Photo by Katheryn Fitzgerald
After years working at other people’s restaurants, four Atlanta hospitality veterans have banded together to go out on their own. Opening in the next month in Avondale Estates, Last Dance is the first project from co-owners Kathryn Fitzgerald and Lisa Wagner, executive chef Joshua Fryer, pastry chef Chris Marconi, and partner Patrick Daugherty. Most of the team met while working at the General Muir and more recently concentrated on their own concepts, including Regina’s Westside in Asheville, North Carolina (Fitzgerald and Wagner), Long Snake pop-up (Fryer), and the Deer and the Dove (Marconi). The team now shares a vision for a seasonal, chef-driven establishment.
“We think chefs are more driven when they have ownership,” Fitzgerald says. “Last Dance is inspired by Josh’s ethos and his knowledge of wine, cocktails, and the food he creates.”
The restaurant occupies the former Rising Son space in Tudor Village, but the room has been fully reimagined. Working with designer Kathryn Deminichi, Fitzgerald softened what she describes as a once-open, sterile interior with layered color, textiles, and lighting. Two-tone blue walls now extend to the ceiling, fabric-wrapped sconces line the room, and a deep borscht-red bar anchors the space. Vintage and personal elements—including oil paintings by Fitzgerald’s grandmother, hand-refinished chairs sourced from South Carolina, and a functioning disco ball overhead—give the dining room an eclectic, lived-in feel rather than a pristine one. Diners will be able to draw with crayons on paper-covered tables as they wait for their food. A patio rounds out the footprint, expanding the restaurant’s daytime appeal.
Photo by Kathryn Fitzgerald
In the kitchen, Fryer’s cooking leans New American with continental European influences, shaped by the collective histories of the team and an emphasis on restraint. Dishes are intended to be shared. Whole fish is a centerpiece. Other items include lamb schnitzel, a smash salad featuring broken-down fruit and vegetables with herbs and spice, and a bread platter with house-made butter, focaccia, hoe cake, and pickles. Dinner service runs Thursday through Monday, with brunch offered Friday through Sunday.
Marconi oversees a made-in-house bread program that spans sourdough loaves, bagels, English muffins, focaccia, and hot dog buns. Desserts are locally sourced, seasonal, and unfussy, letting the main ingredient lead—think pistachio tiramisu, chocolate tahini tart, and fruit-forward sweets that favor approachability over embellishment. At brunch, that sensibility carries into breakfast pastries, pies, cakes, donuts, and quiche.
With a goal of creating options lighter than traditional Southern brunch, Fryer draws on Turkish and Mediterranean influences for dishes like poached eggs over yogurt with Aleppo chili oil and curried oatmeal served congee-style. Look for smoked fish bagels, English muffin sandwiches, liver toast, and tiramisu French toast.
Behind the bar, cocktails focus on classics done cleanly, including martinis served with blue cheese, olives, and pickled pearl onions. Fryer says wine takes priority, with a tightly edited list of mostly natural selections skewing Old World: a handful of whites, reds, and bubbles, plus a short bottle list. Beer offerings are similarly pared down, supplemented by nonalcoholic options such as handcrafted sodas, seasonal lemonades, and herbal teas.
Fryer, Marconi, and Fitzgerald plan to be in the space daily as the restaurant finds its footing, building something of their own and seeing where it leads. Fitzgerald hopes this is just the start of a long-term partnership and restaurant group. Next up: a bakery led by Marconi.
