An Italian restaurant from a James Beard Award-winning chef has closed in West Midtown.
Baffi, which opened in January 2021 at 976 Brady Ave. NW, closed last month, Tomorrow’s News Today first reported and a representative for the restaurant confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman and executive chef Andrew Cacioppo debuted Baffi about six months after Waxman’s first Atlanta restaurant, Brezza Cucina, closed at Ponce City Market.
The Italian menu featured dishes including roasted chicken, kale salad, meatballs and gnocchi.
Wendell Brock
Wendell Brock
Waxman, a California native, is best known for New York restaurants Barbuto and Jams, his appearances on “Top Chef Masters” and his 2016 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York City.
He shared a statement about Baffi’s closure via email with the AJC:
“Like many other operators, the pandemic took a great toll on our restaurant. We took a leap and reopened mid pandemic in a new space with a new name that we hoped would help us navigate these trying times. After nearly two years in West Midtown, we decided to close Baffi and refocus on maintaining and growing our New York restaurants. It’s been an honor to be part of Atlanta’s vibrant culinary scene and we are grateful for the support from all our guests and team members over the last seven years.”
The closure follows news of two other metro Atlanta restaurant closures.
Delia’s Chicken Sausage will close Sept. 4 at 881 Marietta St. NW, Eater Atlanta reports. The restaurant, owned by Flying Biscuit founder Delia Champion, opened in 2014. The first Delia’s, which opened on Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta in 2011, will remain open.
In addition, The Rusty Nail location at 8549 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs has closed after more than 40 years, Tomorrow’s News Today reports. The bar opened in 1978, four years after the original Rusty Nail opened on Buford Highway. The original location remains open.
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