micropundit

Further evidence of Atlanta's growing food/fun reputation:Conde Nast has named TWO:URBAN LICKS as one of the 80(?) hottest restaurants in the world.A local club ,Compound,was also named one of the 35(?) hottest clubs in the world. ENO,one of Atlanta's first wine bars cum restaurants,has hired Atlanta native,Milton"M C"Farris as Executive chef.Chef Farris has hung his toque at JO JO;PANO and PAUL and, prior to returning home,owned his own restaurant in Florida. JAVAOLOGY.A new intown coffee house is being hilighted by the local media as not only being popular spot to sit and sip but is adding an "edge" to the city's revitalization.Housed in a 2 story building that sat vacent for years,the high end cafe is a dream come true for two young entreprenuerial couples.Undaunted by the location at the corner of Edgewood avenue and Boulevard-Old Fourth Ward,a community located east of downtown btween it and Inman park;an initially tepid response from the lending community and their lack of experience,the owners-The Walkers-Willis and Sonia,and theTuckers-Morgan and Jennifer- are now credited with sparking the name"The Edge" for an area now attracting other investers in new businesses.Sounds as if things are now starting to perculate for this spot.

Correction to an earlier post.

Now comes word from the "street" that beloved/badboy chef Richard Blais has replaced Joey Masi at ONE:MIDTOWN KITCHEN.It looks as if Bob Amick and company are keeping their growing empire on the cutting edge. Greg Hemdon,former owner/chef of one time Virgina-Highland hotspot,TIBURON GRILL,has become the executive chef at AGAVE.AGAVE , a long time fixture in the hip intown dining scene,features an eclectic southwest themed menu and a serious tequila bar. Rap mogul and hometown guy ,Jermaine Dupre,has opened DUPRE'S CAFE on peidmont Road in Buckhead.The restaurant is currently featuring food fron GOLDBERG'S DELI.(Maybe a certain Ms. Jackson can be seen at this spot?)

Chef Kevin Rathbun To Open Krog Bar atlanta(04/15/2005) - ATLANTA, GA - Restaurateur Kevin Rathbun, owner of the award winning restaurant Rathbun's, and wife Melissa Rathbun & partners Kirk Parks and Cliff Bramble, are opening a new exciting Mediterranean Wine Bar called "KROG BAR" in Inman Park. KROG BAR will be located in Inman Park at the same complex that Rathbun's is located in called the Stove Works at 112 Krog Street. It will feature Mediterranean-inspired cold "small plates", International wines as well as gelatos and coffee. KROG BAR will be open Monday through Saturday evenings. The Johnson Studio, who created Rathbun's stunning dining room, is designing an old world look for KROG BAR. KROG BAR will have 40 seats, five tables, a walk-up bar and a patio with five tables overlooking KROG STREET in Inman Park. Rathbun says, "Krog Bar will offer locals the opportunity to get a small bite, have a great glass of wine and mingle with their friends in the neighborhood". Surrounded by Inman Park, Decatur, Virginia Highland, Cabbage Town and the new growing Downtown area, Krog BAR is the perfect upscale bar setting for this changing warehouse area. KROG BAR will be open in July of 2005.

The latest incarnation of the SIENA, BACAR,BAZZAAR location-at the Fox theater- seems set to open this Spring.Constanza Astarita aand Mario Maccarone,the co-owners of BARONDA,a pizza hot spot located one block from the Fox,are slated to open a new restaurant,ENOCATA CARBONARIA,in May.The menu will feature grilled meats and fish with an exstensive wine list. The Atlanta based Raving Brands restaurant portfolio -MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL,MAMA FU'S ASIAN HOUSE-has just added two more restaurants in the Atlanta market.DOC GREEN'S GOURMET SALADS joins the growing restaurant row along in town Ponce de Leon avenue and PJ's COFFEE and WINE BAR in Marietta will serve high end coffees and affordable wines,domestic and imported,as well as cheeses,sandwiches and desserts.Look for these brands to arrive in a neighborhood close to you soon. TWO URBAN LICKS,the latest of restaurant guru Bob Amick's creations,has not only captured the attention-and wallets-of the locals but it now has the nation's as well.The April edition of eGullet writer and author John Mariani'son-line news letter features the Atlanta hot spot.As if it could get any more popular.

Congratulations are in order for Joel Antunes and Susan Puckett.They are 2005 James Beard nominees: Mr. Antunes for the American Express Best of the Southeast chef and Ms. Puckett ,of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,for best Newspaper section.The winners will be announced April,29,2005 in New York at the annual awards gala.

Fans of Midtown favorite TAMARIND will be sadden by the news that it will be forcaed to close/move because of the construction of the 14th street bridge.The older of Atlanta's power dining couple',Charlie and Nan Niyomkol,great Thai restaurants must give way to progress.Current plans are to relocate but no date and time has been firmly established.However the Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to begin work this summer. Brookhaven residents and other fans of HAVEN,the 2 year old neighborhood hot spot, will soon have another restaurant in the mix.The owners of HAVEN are planning a summer opening for their latest venture:MIX.Look for an even bigger helping of urban chic in the neo- Buckhead hood. SAMPAN CAFE,the hip,fast casual spot of the upscale Westside restaurant SAMPAN is now open.The prices are right and it has a witty ,whimsical decor.SAMPAN opens April 21 st. On a personal note,run-do not walk-to ANN'S SNACK BAR.The eastside home of the "Ghetto Burger"is a culinary experience you have got to have,at least once.After reading about it in ATLANTA MAGAZINE and CREATIVE LOAFINgG for years ,I finally took the plunge.WOW: if it takes two hands to eat a whopper,then it will two people to eat a GB.Half of the fun is watching(and waiting) the process.Everything but the kitchen sink goes on this leviathan. But the wait is worth it! I will spare you the further details except that the address is: 1615 Memorial Drive (I-20 @ Memorial) and the number is 404.687.9207.

Ladies and gentlemen,all ships at sea:The Ritz Carlton Buckhead's DINING ROOM will be without only the third chef in it's 20 year history this summer.Bruno Menard,who has kept the DINING ROOM's 5 star tradition alive,is leaving this summer to return to Japan.Chef Menard will become head chef at an exclusive Frech restaurant ,where one of his closest friends is retiring,according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.The Ritz Carlton has started an immediate international search for his replacement. While I am on the topic of departing chefs: William Koval,formerly head chef at Dallas'THE FRENCH ROOM,will be cooking with chefs in Atlanta and other cities to hone his skills before he takes the helm at the under construction,Joule Urban Resort's restaurant in downtown Dallas.His mission:to create"the best restaurant in the Soouthwest".

Two new concepts are on the drawing board for Atlanta diners.SEASONS 52,a sophisticated ,health conscious,grill and wine bar out of Florida,will debut here in early 2006.The menu ,which is seasonally adjusted,will be changed weekly;hence the name. According to local press reports,the dynamic brother duo who produced MF SUSHI and NAM-which was just named to the top 10 restaurant listing for 2005 by AJC dining critic,Meridith Ford-is planning a new concept called RED BOWL.No additional information is currently available.We will be following this closely,so stay tuned. Finally,the proposed tapas bar originally reported to be named CASSIS at 511 Peachtree St now has a sign that says VERVE coming soon and is sporting the steel framing of what should be a killer roof top experience.

The faces of Atlanta's restaurant scene are always changing,some come and some go but the beat continues : Phillip Haddad,long of Peachtree Hills favorite PHILLIP'S,has moved on.After a parting of the ways at the eponymous restaurant,Chef Phillip is working at Midtown's MADISON GRILL.He is also offering private cooking lessons. Former bad boy Paul Luna-LUNA SI,LUNATIQUE-has left the building.After several stints beginning in 1992 with BICE,Paul has packed up his toque and moved to Washington,DC where plys his trade at the OVAL ROOM. An Atlanta face may be showing up in Charlotte soon.According to reports coming out of the Queen City,a Charlotte outpost of the Here to Serve Restaurants PRIME-a Steak/Sushi spot located in the toney Lennox Square Mall-is in the offing in a proposed Uptown mixed use high rise slated for completion in 2007.

Have just experienced the SHOUT! phenomenon and it's a combination of NOBU(a spacious and seperate shushi bar);SPICEMARKET(an upscale multi- asian themed menu set in an urban bistro setting);and,when it is completed a South Beach meets Las Vegas bar/lounge/club roof top deck.The food is good,so far,and according to those in the know ,improving.Management feels as if they are hitting their numbers and the deck has yet to open. (You have to check out the cabanas.) So the traffic on 14th@Peach looks like it will be getting a tad heavier,soon. Catleberry Hill,Atlanta's emerging downtown arts district,will get some new dining options to go along with its growing gallery roster.The owners of No Mas Productions,the Midtown West Mexican art and furnishings warehouse,will be moving their main warehouse along with two restaurants-WASABI,a Japanese restaurant and NO MAS CAFE- to Castleberry Hill this summer. Word on the street is that the SIA's team-SIA's,an outside the Perimeter hotspor and MITRA,a Midtown newcomer that is keeping them coming back for more-is looking to Midtown's industrial district for its third restaurant.

The battle for dining supremacy in the hot Midtown Atlanta is on.SHOUT,the Here to Serve Restaurant Group's latest, has opened.It is to early to compare it to the current champion,BobAmick's TWO:URBAN LICKS but the the respective companies are locked in a battle for the hearts,minds and wallets of Atlanta's trend setters.Early reviews are mixed,primarily because the highly anticipated roof, with it's separate bar and cabana's,will not be open until this weekend.Rumor has it that Mr. Michael Vick has already reserved one of the cabanas. Speaking of Bob Amick,press reports out of Orlando have him opening a restaurant in the suburb of Winter Park this fall named LUMA. Downtown Atlanta could add another upscale restaurant to its expanding roster.The owner of the LANDMARK DINER,an Atlanta based chain-it is now up to 6 locations-of 24 hour diners,is slated to open an upscale restaurant featuring Greek cuisine in the Georgia Pacific tower this fall. In other downtown news,NIKOLIA'S ROOF has welcomed back Herve Pennequin as sommelier after a 5 year absence.Mr.Pennequin worked in New York,LA and Athens during that time.He is currently one step away from being designated as a Master French sommelier,a first for an American. CHE,the Buckhead tapas restaurant has closed.Many will remember it as the location of the short lived BLAIS.

A reported expansion by Nieman Marcus at Lennox Square Mall has the owners of BRASSERIE La COZElooking for new digs.The owner was quoted as looking for a"non Lennox "location.The long time mainstay for Atlanta's ladies who lunch crowd is a sibling to New York's famed LA BERNADINE. Gary Menne,opening chef at CANOE,has left to head his own 9,000 sq ft restaurant in Brookwood Station.The chop house style resaurant will be named TAURUS,Chef Menne's astrological sign. If you are in the downtown area around lunch, do youself a favor and drop by LES FLEUR De LIS CAFE. It is located in the lobby of the Healy building on Broad street and is truly a taste of France in downtown Atlanta.

Today's unveiling of the design of the new,$300 million Atlanta Symphony Center has a possible treat for diners as well as music lovers. Santiago Calatrava,the acclaimed architect,who designed the latest addition to Atlanta's emerging arts complex may also include a restaurant in the 13 story,279,600 sq ft ediface located at 14th and Peachtree streets. The 14th @Peach corridor has seen several new dining options emerge recently. Local media accounts of the soon to be opened SHOUT,an 18,000 sq ft tapas bar/restaurant/lounge,and the still in design 13,000 sq ft restaurant in the 1180 Peachtree tower(aka Symphony Tower) ,which will look directly into the new Symphony Center,have fueled a sense of excitment about the emerging dining scene there. A Calatrava entry would hit an even higher note.

SEEGER'S is revamping it's look.This spring, the 5 star,5 diamond standard will re- do the interior color scheme in the dining room and revamp the lounge.The color scheme will feature a palatte of yellow,gold,and dark blue.According to media reports,Chef Seeger will unveil "a special rose" to toast his remodeled restaurant. Chef Doug Turbush,late of NAVA,has been tapped to replace Ian Winslade at BLUEPOINTE.Chef Winslade will be the opening chef at the highly anticipated SHOUT,which is scheduled to open in February.Chef Turbush will be replaced at NAVA by Atlanta native,Tom Harvey. Restaurant Associates-a renowned New York firm that developed such hotspots as BRASSERIE-will open TABLE 1280 RESTAURANT and TAPAS LOUNGE at the High Museum in September.Renzo Piano,the world famous architect who designed the High's $130 million expansion,will design the exterior and Bergmeyer Associates,Inc. of Boston-RADIUS-will work with Piano on the interior.The restaurant will feature white walls,light wood floors and charcol banquettes to match it's cool, American brasserie cuisine .TABLE 1280 will also stock it's cellar with cases of select vintage finds from the great American wine regions,as featured in the High's annual wine auction.

THE GRAPE,an Atlanta based upscale bar/restaurant and store,is expanding from it's Vinings base to posh Phipps Plaza and 999 Peachtree(10th@ Peach) in Midtown this spring.Looks like ENO and VINOCITY will have company . FATBURGER,a long time LA mainstay,has opened it's first ATL location in the Buckhead plaza,Piedmont & Sidney Marcus. Before they land in Atlantic Station,in a location directly across from New York fave ROSA MEXICANO,the Here to Serve group is intereted in opening a pizza joint on Monroe Drive near I-85 called PIEBAR.

McCormick &Schmick's Golden Buddha Prime Meridian Ted's Montana Grill and all up and down Atlanta's "eat street" ,International Blvd.

There are a few notes on the Atlanta dining scene that are interesting riffs on the usual blockbuster, national attention grabbing items: Joel Antunes of JOEL will be opening FORUM SUNDRY SHOP, a food, beer and wine shop in the Forum development where the restaurant is located. A Buckhead version of STAR PROVISIONS? The Atlanta Braves are opening CHOP HOUSE II at Turner Field. It will be several levels above the original both in terms of location and offerings. Watch out for MILLTOWN ARMS, a gastropub, opening this Spring in the increasingly trendy Cabbagetown neighborhood. Last, Patti Roth, the opening chef at Downtown's LUXE, has moved on.

A new addition to the Midtown dining scene is being constructed from a former firestation: THE SPOTTED DOG, a gastropub, will open this spring in the former Fire house no. 11, next to the North avenue Marta station. SAMPAN will be the name of the upscale asian restaurant that replaces COMMUNE in the toney Westside shopping district. Word on the street is that uber chef Kevin Rathbun is already eyeing a second location site. It may be right across the street from RATHBUN'S.

The new year is starting off with several new places and faces: Raving Brands, the parent corporation of MOE'S, MAMMA FU'S et al, will be rolling out two new brands. BONEHEAD'S, a seafood concept and a still developing bar-be-que concept. FOGAO GAUCHO, a Marietta based Brazilian steakhouse is planning a downtown Atlanta location. PERI PERI, a unique roasted chicken fast food concept from Here to Serve, has opened in midtown's Colony Square next to it's soon to be opened sibling, SHOUT. THE REAL CHOW BABY, a create your own stir fry resto and bar, will open this month in the hot Howell Mill corridor in West intown.

The latest rumor floating around Atlanta is that Richard Blais- yes, that Richard Blais- will be working, starting in January, at TWO URBAN LICKS. The bigger rumor is that it is in preparation for heading up Bob Amick's third resto under construction, 1180 Peachtree Tower (14th@Peach), a French brassiere tentatively titled TROIS.

The opening chef at Here to Serve's SHOUT will be Ian Winslade, formerly of Buckhead Life's BLUEPOINTE. Chef Winslade is returning to the fold as he was the opening chef for TOM TOM.

The High Museum of Art expansion is opening it's $130 million expansion on November 12, 2005 which will include a Renzio Piano designed restaurant. TABLE 1280 RESTAURANT and TAPAS LOUNGE, a restaurant and tapas bar, will face the piazza and sculpture garden which will highlight the expansion's urbane village of the arts. It will have a dramatic glass front that will allow people watching from within the restaurant, as well as a patio. A family-oriented cafeteria will take over the current museum dining space and the lobby of the new Wieland Pavilion will offer a coffee bar.

The next entry to Midtown's increasingly hot dining scene could be THE WATERHOUSE.The restaurant is slated to open across from the Metropolis condominiums in a 2 story building to be constructed by Spring 2005.The eclectic menu promises to add even more energy to the mix.

Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, the chef/owners of BACCHANALIA and FLOATAWAY CAFE, are set to open their latest restaurant in the former COMMUNE office space in January 2005. QUINONES ROOM, named for James Quinones, the FLOATAWAY manager who was killed by a drunk driver several years ago, will raise the Atlanta fine dining bar yet another notch. There will be one seating for 25 to 30 people, per night, with several servers who will mix drinks, serve, and generally take complete care of diners' every need. Depending on the wines, the eight or nine course dinner will run from $80 to $200 a head. The menu will change daily and the tab will be paid upfront.