New and noteworthy
By Kirsten Ott
Atlanta’s restaurant scene is always buzzing with activity. From chefs selling off their businesses to new restaurants opening, there’s always something going on. Read on to get the scoop.
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
OK, so Michael Tuohy may not exactly be a young buck starting out in his career, but the owner of Woodfire Grill is returning to his roots in California soon and has put his restaurant up for sale. For the past 22 years, the San Francisco native has served as a leader in Atlanta’s burgeoning restaurant scene with innovations such as his groundbreaking Chefs’ Café, where he was doing farm-to-table even before it was trendy. Continuing on that path, Chef Tuohy will launch a farm-to-table restaurant called Grange, which will be in the Citizen Hotel, a new 200-room stylish boutique property in Sacramento, Calif. August 12 is the official six-year anniversary date for Woodfire Grill, and Tuohy will host his farewell dinner for his longtime fans and friends in Atlanta. The restaurant, which features local, seasonal and organic cuisine, will remain open after Tuohy departs. Woodfire Grill is located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road. 404-347-9055. www.woodfiregrill.com.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
In bloom is the seriously Southern Dogwood Restaurant, which opened to the public last week. Chef and co-owner Shane Touhy has teamed up with Scott Black to serve his take on Southern hospitality and sophisticated cuisine. Housed on the ground floor of the Reynolds condominium building on Peachtree Street, the 150-seat Dogwood is awash in Southern splendor with a earthy palette of mossy green, espresso and tangerine.
The menu is ripe with American-style dishes with regional influences and many local products. The grits bar features creamy, yellow, stone-ground grits, served with Southern delights like lowcountry shrimp, fried oysters with spicy hollandaise sauce, and ham and pimento cheese. For an entrée, try the SoCo glazed pork chop with caramelized shallots and silver queen soufflé. For now, Dogwood is open only for dinner, but lunch service is coming soon. Dogwood Restaurant is located in the Reynolds Condominium building at 565 Peachtree St. 404-835-1410. www.dogwoodrestaurant.com.
LAP UP THE LUXURY
The Mansion on Peachtree, the luxury hotel and residences near Lenox Square that’ll soon be home to Tom Collechio’s Craft restaurant, recently premiered its contemporary Italian restaurant, Neo. With Director of Restaurants Guido Piccinni and Executive Chef Eric Chopin at its helm and Chef de Cuisine first-generation Italian-American Giuseppe Napoli overseeing the daily operation and menu creations, the 95-seat restaurant, which overlooks a fine set of English gardens, is poised to be one of the hot new spots in town for upscale dining (plates are far from cheap, but worth every buck). Superb customer service and decadent decor leaves diners wanting for very little. Of the fare, personal favorites include the antipasto board featuring an array of meats, cheeses, olives and juicy figs, as well as the beet salad, a beautifully plated dish of red and yellow bababietola in aged Pecorino, mint and orange. A standout among the entrees is the pappardelle neopasta with Maine lobster in a lemongrass sauce. For dessert, the tiramisu is divine. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, as well as a five-course Sunday brunch with a weekly menu that showcases the chef’s selections. The hotel’s Mansion Bar, an elegant 30-seat affair, offers a small menu and signature drinks, like the Lady Violette, a lovely blend of vodka, crème de violette and champagne. Neo is located at 3376 Peachtree Road. 404-995-7545. www.mansiononpeachtree.com. SP
When she’s not checking out restaurants, interviewing chefs or nodding off after her fifth glass of wine, Life, Food & Style Editor Kirsten Ott dishes culinary and cocktail insights. E-mail her at kirstenott@sundaypaper.com.
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The Sunday Paper, Dish column, August 3, 2008
