Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Bits & Bites


Callie's Hot Little Biscuit plans to open December 31st at 7AM at the corner of Virginia and North Highland Avenues in Virginia Highland.  The shop is the second for the company.  The original is on King Street in Charleston, SC.  

Moderna on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs has closed for a second time.  According to their facebook page, they are "under construction" although it's unclear if they will actually give it a third try.  

Baked is now open on Boulevard at the Tribute Lofts in Old Fourth Ward.  The original Baked is on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.  Baked serves a variety of sides, sandwiches, proteins and soups in a casual, relaxed atmosphere.  

A new Willy's Mexicana Grill and Jason's Deli are planned for a new center in Lawrenceville on Duluth Highway near Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road.  

Atlanta Magazine reports that CafĂ© at Pharr’s Johnny Liu and WSB’s traffic man Mark Arum are teaming up to bring New England-style lobster rolls to West Buckhead.  To my knowledge, Arum has no restaurant experience, but is a huge fan of Egg Harbor Cafe, a restaurant at which he seems to dine multiple times a week.   The lobster restaurant will reportedly be located in the Collier Hills / Howell Mill area but a lease is not final, so the exact location was not revealed. (Given no opening timeline was provided, perhaps the restaurant will be located in the currently under construction retail portion of the Berkshire Howell Mill apartment complex.) The restaurant, which will be called either Lobstah Hut or Lu Lu, will be open for both lunch and dinner. The menu will feature a variety of classic and lobster dishes such as lobster rolls, priced at around $14, as well as sides like lobster mac ‘n’ cheese.  A scoop shop serving Honeysuckle gelato will be adjacent to the lobster shack.  

 "DAS BBQ" will reportedly open soon in the former Pizza Hut on Collier Road.  As I reported this past January at the time of its closure, the classic Pizza Hut had been in business for over 40 years.  The DAS BBQ named was registered with the state of Georgia as an LLC this past July although no building permit for the Collier Road address is on file with the city of Atlanta.  

Taco Bell and Supercuts will join previously announced tenants Insomnia Cookies and Twisted Kitchen at University House on Spring Street in midtown.  

Razzle Dazzle is closing on Irby Avenue in the Buckhead Villag eafter over 40 years in business.  The popular women's boutique celebrated its 40th anniversary this past June, but will call it quits January 31st, 2016.  

Fresh to Order (f2o) has opened on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.  The casual restaurant occupies a converted one-time Hardee's.  

The Motel 6 on Chamblee Tucker Road has closed.  The motel previously operated as a Budgetel but has under both flags consistently been a haven for crime and vagrants.  The property is located at the rear of the Kroger-anchored Embry Village Shopping Center.  Local sources indicate that apartments, possible an expansion of the existing Montage apartments, will be built in place of the motel.  Additionally, plans are also reportedly underway to expand the Kroger with the grocery store taking over a significant portion of the shopping center.  

Branch & Barrel has opened in the former Bantu space in Avalon.  

The new Varasano's Pizzeria at Perimeter Mall has abandoned its fast casual model in favor of full service. The prices have increased, as have the sizes of the pies, to where it more closely resembles the Buckhead flagship.  

Under the Cork Tree, the new restaurant from the owners of Hammocks Trading Company in Sandy Springs, has pushed its opening to "January 2016."  Originally slated to open in October, the restaurant has taken a little longer than expected as the owners renovate the 6,800 square foot onetime home of Joli Kobe at The Prado in Sandy Springs. 

R. Thomas, the popular all-day eatery in south Buckhead, has also pushed its opening.  The restaurant has been closed since mid-October due to a small kitchen fire.  Given that the extent of the damage was described as minimal, it's my belief that Thomas is taking the opportunity now to make more improvements to the restaurant during its "down time." Originally opened in 1985 and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week since, surely this closure was the perfect time to do other maintenance and improvements.  When reached by phone for an update on the reopening, I was advised it would be "about another two weeks."  (This is the same timeframe I've been provided for the past month and a half, so it's kinda unclear.) I'd hope to see a new and improved R. Thomas open by the first week of the new year.  

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Signage at Moderna changed to "Rock n Taco" (same logo and branding as the Buckhead Roswell Road location in the old Shanes).

Anonymous said...

Good riddance to The Motel 6 on Chamblee Tucker Road. Although crime was much worse when it was a Days Inn, prior to becoming a Budgetel. However, I'm not a fan of more apartments going in that space. But I also know more retail isn't a sure bet since there's already quite a few vacancies in the entire shopping center, outparcels included. I wonder which stores might get the boot if Kroger expands. I also wonder what will happen to the Rite Aid now that Walgreens bought them.

I heard neighbors in the area won a battle against someone who wanted to rezone the now closed Chevron at Chamblee Tucker and Northcrest. Apparently the plan was to make it a package store with drive-thru service, and local residents were not happy about it.

Here's some other news about the newly renovated Holiday Inn, with a reopened restaurant, at Northlake:

http://thechampionnewspaper.com/news/local/many-answers-to-whats-new-at-northlake/

Anonymous said...

Can't stand Arum and his dumb idea of a restaurant will be short lived.

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