Atlanta's dining scene: New openings and chef updates

Did I find Atlanta’s best poke and best cinnamon roll?

April 23 – Hello, internet friends.

😋 Sometimes, I am extremely blessed and enjoy multiple top-notch dining experiences in a week. This past week is a perfect example.

My barometer for whether a restaurant is good is when I immediately want to tell someone about it or take someone there — and not just “food people.” More on my stellar run of meals this week later on in the newsletter.

In today’s Quick Bites, get intel on new openings in Chamblee and Buckhead, restaurants coming to Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland, and a chef shakeup at The Select in Sandy Springs.

You’ll also read stories about a new steakhouse in Buckhead (yes, another one), a Mexican restaurant coming to Alpharetta, and King of Pops’ new World Cup popsicle flavors.

🇳🇵Finally, the April 21 edition of “Family Meal” is a doozy. Beth spoke to Aaron Phillips about why he left Lazy Betty’s kitchen but is still an owner. And she talks up the momos (Nepalese dumplings) at Everest Gorkhali Kitchen in Tucker.

See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra

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Quick Bites

Openings

☕ Stellow Coffee celebrates its grand opening at 3466 Chamblee Dunwoody Way in Chamblee on April 23. The coffee shop will still maintain a mobile coffee cart for events and pop-ups.

🇹🇭 Mai Thai Kitchen and Bar opened this week on Roswell Road in Buckhead.

Coming attractions

🍗 Omar Ferrer, owner of East Atlanta chicken shop Pollo Primo, filed paperwork to open a second location in the former The Best Sandwich Shop and The Wurst Beer Hall space on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Poncey-Highland, WhatNow Atlanta reports.

🆕 Just down the street, it appears Here Today Restaurant and Bar will open in the former Bookhouse Pub space on Ponce.

🥐 Bakery cafe chain Paris Baguette will open an Alpharetta location in July. A location at 1100 Peachtree St. in Midtown is also on the horizon.

🏅 Women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene will move into Kirkwood seafood spot The Argonaut. “Incoming Operating Partner Chelsea Fishman’s passion for championing women athletes is infectious, and her vision for this space will take Kirkwood somewhere special. Somewhere this neighborhood deserves,” The Argonaut said in an Instagram post.

🏨 Virgin Hotels will open a new location at Centennial Yards in downtown Atlanta next year. The hotel aims to serve as a cornerstone for the Entertainment District at Centennial Yards.

Closure

🥪 Pinky Cole’s vegan sandwich shop Voagies in Westview has closed, according to Tomorrow’s News Today.

Menu updates

🌯 Shortly after debuting a new patio, El Ponce incorporated a new menu featuring lunch and dinner specials and new drinks. The Ponce Mexican restaurant also introduced a new brunch menu.

🧁 Galette Bakery in Avondale Estates and Table 22 are launching a monthly provisions subscription box. Choose from a bakery box or bakery and provisions box, with the option to add on Parlor Coffee beans and house-made granola.

🌮 El Tesoro’s West End location launched taco Tuesday specials, with $13.50 taco plates, $8 house margaritas, and $3 Tecates.

Chef shakeup

👩🏽‍🍳The Select in Sandy Springs hired Chef Lorien Vilchez (Lazy Betty Group, The Four Seasons Hotel) as its new executive chef. Vilchez is the restaurant’s first female executive chef.

Good news

🏆 Filipino restaurant Estrellita received a Small Business Improvement Grant (SBIG) from Invest Atlanta and Mayor Andre Dickens last week. The team will use the grant money to build out the restaurant’s second location in South Downtown.

Add to your calendar

🇮🇹 Ollie’s Market in Grant Park will host Vinny’s Mutual Aid Bakery for a lasagna pop-up on April 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Preorders open at noon on April 24 on Hotplate. A $35 meal includes focaccia, a chilled sugar snap pea salad, and a slice of mushroom lasagna. Strawberry panna cotta will also be available for $7. Ollie’s will have drinks available for purchase and space to dine in, if desired. A portion of the proceeds will go to Second Helpings Atlanta.

🍔 NFA Burger’s Burger Benefit returns to Dunwoody May 3 from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Chefs from around the country, including Kevin Rathbun, Malik Rhasaan (Che Butter Jones), and Freddy Money (Atlas) of Atlanta, will prepare unique burgers throughout the afternoon and evening. George Motz will also offer signed copies of his updated cookbook, “Hamburger America.” Tickets include a drink and crinkle fries and are available now for $46.77. Proceeds benefit Giving Kitchen.

🫐 Serviceberry season is back! The fifth annual Serviceberry Feast returns June 1 with a collaborative dinner at The Deer and The Dove in Decatur. Featured chefs include Demetrius Brown (Heritage/Bread & Butterfly), Julia Kesler Imerman (Daily Chew), Terry Koval (Deer & Dove, Fawn), and Hudson Rouse (Whoopsie’s, Babygirl, Pure Quill). Tickets cost $130 and include food and drinks.

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Midtown’s sprawling Spring Quarter development debuts first restaurants

Amasa Mexican Kitchen to open in Alpharetta

🎷 The team behind Chichería Mexican Kitchen in Underwood Hills will open Amasa Mexican Kitchen in Alpharetta’s city center this summer. In addition to lots of seafood and Baja-inspired cuisine, the restaurant will feature live jazz, saxophone performances, and Spanish singer-songwriters each week.

⏩ Read about Amasa here.

Buckhead steakhouse promises NYC+Southern vibes and menu

🥩 If you’ve ever felt that a New York-style steakhouse could use more Southern hospitality, then you’re in luck. Clark’s Steakhouse, which opens tonight in Buckhead, comes from the team behind C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar and blends the vibes and menu of NYC and the South.

At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

🧄 Each week, Community Farmers Markets and Rough Draft Atlanta partner to bring you two tasty recipes that you can make at home using ingredients from your local farmers market. This time around, it’s all about the green! We’ve got a green garlic spread and yummy curried greens. Click here for both recipes.

A Loaded ‘That Slaps’ This Week

😍 I promised to tell you about all my favorite recent meals! Buckle up. It’s a lot.

I recently ran an errand in Marietta and used the trip as an opportunity to conduct some dining research. I met up with two local food writers at Sweet Living Bakery on Whitlock Avenue. We sampled a big chunk of the menu, which offers both breakfast and lunch. Sweet Living opened in 2024 but flew under my radar, and I’m here to make sure they pop up on yours now.

🍳 My favorites from our spread included the cinnamon roll, vegetable quiche, chicken salad, and salmon cake. The cinnamon roll wasn’t too sweet and featured a tangy icing. The vegetable quiche was fluffy and savory. Just perfect. The chicken salad had both an excellent taste and texture, while the salmon cake had a degree of heat and big dose of flavor.

Don’t be surprised if you see a “Rough Cut” on Sweet Living Bakery in the future.

🍣 The next day, I visited Poke House in Buckhead for a quick lunch and matcha drink. Shogun Matcha pops up at the restaurant every Friday, and poke is one of my favorite lunch options.

Poke House is a very strong contender for my new favorite poke spot in Atlanta. The fish here is super fresh. That freshness took me back to a deep sea fishing trip where I enjoyed eating sashimi right on the boat.

🍝 My husband and I also visited Rosso at Midtown Promenade on Sunday night. It’s the new red sauce joint from Chef Pat Pascarella, which opened in the space formerly occupied by his restaurant Alici Oyster Bar. I really enjoyed my chicken parm and cucumber mocktail that night.

And even though I’m not a big tiramisu fan, I couldn’t help but feel tempted by the huge bowl that got wheeled around on Rosso’s dessert cart. The presentation reminded me of those “tiramisu to go” videos that made the rounds on TikTok last year. It’s also my grandmother’s favorite dessert, so I’ll have to bring her to Rosso soon.

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.

⁉️ Another Buckhead steakhouse