It may seem as if there were no new openings in the past year, but in spite of a downturned economy, restaurants opened. Here are five of the best that have opened since January 2009. Since I couldn’t mention them all, here are the best of the rest: Community Q BBQ, Leon’s Full Service, Livingston, Sauced and Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft. You can vote for your favorite in Best of the Big A at www. accessatlanta.com all weekend.
Abattoir
1170 Howell Mill Road, inside the White Provision complex, Atlanta, 404-892-3335, www.starprovisions.com
With Abattoir, Atlanta adds a gem to the family of stellar restaurants from chef-owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, which includes Bacchanalia, Floataway Cafe, Quinones at Bacchanalia and Star Provisions. Quatrano and executive chef Joshua Hopkins have fashioned wonderfully simple and delightfully inventive dishes from tripe stew to chicken schnitzel, and refreshingly crafted cocktails to the bliss of chicken liver mousse in a jar. The surroundings are Westside, warehouse chic, and all Quatrano, right down to the artisanal breads and the music playlist.
Bocado
887 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, 404-815-1399, www.bocadoatlanta.com
Bocado was the surprise of the year last year, from chef Todd Ginsberg’s fresh, fun, easygoing menu to the hip vibe this cool restaurant has created on the city’s too-cool-for school Westside. Ginsberg has finally found a kitchen that allows him to break from the mold and cook like a pro, from a loaded sandwich with roasted poblano smeared with pimento cheese and stacked with bacon and fried green tomatoes to some of the best desserts all year from pastry chef Jennifer von Schlichten, who manages to update homespun treats with a modern flair. With spring, Ginsberg is sure to bring new creations to the table. I can’t wait.
La Pietra Cucina
1545 Peachtree St., Suite 100, Atlanta, 404-888-8709, www.lapietracucina.com
Chef Bruce Logue snuck up on everyone by opening this Italian mecca near Pershing Point. From sauce all’ Amatriciana with house-made guanciale to house-cut pastas, this Italian enclave offers a taste of Italy that’s hard to find elsewhere in Atlanta.
Miller Union
999 Brady Ave., Atlanta, 678-733-8550, www.millerunion.com
Chef Steven Satterfield offers vegetables and meats that burst with flavor, and he has an eye and palate for seasonally fresh, local ingredients — prepared simply and honestly. He gets his products locally whenever possible and actually laments when he can’t. The former Watershed sous chef has teamed up with partner Neal McCarthy, who warms the stylishly laid-out dining room with his British charm, creating a welcoming atmosphere and one of the most homespun, memorable meals this side of your grandmother’s house. That is, of course, only if your grandmother is a professionally trained chef.
Antico Pizza Napoletana
1093 Hemphill Ave., Atlanta, 404-724-2333, www.anticopizza.it
Few restaurants have had as much media buzz as this tiny takeout spot on the Westside where Neapolitan pizza rules and everyone else drools. One sunny afternoon, I sat at the oversized baking bench that owner and pizzaiolo Giovanni Di Palma has turned into a table and noshed on fra diavolo pizza with spicy peppers, sopressata, pepperoni and mozzarella di bufala, with an entire sheet pan for my plate. The pizza here is the best in the city, but what’s really wonderful is the odd comfort this makeshift dining room offers — folks sit together, sheet pans touching, and offer each other slices while Di Palma works the room as if he were Sinatra at the Sands.
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