Riley Shifts to Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub In Brookhaven

According to sources within Buckhead Life, Restaurant Group, Executive Chef Joey Riley will soon leave the Buckhead Diner, having held that position since 2006. He will be opening his own eatery in Brookhaven. Though neither his departure nor his successor have been made official, I'm told Chef Phil, formerly of Pano's & Paul's, will take the helm as Executive Chef. Buckhead Diner has a knack for training great chefs, many of whom have gone on to open their own eateries. Most notably,

Planet Smoothie (Buckhead) Adding Fro-Yo, Becomes Planet Living

Planet Smoothie at the Peach shopping center at 2900 Peachtree Road, is scheduled to re-open this morning as "Planet Living" by Planet Smoothie. This location in particular has been through a number of re-conceptions over the years. At times under corporate control, other times operated by an independent franchisee, this location is one of the oldest in the chain. Started by Martin Sprock in 1995, the chain became part of Innovative Brands, the holding company for several Raving Brands concepts. In January 2009, Planet Smoothie and sister concept Shane's Rib Shack were sold to Edmonds Capital LLC, and are operated

The Dish On Davio's From My Trip To Boston

Last week in Boston I had the pleasure of sitting down with Steve DiFillippo, owner of Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse. Unfamiliar with the description "Northern Italian Steakhouse", DiFillippo explained that in essence he has two restaurant in one, traditional Northern Italian cuisine and a steakhouse. Additionally, Mr. DiFillippo informed me that the name Davio's has little relevance to him, that he in fact purchased the restaurant and has since expanded to it what it is today. The restaurant opened in 1977 on Newbury Street in the now trendy Back Bay district. In 1985, at the ripe old age of 24, DiFillippo purchased the restaurant, keeping the name but revamping the menu and redesigning the two-story eatery. Successful and small for its popularity, Davio's relocated to

NEWSFLASH: American Cafe Was OPEN Until This Monday At Phipps

Silver Spoon's The American Cafe closed at Phipps Plaza Monday afternoon. According to an employee of a neighboring business, restaurant employees came in for work Monday afternoon but were turned away and informed the restaurant was closed permanently. While it's amazing the restaurant lasted this long, it's always a shame to see places close, giving employees no advance warning notice of the closure. Maryville, Tennessee-based Specialty Restaurant Group operates nearly a dozen restaurants across several southern states under the names The American Cafe and Silver Spoons Cafe and in the case of the Phipps Plaza location, a variation of the two. Early on, the chain was known as Mozzarella's The American Cafe but the Mozzarella's was dropped last decade. At one point, there were also locations at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody and Town Center Mall in Kennesaw, but both of those closed years ago.

I'm Seeing Double Again: Planet Smoothie & Auntie Anne's Multiplying

Already with a location on the lower level near Bloomingdale's, a second co-branded Planet Smoothie and Auntie Anne's Pretzels will open on the main level of Lenox Square in the recently closed Mr. Pretzels. Somehow this wing of the mall (where the Delta ticket office was for many years) has always had some sort of pretzel company. In the current T-Mobile there was once a Pretzel Time and until recently, the upcoming Planet Smoothie / Auntie Anne's combo was a Mr. Pretzels. The first location near Bloomingdale's opened as a Planet Smoothie / Nestle Toll House Cafe but the latter was dropped shortly after opening.

Flying Biscuit East Cobb Closes Abruptly , Roswell Opening Soon

The Flying Biscuit on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb closed abruptly last week, and already all of the signage has been removed. One of the first franchised locations to open after Raving Brands purchased the business from founder Delia Champion, the location was built as a Donatos Pizza but later was failed Raving Brands concept, Mama Fu's Asian House. Recently the business was listed for sale on Atlanta Restaurant Exchange but it seems no buyer was found and alas it simply closed. I have heard from internal sources that the Flying Biscuit concept is in trouble but this closure was still not

FLIP Buckhead Confirmed, Work Underway, Plans To Open In October

FLIP Burger Boutique, currently with locations in West Midtown and Birmingham, Alabama, has officially signed on to open at Tuxedo Festival, and construction is underway. Many say that the space will present numerous challenges, chief among them an old structure with an outdated A/C unit, an old roof and a possible rodent problem from neighboring dumpsters. Major work is already in progress, showing just how serious the owners are about having it open "early" fall, hopefully by October, I'm told. It also appears that there will be patio dining, similar to the location in West Midtown. While one reader pointed out the logistical challenges of getting in and out of the shopping center, hopefully a plan is in place to ease the access problems. Neighboring Hal's and Tin Lizzy's have each done quite well despite minimal parking and difficult access. While I'm sure the place will do well given its massive following, my burger dollars will be spent at the new Grindhouse Killer Burgers on Piedmont Avenue instead. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Beleza and Lupe Taqueria Closed In Midtown

Not that I'm shocked, but it seems U Restaurants's midtown eateries Beleza and Lupe Taqueria closed over the weekend. Both are owned by restaurateur Riccardo Ullio, but neither could ever match the success Ullio experienced with his Sotto Sotto and Fritti eateries in Inman Park. Lupe was already his second attempt at re-concepting the space that had been the failed Cuerno eatery. I dined at Lupe once with friends and we collectively decided never to return: it was awful from top to bottom. Riccardo was even in the dining room that night and nothing went well. I heard early on from a U Restaurants chef whom had been with Ullio for years, that the expansion to midtown had been a financial strain on the company almost immediately. The lack of accessible parking and his straying from Italian (Sotto Sotto ) and Pizza (Fritti) to Spanish Tapas (Cuerno) and Brazilian (Beleza) did not bode well for the midtown crowd. On a the bright side, a U Restaurants representative reached for comment today confirmed Ullio still plans to open a Buckhead location of Fritti this fall. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Buckhead Bar & Grill Closed, Locos Re-Opening, Déjà Vu ?

Buckhead Bar & Grill, which opened last July in what had closed as a Locos Grill & Pub, has itself closed, set to reopen in late June as none other than....... Locos Grill & Pub! I don't know exactly when the last day of business was for the eatery, but two signs posted on the building over the weekend lend credence to the notion that it was a recent closure. Though I doubt it contributed to the closure, a simple Google search shows there is an unrelated, more upscale restaurant in Columbus, Georgia registered as the Buckhead Bar & Grill. Not to be confused with the upcoming Buckhead Bottle Bar on Pharr Road, this Buckhead Bar & Grill was located at 3167 Peachtree Road near to Hole in the Wall, Moondogs and Peachtree Tavern. Though during the initial transition from Locos to Buckhead Bar & Grill, the owner reportedly remained the same: this new Locos is said to be under new management and new ownership.

As you can see from the earlier posts, many readers had an opinion about the transition and the ownership of the previous eatery, what say YOU? ToNeTo Atlanta

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Here We Fro Go Again, Menchie's Opening 2 Locations In Buckhead

While many Fro-Yo franchises previously announced upcoming Buckhead locations, it seems that Encino, California based Menchie's will be the first to actually do so, with not only one but two! The first is set to open in late July in Paces Plaza at the corner of W. Paces Ferry and Northside Parkway, Menchie's will join The Flying Biscuit Cafe, Pero's Pizza & Pasta and Houston's among others in the center. I'm told they will occupy the old Planet Smoothie / Nestle Toll House space. On my visit, Planet Smoothie , which closed last November is still very much a Planet Smoothie with even the exterior signage still up. The second Buckhead location will be in Tuxedo Festival at Piedmont and Roswell Roads. Tuxedo Festival is currently undergoing an extensive remodel and Menchie's is one of the first new tenants to be signed. Though their exact location was not disclosed, my guess would be the former Freshens yogurt shop as it would seem to lend itself well to a yogurt establishment. Coincidentally, each shopping center has a recently closed Blockbuster Video store, and there is a good chance the space in Tuxedo Festival will reopen this fall as a new FLIP Burger Boutique. The former Blockbuster Video in Paces Plaza will reopen June 1st as a relocated Smith ACE Hardware, previously located across the street in the Publix shopping center.

Ciao Bocca Says Hello To Sweet Auburn Curb Market

With the success of Alex Brounstein's Grindhouse Killer Burgers and more recently John Gianoulidis and The Greek Gyros & Pizza, a new cuisine will soon join the mix of new eateries: Italian. Deborah Kudelka will soon open Ciao Bocca to the left of Grindhouse, on the wall along Edgewood Avenue. Scheduled to open by the first week in June, Ciao Bocca will feature house-made gnochi, polpette (Italian meatballs) and various other pastas. Assorted paninis will also be available as well as daily specials. With counter seating planned to accommodate about 14 people, you could easily sit and enjoy, or like myself on busy school days, grab and go. Kudelka hopes to source the meat for her polpette locally from grass-fed cows , a la Farm Burger. Additionally, her she plans to source as much produce as possible locally and from organic purveyors. ToNeTo Atlanta

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ENO By Zaza Makes Way For The 5th St. Cafe

ENO by Zaza closed last week and I now have confirmation on what's up next for the prime spot in midtown. Owner Zaza Pachulia will reopen the midtown eatery in early June with the help of business partners A.D. Allushi and Chef Ian Winslade as the 5th St. Cafe. Atlanta Hawk Zaza Pachulia purchased the midtown eatery in August of last year and at that point seemed intent on continuing the operation, and its sister concept Barrelman as they were. Both opened in 1999 but now both are being re-concepted. ENO by Zaza will become

Gillespie BBQ Joint Looking For A Home Other Than Old Brake-O

Top Chef Finalist Kevin Gillespie will have to look elsewhere for his upcoming BBQ joint. I received word late last night that the landlord and he were unable to come to an agreement on the lease and have ended talks. I previously announced a deal was near, sadly it did not come to fruition. While I still believe that he will find an intown home for his as-yet-unnamed BBQ joint, it's likely not to be the former Brake-O at Piedmont Avenue and Piedmont Circle. Stay tuned to ToNeTo Atlanta for updates before they become available elsewhere. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Grindhouse Killer Burgers Coming to Midtown

Building on the success of his first location in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, owner Alex Brounstein will open a second location of his Grindhouse Killer Burgers on Piedmont Avenue late this fall. Similar to the site YEAH! Burger selected in Virginia Highlands, Grindhouse's second location will be in a former gas station that was most recently a car wash / car repair shop. Located at 1842 Piedmont Avenue, the site is perfectly located near Midtown / Buckhead and Lenox Park. Something tells me Emory students will make the short drive over as well. Adding dinner service, extended daily hours and liquor, this is sure to be an immediate hit. Work on the space will commence soon and Brounstein hopes to be open by late October in time for the 1 year celebration of the first location. ToNeTo Atlanta

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DEKA On The Move To Shops Around Lenox

DEKA Athletics, at 375 Pharr Road, will soon expand and relocate closer to the action of Lenox Square. The new location will allow for 2700 sq' of selling space, an increase of 200 s/f from the previous location. Additionally, all merchandise will now be on one floor rather than two. DEKA is described as "The first women's only boutique where performance and fashion harmonize in one unique environment." DEKA carries a wide variety of athletic apparel for women not found in many other retailers, along with special collaborations like Adidas by Stella McCartney and Puma Dassler. The plan is to have a seamless transition from one space to the other, hopefully closing mid August and re-opening just a few days later. The departure of Blue Genes from the shopping center has brought many new retailers including SWANK from Birmingham, Bill Hallman from VaHi and saw the relocation of Rhinoceros Boutique. Around the time of the Blue Genes closure, there was a change in ownership of the center and the current direction is to divide the CompUSA space into many smaller spaces and hopefully find larger tenants for the former Tower Records and lower level old Bally Total Fitness space.

Grand Opening, Grand Closing... Bistro 57 Closed Already

A downtown restaurant that opened just last month closed this week. Bistro 57 opened in a long vacant space in the Healey Building. Located at 57 Forsyth Street, Bistro 57 opened in the transitioning Fairlie-Poplar District. Offices occupy the first two floors of The Healey Building, with residential units comprising the other 14 floors. Bistro 57 featured a French-American menu, initially serving lunch and dinner with plans to expand to breakfast should the demand come, but alas, it never did. Bistro 57 opened in a space that last housed a restaurant some 18 months ago: again the neighborhood alone could not support it. I went in once and was turned off by the small menu, unable to find something to my liking. My dining partner and I left without ordering. Sad to see a place open and close so quickly but perhaps they didn't plan for the significant decrease in Georgia State walk-by traffic as classes let out for the summer. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Baking Up A Storm, Lenox Cupcakes Opening In Phipps Plaza

Lenox Cupcakes will soon be opening a storefront! Currently sold only via delivery in the metro Atlanta area, the new store will be located on the second floor of Buckhead's Phipps Plaza, adjacent to Belk. Taking space that has housed numerous businesses over the years, most recently, It's A Treat Pet Boutique, Lenox Cupcakes is sure to be a hit with sweet tooth shoppers. With flavors like Chocolate Dream (dark chocolate with Italian meringue and buttercream) and PB Chocolate (dark chocolate cupcake with peanut butter buttercream and a drizzle of chocolate fudge) and a host of others, it will be hard to keep those diet plans you made. Lenox Cupcakes plans to open later this summer and will feature a wide variety of delectable cupcakes in both regular and "micro-mini" sizes. With Jacksonville Florida-based Cami Cakes a safe distance down Peachtree near Piedmont Hospital and assorted other local shops like Sweet Pockets and The Atlanta Cupcake Factory across the metro area, Lenox Cupcakes should be able to take a nice bite out of the Buckhead area. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Lenox Square Adding Some Big Names While Others Expand

Recent openings have included Brahmin, a handbag maker from New England that chose Lenox Square for its first boutique outside of Boston, and Clark's of England which opened its third metro store on the second level of Lenox (the others are at Perimeter Mall and Mall of Georgia). Fendi will open next to Bulgari on the main level. I previously reported this space was to be a Skecher's but instead Skecher's opted for the upper level space next to the recently opened Clark's. Fendi plans to open this fall, Skecher's should open in the coming days.

Slack's Hoagie Shack Opening At Town Brookhaven, Anyone Else?

Cinnaminson, New Jersey based Slack's Hoagie Shack will open its first Atlanta area location in the coming weeks at Sembler's TOWN Brookhaven. One of the first eateries to actually move forward at Sembler's long delayed development, they are located on a rear corner space on the street level of the Alexan apartments. When I stopped by last week, the nearby Porta-Potty and dumpster made the entire area reek of waste and I couldn't help but think what a terrible location they had. While there are empty storefronts all over TOWN Brookhaven, as well as all over the Atlanta, Slack's location is at the rear of an apartment complete that is less than 40% leased, in a center where nothing else is open. As this is their first location in Atlanta, and they have zero brand recognition in the area, a location with more visibility would have been a wiser choice. Their newness to the market and their location reminds me of Larry's Giant Subs in Sember's Prado development in Sandy Springs. They too were relatively new to the market and were one of the first to open in the development, they closed " for a remodel", shortly thereafter, never to reopen.

BirthWatch 2010 Progess Report Q2

While this blog has been reporting a lot of sad news, closings and such, there are some exciting openings and expansions planned for Atlanta's restaurants, retail and hotels in the coming months. In February, I provided a list of projects at various stages of development, here's where we / they are now...

What's Up With Metrotainment Cafes? Sugar Shack Opening?

Atlanta based Metrotainment Cafes may be in more trouble they are willing to admit. Last fall they sold their established Cheyenne Grill in Peachtree Battle Shopping Center and at that point, Metrotainment founder Jeff Landau said they were going to focus on their successful Hudson Grill concept. After closing their Garrison's Broiler & Tap at Perimeter Mall to reopen it as a Hudson Grill in 2008, it too closed last week. Even worse,their new concept "Sugar Shack," was announced weeks before the similar concept, Bakeshop by Concentrics, but has yet to progress.

The Brookhaven location is across from Hudson Grill and was Marc Anthony's Italian Restaurant until they relocated to Clairmont Road near PDK. Despite signs, like the one pictured, that read "SWEETENING ATLANTA SHORTLY", no visible work has been done in months. Bakeshop, which opened last fall in the former Gold Star Bakery & Cafe at 8th and Peachtree serves desserts, sandwiches and assorted hot / cold beverages, a similar menu to that which was described on Sugar Shack's Facebook and Twitter pages. Their Twitter account which most recently announced an opening in January 2010, has been silent since 12/4. With over 1000 Twitter followers, one would think they'd be a little more careful in what they say. Their Facebook page, has a measly 35 who "Like" it but still, same point applies. On April 7th, I was informed by a Metrotainment executive at their corporate office that they will be open "within 60 days." Shall I hold my breath? I think not. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Cinco de Mayo Brings Closure of Two Eateries

While Cinco de Mayo may be a time for many to celebrate, some will do so for the last time at Rio Grande Cantina in Buckhead. Sources tell me the 19 year old eatery will close for good this week. While details of the closure are not known with certainty at this point, the last day of business may very well be today. Additionally, Panchero's Mexican Grill, a franchised concept from Iowa closed its lone Atlanta location this past Friday. After opening last February, the restaurant struggled to compete with local chains such as Willy's Mexicana Grill and Moe's Southwest Grill, both with locations about a mile away. The opening of Baja Fresh on Park Avenue West beside the Georgia Aquarium this past February can't have helped things. Panchero's location at 400 W. Peachtree provided little foot traffic, and the restaurant witnessed Au Bon Pain evicted and closed across the street. The nearby W Downtown hotel had problems of its own and was facing the possibility of foreclosure until recently. The local franchisees brought the chain to Atlanta with this location but clearly plans for additional locations will likely never come to fruition. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Back To The Future, Retro Fitness Opening In Buckhead

Colts Neck New Jersey based Retro Fitness is making inroads in the Atlanta market. The first Atlanta location will open soon at 2400 Cobb Parkway in a 14,200 s/f space near Best Buy and Lee's Golden Buddha. This week, I received confirmation that a previously rumored Buckhead gym will open in the former artefacto furniture store that was located in the lobby level of Two Buckhead Plaza at 3050 Peachtree Road, opposite Seasons 52, until it closed last summer. The bi-level artefacto store is just over 20,000 s/f, of which 15,387 s/f was leased to Retro Fitness and the remaining space was leased to Storage Management. Ben Carter Properties, which is based upstairs, represented the landlord in the signing.

LA Fitness, The Forum Athletic Club, and the Buckhead Club, are all nearby. Financially strained New York-based Crunch Fitness exited the Atlanta market last year, closing their Parkway Pointe location last spring and their Tower Place location in Buckhead last fall. New York-based Equinox was once on tap for Ben Carter's "The Streets of Buckhead," but has since pulled out. The entire development is now in limbo as Carter is struggling to get an additional $200 million in financing to resume construction on the mega development. Just this week, I witnessed cranes and workers on site. Unfortunately they were trucking equipment and supplies away, rather than progressing towards completion.

According to Retro Fitness corporate, plans call for between 15 - 20 locations in Atlanta within the next two months. The Cobb Parkway location is franchised but the Buckhead and a planned Sandy Springs location will be corporately owned. Retro Fitness started in 2002 and began franchising in 2006. Eric Casaburi , Retro Fitness's founder claims their monthly membership fee of $19.99 is "guaranteed never to increase." Aside from the "Retro" price, the gyms also feature the "Retro Theatre," where classic 80s films such as "Back to the Future" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" play. Will this be enough to make this new gym a success? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: they are gonna have to sell a lot of memberships to cover the cost of such a high rent location. ToNeTo Atlanta

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Take Mom Out, AND Get Her Flowers, For Less

Save 70% Off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. + receive $15 Off ProFlowers order. Use code MOM and pay $3 thru 5/9/10.


Happy Mother's Day From your friends at ToNeTo Atlanta

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Local Fro-Yo Joint Yogli Mogli Adding Three New Locations

Yogli Mogli, a local purveyor of the ever popular Fro-Yo will be opening three additional locations in Georgia, this summer. My favorite, and ITP of course is one planned for Emory Village. Yogli Mogli opened its first location at 6595 Roswell Road near the intersection of Abernathy and Roswell Roads in Abernathy Square in 2008 and added a second this past March on Johnson Ferry in East Cobb. At one point, plans called for locations in Buckhead and Midtown but those both seem at hold at this point. Taking space that was previously announced to be a Twisted Taco, the space was most recently Emory’s academic bookstore. As reported by my friends over at Decatur Metro, Emory's new bookstore, a Barnes & Noble will open across the street from the old site and will open this summer. Similar to the Yogurt Tap in Decatur and the upcoming Menchie’s in Toco Hills, Yogli Mogli offers a variety of nutritional yogurt flavors in a self serve environment and an array of toppings from fruits and nuts to cereals and candy. A native of Israel, owner Roi Shlomo made sure Yogli Mogli meets the National Yogurt Association’s criteria for live and active culture and serves kosher-dairy certified yogurt. Sprouts Green Café already offers Fro-Yo in Emory Village but only two flavors so hopefully they add a few to compete with the new Yogli Mogli. Sprouts also use to have a monopoly on the area and as such charged 58 cents per once, compared to Yogli Mogli’s 39 cents, perhaps an adjustment is in order. Come July, may the best Fro-Yo win. ToNeTo Atlanta

Yogli Mogli's upcoming locations:

5250 Windward Pkwy Ste 113, Milton 30004 (Alpharetta)

1403 Oxford Rd., Atlanta 30307 (Emory Village)

320 Town Center Ave Ste 6., Suwanee 30024 (Suwanee)

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Calvin Klein To Remove The White Label From Lenox Square

Calvin Klein's "White Label" store at Lenox Square will close June 25th. The store was one of the first locations of what was then planned to be a chain of at least 20 locations. Designed by New York architecture firm Lynch / Eisinger / Design, the store had elements similar to another ill-fated chain: Martin + Osa. Designed by New York's Michael Neumann Architecture, American Eagle's Martin + Osa chain will be closing all 28 locations and its online store by the third quarter. When Calvin Klein opened in fall of 2007, I immediately had questions about the viability of such a huge store (about 10,000 s/f) selling items so readily available at basically any mid-tier department store, not to mention nearby Marshall's and T.J. Maxx. Its location adjacent to Neiman Marcus on the second level of the luxury wing can't be cheap: apparently Philips Van-Heusen, Calvin Klein's parent company since 2002, has seen enough. Calvin Klein White Label locations were opened in a number of high profile locations but many have already closed. Locations at The Beverly Center in Los Angeles, Cherry Creek Mall in Denver and The Mall at Partridge Creek near Detroit have already closed, while one at the Natick Collection near Boston and one at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa California are currently in the process of liquidating inventory. A location in Aventura Mall near Miami and in San Francisco are still open but are reportedly closing within a year. Sources repeatedly spoke of Calvin Klein's intention to vacate stores within SIMON Properies: Lenox, being one, and The Forum Shops at Caesar's, a specialty shop, being another. One non-Simon Calvin Klein specialty shop closing is at Westfield San Francisco Centre. ToNeTo Atlanta

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