Avery Cottrell had been looking for a brick-and-mortar space for his barbecue-focused pop-up, Gene’s, for more than a year when fate seemed to step in.
Cottrell, who works as a chef at Poor Hendrix in the Hosea + 2nd development in East Lake, found out two months ago that Korean-Japanese restaurant Salaryman would be closing next door, and jumped at the chance to work his day job while also working on his own project. He’s aiming for a March 2024 opening.
“It’s so nice, because I can finish up with work at Poor Hendrix, then run right next door and work on the space,” he said. ”It’s a lot, but I’ve been doing the pop-up thing for so long, I’m accustomed to burning the candle at both ends.”
The Atlanta native launched Gene’s before the pandemic, when he was still living and working in New Orleans. He’d drive up to do pop-ups at Decatur brewery Inner Voice and restaurant Kimball House, several of whose owners he met and befriended while working at Brick Store Pub when he was a teenager, then again when Kimball House opened in 2013 (the Kimball House partners are also partnering on Gene’s, along with John Ward, who works for Victory Brands restaurant group).
Eventually he moved back to Atlanta with his wife, Elizabeth Hurstell, and their baby daughter. Over the past couple of years, he’s popped up at restaurants including Argosy in East Atlanta, Talat Market in Summerhill and, naturally, Poor Hendrix.
Credit: Avery Cottrell
Credit: Avery Cottrell
The menu at Gene’s, which is named for Cottrell’s 35-pound pet cat who he calls “my muse,” will be focused on meats that will be smoked onsite in a bubble gum pink, 1,000-gallon offset smoker made by local company Primitive Pit. He also plans to incorporate flavors used in Vietnamese cuisine, creating “food that’s very acidic and herbal.”
He’ll pull from favorites featured on past pop-up menus, including fish sauce caramel sticky pork ribs garnished with herbs, peanuts and fried shallots, and lean on some recipes from his grandmother, including fish dip and “stuffed eggs,” a version of deviled eggs that Cottrell plans to serve with a cracklin’ gremolata.
The menu will also feature sandwiches including pulled pork and smoked chicken salad, as well as specials like brisket cheesesteak, Cubans and a smoked Philly pork sandwich. He also plans to make use of seasonal produce, offering a creole tomato pie during the summer, for instance.
Sides, including roasted chili cream esquites and green goddess potato salad, will be mostly vegan or vegetarian. Cottrell’s wife will make the restaurant’s pastries, including a cherry pie.
Credit: Avery Cottrell
Credit: Avery Cottrell
At about 9 p.m., the restaurant will shift to a small late-night menu of snacks like egg rolls and “Daytona” chicken wings that will be smoked, fried, sauced and then grilled. Cottrell also plans to add a Sunday barbecue brunch menu with dishes such as breakfast burritos made with smoked meats and New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp.
“There’s a lot of good barbecue in Atlanta, but I just wanted to provide a little bit of a different lens,” Cottrell said. “I’m planning to keep everything true to what represents me as a cook,” Cottrell said.
Cottrell is working with Kimball House partner Miles Macquarrie on the beverage program, which will feature “fun, silly” drink options like Jell-O shots and frozen drinks.
The space, which seats about 85 inside and an outdoor patio, with additional seats on a backyard greenspace shared with other 2nd + Hosea tenants, will be counter service, with booths and bar seating. Though the decor will be reminiscent of “if Pee Wee Herman had a dive bar,” Cottrell said, he stressed that Gene’s will be family-friendly, complete with a kids menu.
Cottrell expects Gene’s to be open Thursday-Saturday for lunch and dinner and Tuesday for dinner only. In the meantime, he will continue appearing in the pop-up circuit, including an upcoming collaboration with Laotian pop-up So So Fed at OK Yaki in East Atlanta.
Once open, Gene’s will join several food and beverage concepts in the Hosea + 2nd development including La Fonda Latina, Hippin Hops and Mix’d Up Burgers, in addition to Poor Hendrix.
“The fact that we’re in a corner building, it has such charm and reminds me of a lot of New Orleans,” Cottrell said. “Hopefully we can create some of that magic.”
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