Dirty Rascal, chef Todd Ginsberg’s newest restaurant, is set to debut Jan. 5 inside the Thompson Buckhead hotel.
Ginsberg, who also co-owns and operates several metro Atlanta restaurants including General Muir, Wood’s Chapel BBQ, Yalla and Fred’s Meat & Bread, is partnering with Executive Chef Josh Hopkins, formerly of Empire State South, on the lobby-level eatery. The modern Italian-American menu, “reminiscent of institutions you might find in 1960s New York or off-the-strip Las Vegas,” according to a press release, will have separate breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Hopkins, who most recently served as director of culinary operations for Rye Restaurants, co-owned by Ginsberg, will oversee the daily operation of the restaurant.
The restaurant’s name is a nod to Ginsberg’s childhood nickname, given to him by his mother “in response to his knack for getting into harmless trouble.” The restaurant’s menus will pay tribute to Ginsberg’s mother, who prepared many Italian dishes for the family as he was growing up. The dishes might also be familiar to patrons of the General Muir, which has served Sunday Night Spaghetti meals for several years.
For breakfast, look for bakery items including zucchini bread, and ham and cheese cornetto; plates including avocado toast and the Dirty Rascal Egg Sandwich with fontina, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, pepper jam, calabrian aioli and red onion; and ala carte items like fried eggs and grits.
Dinner options include appetizers (mussles arrabiata, beef carpaccio, meatballs); soups and salads (citrus and fennel salad, pasta e fagioli soup); pastas (lobster fra diavolo, lasagna); fish (flounder francese, salmon oreganato); meat (New York Strip Diane, pork chop with peppers and onion); and sides (polenta, broccolini and garlic)
The lunch menu features menu dishes from the dinner menu, with the addition of hero sandwiches and panins.
At times, expect to see “theatrical” table-side preparations. For instance, during truffle season, fettuccini alfredo will be prepared tableside and finished with shaved Alba truffles.
The cocktail list will feature apertivos, martinis and cocktails like the Amaro Smash with rye, Cynar 70, mint, honey and lemon and the Saratoga with rye, benedictine, lemon and chianti float.
The space’s mid-century design features a large, central bar with marble top and red leather bar front as the focal point. The main dining room’s walls are lined with alcoves and round leather booths.
Opening hours will be 7-11 a.m. daily for breakfast and 5:30-10 p.m. for dinner. Lunch hours will be added soon.
On Jan. 13, the hotel’s rooftop will become home to private club Tessarae, from the team behind Singapore’s 1880 Club. Accessible to members and guests staying in Thompson Buckhead suites, Tessarae will hold guest-chef dinners, and will have a beverage program created by Atlanta native Joe Alessandroni, who built several bar programs in Asia and served as head bartender at Rickhouse in San Francisco.
Thompson Buckhead is the latest in a recent string of new Atlanta hotels with high-profile food and beverage concepts, including Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta, Epicurean Atlanta, Kimpton Sylvan Hotel, Bellyard Hotel and the forthcoming Thompson Buckhead.
415 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 234-567-8910, dirtyrascal.com/
Scroll down to see the full menu and photos:
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Prince Photography
Credit: Chelsea Prince Photography
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Chelsea Patricia Photo
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
Credit: Dirty Rascal
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