One of Atlanta's most iconic restaurants, Pano's & Paul's, will close after Valentine's Day, just five days short of its 30th anniversary.
But as one door closes another opens: Plans are in the works for two new restaurants from Pano Karatassos' Buckhead Life Restaurant Group toward the end of 2009.
"I don't think of it as closing," Karatassos said of Pano's & Paul's, which helped bring Atlanta dining into national prominence in the late '70s and early '80s and has been known for its fine service, cicular banquettes and signature fried lobster tails. "I think of it as a move."
The new restaurants, both in Buckhead, will be Balon Rouge, a stylish brasserie in the Sovereign at 3344 Peachtree Road, and Pano's, part of the St. Regis Atlanta at 88 W. Paces Ferry Road, touting a menu and ambiance that is "a little more high-end."
Gary Donlick is slated to helm the kitchen at Balon Rouge; the search is on for a Pano's chef. Pano Karatassos Jr. will help in the kitchen at the latter, in addition to his duties as executive chef of Kyma, which specializes in high-end Greek and fresh fish.
Employees of Pano's & Paul's will be offered positions at other Buckhead Life restaurants (10 will remain in Atlanta after the closing, not counting a private function facility and two restaurants in Boca Raton, Fla.).
"For 15 years every night at Pano's & Paul's was like a Saturday night," Karatassos said of the Buckhead Life flagship he and fellow chef Paul Albrecht opened in February 1979. But new and glitzy competition diminished Pano's & Paul's profile and business in recent years.
On Feb. 15, the restaurant will host a closing private reunion for employees going back to its opening. "It's for the old-timers," Karatassos said, "a chance to shake hands and toast the years."
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