Roswell’s “farm to fork” restaurant Etris Kitchen & Bar will quietly open its doors tomorrow night for a select group of guests, before opening to the public Sunday. Located at 12020 Etris Road and named after the family who owned the farm that once occupied the land, Etris focuses on seafood and pizza cooked in a brick oven.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Massi Mekhmoukh, a former general manager at Salt Factory and Inc. Street Food. Mekhmoukh grew up in North Africa and around the Mediterranean, where he learned the art of winemaking from his father, worked on farms, shepherded sheep, and raised chickens. It was that history that led him to open a restaurant dedicated to local fare with a menu that changes seasonally.
When he met David Guilford—who once served as the personal chef for Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Heinzenger—Mekhmoukh was delighted to find a “back to basics” philosophy that matched his own. Guilford will be Etris’ executive chef and has designed a menu with items like garlic rosemary-rubbed rack of lamb, Brasstown Beef bacon-wrapped shoulder filet, pan-seared grouper filet, and vegetable deluxe pizza. The goal is to source at least 50 percent of the ingredients from within a 300- to 400-mile radius and season it lightly “so you can really taste the food,” according to Guilford.
“I was raised around seafood and used to go to the farm and get milk straight from the cows,” Guilford says. “I want people to be able to taste the freshness.”
Etris will serve lunch and dinner in a “cozy, house-feeling” space adorned with bookshelves, Mekhmoukh says. Including the patio, the space seats 150 people.
There’s a full bar, complete with wine displays. The mixologist, Sean Gillis, also comes from Salt Factory.
An adjacent catering and event space will open in January.
