Omnivore - Chef Marvin Woods' Asante opens for dinner tonight

• Heidi Geldhauser
• Chef Marvin Woods

Celeb chef Marvin Woods is an Emmy winning tv host, cookbook author, and lead chef for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign. This evening he adds restauranteur to the list with his new restaurant, Asante, opening downtown for dinner service.

From a Swahili word meaning "grateful," Asante's menu is inspired by Chef Woods' experiences of the African Diaspora through his traveling and cooking far and wide. The coastal soul menu is a take on food rooted in the ingredients of South America, the caribbean, the Low Country, the southern U.S., and Africa. The dinner menu features pan seared Berebere-spice Manchester Farm quail, Bahamian conch fritters, sofrito red beans, and a coconut Caribbean seafood gumbo with Sapelo clams, mussels and shrimp. Lunch choices include a po boy choices of catfish, shrimp, chicken and Pernil (a Peurto Rican roast pork).

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Located in the former Peasant Bistro space, Asante boasts two floors with a main dining room on the second floor and a ground level lounge and bar area with hand crafted cocktails. There is also an expansive outdoor patio awaiting spring temperatures.

Asante will be open for dinner seven days a week (closed this Sun., Dec. 14, however), Sun.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-11 p.m. Lunch Service will be Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Brunch beginning next weekend is served Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Every Monday Asante will have Flight School Wine Pairings from 6-8 p.m., three courses paired with "eclectic" wines ($50 per person).

Asante. 250 Park Ave. 404-893-0022. www.asanteatl.com.