Now We’re Cooking

◄ Halfway Crooks Beer 60 Georgia Ave. (678) 705-5530, halfwaycrooks.beer This local brewery is known for its well-balanced beer selection – and for the rooftop seating area that’s heated in cool weather. Some foods are also offered – like burgers, poutine and pretzels – but the beer is the star of the show here.

Big Softie 66 Georgia Ave. bigsoftieatl.com Big Softie uses local Georgia dairy and organic cane sugar to create their soft serve ice cream. Their sister company, The Little Tart Bakeshop, makes the toppings and waffle cones in-house.

►Hero Doughnuts & Buns 33 Georgia Ave. (470) 369-6800, herodoughnutsandbuns. com From its original outpost in Birmingham, Alabama, Hero Doughnuts has broken into new territories, including Summerhill. The shop is known for its delicious brioche-style yeast doughnuts, but the expanded menu includes breakfast, burgers, sandwiches and salads.

▼The Little Tart Bakeshop 68 Georgia Ave. (404) 348-4797, xt. 3, littletartatl.com The French-inspired Little Tart Bakeshop chose Summerhill for its first stand-alone location. There’s a full espresso menu alongside a bakery case filled with delectable, freshlybaked pastries.

Coming Soon

More restaurants are scheduled to come to Georgia Avenue’s restaurant row. D Boca N Boca plans to open at 39 Georgia Ave. The taqueria and gastropub will feature authentic Mexican fare and a full bar. Also, Summerhillatl.com reports that How Crispy will fill the space at 71B Georgia Ave. in late August or early September. How Crispy is known for crispy chicken sandwiches but plans to serve other items as well. There will be limited seating, since it’s primarily designed for take-out.

Now We’re Cooking: Mitchell Anderson

By Collin Kelley

Before he opened the popular MetroFresh restaurants in Atlanta, Mitchell Anderson was known for his roles on TV shows and films like “Party of Five,” “The Karen Carpenter Story” (he played brother Richard), “Jaws: The Revenge” and most recently an Emmynominated turn on the Amazon Prime series “After Forever.” When he’s not in front of the camera, Anderson is in the kitchen and now behind the bar. His longtime partner is salonowner Richie Arpino. We caught up with Anderson to talk about the evolution of Bar MetroFresh and his upcoming acting gigs. Plus, he shared his In the Mix playlist featuring fab tunes by everyone from Elton John to K.T. Oslin – and The Carpenters, of course.

Q. You opened the first MetroFresh in Midtown Promenade almost 16 years ago, which predates the farmto-table and “fresh” food trend in restaurants. How did you come up with the initial concept and what’s the secret to the restaurant’s longevity?

A. Honestly my inspiration came from my mentor and friend Jenny Levison, aka Souper Jenny. When I decided to leave show business, she took me into her kitchen and taught me a very improvisational approach to fresh food. I took to it right away and MetroFresh was born. Jenny was definitely ahead of her time, and, with her blessing and help, we brought farm-to-table food to Midtown all those years ago. I think I responded to this kind of fresh cooking because it’s what my mother did. We grew up in the farm country of Western New York, where seasonal produce was specific. My mother visited the farm stand daily in spring, summer and fall. Her menu was 100 percent based on what came in that day. Somehow, corn brought from the field and into your boiling water within an hour just tastes better!

Q. Tell us about the latest iteration – Bar MetroFresh – and what fans and newcomers can expect?

A. MetroFresh Uptown opened in August of 2019 in the beautiful Midtown Plaza, a block north of the High Museum. We copied our original location with breakfast and lunch for the office crowd but added an after-work bar experience. Of course, that location was impossible to operate for much of last year because of the pandemic. We closed for six months and reopened in September. Since then, we have continued to do breakfast and lunch for the hearty few who ventured into their office. I’m happy to report that our determination and perseverance has paid off and we are beginning to see an uptick as people finally return to the office. In January of this year, I decided to open the bar on Thursday nights with me as the bartender. I never tended bar in my life, but like everything about the last 12 months, you just sort of create and adjust. I realized that

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Velvet Taco has a second location at The Interlock in West Midtown, 1115 Howell Mill Rd. Menu favorites include Spicy Tikka Chicken, Korean Fried Rice and MexiCali Shrimp Tacos. Details at velvettaco.com. Incoming 5Church: Second location coming to 3379 Peachtree Road in Buckhead. (Fall) Saint-Germain: Ponce City Market favorite opening second location in Buckhead Village (Late summer) ►Epicurean Atlanta: Midtown culinary themed hotel will have three places to wine and dine: Aerial Kitchen & Bar, Office Bar and Reverence. (Late fall)