If Watershed’s Zeb Stevenson were to start a food truck, what would he serve?
Watershed on Peachtree's Zeb Stevenson discusses cycling, bass guitar, and why he hates okra.
The Bocado burger heads to Alpharetta
Bocado owner Brian Lewis is capitalizing on the attention his famous burger has brought to the small Westside restaurant. He’ll be opening Bocado Burger Bar in Alpharetta’s Avalon complex mid-October and is working on negotiating a lease for a new beverage concept in Inman Park, tentatively scheduled to open in January 2015.
Q&A with Ritz-Carlton Buckhead’s Todd Richards
ATL Food Chatter: October 3, 2011
(To receive the Chatter and other culinary tidbits directly in your inbox, sign up for our weekly dining newsletter)Chef Todd Richards appeared on NBC’s Today Show last week, highlighting three of the new dishes he is featuring on the fall menu at the Cafe at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Since joining the Ritz’s team as chef de cuisine in late 2010, Richards has devised a menu that divides Southern flavors into two camps: “traditional” and “modern.” Richards, a native Chicago, first arrived in Atlanta 20 years ago to work at the Four Seasons under chef Darryl Evens. After a stint at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta Downtown, he departed Atlanta in 2003 to work at other prestigious properties like the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach and the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville. Richards returned to Atlanta in 2008, where he has earned kudos for his work at One Flew South and Rolling Bones BBQ.
Paul Luna stirs up guisados, runs for mayor
Chef Paul Luna of Lunacy Black Market has a lot going on these days. He and his managing partner Laura London, have launched a new and cheap lunch special for $5 they call guisados. The duo has also started an ambitious catering program featuring Italian, Southern and Latin dishes. And Luna, the beloved eccentric by way of the Dominican Republic who brought us Loca Luna, Eclipse di Luna, and his current tapas and wine bar gem Downtown, is seriously considering a move down the street—to the Mayor’s office at City Hall.
Bar Meatball in Virginia-Highland to open week of February 24th
Before opening Pozole in Virginia-Highland eight years ago, chef Joe Masi worked for many of Atlanta’s major restaurant empires, including Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Fifth Group, and Concentrics. He was executive chef at One Midtown Kitchen and also spent time at Veni Vidi Vici. Though he’s Italian by heritage, the Mexican fare at Pozole has been his focus—until recently.
Arepa Mia to open first free-standing location in August
Arepa Mia, the Venezuelan arepa shop at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, is expanding to Decatur next month. Owner and chef Lisbet Hernandez is taking over a catering space at 307 East College Avenue and turning it into a second Arepa Mia. Here, she’ll offer the same menu of gluten-free chicken, fish, ham, and beef arepas, empanadas, and cachapas (Venezuelan corn cakes), along with new weekend specials and Sunday brunch.
Inside ‘The Great Waffle House Jukebox Auction’
If you’ve been to a Waffle House lately, you might have noticed that something is different: The old analog jukeboxes have been swapped out for newfangled digital ones. Waffle House purists like me were sad to see them go—despite a newfound ability to subject fellow diners to obscure college fight songs at the touch of a screen. But earlier this month, with the email announcement of the first-ever Great Waffle House Jukebox Auction, I changed my tune: Now was my chance to fulfill a longtime dream and get a classic Waffle House jukebox of my very own.
Reservations Required: Blood Dinner at Livingston
Champagne and Caviar at Three Sheets, November 13
Three Sheets in Sandy Springs debuts a weekly feature of rotating caviar selections and champagne splits.
Chef Ryan Smith divulges details about Staplehouse
What started as a dream in 2009 is about to become reality this year. Staplehouse, a restaurant helmed by chef Ryan Smith (previously of Empire State South), will open in the Old Fourth Ward in "the very foreseeable future," according to co-owner Jen Hidinger.
Ryan Smith is Joining the Staplehouse Team
Ryan Smith, Empire State South’s executive chef, will leave his position by the end of 2013 to join as a partner in the forthcoming Staplehouse, conceived by Ryan and Jen Hidinger. Smith’s fiancé and Ryan Hidinger’s sister, Kara Hidinger (currently at Abattoir), will also be a partner in the restaurant. The team hopes to have the restaurant open by the end of the year; they’ve already filed a letter of intent on a building in the Old Fourth Ward/Inman Park area.
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