Photograph by Randi Curling
After a year of delays, the opening for Coalition Food and Beverage is finally in sight. Ryan Pernice’s first restaurant outside of Canton Street in Roswell will open in Teasley Place in Alpharetta in the second half of June. (He opened Table & Main in 2011 and Osteria Mattone two years later.) Unlike his existing restaurants, which have more of an upscale edge, Coalition is designed to offer food that’s familiar to diners, prepared well.
“The way I think of it is, ‘what if the classic American diner were invented today’?” Pernice says.
Photograph by Randi Curling
Photograph by Randi Curling
The kitchen will be led by executive chef Woolery Back, currently of Table & Main. The menu features soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches, wood-grilled entrees like bistro steak and deviled crab cakes, and four types of sausage. Lunch service will begin a few weeks after opening, with weekend brunch to follow. (Preview the dinner menu below.)
Despite the building delays, Pernice says Coalition “is very much the same” as when it was concepted. “Now we’re just more comfortable that the vision is being realized by the space,” he says. “We’ve had ample time to get all our ducks in a row. We really thought through all of the details.”
Photograph by Randi Curling
His goal is to capitalize on the “growing energy and urban walkability of these city centers that everyone wants these days.” The restaurant is designed with metal, glass, steel, and brick. The 145-seat space has large windows, a private dining room, a patio, and an indoor/outdoor bar.
Pernice’s brother, sommelier Dan Pernice (formerly of the Modern in New York), is leading the beverage program, focusing on affordable wine, craft beer, and classic cocktails with a twist. “Dan has a particular talent for finding really good budget wines,” Ryan Pernice says. Coalition will offer eight beers on tap, two kegged wines, and eight signature cocktails, like the Scorpion Kick, made with Plantation Overproof rum, Clement Creole shrub, lemon, and almond syrup. In addition, beer and wine will be available by the can and bottle.
Check out the menus below (tap to enlarge)
