???? R. Thomas birds safe!

There are some very good noodles in this newsletter!

Feb. 26 — Hello, internet friends. 

This spring is shaping up to be a major season for Atlanta restaurant openings and food events. Get those calendars ready! 

In this week’s Quick Bites, I have the scoop on Atlanta’s latest restaurant openings, the adjusted hours at one of Decatur’s best coffee shops, and a relocation update on R. Thomas Deluxe Grill’s beloved tropical birds. I also share an update on iconic Athens restaurateur Dexter Weaver’s retirement. The building, now sold, was home to one of northeast Georgia’s most famous soul food restaurants. Enjoying your food was an honor, sir. Automatic! 

Later on in “Side Dish,” a story digs deeper into the Del Taco drama. You can also catch up with Atlanta chef Todd Richards at his new kitchen gig in Buckhead and peek at the new food stalls coming to Pittsburgh Yards. Plus, I share observations from a first-time restaurant visit that left me absolutely smitten. 

ICYMI, here’s a link to this week’s “Family Meal,” where Beth recapped February’s restaurant openings and Chef Gary Caldwell offered his family’s recipe for burnt sugar cake. 

See y’all next week,
Sarra

 At The New School, the City of Atlanta is an essential classroom. Our students explore their passions through year-long internships, an entrepreneurship class where they start their own businesses, and extended projects addressing real-world problems. From TNS, they go everywhere! Accepting applications. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Quick Bites

Openings

A new Whataburger location opened in Johns Creek this week. 

 Common Coffee & Cocktails is now open on Buford Highway in Doraville. 

Closings

 Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods in Athens closed last week, according to Flagpole. The soul food restaurant is best known for founder Dexter Weaver’s slogan, “Automatic for the People,” which Athens-based alt-rock band R.E.M. adopted as an album title in 1992. Weaver, now 72, opened the restaurant in 1986 and will retire. The restaurant received an America’s Classics designation from the James Beard Foundation in 2007. Local restaurateur Joe Nezda purchased the building and plans to open something new there.

 Gula Indonesian Desserts in Doraville is temporarily closed while the Ariesandi family visits Indonesia. The cafe will reopen March 14 at 11 a.m. 

Restaurant updates

 R. Thomas Deluxe Grill finally addressed its temporary closure on social media this week. Earlier this month, the restaurant suddenly closed and dismissed its longtime employees. A sign placed on the door revealed the closure will last through March 19 while the restaurant undergoes renovations and system upgrades. 

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and [truly] appreciate your understanding,” an Instagram post read. “These improvements will allow us to serve you better [and] enhance your overall experience.” A subsequent post revealed the restaurant’s famous trio of tropical birds are waiting out the renovations at Fancy Feathers in Norcross. 

R. Thomas has yet to comment on whether employees laid off during the renovation will return to work in March or if the Buckhead restaurant will hire new staff members.

Over in Decatur, starting March 1, Opo Coffee will open on Sundays. Opo’s Sunday hours will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

 Congratulations to Dunwoody’s NFA Burger, which won the South Beach Food & Wine Festival’s Burger Bash this year! Hosted by Rachael Ray, judges included Gayle King. Watch founder Billy Kramer win here. 
Menu changes

 Momonoki in Midtown recently launched build-your-own ramen Tuesdays. The customizable menu starts at $13 and allows a choice of broth, noodles, one type of protein, and three types of vegetables. Add-ons such as cheese pork katsu ($5.50) and ramen eggs ($1.50 each) are also available. 

 5Church in Midtown now offers a $16 weekday lunch deal. It includes a choice of soda, iced tea, or coffee. 

Coming attractions

Que-Riosity by Chef Todd Richards will open in McDonough this spring. 

 San Francisco Coffee’s new location at Loria Ansley will open this spring. Stay tuned for a story on San Francisco Coffee’s history and legacy in Atlanta. 

 MilkShake Factory’s newest metro Atlanta location opens March 7 in Roswell. It joins locations in Cumming and Milton. The new location will celebrate with a free grand opening event from noon to 4 p.m. that includes a buy one, get one free offer on shakes, sundaes, and molten cups. The first 100 guests will receive free MilkShake Factory t-shirts. 

Shake Shack will open its first drive-thru location in Athens next week. 

Philadelphia-based chain Spread Bagelry will open its first Atlanta location in Buckhead this March. 

Whoopsie’s, Pure Quill Superette, and Rising Son owner Hudson Rouse will open Babygirl in East Lake this spring. According to an Instagram announcement, the restaurant will open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

With this summer’s World Cup matches on the horizon, a number of hotels are opening in downtown Atlanta. Those include the Moxy Downtown, which opens March 26 and brings Eggslut and rooftop bar Jagger Suite to the neighborhood, and the JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown, which did “a complete transformation of the former W Atlanta hotel.” 

Add to your calendar 

  Enso Izakaya in Avondale Estates will host live jazz nights with Yuichi Arai San on Feb. 26, March 5, and March 19. 

 Your 3rd Spot and Planetary Rum will host a tiki night Feb. 27, from 8 to 11 p.m. The event will feature guided tasting stations, a Planetary Rum tasting, a custom syrup studio, a Mai Tai lab where guests can build personalized cocktails, and more. Tickets are $40 for members and $60 for non-members and include a $10 token for food.

 On Feb. 28, Omakase 1678 in Brookhaven will host local direct-to-consumer matcha company Oohmami Matcha for a pop-up from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

 Dhaba BBQ and Umbrella Bar are collaborating for a Holi and Seoul event at Ponce City Market East March 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. Expect cocktails and dishes like yuzu lemon pepper masala and tandoori sesame wings, crispy tots with kimchi pulled butter chicken and chaat masala gochujang paneer, and kathi rolls with tikka soy pulled pork.  

At Epicurean Atlanta in Midtown, the hotel’s demonstration kitchen will host Coffee Connoisseur for a tasting on March 7, from 10 a.m. to noon. The tasting explores coffee, brewing techniques, flavor profiles, and preparation methods. Tickets are $40. 

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Top Stories From the Week

Chef Todd Richards lands at Waldorf Astoria in Buckhead 

Chef Todd Richards has accomplished a wealth of feats since arriving in Atlanta in the early 1990s, which started with working in hotel kitchens. Now, Richards is back in the hotel business, overseeing all of the culinary operations at Waldorf Astoria Atlanta in Buckhead, including its restaurant, Brassica.

 Read more on Todd Richards and his work with hotel and airport restaurants.

Del Taco’s drama thickens

 Remember how Del Taco’s locations in Tucker, Lawrenceville, Smyrna, and other surrounding communities randomly closed earlier this month? Turns out that was all the franchisee’s decision and Del Taco’s corporate entity is looking into options for reopening those locations. This is an ongoing fast-food saga. 

 Read Stephanie Toone’s story on the Del Taco franchise closures. 

Pittsburgh Yards adds six food businesses 

The final container at Pittsburgh Yards in southwest Atlanta has been placed, making space for three new food businesses, bringing the total to six at the container courtyard. The container courtyard expects to be fully operational by late spring. 

 Read about the container courtyard at Pittsburgh Yards.

At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets partner up to provide two recipes you can make using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got a tasty sausage-covered grit cake and chicken kebabs. Check out both recipes here.

 At The New School, the City of Atlanta is an essential classroom. Our students explore their passions through year-long internships, an entrepreneurship class where they start their own businesses, and extended projects addressing real-world problems. From TNS, they go everywhere! Accepting applications. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

That Slaps!

Do you ever step into a restaurant for the first time and immediately concede to its charm? For a food writer, it’s almost like developing a new crush.

I was Authentic Hand-Pulled Noodle House’s first customer on Lunar New Year. As I walked up that morning, I was surprised and confused, because Canton Kitchen, another new Chinese and dim sum restaurant, is located next door. They’re not affiliated, just adjacent — I checked.

I sat in the corner and watched customers occupy tables – a mix of families, couples, and another lone diner like myself. People ran into acquaintances, both by intention and happenstance. The chef carried out noodle bowls from the kitchen himself.

I ordered three vastly different dishes — cucumber salad, a chicken burger, and biang biang noodles with pork belly to take home and let my husband finish later. Each came with an ideal degree of flavor and texture: the chicken burger’s ultra-savory notes cut with a bit of tangy sweetness; the cucumber salad hit the right degree of fermentation; and the noodles alternated between vinegary, chili crisp-crusted and juicy and always intoxicatingly chewy. (I like noodles that deviate from the norm best. There’s just something extra engaging about those squiggly lines.)

We’re always looking for recipes to highlight on Rough Draft. If you have a favorite dish from a restaurant you want the recipe for, please send me an email to sarra@roughdraftatlanta.com. 

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