In this week’s Quick Bites, get the scoop on restaurant openings in Sandy Springs, West End, and Adair Park, a restaurant closure in Brookhaven, and some events you should put on your calendar, like a matcha market, mahjong tea party, and U.S. men’s national soccer team watch party in Dunwoody.
Catch up on the week’s top stories, including on Buckhead sushi and celebrity hotspot UMI making moves to the Big Apple this summer.
ICYMI, here’s the latest edition of “Family Meal,” where Beth breaks down South Downtown’s new open container laws, you can read a story on the regulars of Baraonda in Sandy Springs, and Sammy’s offers a recipe for the Samantha (chicken Caesar) sandwich.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
🥂 Taste of Atlanta is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with an epic night of two dozen chef-driven tastings, craft cocktails, wine and beer tastes, live music, and electric energy! April 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Works. Tickets are on sale here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Quick Bites
Openings
🥐 Sassy’s Cafe opened inside CreateATL in the space previously occupied by Cafexito Mexican Coffee. Expect espresso and Radio Roasters coffee and coffee drinks, kombucha, soda, and loose leaf tea, while pastries and bread are available from Colette Bread & Bakery.
🌯 El Tesoro’s West End location reopened at building 1036, formerly home to Best End Brewing at Lee + White. EATS reopened last week and took over the Mexican restaurant’s space at nearby Wild Heaven Beer.
🍔 The Buckhead/Chastain location of Three Dollar Cafe (pictured) finally relocated to Chastain Market in Sandy Springs. Last fall, the sports bar announced it would relocate to a newer building.
⛳ Painted Pickle opens its expanded “Compeatery” on March 21 along Armour Drive. The extra space includes “The Dog Leg,” an indoor, nine-hole miniature golf course, along with pub games, sushi, and cocktails.
🇲🇽 Mexican restaurant Casi Cielo will open at the New City development on March 23, across from New Realm Brewing on the Eastside Beltline. The restaurant also includes a location in Sandy Springs.
Closure
🍩 Sublime Doughnuts closed its Briarcliff Road location after 10 years, according to Tomorrow’s News Today. The original Sublime location remains open on 10th Street in Home Park.
Menu changes and specials
🥞 Madre Selva at Lindbergh Center launches a new brunch menu this weekend. Expect new dishes, a spruced-up patio, and a live DJ from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
🌸 In honor of Nowruz (Persian New Year), all Rumi’s Kitchen locations will offer a sabzi polo mahi special for $45 this weekend, Friday through Sunday, or while supplies last. The newly reopened location in Sandy Springs will have a haft seen setup.
Krog Street Market
🗳️ Feel like giving Krog Street Market some extra love, or do you genuinely think it’s one of the best food halls in the country? Vote for the Inman Park food hall in USA TODAY’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards. Participants can vote once daily through April 13. USA TODAY will announce the winning food halls on April 22.
Add to your calendar
🍵 The Matcha Market premieres at The Artchive on Dill Avenue on March 22. Expect gourmet matcha drinks, vendors, and a live DJ set. The market will offer free matcha and matcha-tinis until 1:30 p.m. Peek at the menu, which includes guava and cornbread matcha drinks. Tickets are available now for $5.01, or at the door.
🍽️ Inman Park Restaurant Week returns for another year, March 23-29. Participating restaurants, including Folk Art, Kitty Dare, and The Wrecking Bar Brewpub, will offer curated tasting menus at a fixed price all week long. Reservations are not required, but encouraged.
🀄 Sandy Springs mahjong lovers, this one’s for you. The Select’s conservatory will host Tea & Tiles on March 28 from 2-4 p.m. In addition to friendly competition and prizes, guests can expect tea, treats, and bubbly beverages. Tickets are $40 per person and include food, drinks, and two hours of parking. Sign up as a mahjong foursome, or register as a pair for Siamese play. Tiles and racks not included.
⚽ Funwoody Village kicks off a partnership with Michelob Ultra with a big-screen showing of a friendly soccer match between the US men’s national team and Belgium on March 28. Expect games, giveaways, and a contest to win a pair of tickets to a World Cup semifinal match in Atlanta this summer.
🐼 Asian food festival Panda Fest returns to Atlantic Station April 3-5. The event will feature food vendors from around the country. Local vendors include Can Cakes, Pretty Little Tacos Roswell, and Sweet Chimney Bakery. General admission ($14) and VIP ($35) tickets are available now.
Unlimited Wine Tastings & 10+ Atlanta Restaurants at Pullman Yards
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
🍷 Palette & Pour is a high-energy tasting night featuring unlimited wine tastings, restaurant stations + passed bites from 10+ Atlanta favorites, plus a DJ and art activation at Pullman Yards.
Fri. March 27 from 7–10 p.m., VIP hour at 6 p.m.
➞ Tickets are limited. Grab yours now.
Top Stories From the Week
UMI heads to the Big Apple
🍣 Buckhead sushi restaurant and celebrity magnet UMI will open a location on Madison Avenue in New York City this June.
After seeing so many out-of-town restaurants open in Atlanta, it’s refreshing to witness the opposite.
⏩ Read Beth’s story on UMI’s NYC expansion.
Todd Richards opens Que-Riosity in McDonough
🍖 Next time you venture south on I-75, there’s a new reason to make a pit stop in McDonough: Chef Todd Richards’ new barbecue restaurant and grill room.
I chatted with Richards about what to expect, the science behind barbecue, and McDonough’s dining scene potential.
⏩ Read my story on Que-Riosity.
National steak competition heads to Atlanta
🥩 Carnivores will want to check out Pullman Yards on April 9 for the RARE Steak Championship, where more than 25 steakhouses will battle it out for a panel of judges.
Produced by DiningOut, the 21-and-up event includes live music, cocktails, and best of all, unlimited steak tastings.
⏩ Learn more about the RARE Steak Championship.
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🥥 Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets partner to bring you two recipes using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got a tasty coconut curry and roasted vegetables with couscous. Check out both recipes here.
🍃 Join us at Farm Chastain for outdoor wellness programming focused on connecting with nature. From volunteering to hands-on workshops, there is something for all ages. Step outside, breathe deep, and invest in your well-being. Click here to join. SPONSOR MESSAGE
That Slaps!
🦪 Was spending the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day in the throngs of revelers in Virginia-Highland a smart decision? Probably not. But the house oysters at Fontaine’s were worth the crowds.
I feel like Fontaine’s is one of the few unpretentious, charmingly gritty places left in the neighborhood. I ordered half a pound of hot peel-and-eat shrimp and a half dozen oysters, then another half dozen.
👉 I already prefer Gulf and East Coast oysters, so I’ve never disliked Fontaine’s house oysters. In fact, I’ve spent many Tuesday evenings here taking advantage of the oyster happy hour deal. And maybe it’s because we’re in a month that contains an “r,” but last weekend’s oysters at Fontaine’s were among the best I’ve ever had there. They were plump, juicy, perfectly salty, and most of all, restorative.
A dozen oysters for $22 and warm shrimp for $10 isn’t half bad either.
We’re always looking for recipes to highlight on Rough Draft. If you have a favorite dish from a restaurant you want the recipe for, please send me an email to sarra@roughdraftatlanta.com.