[EXCLUSIVE] Kitty Dare Owner Bringing Natalie Bianca to Cascade Heights

The owner of Inman Park's popular Kitty Dare restaurant is at it again, this time with Natalie Bianca.   Situated in the Cascade Heights neighborhood, Natalie Bianca, like Kitty Dare, is named for a good but departed friend of owner Jamshad “Jaamy” Zarnegar.  

Natalie Bianca will feature "a progressive New South menu with vibrant Mexican influences" and occupies the former La Panarda space (2317 Cascade Road) from chef Deborah VanTrece.  The restaurant, which featured VanTrece's "global soul" approach to Italian cuisine, opened in May 2023 and closed this past April.  The restaurant replaced Serenidad, another VanTrece restaurant, which featured Latin Soul Food but had a short life, having opened in October 2022 and closed in February 2023.      

The chef's other restaurants, Oreatha's at The Point (also in Cascade Heights) and Twisted Soul (in West Midtown), remain open. 

Zarnegar's Kitty Dare, which features Mediterranean fusion cuisine and opened in the fall of 2021 in the Edgewood Avenue space previously home to One Eared Stag, is more upscale than what he is planning in Cascade Heights, according to a source familiar with the plans.  

Zarnegar executed his lease with property owner Shea R. Embry shortly after La Panarda's closure and given its newness, is making only limited changes/updates to the space.

Natalie Bianca, while still a sit-down experience, promises to be more approachable for the community at large.  Plans call for the new restaurant to debut in the coming weeks, no later than mid-September, according to a source familiar with the plans.  Online listings suggest Zarnegar is actively hiring for the new restaurant, but a menu is not yet available.    

Natalie Bianca is about a block away from The Beautiful, the landmark Cascade Heights eatery that has been serving cafeteria-style soul food since 1979.      

ToNeTo Atlanta reported August 12 that Zarnegar is also collaborating on a new restaurant in Peachtree Corners. The new eatery, which will focus on authentic Persian cuisine, is planned for the former California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) at The Forum Peachtree Corners (5173 Peachtree Parkway).   The Naraghi family, part owners of Midtown's El Valle, have partnered with  Zarnegar to assist in conceptualizing the menu and curating the wine program for the restaurant.  Golestan, the restaurant's planned name, is the name of a province in Iran and a famous collection of prose and stories from influential 15th century poet Saadi Shirazi which translates to “flower or rose garden.”

Are you excited for the opening of Natalie Bianca?  Have you been to Kitty Dare?  What is your favorite Cascade Heights area restaurant?  

Please share your thoughts below.