NEW RESTAURANT RADAR

Colony Square’s new food hall, Politan Row, is now open with Bar Politan, Belli Pizzeria, Bun Mi Grill, Federal Burger, Gekko, Locale Cafe, Pretty Little Tacos, Tandoori Pizza & Wings, Unbelibubble, and YOM. Details at colonysquare.com/ politan-row.

Hippin Hops Brewery & Oyster Bar, the first Black-owned brewery in Georgia, is now open at 1308 Glenwood Ave.

Grab a brew with some smoked gouda oysters or an alligator po’boy.

Find out more at hippinhopsbrewery.com.

A quick-serve Southern menu is featured at Maepole, with seasonal dishes in a build-yourown format. Diners choose a base, sides, protein (optional) and sauces from a variety of fresh, tasty options.

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Talat Market

112 Ormond St. (404) 257-6255, talatmarketatl.com

Another pop-up success story is Talat Market; ‘talat’ means ‘market’ in Thai. Owners Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter bring together Thai techniques and ingredients sourced here in Georgia. Even the cocktails blend classic Thai ingredients with local produce.

Wood’s Chapel BBQ

85 Georgia Ave. (404) 522-3000, woodschapelbbq.com

Woods Chapel BBQ opened in 2019 and was named for one of the first churches to serve the Summerhill community after the Civil War. The restaurant uses traditional wood-fired pits for an extensive menu that includes whole hog, prime brisket, salmon and turkey.

PITA Mediterranean Street Food is now open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium near section 120 on the 100-level of the arena. Sports fans and concertgoers will find rotisseries full of gyro and kebabs flaming on the grill. For more, visit pitastreetfood. com.

Decatur is home to the second outpost of Hattie Marie’s Texas Style BBQ and Cajun Kitchen at 130 Clairmont Ave. Find out more at hattiemariesbarbecue.com.

Drinks and Treats

◄ 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 bigsoftieatl.com

66 Georgia Ave.

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 continued on page 34

Incoming

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.

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) having a safe place for people to socialize in the middle of the pandemic was incredibly fulfilling.

Based on that experience, I decided to upgrade my existing beer and wine license at the Midtown Promenade store and add liquor. Our location off the Beltline, and the upgrade to the entire complex creates an incredible opportunity to evolve. I am thrilled we survived this last year and I was super excited to reopen for nighttime dinner service with the addition of Bar MetroFresh. We’ve always been such a great, casual, neighborhood staple that having the option to pop in for a cocktail with friends and hang out for a bit is perfect. We look forward to feeling out the potential of Bar MetroFresh, including live music and entertainment both inside and on the patio.

Q. What are some of your other favorite restaurants and bars in the city?

A. I love Kyma, where our friend Chef Pano always treats us to his amazing Greek specialties. We never put in an order; the food just keeps coming out. Canoe is our favorite special occasion restaurant. You just can’t beat the setting and the food is always inspiring. We live right up the street from Nino’s, which is the best for traditional old school Italian. I’m also a huge fan of Ford Fry and love No. 246 in Decatur.

Q. You’re well known for your acting work in TV, films, and on stage. Which came first: your love of acting or cooking?

A. Honestly, cooking came first. But they were sort of tied together. I’m not kidding you when I tell you as a child, making cookies or pies at home, I used to pretend I was Julia Child or The Galloping Gourmet. I’d set out all the ingredients and narrate my process as I went along for an imaginary camera and an imaginary audience.

Q. You were recently nominated for an Emmy for “After Forever” – are there more acting roles coming up soon?

A. We are shooting season three of “After Forever” in September of this year. It was postponed for a year because of the pandemic. I am also working on a one man show about my life in Hollywood and how I wound up cooking for a living. It was a New Year’s resolution that I made to challenge myself in the year I turn 60! I have just booked Synchronicity Theater for the first weekend in November. I’m scared to death, but also super excited. I’ve never done anything like this, but I needed a project that was not “restaurant related,” It’s been awesome to be able to take a break from my day job when I can to focus on something else – something that I’ve always loved.