New restaurant coming to busy downtown corridor
Asante Restaurant plans to open in the old Peasant Bistro space on Park Avenue West, below Embassy Suites, near Centennial Olympic Park. Peasant Bistro owners Maureen Kalmanson and Pam Furr closed up shop last April after a seven+ year run to focus on their midtown restaurants.
According to signage on the building, Asante will offer "coastal soul cuisine." Asante means "thank you" in Swahili.
Asante is being opened by celebrity chef Marvin Woods. Woods is a 25 year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in numerous award-winning restaurants and hotels. Chef Woods previously hosted the Turner South program "Home Plate," and has also appeared at a number of food festivals. The popular chef has also written a number of cookbooks.
According to a source close to the restaurant, plans call for Asante to open in "early November." The opening has been delayed at least once already, likely due to issues in obtaining their alcohol license. A number of restaurant owners have informed me that the policies and required hoop-jumping at city hall has gotten especially challenging in recent months. According to the city of Atlanta's website, Asante somehow "failed" in their attempts to acquire their alcohol license three times within two minutes on October 10th.
The area around Asante, known as the "Luckie Marietta District," has been very active as of late with a number of new openings and other projects under construction. The College Football Hall of Fame recently opened on Marietta street around the corner from Asante. Additionally, a new 150-room Hyatt House hotel is under construction at the northwest corner of Ivan Allen Boulevard and Luckie Street. Another hotel, a 129-room Homewood Suites by Hilton, is planned for the parking lot on the other side of Asante's building, at the corner of Baker and Marietta Streets.
Are you excited for Asante? Are you a fan of Marvin Woods? What are your thoughts on the downtown development around the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca Cola?
Please share your thoughts below.
2 comments:
Blast from the past! LOVED Marvin Woods on Home Plate / Turner South. Thanks for the update on his whereabouts. I really miss that regional / Southern culture channel!
I believe that Homewood Suites is not planned for the parking lot, but instead for the small strip of grass directly across from Stats:
http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2013/09/hilton-plans-new-hotel-luckie-marietta-district/
That parking lot is still in the running for the (probably over reaching) "Times Square South" concept.
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