Quick Bites: A new Ford Fry restaurant, Diner opens, and more

• Photo courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake
• Georgetown Cupcake opens this weekend at Buckhead Atlanta.

Washington D.C.-based Georgetown Cupcake will debut in Buckhead Sat., March 7 at 267 E. Paces Ferry Road. Marking the sixth U.S. location of sisters Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne’s seven-year-old concept, the sparkling new boutique at the Buckhead Atlanta development offers flavors like red velvet, double milk chocolate birthday, and peaches and cream.

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Ron Eyester’s Diner debuted lunch service on Thursday, March 5 at 264 19th St. in Atlantic Station, a soft opening that will continue through the middle of the month. The “angry chef” plans to progressively expand his operating hours and menu offerings, eventually offering all-day service and a larger variety of dishes. Current options include crab-stuffed shrimp, sorghum-roasted salmon, fried pork chops, a brisket-and-short rib burger, a housemade tuna melt, and a range of desserts like cakes, pies, and ice creams.

Westside snout-to-tail restaurant Abattoir will shutter at the end of this month following seven years at 1170 Howell Mill Road. Co-owner Anne Quatrano opened the eatery in 2009 as an effort to maximize sustainable use of the animals raised at her Summerland Farms. The eatery proceeded to earn accolades for dishes made from organic and local proteins and produce under the direction of chefs like Joshua Hopkins, Tyler Williams, Hector Santiago, and, most recently, King & Duke alum Joe Schafer. Quatrano will shift her focus to other eateries, including the W. H. Stiles Fish Camp, opening at Ponce City Market this spring, and a new restaurant to replace Quinones downstairs at Bacchanalia. But the Abattoir space will not sit vacant for long. Prolific chef-restaurateur Ford Fry will soon take over, marking his ninth restaurant venture and third on the Westside.

In case you missed it, Krog Street Market’s developers are embarking on a similar project at 777 Memorial Drive. Formerly the Atlanta Dairies complex, the now-dilapidated, 11-acre property situated amid Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown, and Grant Park is slated to get a facelift: featuring retail, commercial, office, and residential spaces that should be completed sometime in 2017. Expect apartments, live music stages, a pinball bar, a literary center with cafe, a 24-hour diner, flea markets, a beer garden, and a possible pharmacy. Details (especially about forthcoming eateries) as they arise.

Eight-year-old Las Brasas Peruvian restaurant in Decatur will reportedly close at 310 East Howard Ave., but the tasty and cheap rotisserie chicken mainstay is not gone for good; owner John Koechlin says he decided not to renew the lease partly because he wants a larger space to accommodate customers, Decatur Metro reveals. He’s currently scouring Kirkwood and Decatur for real estate options, and has asked for input from fans for suggested location.

The former home of Cabbagetown’s Village Pizza House at 186 Carroll St. has been grabbed up and renovated by the owners of Old Fourth Ward’s popular Bantam Pub. Called Cabbagetown Pie, the concept serves recipes from Bantam Pub chef Darvelio Ramirez, and includes plenty of pizzas, of course, but also appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, heartier entree options, and a full bar. Early Yelp reviews suggest the bar staff is friendly, as well.

Joey Zelinka, a Miami-born chef who has cooked for the likes of Rathbun’s, 4th & Swift, and the Sound Table, has returned to Old Fourth Ward’s Joystick Gamebar (H/T to Eater). Having first introduced his Junk Food concept as a pop-up last summer, Zelinka is now embarking on more regular venture, taking over the kitchen at the 427 Edgewood Ave. bar and eatery. Junk Food, which follows in the footsteps of the Illegal Food concept that preceded him, will showcase several twists on classic dishes: like potato chip tacos, fish sticks with shrimp hushpuppies, and grilled cheeses with tomato soup. Look for even more menu items come April.

Chamblee wine shop Le Caveau has just received quite the impressive shipment of vintages. As one of the only retailers in the U.S. to offer Belgian winemaker Frank Cornelissen’s ultra-rare, Sicilian-grown natural wines, the shop is now stocking one case of Cornelissen’s high-altitude 2013 MunJebel Bianco—of which only 10 cases will be sold in the States—as well as the 2013 Contadino No. 11 Rosso, 2013 MunJebel No. 10 Rosso, and 2013 MunJebel MC (Monte Colla) Rosso varietals. While supplies last.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to correct the pop-up restaurant Junk Food’s availability. Junk Food operates out of Joystick Gamebar Mon.-Fri., 5-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., noon-11 p.m.