Argosy in East Atlanta Village is a neighborhood gastropub and beer bar from Donald Durant and Armando Celentano, who’s been overseeing the operation during the pandemic.
The partners also opened Sceptre Brewing Arts brewpub in Oakhurst last year. And, right now, Argosy is offering a fairly large takeout menu that includes offerings from Sceptre and other craft beers, along with canned cocktails.
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All of the Argosy favorites are still available, including the double-stack plancha burger, hot chicken sandwich and wood-fired pizzas. But, working with chef Tyler Haake, Celentano has been developing family meals that make use of products from Georgia farms.
The meatloaf meal is made with Stone Mountain Cattle Co. beef and pork, and the sides include hammock collards made with Baker’s Farm greens, and broccolini salad from Furrowed Earth Farm. The new picnic meal includes fried chicken from Springer Mountain Farms, slaw with cabbage from Elm Street Gardens, and berries from Furrowed Earth and Berry Good Farm.
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“Vegetables, proteins, everything is completely sourced from Georgia,” Celentano said. “And, it comes with a four-pack of Sceptre beer, which is a Georgia product, too.”
Haake said that, during the pandemic, the kitchen has been putting out a lot less food, but that’s given him the freedom to buy from some smaller farms, and experiment with more seasonal sides.
“Right now, I could easily say that 75% of our ingredients are local,” Haake said. “Anything that’s in our sides is easily local. We’re able to get collard greens year-round. We have Georgia boiled peanuts year-round. We even make hummus with Sea Island red peas.”
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Because the partners own the building and adjacent lot, and don’t need to worry about paying rent, Argosy has had the opportunity to experiment with different ways of doing business, too. And, that may continue after the pandemic.
“When we do reopen, we’re going to be able to evolve what we’ve been doing with the family meals into our full menu,” Celentano said. “We’ve been doing less than a quarter of our normal business, but it’s allowed us to keep the kitchen rolling, without doing a cold restart. That will be huge for us.”
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Adapting to social distancing, the lot has been turned into a grassy outdoor beer garden that eventually will be fenced in, and may even include a stage for music events, Celentano said.
Right now, guests can order food and drinks to go, and a server will deliver the order to a clean table that has freshly sanitized chairs.
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“For the most part, everyone has been very respectful out here,” Celentano said. “We have rules posted, and we’re only allowing four guests per table, and the tables are well over 6 feet apart. This might be the model for the future, or at least for a while.”
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ARGOSY
Menu: starters and snacks, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wood-fired pizzas, meatloaf family meal, sides, pantry items
What's new: fried chicken picnic meal; more seasonal sides from local farms
Alcohol: Scepter Brewing Arts and other craft beers; canned cocktails
What I ordered: eight-piece fried chicken picnic meal, with slaw, corn muffins, blueberries and peaches, and a four-pack of Sceptre Brewing Arts Thrash Can Wild American Lager. It all came packed in cardboard and plastic containers, and included house-made whipped honey butter and satsuma marmalade. The chicken was perfectly brown and crispy-crunchy on the outside and moist inside. The slaw was simple and very fresh, and the sweetish muffins were huge. Service options: to-go sales only; see current menu on Facebook; call ahead or line up with social distancing to order and pick up; socially distanced dining with orders delivered to designated tables in an outdoor area next to the parking lot; delivery via Uber Eats and Grubhub for regular menu; picnic meal, family meal, alcohol not available for delivery.
Safety protocols: following CDC guidelines; staff wears masks and gloves; sanitizing all surfaces, including designated outdoor tables and chairs
Address, phone: 470 Flat Shoals Ave. SE, Atlanta; 404-577-0407
Hours: 4-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, with expanded weekend hours soon
Website: facebook.com/TheArgosyEAV
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