Venetian-inspired wine bar in EAV
Thursday, Sept. 10 — Hello, internet friends.
Someone’s been on point with entrepreneurship at the Girl Scouts because the organization announced that the 2027 cookie season will include dog treats.
Patch Pals, blueberry muffin-flavored soft treats, will be available to order online beginning Jan. 12, 2027. Girl Scouts will also debut Sparkables, oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies (the best kind) with colored sprinkles and no allergens. Guess all my money will go to the troops next year.
In this week’s Quick Bites, get updates on new restaurant openings around Atlanta, along with a bake sale raising funds for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet. We’ve also rounded up a few food events, including this week’s Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, West Midtown Restaurant Week, and a Bridgerton-inspired tea party.
Keep reading for stories on a new Venetian-style wine bar now open in East Atlanta Village and a big restaurant closure in Midtown.
Finally, read this week’s “Family Meal” for a terrific story on Terminus 72, a Marietta coffee shop that operates at night, along with Beth’s ode to a very good club sandwich.
See y’all next week,
Sarra
🎉 Say thank you on Sept. 25! Two out of three people in the U.S. have worked in food service. Join Giving Kitchen’s National Food Service Worker Day by celebrating the people who make our meals and moments possible. Show a food service worker some love and say thank you! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Quick Bites
Openings
🏈 Rough Draft’s 2025 Best New Restaurant in Tucker winner, Nicky’s Undefeated, opened a new location in Kennesaw.
🇹🇹 Trinidadian food truck BARA ATL opened a permanent location at 999 Chattahoochee Ave. Stop by tonight, from 4 to 9 p.m., for a launch party, complete with a live set from Zess DJ TNT.
🍽️ Chef Demetrius Brown opens Heritage tonight in Summerhill.
🧋Taiwanese bubble tea shop Chi Cha San Chen opened in Midtown on West Peachtree.
🍳 Toastique will open its West Midtown location on Sept. 12.
☕ Italian cafe Rosetta Bakery’s Dunwoody location opens at High Street on Sept. 12.
Coming attractions
🍤 The Palate Paradise food truck will open a permanent location this fall, What Now Atlanta reports.
Community announcements
🇳🇵 Local bakers and artists are hosting a combined bake and art sale for Nepal and Tibet flood relief. Available dishes include cookies and momo (Nepali dumplings). You can order online and pick up goods on Sept. 13 in Chamblee, Sept. 14 in Decatur, or Sept. 16 in Grant Park.
🍕 Starting next week, the Decatur location of Glide Pizza will begin serving lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Add to your calendar
🎟️ Tickets are still available for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, which starts tonight and runs through Sept. 13. The festival relocated its tasting tents from Fourth Ward Park to The Home Depot Backyard next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
🇺🇸 Over 1,800 volunteers, including the Atlanta cast of “Hamilton,” will pack more than 630,000 meals at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta on Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is part of the 9/11 Day “Honor Through Action” initiative, which brings communities together to honor the lives lost through acts of service and compassion. Meals will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and delivered to people in need throughout metro Atlanta.
🍷 The Waterfall at UPOP location of Savi Provisions will host a wine dinner with Tuscan producer Villa Calcinaia on Sept. 14. The event includes a four-course meal by Donny Crock and a reception at 6:30 p.m. Count Sebastiano Capponi, the 20th-generation estate head, will also be in attendance. Tickets are $70 per person. Call the shop at (404) 523-2300, or Patrick at (770) 310-9795, to RSVP.
🍝 Livable Buckhead and the West Midtown Alliance will host the inaugural West Midtown Restaurant Week from Sept. 20 through 26. Thirty-one area restaurants, including Summerland, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, and Ormsby’s, will offer curated menus and special culinary experiences.
🏀 Observe National Food Service Worker Day on Sept. 25 by making a donation to Giving Kitchen or taking a selfie or making a quick video to show your appreciation. Then post to Instagram with the hashtag #FSWDay and tag @GivingKitchen. You can also purchase a ticket to the annual Forkside Seats dinner at State Farm Arena on Nov. 1.
👑 Southern Belle will celebrate the return of royal tea service season with a Bridgerton-inspired soiree on Sept. 27. Tickets are $105 per person and include an assortment of tea sandwiches and Southern-inspired bites, such as biscuits and scones served with clotted cream and jam, a selection of pastries, and petit fours. A string trio will play pop covers – akin to the “Bridgerton” soundtrack – while the Queen searches for her Diamond of the Season. Costumes encouraged.
🎉 The Alif Institute will hold its 19th annual free Arab Festival on Oct. 3 and 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 3288 Marjan Dr. Expect authentic food, artist and artisan vendors, cultural exhibits, and workshops, including henna and Arabic calligraphy.
A Taste of Community
SPONSORED BY URBAN RECIPE
🍅 “The tomatoes, bell peppers, onions…they’re phenomenal.” Michelle is particular about her food, so it speaks volumes that she raves about what she gets through her Urban Recipe free Food Co-op.
Michelle doesn’t just get food there every two weeks; she helps sort, organize, and make sure everyone is taken care of. And she smiles the whole time. “I get a kick out of it.”
➡️ Learn more about this Atlanta Food Co-op that’s centered on dignity and community.
Top Stories
Wine bar Sagra opens in EAV
🍷 If you’re one of the people who complained about East Atlanta Village getting two wine bars, first, go to Sagra, which recently opened, and take it back, and second, realize that wine bars don’t necessarily have to be exclusive or alienating.
I chatted with owner Eric Di Nardo about that and bringing a little bit of Venice’s wine bar culture to EAVA.
⏩ Read more about Di Nardo’s vision for Sagra.
Bon Ton closing after 9 years
🦀 Bad news, crab leg lovers — Viet-Cajun restaurant and bar Bon Ton will close at the end of the month.
Bon Ton’s owner told Rough Draft that The Waiting Room, the upstairs 70s-inspired cocktail bar, closed last weekend.
⏩ Learn more about the upcoming closure.
🌱 Come spend a day on the farm! Love is Love’s Fall Plant Sale & Family Day is Sept. 12 in Mansfield. Shop certified organic plants, enjoy FREE gardening and foraging workshops, farm tours, local food, artisans, kids’ activities, and more. Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Market
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍞 Community Farmers Markets and Rough Draft Atlanta partner to bring you two recipes that you can make each week using fresh ingredients from your local farmers markets. This week, it’s all about what you can put on toast. We’ve got an eggplant and pepper mixture as well as a tasty tartine. Check the recipes out here.
That Slaps
🥖 While Sagra hasn’t received its liquor license yet (such is the way of permitting in Atlanta), I can attest that the food menu pulls its weight.
The zucchini alla scapece (roasted zucchini marinated in vinegar, fresh mint, and garlic) made me remember that I do in fact like zucchini. It’s absolutely lovely on its own since it hits all the right pickled notes, but it pairs so well with the focaccia and the little bowl of melty Taleggio cheese mixed with cremini mushrooms and thyme.
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.
