Quick Bites: More Jim Stacy restaurants, Obama visits Manuel's, and more

Atlanta restaurant news roundup

By Kate Abney Friday March 13, 2015 02:32 PM EDT

Photo courtesy of Fifth Group
South City Kitchen will open soon in Buckhead.

Fifth Group is significantly expanding its restaurant presence, beginning with a South City Kitchen location in Buckhead (and its third in the metro). The first step in its five-year plan will include the new eatery on the first floor of 3350 Peachtree Road, where diners can enjoy dishes like she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, buttermilk fried Springer Mountain Farms chicken, and shrimp and Red Mule grits. La Tavola Trattoria’s expansion will follow, with two as-of-yet-undetermined locations in the metro area.

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CORRECTION* Last week, CL incorrectly reported the operating hours for chef Joey Zelinka's Joystick Gamebar pop-up concept Junk Food. (Our bad!) Junk Food operates out of Joystick Gamebar seven days a week: Mon.-Fri., 5-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., noon-11 p.m. Junk Food serves up twists on classic dishes like potato chip tacos, fish sticks with shrimp hushpuppies, and grilled cheeses with tomato soup.

Barack Obama stopped by Manuel’s Tavern during his visit to Atlanta this week. He played a game of darts while he was there. Obama was in town to speak at Georgia Tech about his new "Student Aid Bill of Rights”—which would require that the federal government further assist students with paying off loans—as well as attending a nearby Democratic National Committee meeting. Manuel’s was recently bought out by a developer, but will reemerge in a refurbished format.

Pallookaville’s Jim Stacy is reportedly working on two new concepts. Representing his third and fourth culinary establishments (the second will be a takeout-only, carnival-themed eatery called Pallookaville Junior in Little Five Points late this spring) are a Hawaiian meat-and-three called Moakai and an as-of-yet-unnamed coffee shop that will also specialize in doughnuts and biscuits, proprietor Jim Stacy revealed. Details are still spotty and not set in stone. Read more at Atlanta magazine.

Time Restaurant and Lounge soft-opened recently in the former home of Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’ now-defunct Straits restaurant at 793 Juniper St. While Bridges serves as the landlord, Simon Guobadia, former general manager of Buckhead Bottle Bar, serves as its owner and GM. The dishes from chef Nicola Johnson boast a fusion of Southern, Caribbean, and West African influences: think jerk pork, curried chicken, stewed oxtails, Nigerian melon soup, moimoi steamed bean pudding, and ayamase stew.

Forthcoming Ponce City Market eatery Bellina Alimentari (675 Ponce de Leon Ave.) has just named its executive chef. David Berry—a graduate of the NYC campus of the Culinary Institute of America who made a name for himself locally at Horseradish Grill—will helm the Italian-inspired restaurant, gourmet market, wine bar, and culinary club headquartered in the Central Food Hall.

Atlanta’s Castellucci Hospitality Group has appointed new executives chefs at two of its restaurants The Iberian Pig (121 Sycamore St.) has promoted former executive sous chef Eric Roberts to the position of top toque. The Rome, Georgia native previously served as chef de cuisine of Tomas in NYC before joining CHG. His new dishes include rabbit empanadas, chili-braised oxtails, and oven-roasted root vegetables with ancho chile-beet crema. At Double Zero Napoletana (5825 Roswell Road), former chef de cuisine Edwin Molina has taken the helm, combining his culinary knowhow from Atlanta’s Le Cordon Bleu with the lessons of his Italian family heritage.