Dinner club success!
Thursday, June 18 — Hello, internet friends.
😍 I may be just one person, but I know I can speak for the entire Rough Draft team — thank you to everyone who participated in the inaugural Rough Draft Dinner Club on Tuesday night! Nearly 50 people gathered at eight restaurants around Poncey-Highland and Sandy Springs. I made new friends and ate some great pasta and tiramisu in a restaurant I hadn’t yet visited. If you attended, please share your feedback. There’s a link to do that in the email that went out yesterday.
👀 We’re already planning next month’s Dinner Club on July 21, so stay tuned.
In this week’s Quick Bites, I’ve gathered a huge roundup of openings that were perfectly timed to line up with a certain sports event in town right now. And you’ll find details on the DeKalb County location of nonprofit Goodr’s new market and Little Loaf Deli.
🤯 Speaking of openings, I’m sure you’ve noticed the concentration of new and upcoming restaurants Downtown. We made a restaurant opening tracker for that to help everyone keep up with it all!
🏆 Don’t forget to read this week’s “Family Meal,” where Beth breaks down why a James Beard Award nomination is such a big deal and shares a trio of restaurant recommendations with what to order at each. Plus, Monday Night Brewing shared a recipe for Czech sausage rolls, inspired by two Central European staples: klobása and kolaches.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
Quick Bites
Openings
🐔 Nando’s Peri-Peri opened at Krog Street Market.
🍖 Broad Street BBQ partially opened in South Downtown. The restaurant currently offers food via a to-go window off Founders Green on Broad Street.
🍹 Bless Your Heart, a Southern-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar, opened at Hotel Phoenix. The new restaurant will have restricted access June 30 to July 15 due to the World Cup.
🚚 The Food Truck Association of Georgia launched Global Grub Alley, which runs on Centennial Olympic Park Dr. throughout the World Cup. The food trucks are available the day before and the day of Atlanta matches.
🥸 Bar Incognito opened in the former Fishmonger space on Howell Mill Road.
🇮🇳 The Chai Box Cafe opened on Howell Mill Road.
🥧 Pie Bar has opened a location in West Midtown. It joins locations in Kennesaw, Marietta, and Woodstock.
🇾🇪 Diyar Al-Yemen in Marietta recently reopened under new management.
🍷 Cafe and wine bar Mendoza Cafe y Vino is now open on Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta.
⚽ Peachtree Sporting Club and American Dive opened at 207 Peachtree in downtown Atlanta.
🇭🇹 Alonetogether, a new Haitian-Creole restaurant, just opened in Midtown.
🍻 LikeMinds, a collaborative pop-up sports bar, opens today in the former BrewDog space at Krog District off the Eastside Beltline.
🎫 Cosm Atlanta, an immersive entertainment venue, is now open at Centennial Yards in downtown Atlanta.
Closings
🇲🇽 Palo Santo, which opened in West Midtown in 2022, will close after service on June 27. The restaurant plans to throw a FIFA-edition House Brew event on June 20, starting at 10 a.m.
🍗 Mother’s Best is closing their restaurant in Decatur. In an Instagram announcement, the restaurant referenced “catastrophic equipment failures” and said they would continue pop-ups.
Coming attractions
🦞 Michel Arnette, the owner behind Arnette’s Chop Shop in Brookhaven, plans to open Siren next door. The seafood restaurant should open later this summer.
🥟 Dumpling Master will open new locations in Marietta and Peachtree Corners, according to Tomorrow’s News Today. More locations are in the works.
🥞 All-pink cafe High Noon Brunchery is moving to Buckhead.
🥪 Todd Ginsberg and Josh Kim’s Kitchen Counter is set to open in South Downtown next month, Ginsberg told Rough Draft.
♻️ Goodr will open a second community market and Little Loaf Deli in DeKalb County. The organization is now accepting applications for shoppers.
Refresh in Roswell
👷 Truth Be Told in Roswell plans to shut down its dining room to make way for a “refreshed concept” debuting later this summer. Owner Jonathan Yu said in an email that he and his team have been collecting feedback from guests since opening on Canton Street last year.
“As a result, we are making changes to better reflect our vision for neighborhood dining. While the name will remain the same, guests can look forward to an updated menu, new branding, enhancements to the overall experience and a renewed focus on creating a welcoming, community-driven restaurant,” Yu said.
The patio and bar will remain open during the transition, serving a limited food menu, along with cocktails, wine, and beer.
Community announcements
🧑🌾 Atlanta Harvest is currently seeking volunteers for farm and food production, food hub and CSA operations, agri-business and leadership, and marketing and community engagement. Reach out via direct message on Instagram, or scan the QR code on this flyer.
Add to your calendar
🇪🇸 Georgia Tech will welcome Michelin-recognized chefs Luis Valls and Ismael Fernández for a live paella demonstration and tasting this afternoon at George Scheller Tower Courtyard in Tech Square, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are free and available online.
🍜 Pastries A Go Go will host a collaborative pop-up with Cherifish and Pho With E on June 19 and 20, starting at 6 p.m.
🛂 Cobb Foodie Week runs from June 20-27. Participants can redeem exclusive digital coupons at more than 70 restaurants around Cobb County. Sign up for a Meals Deals Pass at CobbFoodieWeek.com. People can present the digital passport at participating restaurants.
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Top Stories
Is Zesto poised for a comeback?
🍦 A new generation of Livaditis family members has taken over Zesto in hopes of reviving the iconic Atlanta restaurant brand, betting on people’s nostalgia and cravings for its Chubby Deckers (double-stack burgers) and soft-serve ice cream.
What does this mean for the family-owned restaurant chain and its future in Atlanta?
⏩ Read Hayden’s story on Zesto’s comeback.
Eat the World Cup in Atlanta
⚽ There are myriad ways to enjoy Atlanta’s World Cup that don’t require setting foot in a stadium or breaking a sweat. My favorite? Enjoying metro Atlanta’s connection to the teams competing here this summer through restaurants serving each country’s cuisine.
⏩ Read my World Cup restaurant guide.
Dunwoody’s sushi switcheroo
🍣 The Shops of Dunwoody’s management company, JLL, announced four tenant swaps this week.
One of those is Tenku Sushi, which will replace Wasabi House, after the restaurant suddenly closed last week after 27 years in business.
⏩ Read Cathy Cobbs’ story on the switcheroos.
At the Market
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🌽 Peaches and corn are here to stay. Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two tasty recipes that you can make using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got corn frittersand peach salsa, and glazed leeks with a corn salad. Check out both recipes right here.
That Slaps
😋 I must admit that I only recently realized I like tiramisu. Tastes change! I wasn’t emotionally dependent on caffeine when I first tried a bite of my grandmother’s as a child! So when your server tells you the restaurant has Atlanta’s best tiramisu, you order a slice for the table – you know, for research purposes.
Cibo e Beve’s tiramisu is, in fact, very good.
☕ The ladyfingers aren’t drenched in coffee, so there’s not a strong acidity factor. The custard layers are thick like what you’d find in Boston cream pie. The sheath of chocolate on top and the drizzle of sauce provided just enough sweetness.
Give it a try the next time you’re at Cibo e Beve in Sandy Springs.
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.
