FALL DINING GUIDE
Give taste buds a treat at trendy, ethnic upstartsThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/05/2006
HOLY MACKEREL! Chefs going, chefs coming. Three-million-dollar venues opening. Sushi. Italian. Steak. Atlanta's dining scene changes as fast as the skyline will let it. Here's what to look for in the upcoming months:
ADAM WATERSON | |||
| Ibiza, Imperial Fez's sister and new Midtown neighbor, offers private dining booths and serves up traditional Spanish tapas that include small plates of marinated shrimp cocktail and seared scallops. | |||
Sean Drakes/Special | |||
| Tony Seichrist prepares a spiced venison rib rack with creamy grits at the Farmhouse, part of the Inn at Serenbe, in Palmetto. | |||
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NOW OPEN
Seasons 52 is a "fresh grill and wine bar" with nothing on its fresh-all-the-time menu that's got more than 475 calories. Inspired by the seasons 52 weeks of the year, Atlanta is this Florida-based chain's first venture north. The Perimeter Mall location opened in September, with another location scheduled to open later this year at Two Buckhead Plaza. 90 Perimeter Center West, Dunwoody. 770-671-0052, www.seasons52.com.
Inside Lindbergh City Center is Lotus, a multi-level ultra lounge with "Zen-like ambience" and exclusive memberships ranging from $250 to $2,500. The main floor is open to the public and serves tapas, dim sum (hunh?) and sushi, as well as lots of specialty cocktails. I'm so confused. Former Dixie Tavern owner Amy Miller is behind all this chicness. Now I'm really confused. 565 Main St., Atlanta. 404-869-3445, www.lotusatlanta.com.
Finally! A pastry shop reminiscent of the kind you'd find in Paris. Chocolate Pink Pastry Cafe has all the little frangipane-and-chocolate-laden goodies you could possibly want, baked up beautifully by pastry chef Christian Balbierer, formerly of Buckhead Life. In addition to the house-made cakes, tarts and petit fours, the shop also sells Norman Love chocolates and Illy coffee. 905 Juniper St. N.E., Unit 108, Atlanta. 404-745-9292, www.chocolatepinkcafe.com.
Husband-and-wife team Rafih and Ibiza Benjelloun have extended their tiny Mediterranean empire to include Spain with their new restaurant, Ibiza, next door to their other venue, Imperial Fez. The menu is traditional tapas, hot and cold, that boasts colorful small plates of marinated shrimp cocktail with roasted red pepper and white truffle oil, seared scallops in saffron cream sauce and a Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions. Add a few hookah pipes and some flamenco dancing and poof! It's a party. 2285 Peachtree Road, Suite 100, 404-352-3081, www.ibizarestaurantlounge.com.
Armaan, in Duluth, is an Indo-Pak fusion restaurant that touts a little more than the usual Indian lunch buffet, with a tapas lounge and bar in addition to the tandoori mixed grill. 3064 Old Norcross Road, Suite 150, Duluth. 770-923-2323, www.thearmaan.com.
Part of the Inn at Serenbe, The Farmhouse is a restaurant that features the fresh organic produce grown on the Serenbe community's nearby farms from chef Tony Seichrist, a disciple of Hugh Acheson's at Five & Ten in Athens. The emphasis is on fresh and local, with a genteel Southern accent. 10950 Hutcheson Ferry Road in Palmett. 770-463-2610, www.serenbe.com
STILL TO COME
Shaun's, at the site of the former Inman Park Patio (and legendary Deacon Burton's) at 1029 Edgewood Ave., is talented chef Shaun Doty's first foray into owning his own restaurant. Doty made a name for himself as the chef at MidCity Cuisine, leaving that venue last year to be executive chef at the High Museum's tony Table 1280. Now he's on his own, with a renovation designed by the Johnson Studio that includes painted brick, an antique communal table, artwork by Todd Murphy and an open kitchen. The latter is where Doty will create the "kind of food I love to cook," including his signature chicken liver fettuccine, rustic pizzas and house-made desserts and ice creams. Shaun's is scheduled to open mid-to-late October.
Trois, an upscale design from Bob Amick and company, was slated to open in April at 1180 Peachtree St., King & Spalding's behemoth skyscraper, but is still in the works. The new opening is slated for October 30. The concept touts three floors with 14,000 square feet overall. Look for a modern French brasserie menu, with a sophisticated bar on the first tier, luxurious dining on the second and private rooms on the third, all amidst 20-foot glass walls and private "drinking rooms." Amick and his company, Concentric Hospitality, searched nationally for a chef and finally (after a lot of hullabaloo) has hired Jeremy Lieb, fresh from Le Cirque Las Vegas.
Terminus 100, the 27-story skyscraper at Piedmont and Peachtree, is scheduled to open in May 2007, bringing with it a slew of restaurants. Lola, a new venue from chef Tom Catherall (Twist, Shout, Strip, among others) will have an Italian-inspired menu. Also slated is a new sushi spot from Alex and Chris Kinjo of MF Sushi and Nam. Aquaknox, a funky fish spot originally inspired by Dallas chef Stephen Pyles, will open, too, as well as BrickTop, a casual dining concept from a couple of former Houston's guys. But Terminus 100 sounds so ominous — with all that seafood maybe it should have been called One Fish, Two Fish.
Kevin Rathbun Steak doesn't leave much to the imigination as to who's behind it or what it's about. Add this signature steakhouse, from Kevin Rathbun (Rathbun's and Krog Bar) to the growing number of stylish spots in Inman Park. Design is by — who else? The Johnson Studio. Just down the street from Rathbun's at 154 Krog Street, the whole shibang is slated to open in spring of 2007.


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