The one Atlanta restaurant named to Bon Appetit's Top 50 Nominees for America's Best New Restaurants 2018 list isn't a restaurant in the traditional sense -- yet.
Talat Market, the Thai fusion brainchild of chef Parnass Savang, has been operating as a part-time pop-up out of Inman Park restaurant Gato since spring 2017. Savang and co-owner Rod Lassiter launched a Kickstarter earlier this year to open a brick-and-mortar location in the Summerhill neighborhood at 112 Ormond St. The $20,000 Kickstarter goal was met last month, and the restaurant is set to open in 2019.
This is the most recent recognition for Savang, who was a semifinalist this year in the Rising Star Chef category for a James Beard Foundation Award , was named the 2017 Atlanta Chef of the Year by Eater Atlanta and was named to StarChefs quarterly Rising Stars list.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
When reviewing Talat Market in 2017, AJC food writer Wendell Brock wrote, "It's an exhilarating scene: A thoughtful, creative chef on a mission to marry the wok cookery and exotic flavors of Thailand with the bounty of fresh local produce at his fingertips. A rapt audience of hungry onlookers with their BYOB beer and wine, waiting to see what the young master will bring out next."
Known for his inventiveness, Savang has served dishes including "yum khao poht pla grop," a salad of grilled corn and cherry tomatoes, smoked fish powder, crunchy fried garlic, herbs and flying fish roe and "yum nam prik num,” prepared with charred banana and shishito peppers, shallots, garlic, cilantro and crispy fingerling potato chips.
Born in California but raised in Gwinnett County, where his family owns the Lawrenceville Thai restaurant Danthai, Savang is a 2011 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He learned about seasonal produce while cooking at Empire State South under then-chef Ryan Smith. Just before opening Talat Market, he did double duty at both Kimball House and Staplehouse (again under Smith), where he absorbed ideas about pickling, preserving, powdering and using scraps of food.
Atlanta has represented well on Bon Appetit's list for the last two years -- in 2017, Brian So's Marietta eatery Spring was named to the list and was eventually ranked in the top 10 new restaurants, while Staplehouse was named to the list in 2016 and was ultimately named Best New Restaurant in the country (Inman park restaurant Bread & Butterfly was also named in the top 50 that year).
Bon Appetit will name its Top 10 new restaurants on Aug. 14.
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