Restaurant Closures
After 14 years at Town Brookhaven, owner Bill Brown announced over the weekend that he was closing THERE, a bar and eatery. Brown could not reach a lease agreement with the current landlord. The lease expired on March 31. A chill neighborhood spot across the street from Costco, THERE served a robust menu of pub classics, bar bites, and weekly entree specials. But the cocktails whipped up by Brown often stole the show here.
Speaking of closures, Slutty Vegan in Duluth recently shuttered as part of a restructuring of the Atlanta-based vegan restaurant chain owned by Pinky Cole. Satellite locations also recently closed at Georgia Tech and Spelman. Cole briefly lost control of her company “after a rocky 2024,” telling People magazine, “I was chasing something that I couldn’t catch for so many reasons” and that she “wasn’t the operational person,” but learned that as a business owner, “You can never take your hands off the wheel.” Read more from People here. For the local angle, read this story from the AJC’s UATL team here. (paywall)
NaanStop in Buckhead closed after 10 years on Piedmont Road.
Service Shifts + Rebrands
Michelin-starred Staplehouse on Edgewood Avenue will transition back to a full-time market and counter-service restaurant starting May 1. Hours will also expand to Thursday through Sunday, with food and drinks served until 9 p.m. Thursday and Sunday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The tasting menu will no longer be offered in the evenings after May 1. Instead, people will find Chef Ryan Smith and his team serving its Michelin-rated tasting menu at the new Uberto restaurant opening later this month as part of the new luxury guest ranch Quercus in Gay, GA.
Prefecture Japanese Steakhouse on Peachtree Road in Buckhead will rebrand to NoriFish Sushi and Izakaya on April 18. Owner and chef Sean Park announced the transition in a press release. He owns both Prefecture and NoriFish in Sandy Springs. Starting April 18, expect hand rolls and izakaya-style dishes on the menu in Buckhead. “We listened to our clientele as they expressed their desire to enjoy NoriFish closer to where many reside,” Park said in a statement. “We are excited to not only bring and serve the same delicious dishes that our guests have come to love from NoriFish Sandy Springs but to add and offer favorite small plates from Prefecture.”
Coming Attractions
Health-driven restaurant STAXX will open as a food stall at Switchman Hall at Terminal South in Peoplestown this summer. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, STAXX will feature a walk-up window accessible from the patio.
New Cookbook
Southern National chef and standup comedian Duane Nutter just released his first cookbook! Called “Cutting Up in the Kitchen,” the cookbook features Nutter’s favorite recipes, stories from the kitchen, and, of course, his best one-liners.
