Day in the Life of a Westside Restaurant Owner
Aug. 14 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for a black lentil summer salad using fresh onions and tomatoes from the farmers market. Sarra brings you the next story in our Westside Atlanta series, offering a snapshot into a day in the life of The Daily Cafe co-owner Jacob Hunter and what it’s like to travel to and from his home in Lake Claire to work at the cafe’s Trabert Avenue location.
➕ We have a story on how the Sandy Springs Wine Festival is picking up the slack for the 86’d Roswell Wine Festival and intel on the first three local pop-ups debuting at weekly food festival Smorgasburg this fall in South Downtown.
🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on restaurant openings in Dunwoody, Old Fourth Ward, and downtown Atlanta, as well as on the Eastside Beltline. We share a few must-attend food events to put on your calendar, and an update on Aria in Buckhead, including new dinner hours. Plus, more 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 an exclusive story on the upcoming East Lake restaurant from Chef Hudson Rouse, co-owner of Michelin Bib Gourmand Whoopsie’s. The newsletter features a recipe for CT Cantina’s red snapper ceviche and sings the praises of the Publix bakery and its flourless chocolate torte.
Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!
🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra
🍷 Join us Aug. 28 at The Hotel at Avalon for Grand Tasting Alpharetta! Enjoy unlimited tastings, drinks, live music & chef demos. VIP at 6 p.m., general admission at 7 p.m. 21+ only. Get your tickets now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Have You Heard?
🥂 Restaurant Openings
Side Quest, a Viet-Lao food collaboration between bartender Nik Soukavong and Cynthia Hoang, launched in July above Pisces in the Old Fourth Ward. Operating Sunday and Monday evenings from 4-9 p.m., expect dishes like Vietnamese-spiced fried quail with a five-spice dipping sauce, cheesy crab toast, and conch poached in ginger sauce. Cocktails incorporate spirits like soju and cachaça and ingredients like mango, fermented melon, and pandan. Side Quest is walk-in only, but features a wait list system that contacts you when a table becomes available during busy service periods. Peek the menu here.
The third location of soft serve ice cream shop Big Softie, from Little Tart Bakeshop owner Sarah O’Brien, opened beside 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 along the Eastside Beltline. The owners of Lucian Books and Wine will open Sargent next year beside the soft serve window.
🥰 Coming Attractions
The owners of Savi Provisions will open Azalea Fresh Market in downtown Atlanta on Aug. 28. Located in the former Walgreens building across from Woodruff Park, the market also includes a kiosk location of Atlanta-based Dope Coffee.
All-you-can-eat, Japanese-style yakiniku barbecue restaurant Chubby Cattle BBQ (pictured) will open its second Metro Atlanta location by the end of August. Located on Ashford-Dunwoody Road near Perimeter Mall, expect Japanese A5 Wagyu and American and Australian Wagyu among the meat options for the tabletop grills, along with sushi and seafood selections. Chubby Cattle also includes a location in Duluth.
The Beltline location of Northern China Eatery also opens this month in the Shoppes at Citizen building along the Eastside Trail. The original location of Northern China Eatery on Buford Highway has long been a popular spot for dumplings in Metro Atlanta. Owner Fan Zhang also opened The Dumpling Factory last summer at Westside Paper on West Marietta Street.
📰 News to Know
Aria is now open on Mondays in Buckhead, and it received a little facelift. The James Beard-nominated fine dining restaurant serves dinner six days a week and features specials and events earlier in the week. ICYMI, Aria is sporting a new look outside with a fresh coat of paint that also includes a new Benjamin Moore color called Newburyport Blue.
📆 Add to Your Calendar
Speaking of award-winning restaurants, Gigi’s Italian Kitchen in Candler Park turns three this month. To mark the milestone, Gigi’s will host a street market featuring food, drinks, artist stalls, and live music on Aug. 17 from 2-6 p.m. No regular dinner service that night, so plan accordingly.
Head to the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Aug. 18 from 6-9 p.m. for an evening celebrating local farms, urban agriculture, and hyperlocal food. The Aglanta Eats: Neighbors + Flavors event will include food from several Atlanta chefs and pop-ups, along with drinks and live music and a chance to stroll the gardens after hours, including the current Alice’s Wonderland and Enchanted Trees by Poetic Kinetics. Tickets start at $60 per person.
Taste, sip, and celebrate!
SPONSORED BY GRAND TASTING ALPHARETTA
🍾 Raise your glass on Aug. 28 at The Hotel at Avalon for the Grand Tasting Alpharetta!
Experience a one-night-only celebration of Alpharetta’s top restaurants with unlimited tastings, wine, craft beer, and cocktails. Enjoy live music, chef demos, and more in a 21+ setting. Don’t miss this unforgettable night of flavor and fun!
🎫 VIP entry begins at 6 p.m., general admission at 7 p.m. Get your tickets today!
Top Stories From the Week
A day in the life of a Westside restaurant owner
This story is part of a series on the west side of Atlanta in which Rough Draft deep dives into how small business owners, residents, and visitors to the area view the boom in development and the issues it has created in a formerly industrial pocket of the city.
🚙 When Jacob Hunter, co-owner of The Daily, starts his day at the cafe’s Westside location on Trabert Avenue, he tries to leave the house by 7:30 am. It’s a 10 to 15-minute drive from the Candler Park and Lake Claire area, where he lives. He usually arrives at Trabert Avenue in Berkeley Park before 8 a.m.
The Daily opened on the Westside in 2022 and has since expanded to two more locations, including one in Inman Park near Hunter’s home.
Hunter said that it’s a pretty easy commute in the morning when he has to work at the Trabert Avenue location on the Westside. Heading back east later in the day, however, can prove challenging.
➡️ Read Sarra’s interview with Jacob Hunter here.
Sandy Springs Wine Festival extends early bird tickets after Roswell Wine Festival 86’d
🍷 The Sandy Springs Wine Festival has extended its special early bird 10% discount pricing until Aug. 31 to include wine lovers from the Roswell Wine Festival, which was canceled for this year.
“We want to extend this early bird offer to our friends in Roswell,” said Adam Forrand, President and CEO of the Greater Perimeter Chamber. “Their festival has been a beloved community tradition, and we’re excited to continue that spirit here in Sandy Springs.
➡️ Read more about the Sandy Springs Wine Festival here.
Check out the local food pop-ups participating in Smorgasburg Atlanta’s weekly market
😋 As Smorgasburg Atlanta’s October debut approaches, the weekly outdoor market and food festival is beginning to announce the local food trucks and pop-ups planning to participate, including Bara ATL, Hermanita, and Madre Garcia’s.
Located at the intersection of Forsyth and Trinity in South Downtown, Smorgasburg Atlanta will feature 40 food vendors; a bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails; along with retail and artist stalls and live entertainment.
➡️ Read more about the Smorgasburg Atlanta vendors here.
🍷 Join us Aug. 28 at The Hotel at Avalon for Grand Tasting Alpharetta! Enjoy unlimited tastings, drinks, live music & chef demos. VIP at 6 p.m., general admission at 7 p.m. 21+ only. Get your tickets now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍅 It’s okra season, and these dishes won’t disappoint. Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two recipes you can make at home using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got a tasty lentil salad and stewed okra. Check out both recipes here.
🖋️ Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
