Quick Bites for May 8: Guy Fieri in Atlanta update, another Westside restaurant closure, new restaurants

Brunch restaurant residency Pecking launches May at Pullman Yards Courtesy of Atlanta Creative Media Guy Fieri spotlights Atlanta restaurants Remember when we narrated you in March that Guy Fieri was in town filming an episode of his series Diners Drive-ins and Dives Well it turns out part of his Southern road trip to Atlanta will air on Friday at p m on Food Setup and one of the featured restaurants will be Atlanta-based Yumbii The mayor of Flavortown slipped into Atlanta in March and was spotted in Summerhill downtown Decatur and Olive and Pine in Avondale Estates with sources indicating he may have popped in to visit How Crispy Express and The Deer and The Dove Those episodes air later this month Bar Rescue in KirkwoodIt appears Jon Taffer has been in Kirkwood this week helping out neighborhood pizzeria and bar Urban Pie for his Paramount Television show Bar Rescue Like Gordon Ramsay does in Kitchen Nightmares Taffer delivers particular tough love while he assists struggling bars by examining what s gone wrong from staffing and operation to cocktails and business practices The makeover which includes upgrades and a mini reno takes place in just five days Urban Pie s reveal will apparently happen on Friday night No word on the TV air date Restaurant closureThe restaurant closures continue along the Howell Mill Road corridor Bartaco closed on Monday after years on Marietta Street becoming the latest restaurant to call it quits in Northwest Atlanta West Egg Cafe Snooze an A M Eatery Humble Pie L O A Social Club Superica Wagamama Slim Husky Culinary Dropout Le Fat and Postino Wine Bar all closed over the last several months And sources say that yet another nearby restaurant may close soon Speculation on the reason for so plenty of restaurant shuttering in the area ranges from high parking fees to high rents but traffic and lack of proper infrastructure may also factor into the rash of closures Stay tuned for more Restaurant openingsA permit has been filed to transform the former Hodgepodge Coffeehouse space on Moreland into a new coffee shop Raani Coffee owned by Praveena Sundarra will include a kitchen and coffee roastery on site Rough Draft reporter Logan C Ritchie reached out for more details from Sundarra who communicated her that Raani Coffee will open this fall and include a roastery and a tasting room and serve pastries Read more from What Now Atlanta s initial reporting Chef Tamara Hewitt will open Pecking on May in the former Fishmonger space at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood The brunch restaurant residency will be open only on the weekends from a m to p m serving dishes like shrimp and grits smoked jerk wings peaches and cream-stuffed waffles and a high tea tower filled with honey chicken biscuits oxtail empanadas lox sandwiches and fruit tarts A second location of Azotea Cantina opened at Southern Post in Roswell home to restaurants like Grana and Bey Mediterranean The restaurant serves food and drinks inspired by the restaurants and bars detected in Mexico City Azotea Cantina also includes a location at Atlantic Station Rain dateThis weekend s rainy forecast caused the organizers of the annual Turkish Food Festival in Alpharetta to push the date to next weekend May and May AwardsThe James Beard Foundation publicized the finalists for its broadcast media and journalism awards this week Athens-based publication The Bitter Southerner nabbed three nominations including for Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing category for Caroline Hatchett s story Clam South and Profile Writing for Christina Cooke s story Black Earth Of the restaurant semifinalists from Atlanta and Georgia Aria is the lone representative this year a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality In March Aria chef Gerry Klaskala communicated his retirement from the restaurant industry This includes stepping down as owner and head chef of Aria the Buckhead restaurant he opened in inside a converted house on East Paces Ferry Road The awards ceremonies take place in Chicago with the media awards on June and the chef and restaurant awards on June The post Quick Bites for May Guy Fieri in Atlanta update another Westside restaurant closure new restaurants appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta