German World Cup fan discovers Helen and WaHo
Thursday, June 11 — Hello, internet friends.
🍯 The best kind of social media is wholesome social media: I’m talking snoozing pet photos, posts of steadfast friends celebrating, and people experiencing something for the first time. Yes, I’m talking about FreddyLA7, the German soccer enthusiast currently making his way through the American South on his way to Houston for the Germany vs. Curaçao match on June 14.
🇩🇪 Freddy finds charm in places we sometimes overlook, like Waffle House, or the German village in Helen and shootin’ the Hooch. (He loved all three, by the way.) He’s eaten a brisket sandwich on top of bags of deer feed at Buc-ee’s, and even watched the Auburn eagle fly through Jordan-Hare Stadium before the friendly between Argentina and Iceland this week.
His latest stop was Fairhope, AL, where he spent the night. I only hope he’s gotten a chance to experience white sauce, Cahaba lilies, and at least one Alexander Shunnarah billboard. We must protect Freddy at all costs.
🇰🇷 Over the weekend, my husband and I attended Smoking Tiger Club’s Korean-ish Brunch in Ardmore Park. Both of us truly cannot stop saying good things about the event: the food, the hospitality, the fancy coffee and tea drinks from Postern, the bubblier drinks made by Bryan Liang, Stephie Watson’s apartment. I finally learned how to play mahjong from TAP-ATL, and discovered that beet juice and coffee make an incredible combination. The brunch was a perfect way to close out the weekend – until we got home and discovered a snake bite on our dog’s leg. Cheers to the emergency vet!
🍷 In this week’s Quick Bites, get updates on new restaurant openings, including several near Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta and details on Aria’s new executive chef. Plus, we have an update on an Atlanta restaurateur’s battle with cancer. Keep reading for my stories on Bar Schmutzi, a dog-inspired wine bar, and a Georgia Tech graduate’s Iranian beer company.
⚽ By the way, make a point to read this week’s “Family Meal” for the return of Laura Scholz’s “The Regulars” series, our massive World Cup party guide, and a recipe for bofrot (puff-puff) from Ike’s Cafe & Grill.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
🖼️ Ahlers & Ogletree presents a 600-lot Modern & Contemporary Art & Design Auction featuring Picasso, Dalí, Chagall, and more. Explore fine art, furniture, and sculpture. Preview June 15–16; reception June 16. Register and start bidding today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Quick Bites
Openings
🧁 Hell Yeah! Gluten Free launched a pop-up inside Sweet Auburn’s Daily World Building. The initiative is part of the Downtown Pop‑Up Opportunity Fund.
🍔 CTR Food Works, downtown’s newest food hall, is now open.
🍩 Local doughnut business Dough in the Box opened its South Downtown location last week. El Tesoro’s South Downtown location is also now open.
🕺 Kathryn Fitzgerald, Josh Fryer, Chris Marconi, and Patrick Daugherty’s Last Dance will open for limited service June 11-13 and June 18-20. Reservations are encouraged for these dates, with walk-in service starting June 25.
🇮🇪The Irish Exit Pub, backed by the team behind award-winning New York City bar The Dead Rabbit, opens on June 12 at Centennial Yards.
🥖 Highland Bakery & Bar’s pop-up, offering sandwiches, snacks, and drinks, opens at 131 Walker Street on June 12. The pop-up will run through July 20. Joystick Gamebar will also open a pop-up here through the World Cup.
🎵 Cocktail bar and listening room La Cueva will open in the former Root Baking Co. space at Ponce City Market on June 12. The bar, which specializes in mezcal cocktails, will feature live music and dishes like shrimp empanadas, ceviche, and a short rib served with mole verde.
Coming attractions
🍺 207 Peachtree, downtown Atlanta’s newest mixed-use center, opens soon. Upscale sports bar Peachtree Sporting Club and dive bar American Dive will also open very soon here. Both bars will host a grand opening on June 17.
👀 Rough Draft will continue tracking restaurant and bar openings in downtown Atlanta, at South Downtown, and at Centennial Yards over the coming weeks.
🏪 Pick and Choose, a new convenience store, is coming to Grant Park this summer.
🍷 Sagra, a new wine bar from Bacchanalia sommelier Eric Di Nardo, will open in East Atlanta Village in late July or early August. In addition to wine, Sagra will offer sourdough focaccia and pizzas, Di Nardo told Rough Draft.
❗A number of restaurants, including Broad Street BBQ and Mule Train, will open in South Downtown in the next few weeks.
Closed for vacation
🍜Pho Roswell is temporarily closed while the owners vacation in Vietnam.
Industry updates
👨🍳 Former Lazy Betty Chef de Cuisine Austin Goetzman has signed on to lead the kitchen at Aria in Buckhead. Goetzman replaces Joseph Harrison, who joined last summer but left for personal reasons. It’s a full-circle moment for Goetzman, who worked at Aria as a line cook more than a decade ago.
“What I remember the most about [Goetzman] is his kind of curiosity and his discipline. He always loved being in the kitchen. He would see a busy night and just wasn’t afraid of that,” said Aria owner Andrés Loaiza.
Earlier this spring, Goetzman suddenly departed the kitchen at Lazy Betty. Chef Aaron Phillips also left Lazy Betty, but still retains his ownership stake in the Michelin-starred restaurant in Midtown.
❤️ In other industry news, JenChan’s is currently raising money for a July 20 “thank you” gala to benefit co-owner Jen Chan. Earlier this week, the restaurant shared an update on her battle with cancer, which now includes further treatments and more financial hurdles. The restaurant launched a GoFundMe to help pay for some of Jen’s medical bills. Beyond the planned gala, donations are welcome.
Add to your calendar
🌳 The Grant Park Conservancy will host a final spring market at Boulevard Green on June 14. The send-off will feature local vendors, free kids’ soccer, and a community yoga class. Food vendors include Hermanita, Big Softie, Georgia Proud Provisions, and Ticket to Tokyo.
🍬 Swedish candy cart Sweetish Sister will pop up at Ameline Shoppe in Milton on June 18. The candy shop will also be at Halcyon on June 19, from 7 to 10 p.m., and West + Peak in Roswell on June 20, from noon to 2 p.m.
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Top Stories
Little Bear owners announce new wine bar
🍷 Months ago, I asked Jarrett Stieber of Little Bear about his random “Bar Schmutzi” account on Instagram. Stieber said he’d tell me when he was ready. Well, that day came earlier this week.
Bar Schmutzi is a new wine bar he and his wife, Hallie, will open in the heart of East Atlanta Village. Expect small-production, minimal-intervention wine, bar snacks, and lots of references to the couple’s Great Pyrenees, Diego.
⏩ Learn more about Bar Schmutzi here.
Sweet Auburn Curb Market adds new vendors
🥳 Earlier this month, Atlanta restaurant and business incubator Sweet Auburn Curb Market added four new restaurant stalls to its lineup.
Burger and sandwich stall Retro Grill Atlanta, Edgewood Pizza, frozen desserts stall Dolce Tropical, and Jamaican-Puerto Rican stall A Taste of Secrets join more than 30 small businesses at the downtown Atlanta indoor market.
⏩ Read about the new stalls here.
Georgia Tech graduate’s brewery honors her late grandfather
🍺 As a child, Kennesaw native and Georgia Tech graduate Zahra Tabatabai heard countless stories about her late grandfather’s hospitality and home brewing skills in pre-revolutionary Iran.
Tabatabai now honors her grandfather’s brewing legacy and his recipes through her own brewery, Back Home Beer, which incorporates Persian ingredients and flavors.
⏩ Read my feature on Back Home Beer here.
Ditch the screens, break bread with other RD fans
🍽️ We are taking Rough Draft off your screen and into local restaurants with Atlanta’s first newsletter dinner club onTues., June 16.
We’ve partnered with DNNR to host IRL dinners where you’ll be matched with five like-minded readers for thoughtful conversations and real community building.
And, your ticket directly supports local journalism.
🎫 Think of it as your favorite newsletter, but with better food and actual eye contact. Book your seat today for our inaugural dinners in Sandy Springs and Poncey-Highland.
At the Farmers Market
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍅 Each week, Community Farmers Markets and Rough Draft Atlanta partner to give you two recipes you can make at home using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, try recipes for coconut-braised cabbage and summer squash and tomatoes. Find both recipes here.
🖼️ Ahlers & Ogletree presents a 600-lot Modern & Contemporary Art & Design Auction featuring Picasso, Dalí, Chagall, and more. Explore fine art, furniture, and sculpture. Preview June 15–16; reception June 16. Register and start bidding today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
That Slaps
🐯 Earlier, I mentioned how much I enjoyed Smoking Tiger Club’s Korean-ish brunch. Now, I’m delivering on the gustatory part of the experience.
Everything was good, but my favorite was the final course: the Korean fried chicken and butter tteok, a piece of buckwheat-fried chicken with soy glaze and tomato kimchi atop a glutinous rice cake. It turned out to be a lot of people’s favorite dish.
🍲 By the way, stay tuned to Rough Draft’s Instagram on Saturday morning for my latest Rough Cut on a new claypot Chinese restaurant in Chamblee. It blew me away even more than I expected. They even give out free hair ties — a thoughtful touch.
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.
