Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Noble Fin, the new Peachtree Corners restaurant from chef/owner Jay Swift , opens for dinner at 5 tonight.
It’s billed as “a coastal American-inspired restaurant and bar,” and Swift’s son, Jeb Aldrich, is the chef de cuisine, overseeing a menu that begins with oysters and raw bar favorites and ranges over sections of small plates, seafood entrees, and steaks, chops and poultry served with sides.
Housed in a newly constructed freestanding building near the entrance to the Peachtree Corners Forum, the 5,200-square-foot space was designed by Jay George of WJG Design Inc. It’s accented with soft earth tones and weathered wood and features a large front bar area with a wine wall, a series of private and semiprivate dining rooms, and an outdoor patio.
Last week, while Noble Fin was in the midst of a soft opening, Swift and Aldrich took time out to talk about why they decided to bring a chef-driven seafood concept to Peachtree Corners.
“There are plenty of chef-driven restaurants in Johns Creek and Alpharetta, but there was really nothing here,” Swift said. “The demographics are here, and I can tell you that the neighborhood has already been so receptive. My sous chef took two reservations while taking out the trash yesterday.”
As far as opening a seafood restaurant, Swift and Aldrich point to their Baltimore roots and longtime passion for the likes of crab, lobster and oysters.
“There are only a couple of really good fish houses in all of metro Atlanta and there are none out here, so it seemed like a good fit,” Swift said. “We do prime steaks and other things, too, so there’s something for everybody. But, basically, it’s a fish house concept, and we’re committed to serving the best fresh seafood you can find anywhere in Atlanta.”
Though the price point is similar, Noble Fin is obviously very different from 4th & Swift, both in its aesthetic and its preparations — though Aldrich is definitely adding some chef turns to most dishes.
“It’s a little more casual than 4th & Swift, and the food is a little more familiar to people, with things from New England and Baltimore and Charleston,” Swift said.
“I graduated from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, then worked there, so between Baltimore and Charleston, this was something I really wanted to do,” Aldrich said. “We grew up cracking crabs on picnic tables covered with newspapers.”
Swift and Aldrich noted that the menu is still a work in progress, with weekday lunch service set to begin on Memorial Day. The beverage menu is still evolving, too, with an opening list of six house cocktails, 90 wines, and four local beers on draft, plus a mix of craft, import and mass-market beer in bottles.
“We’re going to evolve to what our guests want,” Swift said. “We’re cooking for them, not for us. And we’re asking them if there’s a beer they want, or wine they want, just let us know.”
5260 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners. 770-599-7979, noblefinrestaurant.com.
More images from a First Look at Noble Fin.
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
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