Great Spaces for Your Next Event

Two great local restaurants that were featured in Southwest Gwinnett Magazine

Aomi Japanese Restaurant

aomijapanese.com ple can be accommodated in the restaurant. A buyout option is contingent upon the size, start time and duration of your party.

Manager Scott Choi suggested grouping guests according to food allergies or sensitivities so one grill can prepare vegetarian meals only, for example. Business hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; they’re open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Aomi often delivers to places of business during the week.

Imperial Fez Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge

imperialfezrestaurant.com

Aomi at the Forum serves up dinner and a show, consisting of chefs skillfully wielding spatulas during a sort of live cooking show enhanced by a pyrotechnic performance as guests look on tableside. It’s Japanese cuisine on fire — literally. Hibachi means “fire bowl.” Watch as steak, chicken, salmon and lobster are prepared on the hibachi grill with fried rice.

A sushi bar is also part of the Aomi experience during both lunch and dinner. They prepare all your favorites like sushi rolls, sashimi, nigiri and udon noodle dishes.

“What’s special about a hibachi party is the social aspect of a large group getting together to have really amazing food and creating memories at the same time. It’s entertainment. We provide the best quality we can,” said Manager Kenny Park.

Gather by the fire to eat and drink

You can have up to 110 guests around different hibachi tables sectioned off for your private event. Parties of up to 140 peo-

After a 30-year stint in Buckhead, Imperial Fez Mediterranean Restaurant moved to Berkley Lake. The OTP crowd gained a sensory escape to the faraway sights, sounds, aromas and flavors of North Africa.

Loyal Buckhead patrons willingly head northeast now for the unique ambiance, authentic Moroccan cuisine, excellent service and exotic entertainment they’d long enjoyed. What an exciting and surprising way to be able to fête in Southwest Gwinnett!

Have your next meeting or celebration at Imperial Fez and journey to Morocco for two hours with up to 125 of your dearest friends and loved ones. Private rooms are available for your special occasions, like The Rabat for intimate gatherings of up to 15 people or The Marrakesh room for a party of 30-35 guests. Larger parties of up to 70 can be accommodated in The Casa Blanca room.

Patio space is also available. Sit on low, lounge-style seating with pillows and sofas or at regular tables, chairs and booths.

Amidst the ethnic décor of richly colored fabrics and intricate patterns, you’ll encounter traditional Moroccan cuisine and hospitality.

I spoke to Chef and Owner Rita Benjelloun, who along with her husband, fellow Chef and Owner Rafih, takes great pride in sharing their customs.

Leave your shoes and worries at the door. Your five-course meal begins with a tableside washing-ofthe-hands ritual. Using a “tass,” an ornate sliver kettle and bowl set, a server pours warm rose water from the kettle onto your hands as you wash. The matching silver bowl catches the water below. Utensils are abandoned in favor of using your hands to consume the savory meal.

Shake it up

Indulge in dishes like Lamb Tajine, Chicken Kabobs, Couscous, Lemon Pepper Crispy Pompano and Roasted Pheasant with pomegranate sauce. Enjoy the meal as belly dancers move fluidly about with travel- ing steps and turns, entertaining diners as they accent the beat of the Middle Eastern music with staccato hip movements and relaxed shoulder shimmies. For all that may seem foreign at Imperial Fez, familiar favorites like a full bar and VIP tables are also available. “A wide range of foods, including Caesar Salad and Mediterranean dishes with an Italian and Spanish influence, are also on the menu. It’s not just Moroccan food,” Benjelloun said.

Special dietary needs, including Halal, can be accommodated. Benjelloun recommends at least three to four days’ notice for a weekday event, and as much advance notice as possible for weekend parties, as that is when they’re busiest. Imperial Fez is open Wednesday to Saturday, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. and parties can be booked on any day. ■

This excerpt was published in the September/October 2022 issue of Southwest Gwinnett Magazine. Writing by Patrizia Winsper and photography by George Hunter.

Continued from page 56

“In the end, a majority of the council felt additional housing was necessary to create the energy needed to support and improve our shops and restaurants at the Forum and offset the headwinds of changes in retail that have been accelerating since the pandemic,” said Gratwick.

■ Phase one of North American Properties’ plan includes enhancements to the middle of The Forum where it will relocate parking and create interactive community spaces, including a small green space and a food hall with outdoor seating.

■ Phase two will include new apartments which will be located behind the landscaping off Peachtree Parkway. This landscaping will remain in place with apartments behind where the pavement stops.

■ Phase three will include a new boutique hotel.

Public Meeting: Peachtree Corners Comprehensive Planning

The City will be hosting a community meeting to solicit input from the public on its 2045 Comprehensive Plan.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23rd at 7 pm in the Community Chest room at City Hall, 310 Technology Pkwy.

Meeting topics will include Housing (Apartments, Single and Multi-family Homes, Rental Properties, etc.), Trails, Transportation, and Land Uses.

This will be the first in a series of meetings. A subsequent community meeting will be held at the Peachtree Corners Town Center on Saturday, May 13th.

Gratwick went on to emphasis that a city can’t have a “no apartments zone” and that Peachtree Corners City Council is looking at every proposed housing project on it individual merits and how it fits into the city’s master plan.

“There is a state mandated requirement that every city rewrite its land use plan every 10 years,” said Gratwick. The city is in the midst of a development survey and needs as much input as possible. There will be community forums annually in Peachtree Corners. While that is a huge boon to the city, it means a lot to the surrounding area as well.

“We are approaching a point where we will have more jobs in the city than residents, which is a sign of a healthy, vibrant community,” said Gratwick. “Of course, with that comes challenges; we will need to continue …to meet the right balance of growth and preservation of things that make us the great city to live in now.” took over half of Curiosity Lab’s design space to further develop its SkyTy drone solution, according to a press release. The goal is to tie reinforcing bar (rebar) at construction sites almost two and half times faster, 32% cheaper and with 84% less labor than manual rebar tying.

To add to the employment growth, the city created Curiosity Lab as a smart technology incubator. It has attracted numerous businesses and thousands of jobs.

Gratwick also highlighted Pipedream Labs, a company that is testing an innovative underground delivery system. The company has leased space in the development and will be testing the delivery of packages and food.

Quality of life

and online surveys where residents and stakeholders are encouraged to learn more about the process.

Jobs here help neighboring economies

Perhaps the most highly anticipated project in recent years is Intuitive Surgical bringing its East Coast headquarters to Peachtree Corners. The robotic-assisted surgery technology company is bringing more than 1,200 jobs with an average salary of over $130,000. It is investing more than $600 million to create a state-of-the-art medical campus that will bring visitors who will fill the 19,000 hotel rooms used

“Curiosity Lab was founded when our staff discovered there was a missing second step in the evolution of technology, particularly with autonomous vehicles,” said Gratwick. “There was the initial phase, the controlled lab, the crawl space, if you will, and the run space which would be active in users, but there wasn’t a place to test with variables in place.”

Curiosity Lab sets Peachtree Corners apart from most other cities because of its 5G enabled living laboratory for testing and developing smart city Internet of Things (IoT) and mobility. Gratwick mentioned two companies that are making important strides.

SkyMul has created software to provide drones with the ability to remotely tie together rebar in construction projects. The young company, headed by CEO Eohan George,

In the video, Gratwick pointed out that the city has almost completed the 1.74 mile stretch of multiuse trail along east Jones Bridge Road.

“If you recall the mayor’s presentation from last year, when he talked about the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Chattahoochee RiverLands project, this will be part of a 150-mile stretch of multi-use trails from Buford Dam all the way down to Newnan,” said Gratwick. “Our project will have a pedestrian crossing at Johns Creek.” He added that discussions are already underway with the city of Johns Creek.

Gratwick wrapped up the presentation by pointing out efforts to improve the quality of life in Peachtree Corners. Parks, trails and retail developments are obvious, and they are projects that are highly visible. He added that just as important are the components you can’t see.

“If you’ve been in Simpsonwood Park lately, you’ve probably noticed the Wolf Creek Lift Station improvement,” said Gratwick. “While this is a county project and not a city project, it is a much-needed upgrade to the sewer that serves the northwest quadrant of our city. …This is not a sexy project, but it is one that will ensure that we will have ample sewer capacity and no interruptions to service.”■