Quick Bites: Zeb Stevenson in at Watershed, Gravy in Grant Park, and more

Atlanta Restaurant News

Image

  • Photo courtesy of Watershed on Peachtree
  • Watershed has named a new chef: Zeb Stevenson



[]In the wake of Joe Truex’s recent departure, Zeb Stevenson has been named the new executive chef of Watershed on Peachtree (1820 Peachtree Road). After four years at The Georgian Terrace Hotel’s Livingston, Stevenson joined Parish Foods & Goods one year ago, revamping the Inman Park restaurant’s menu and eventually rebranding it The Brasserie and Neighborhood Café at Parish (240 North Highland Ave.). He’ll depart on January 11, then spend the first few weeks at his new post “observing,” he tells Atlanta magazine. Putting his own mark on the Watershed menu is a guarantee, but one thing’s for sure: He won’t be changing Edna Lewis’ famous fried chicken recipe.

? ? ?
Following a couple delays, New York-based Corso Coffee is finally open at Buckhead Atlanta (3035 Peachtree Road). The Italian-style cafe represents the first of four concepts imported by LDV Hospitality. (The group’s Lugo Caffe and American Cut steakhouse are still forthcoming.) Corso offers a lengthy menu of coffee drinks (from Marocchino to Cafe au lait), frittatas, bagels, pastries like pain au chocolat, salads, sandwiches, and wines by the quartino, which can be enjoyed on the patio.

Athens’ own Jittery Joe’s is making a second attempt to infiltrate the Atlanta coffee market, What Now Atlanta reports. (The first was in Midtown, at 141 Piedmont Ave., and shuttered in 2008.) Arriving in the first-floor lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta downtown (181 Peachtree St.) in early January, the 20-year-old coffee company’s 14th Southeastern outpost will feature contemporary decor akin to its luxe hotel surroundings, as well as a debut coffee blend, Eighty-Four Pour, and a signature beverage, The Spicy Maple.


Grant Park has a dive-y new dinner place, Gravy, UrbanDaddy reveals. The rugged industrial interior—complete with cozy booths and a glittering bar—plays host to old-school comfort dishes like 13-layer potluck lasagna, free-range turkey meatloaf and chicken pot pie.

Following two months of delays, Twin Smokers BBQ has opened at long last in Downtown’s Luckie Marietta District (H/T to Eater). From the same restaurant group behind Article 14, Der Biergarten, and STATS, with which it shares a space at 300 Marietta St., chef Chris Blobaum’s Southern-style barbecue restaurant serves up heaps of barbecue cooked on two custom Oyler 700 smokers, including hickory-smoked chicken and pork, mesquite-smoked beef brisket sandwiches, mac ’n’ cheese, collards, banana pudding and more.


Tom Catherall’s Midtown restaurant and lounge Shout (1197 Peachtree St.) shut its doors for good this Tuesday, per the recent changes in ownership and Catherall’s pending retirement. Now helmed by Catherall’s ex-wife, Leigh, parent group Here to Serve restaurants operates eateries including Prime, Twist, and Noche around the metro area.

After more than a decade of success of his Dresden Drive restaurants Valenza and Haven, chef/owner Michael Arnett is opening a new concept in the autumn of 2015. Arnett is currently renovating the old Brown Auto Service station in Chamblee at 4761 Peachtree Road to accommodate his new eatery, which has yet to be named. He tells Eater that the food will be “upscale casual” American cuisine, including burgers, fries, malts and more. Details as they arise.


Ford Fry continues his dominion over the Southern culinary scene by announcing the name of his first non-Georgia restaurant, State of Grace, which will open in his hometown of Houston in July. In the meantime, the next eateries on Fry’s list are Mex-Tex concept Superica, at Krog Street Market, followed by the “little sister” concept for The Optimist, which is slated to open at the 280 Elizabeth Street development by summer 2015. Details as they arise.

Speaking of barbecue, Decatur’s Burnt Fork BBQ is closing after four years at 614 Church St., as announced via its Facebook page on Dec. 18 (H/T to Decaturish). Neighboring eatery Harbour House Pub shuttered less than two weeks ago at 129 Church St., which typically wouldn’t bode well for this little corner of real estate, but Twain’s is still dominating just two minutes away.