Buckhead Steakhouses + Six Best Dishes in July
July 31 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for peach and tomato bruschetta using fresh produce from the farmers market. And with July ending, we’re shouting out the six best dishes we enjoyed this month from Atlanta restaurants.
➕ Read about the closure of Lure after 14 years on Crescent Avenue in Midtown. And, in a story from Rough Draft contributor Lia Picard, find out why there are so many steakhouses in Buckhead. Plus, there is a handy guide to help you navigate.
🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on a handful of restaurant openings in Roswell, Chamblee, and Sylvan Hills, as well as how to participate in storytelling sessions for a new book on The Colonnade.Plus, food events to attend and other dining news to know.
In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal.” It features a recipe for olive oil pancakes with orange labneh, where to find muhammara and cheese manoushe in Metro Atlanta, and a feature story on the mini cocktail craze at Atlanta bars.
Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!
🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra
✨ Food. Drinks. Stories. Improv. Community. L5P Alliance’s annual fundraiser People Make the Place returns Sun., Aug. 17! Experience the spirit of Little Five Points while supporting local arts, safety, and placemaking efforts. Together, we build a better L5P. Learn more here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Have You Heard?
Photo by Ryan Fleisher
📖 Make Atlanta History
Do you want to be immortalized in print and become part of Atlanta history? Legendary Cheshire Bridge restaurant The Colonnade and Atlanta reporter and author Richard L. Eldredge are partnering with Ardmore Avenue Publishing to create a commemorative book celebrating the beloved Southern food institution’s 100th anniversary in 2027. Storytelling sessions will be held throughout the next year at The Colonnade, inviting people to share their tales for possible inclusion in the book. The first session takes place on Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. at The Colonnade. People can also join the Facebook group “Memories of Atlanta’s Colonnade.”
🥳 Restaurant Openings
Nearly a year after announcing their intention to open La Bodega, Ken Katz and Jeannette Flores-Katz opened the Salvadoran market and pupuseria on Sylvan Road in Sylvan Hills last week. Previously located at The Met in Adair Park, La Bodega expands in Sylvan Hills, serving pupusas, sandwiches, and hot dishes, and will eventually include a small market selling fresh produce and pantry items. While La Bodega ramps up service, expect a limited menu. A grand opening is also in the works. Read more about the couple’s plans for La Bodega here.
The owners of Southbound in Chamblee recently opened The Harvey on Peachtree Road. The sports bar features a rooftop patio and a menu with pizza, wings, corn dogs, and burgers.
Cocktail lounge and tasting restaurant Truth Be Told opened in the former Rice Thai restaurant space on Canton Street in downtown Roswell. Reservations are open for the prix fixe menu, while walk-ins are available at the bar for à la carte food.
Another location of Jinya Ramen Bar opens Aug. 4, this time in Roswell. Located on Alpharetta Street in downtown Roswell, Jinya will offer the first 100 guests during the grand opening free ramen on their next visit.
‼️ Coming Attractions
The third location of soft serve ice cream shop Big Softie, from Little Tart Bakeshop owner Sarah O’Brien, will open soon near 3 Parks Wine Shop and the Forth Hotel in the Old Fourth Ward. Located on North Angier Avenue, Big Softie becomes the latest addition to the New City development taking shape along the Eastside Beltline. The owners behind Lucian Books and Wine will open Sargent next spring beside 3 Parks Wine Shop at the complex.
👀 News to Know
Adair Park sandwich shop Sammy’s is now open on Fridays until 8 p.m., serving beer, wine, cocktails, and burgers. The plan is to expand evening hours to multiple days and eventually open for breakfast, coffee, and lunch seven days a week.
Following a move to Macon last year, popular Irwin Street Market stall Yay! Beignet will apparently return to Atlanta. Although it’s unclear when and where Yay! Beignet will open, and what will be on the menu beyond beignets and Ethiopian coffee drinks, the Macon location features a smattering of both Cajun and Ethiopian dishes. Stay tuned!
The drive-through window at DBA Tacos and BBQ in Clarkston is now open on East Ponce de Leon Avenue. People can order online to pick up the restaurant’s full food menu at the drive-through, including street tacos, brisket and pulled pork plates, sandwiches, and DBA’s Brunswick stew.
📆Add to Your Calendar
Atlanta’s one and only women’s sports bar is officially three weeks old, having taken up residence in Brick and Mortar at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood earlier this month. Jolene Jolene has already become a gathering place in the neighborhood for sports watching beyond just women’s soccer, volleyball, and basketball. The bar updates Instagram weekly with new games to watch and events to attend, like Corgi racing, trivia, karaoke, and JJ’s Sunday Best Womxn’s Market. Also, check out the latest food and drink menu here.
The annual Black Restaurant Week begins Aug. 3, featuring nearly three dozen restaurants throughout Atlanta and Metro Atlanta. Participating restaurants will offer specials and events through Aug. 17. Click here for more information on the Atlanta restaurants involved in Black Restaurant Week this year.
On Aug. 9, the Atlanta Summer Wine Festival returns to the Guardian Works on Echo Street near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tickets start at $50 and include live music and opportunities to sample more than 50 wines, ciders, and beers. Food can also be purchased. Click here for tickets.
Summer Sippin’ in Roswell
SPONSORED BY VISIT ROSWELL
🍹 Summer Sippin’, the annual beverage competition, is back for its 10th year, now through Aug. 19. Sip your way through Roswell at 61 participating establishments – from breweries and restaurants to coffee shops and tasting rooms – all serving up uniquely crafted, summer-inspired sips.
☀️ Start your Summer Sippin’ journey here.
Top Stories From the Week
Photo by Chops Lobster Bar
Why steakhouses flourish in Buckhead
🥩 Did you know that Buckhead is home to nearly a dozen steakhouses? There’s a reason for that. Well, actually, it’s a combination of factors.
Buckhead became a lightning rod for steakhouses starting in the 1990s. The neighborhood’s wealthy and high-profile residents, density of office towers, and cluster of luxury hotels, like the Intercontinental and the Westin, make it a prime spot for expense account dining.
And with executives and conference-goers working and attending meetings in Buckhead, there’s a big appetite for wining and dining over steak on the company card. But the continued success of steakhouses in Buckhead may have more to do with the dining experiences each establishment offers.
➡️ Read more here (with a guide) from Lia Picard.
Photo by Lure Saltwater Kitchen and Bar
Lure will close after 14 years in Midtown
🐟 After receiving a refresh and rebrand last year, Lure Saltwater Kitchen and Bar will close at the end of August.
The Midtown seafood restaurant, backed by Fifth Group Restaurants, which also operates Ecco and South City Kitchen in the neighborhood, will close on August 30 after 14 years on Crescent Avenue.
Ahead of the closure, several popular dishes will return to the Lure menu over the next 30 days. All Lure staff members will be provided opportunities to work at other Fifth Group Restaurants, including Ela, La Tavola, locations of South City Kitchen, Ecco, and Alma Cocina.
➡️ Read the story here.
Photo by Beth McKibben
The best dishes we ate in July
🍽️ Looking for weekend dining inspo? Here are the top dishes we ate in July, including peaches and cream pound cake from Whoopsies, muhammara and cheese manoushe from Levant Oven, the hearty wedge salad from Small Fry, and ham and cheese beignets from Madeira Park.
➡️ Read the full roundup of our top July dishes here.
✨ Food. Drinks. Stories. Improv. Community. L5P Alliance’s annual fundraiser People Make the Place returns Sun., Aug. 17! Experience the spirit of Little Five Points while supporting local arts, safety, and placemaking efforts. Together, we build a better L5P. Learn more here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍑 Rough Draft and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two tasty recipes you can make using ingredients at your local farmers market. This week, it’s time for peaches and tomatoes. We’ve got a crisp bruschetta and a fresh caprese ready for you to try. Don’t dawdle, though, because peaches are only in season for two more weeks. Check out both recipes here.
🖋️ Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
Dining and Cooking