A meticulously clean dining space with attentive staff does not a top shelf pizzeria make.NY Style pizza is not as easy as it looks – requiring (among other things) fresh cheese, bold sausage, and a crust that maintains its pliable, yet sop-free, integrity. Sadly, Piu Bello Pizzeria, located adjacent to the Kroger Fresh Fare in the Peachtree-Piedmont Crossing Shopping Center, fails to deliver.A selection of inferior toppings from dry olives and peppers (cut entirely too long), processed slivers of taste-free sausage, to a seriously forgettable sauce sans any flavor are begging for red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese to confirm that you are actually indulging in a meal. A consistent quality mozzarella, like Grande Napoli, must really grip fresh toppings on a pie to avoid “roll-off” should its consumer elect not to fold. But even this can’t save a pizza without proper (hi gluten) dough structure and end crust. If I was a slice of soggy dough that was forced to host this motley crew of unsavories, I’d refuse to hold on too!So, in closing, despite a convenient Buckhead location, a stellar Pellegrino selection, and numerous opportunities for redemption – unfortunately, this pizzeria doesn’t make the cut.Piu Bello … you’re 86’d
Lenox Marketplace will be the new home to Buffalo Wild Wings. Set to open August 2nd, it will be the eateries eighth location in Atlanta and first inside the perimeter. Seemingly smaller than other locations, the eatery looks to be taking what had been unoccupied space on the Oak Valley Road side of Lenox Marketplace. Its location beside Filene's Basement and and adjacent to the Pinnacle building should provide ample lunchtime traffic, whether consumer will make the drive back to a parking deck in the heart of Buckhead is another story. Repeat Atlanta!
Pano's Grand Cafe, Balon Rouge, Chez Niko, whats in a name? Apparently for Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, a lot. After announcing their new French style brasserie named Pano's Grand Cafe over a year ago, Repeat Atlanta has now confirmed the current name of the eatery is Chez Niko. Named after Buckhead Life's founder Pano Karatassos's son Niko, the eatery is said to still be a French style brasserie but may be less upscale than originally planned. At one point the opening was to be this past March, then Spring, then Fall, a Buckhead Life source now anticipates a March 2010 opening. Whatever its called, whenever it opens, Buckhead Life is gonna have to open eventually having signed a significant multi-year lease. Repeat Atlanta!
Concentrics Restaurants opened its newest eatery, Max's Coal Oven Pizzeria today at 300 Marietta St. Located next door to fellow Concentrics concept STATS, Max's is operated by Concentrics Restaurant Management for property owner David Marvin. Marvin appears pleased with Concentrics as this is his forth venture with them in the Luckie Marietta District. Marvin's Legacy property group also owns 30 Tables and 11 Stories within the Glenn Hotel, along with STATS and now Max's. Max's actually gets is name from Marvin's two-year-old son, Max. Featuring Atlanta's only genuine coal-burning oven, Max's is sure to be a popular addition to the downtown/west midtown neighborhood. With the abrupt closure of Slice Pizza on Howell Mill Rd. over a year ago, the area has been without a neighborhood pizzeria. With New York native and pizza lover Chef Nick Oltarsh at the helm, this latest concept is in good hands. Repeat Atlanta!
The Grooming Lounge came to Atlanta with high hopes and a great location. Unfortunately it entered the market ahead of one of the worst recessions in America's history. Its abrupt closure last week shocked not only clients and others within Terminus, but even its own staff. A great concept with stellar service, this boutique salon got its start via its hugely popular website and eventually opened locations in Tysons Corner and Washington D.C. Opening in the Terminus 100 project in Buckhead seemed like an ideal location for this chic salon to launch and it very well could have been, just not now. With prices higher than what most men would usually drop on a cut or shave, the experience is definitely a unique one; truly a salon for men, with cocktails and SportsCenter at the same time. The reality is that the Terminus property is aesthetically pleasing but that's about all. Aquaknox is rumored to be closing and its rare to see more than a dozen or so people dining in M.F. Buckhead on any given night. Yogurberry is the best thing at Terminus but is not blessed with Chick-Fil-A like notoriety and is in the breezeway rather than on Peachtree Rd. Cousins Properties might need to adjust its rent if it hopes to avoid the closure of other Terminus tenants. Repeat Atlanta!
The announcement that many saw coming has arrived, Ruehl No. 925 will cease to exist by January 2010. Referred to on promotional materials as "Post Grad by Abercrombie", the retailer never got a foothold on its demographic since its September 2004 launch and its stores were confusing to consumers and expensive to construct. The stores exterior was built to resemble a Greenwich Village apartment and the interior had rooms such as a library and study to keep with the theme. The basic idea was smart on the part of Mike Jeffries, Abercrombie CEO and Chairman, create a store where those consumers that are out of college ( age 22-35) could shop and still get the quality and style of A&F but a little more grown up. At one point, there was talk of Ruehl opening at Lenox Square or Phipps, but just as GAP canned their Forth and Towne concept before it could open at Phipps, Ruehl won't get the chance to outfit the Atlanta market. The one bright spot, Abercrombie's Gilly Hick's chain appears to be doing well and is said to be scouting cities around the country for future expansion. Gilly Hick's launched early last year and is an Australian themed intimate apparel retailer officially labeled "The cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch". While I'd by lying if I said I understood or liked the name, I think it has the potential for Hollister-like success. With fifteen stores open to date in various cities across the country, Lenox Square would make an ideal new mall for the young brand. Repeat Atlanta!
Opening in what most recently housed The Artistry and before that The Sweet Lowdown, this will be Metrotainment's 4th location for its Hudson Grille concept. At 942 Peachtree St. in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, this eatery is a stones throw from Taco Mac at Metropolis which caters to a similar demographic but offers less variety in terms of food. Other locations include Alpharetta, Brookhaven and Perimeter Mall. Hudson Grille midtown is expected to open by mid-late fall. Repeat Atlanta!
Posts
