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Ludacris going Singapore at restaurant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s official: Atlanta actor, rapper and budding restaurateur Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris, will unveil his new eatery at 793 Juniper St. in Midtown this April. In a release to Buzz on Wednesday, we were informed that Straits Restaurant, with a “modern Singaporean” menu, will debut at the site of the now-shuttered Spice. The concept is an extension of three successful California eateries with the same name run by chef/owner Chris Yeo. The former hairstylist turned chef is forming a partnership with Luda to bring the rapper’s favorite food to Atlantans.
“Chris Bridges’ commitment to his community and his family sealed the deal for me,” explains Yeo. “This market is ideal for Straits and likewise Straits is perfect for the city.”
Bridges first sampled Yeo’s menu on a trip to San Francisco.
Explains Bridges: “After experiencing Yeo’s modern spin on Singaporean cuisine combined with the sexy dining, I wanted to bring this restaurant home to Atlanta.”
The Johnson Studio has been hired to bring the sexy (along with some “subtle Eastern influences”) to the eatery’s interiors. The 215-seat restaurant will be open for dinner starting this spring.
For an advance peek at potential menu offerings here, including sake sampler flights, a lemongrass beef entree, whole lobster and shrimp pad Thai and inventive vegetarian offerings, go to www.straitsrestaurants.com.
A DALMATIAN FOR DAVIS ON CATWALK
When we saw Dave FM midday DJ Mara Davis’ name on the list of local notables participating at tonight’s “Doggies on the Catwalk” PALS benefit fashion show at Grady High School in Midtown, our left eyebrow arched. Sure enough, Davis will be strutting down the runway tonight with a loaner Dalmatian. After the birth of her son Charlie, Davis had to give away Daisy, her beloved terrier mix who was decidedly not as kid-friendly as her owner. “Daisy retired to Boca [Raton, Fla.,] with my mother Arlene,” Davis told us Wednesday. “They’re kinda like the ‘Golden Girls’ down there now!” Davis will be joined on the runway tonight by media folks Monica Pearson, Leslie Fram, Tom Sullivan and others.
The canine couture has been created by the wonderfully imaginative kids at Grady High’s UrbanCouture program. The show starts at 8 p.m. For tickets: www.palsatlanta.org.
Oh, and FYI: Davis tells us that Arlene (a rock star in her own right with the Dave audience) will be back in the studio during her daughter’s air shift Friday for a noontime “Radio Free Lunch” theme somehow tied to Barry Manilow’s (Arlene is a Fanilow, natch) appearance at Philips Arena this weekend.
OVERSCENE
Atlanta Braves teammates Mark Teixeira, Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann, er, catching up at the Atlanta Fish Market in Buckhead. We’re told the boys’ night out included generous orders of sushi, grouper, skate wing, sea bass and the eatery’s signature fried lobster tail, all from executive chef Robert Holley.
A PEACH-Y PROMOTION
Most working women well into their third trimester don’t dangle their water-retaining feet into unchartered career territory. Atlanta Peach’s Elizabeth Schulte Roth isn’t like most of her multitasking peers.
This week, Schulte Roth has been promoted from the Atlanta-based glossy’s editor in chief to its publisher.
“She’s a natural fit to lead our Atlanta sales team as we continue to grow,” Niche Media Holdings president Jerry Powers told Buzz via e-mail. Added Schulte Roth when we spoke to her Wednesday: “Jerry is probably one of the most persuasive men I’ve ever met, given how pregnant I am! But this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Schulte Roth is due at the end of this month just when she’s also due to deliver a speech at a conference of Niche Media publishers here in Atlanta.
Cracked Schulte Roth: “I’m just praying my water doesn’t break. My husband swears he’s confiscating my BlackBerry on the way to the delivery room.”
HIGH FIVE
Television
The Top Five On Demand programs for the week of Jan. 7-13, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “The Wire” Episode 52, HBO
2. “Family Guy: “Blind Ambition” episode, TBS
3. “I Remember” Keyshia Cole, music video, Music Choice
4. “I’m so Hood” DJ Khaled, music video, Music Choice
5. “With You” Chris Brown, music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Betty White is 86. Actress-singer Eartha Kitt is 81. Actor James Earl Jones is 77. Talk show host Maury Povich is 69. Singer Steve Earle is 53. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 51. Actor Jim Carrey is 46. Actor Naveen Andrews (“Lost”) is 39. Musician Kid Rock (right) is 37. Actor Freddy Rodriguez (“Ugly Betty”) is 33. Actress Zooey Deschanel (“Elf,” “The Good Girl”) is 28. Singer Ray J is 27.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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