Lure, a new seafood restaurant, is slated to open in Midtown early July. It will be housed in Vickery’s Crescent Avenue Bar & Grill’s old digs, just a few doors down from South City Kitchen. Both Lure and SCK are owned by Fifth Group Restaurants, which is run by Robby Kukler, Steve Simon and Kris Reinhard.
“We have been talking about Lure for more than three years, and the basic idea of serving simple, high quality seafood dishes in a fun, uniquely designed atmosphere has been our inspiration from the start,” says Kukler.
The atmosphere Kukler speaks of is being designed by Bill Peace of Peace Design and ai3, whose created the flair at luminary mainstays such as 4th & Swift, Holeman & Finch, Flip and Miller Union. Lure will seat 150 guests in a sophisticated space that welcomes everyday dining. The feeling of Vickery’s will be long gone, as the building has undergone major renovations to the interior, exterior and patio.
“Both ai3 and Bill Peace really understand the ideas we articulate and our desire to achieve an understated, timeless look at Lure,” says Kukler. “Our design inspiration for this restaurant is, naturally, the ocean and the contrast of its unrefined and polished characteristics,” he adds.
The designers are utilizing a cool, fresh color palette reminiscent of the sea along with stripped, weathered wood and steel. Reclaimed nautical spotlights cast blue-green reflections off a zinc bar top, and, paired with gloss shiplaps and the essence of billowing sailcloths, evoke both the raw nature of the fishing industry and the mysterious charm of the ocean.
David Bradley, currently the chef de cuisine at Ecco, will oversee the kitchen at Lure. Lure will always have an extensive offering of oysters from many waters as well as other raw bar staples. The menu will also feature sharable items such as a house-smoked seafood “charcuterie” sampling, Sapelo Island clam crudo with charred Padrón peppers and a Guerrero-style spicy seafood cocktail with citrus and a shot of a summery pilsner added tableside. Sautéed pompano with Silver Queen corn and curry and grilled whole Georgia trout with pickled ramp butter cooked in the kitchen’s 1400-degree charcoal burning Josper Spanish oven are examples of simple fish preparations that will be served at Lure. On the more “seafood house” traditional side, guests can expect offerings such as Acadian redfish fried in sourdough batter with malt vinegar marinated cucumbers and Georgia shrimp broiled Scampi style with Sparkman’s cultured butter.
Fifth Group Restaurants Beverage Director Vajra Stratigos is constructing the beverage program for Lure, which will include an expansive list of both draft and bottled beers as well as a collection of interesting wines and innovative cocktails.
“Ocean wines should feel very natural, rather than display overt fruitiness,” says Stratigos. “For me, seafood wants acidity, minerality and salinity in a wine partner – all things that accent what is inherent to the ocean itself,” he adds.
Lure is located at 1106 Crescent Avenue NE in Midtown Atlanta and will be open for dinner daily first with lunch service added at a later date.
