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A new sandwich shop by the name of the Crazy Cuban is getting all nice and did before opening its door to customers.  Though Google maps may be off a smidge, it’s going in at 290 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta.  Steadfast and ardent fans of Cuban food may remember a place on Terrell Mill road that went by the same moniker.  I have no idea if these are the same owners.

This all comes towards the tail end of a very tumultuous time for Cuban restaurants in our city.  In reality, the Cuban restaurant scene has been a wasteland of turmoil for the past year +.  It really started back in the middle of ‘08 when the Kool Korners closed up shop and went to Birmingham.  Coincidentally, the old KK location is just a few blocks from where Carzy Cuban is going in.  Soon after that happened, Havana on BuHi was burned to the ground.  Though places like Papi’s and Las Palmeras kept on trucking, we were without our beloved flagships.  Recently, Havana returned, but in a different location and with a whole big drama in tail.  We’ll see what happens when this latest Cuban spot finally goes loco.

Back in November, I mentioned that Shaun Doty and Erik Maier were set to open a burger joint over in the Westside.  At the time, the tentative name for the establishment was Good Burger.  However, it appears that name is now a thing of the past.  The new name is YEAH! Burger and this information appears to satisfy the journalistic bar for fact.  Surprisingly, there’s already a Facebook page for the restaurant, so you might as well be a fan!  Meanwhile, things still seem on track for a Spring opening in the old West Egg building, but take that with a grain of salt. There are other rumors floating around, but nothing even worth mentioning at this point.

When Joia Restaurant & Lounge opened last July, it blew.  Less than six-months later, owner Marco Betti decided to throw in the towel … sort of.  With bad reviews permeating the desolate dinning space, Betti gave up on Joia and decided to reinvent the place … sort of.

Here’s what we know:  The new name seems like a veiled attempt to actually make this something it’s not.  The Joia website is still live (FAIL!) and the concept (part restaurant/part ultra-lounge) seems unchanged.  Not only is the phone number the same, but so is the menu (well, pretty darn close). That said, the Enigma website definitely emphasizes the heavy bass beats more than the last one.  As for the digs? I couldn’t see inside, so a lame exterior shot is all I can offer.

Enigma Restaurant Address & Information

1100 Crescent Ave, Atlanta, GA, 30309 // 404.537.5000 // Enigma website // Enigma menu

Georgia has long been unofficially known as the Empire State of the South.  Now, it looks like we’re finally ready to make that official (at least in the restaurant world).  Empire State South is set to be the first foray into the Atlanta dining scene for the accomplished Hugh Acheson.  Sporting a progressive take on Southern cuisine, Empire State is destined to add a whole new class level to the meat and three concept.  Meanwhile, it will serve as the anchor restaurant for the 999 Peachtree Street office and retail building in Midtown, Atlanta.

For the better part of a year, we’ve known of Acheson’s intentions to open Empire State South.  Initially, the opening date was identified as Spring 2010.  Now, according to the restaurant’s website, that season has been narrowed down to April of this year.  More details after the jump!

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Two establishments, one building, and one curious story.  That’s the deal with two new eateries going in at Renaissance Walk, a struggling (aka foreclosed) downtown condominium complex just a few steps from Georgia State.  One Café and Yoeshi are siblings spots that have been in production for quite sometime.  If recent grumblings (spurred by self-promotion) are to be taken at face value, then the two newborns will say hello sometime in mid-February.  Still, details are muddled.

Tucked in at the corner of Auburn Ave. and Piedmont, the location for these two restaurants is not nearly as ideal as one would think.  In that same location, several restaurants have opened and closed faster than you can say recession.  Still, that hasn’t stopped one restaurateur from trying to open not one, but two, fast casual concepts.

One Café is purportedly set to offer a mind-boggling array of cuisines with everything from burritos to burgers and all the way through pastries.  They’ve actually named just about every restaurant in Atlanta as their source of unoriginality inspiration.  Speaking of names, according to the Renaissance Walk website, the name of the restaurant is actually spelled One Caffe.

As for that other gig, Yoeshi will serve Japanese street food as well as Japanese pastries and desserts.

According to their own musings, these will be a walk-up and order establishments with no service staff.  They have a chef, but no word on who that actually is at this time.  Anywho, there y’all have it.

One Cafe / Yoeshi Address:
171 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30303-2552

If you take a trip down to the corner of Edgewood and Waddell, you’ll find yourself smack dab in front of one of Atlanta’s newest southern food spots, albeit a slightly modified one.  Sauced, a new rendition from the gang at Ria’s Bluebird, is just about ready to rock and roll.  As you’ll see from the image above (taken from the Sauced website), they’re really going to get it started on NYE.  However, they were open for a bit at the end of August and have already started letting people in the door over the past few days.

In the news as early as this past January, Ria Pell’s newest venture is a step towards the high-brow.  Keep in mind, that is a statement of relativity.  The food is cost conscious and there is a lot of focus on the sauces.  That said, I don’t believe they’ve employed a saucier (that’d probably be a little too fru fru anyway).  While you sip on your Courvoisier, you and the Ladies Man can chilax on the big couch in the midst of the brown and cream space.   If you are heading down there in the next few, make sure to be liquid – it’s cash only.

I’ll wax-foodetic once I work through my back log.  In the meantime, check out their facebook page, as it already has quite the following, and get ready to munch away.

Sauced Restaurant Address & Information

753 Edgewood Ave, Atlanta, GA 30307 // 404.688.6554 // Sauced website // Sauced on facebook

While stumbling around the Westside on Saturday night, Noodles, Dallas, and I stuck our heads in over at Ormsby’s.  This place seems ripe for success.  We all know that the Westside has exploded over the past 12-months.  However, with the army of new establishments that have show up, not a single one of them went the route of the neighborhood bar. That’s about to change with the imminent opening of Warren Bruno’s Ormsby’s.  It isn’t open just yet … but we got a little tour of the über cool space.

Upstairs is the sit down and eat section of the bar.  Approximately 2,500 sq feet is split between the kitchen and the public area.  There will be a little couch lounge for chilaxin, while the booths that line the brick walls will soon have inlay checkers and backgammon boards … UMM … AWESOME!!!!

Downstairs is 3,000 sq feet of pure unadulterated kickassness (yes that’s a word).  In addition to a drink stand, there is shuffleboard, darts, pool, and a video game cabinet complete with 41 games of childhood treats.  There are a few other cool surprises for you, which I won’t ruin; however, the coolest of the cool is the bocce ball court [ABOVE] in the back of the space.  Let’s just say Buddha tested … Buddha APPROVED!

While I sat there all giddy, Noodles confirmed that the draft and bottled beer selection should keep you beer mongers happy.  Meanwhile, Mike Guut told us that they will have a full array of libations for those of you like me … who lika da sauce.  I’m not 100% sure when they’ll actually let people in, but it seems that by next week, you should be able to walk in and enjoy the fun.

Here To Severe restaurants is continuing on the trend that started with Trois, continued with Cuerno, and even hit Stella.  Kess is reporting that instead of an outright closing of Lola Bellini Bar, Tom Catherall is shuttering the space after New Years with intentions of “re-concepting” the restaurant.

There’s no doubt that traffic for this cougar-iffic hotspot has dwindled significantly in the last few months.  Time will tell if the redeux will fare any better.

[via food and more]

It’s amazing what you miss with a few days out of town.  Posted over on the Biz C site, and reiterated by the venerable JK, Atlanta’s own Shaun Doty is ready to hop on the burger trend that is frankly … a little tired by now.  That’s not a harshing on Shaun, he should give the people what they want.  Rather, it’s just a lament on the trending of the restaurant business.

Anywho, with help from Erik Maier, the duo is scheduled to open their burger joint over in the Westside’s White Provision complex.  However, here are a few pieces of info that haven’t been printed yet.  First, the establishment is RUMORED to be called Good Burger.  Second, my understanding is that they will take over the space occupied by The West Egg.  Fear not my eggheadian friends, TWE is supposed to move into the new high-rise just behind their current location.  Again, I won’t say that’s an absolute fact … but I’ve heard it from more than a few people.  Just another feather in the hat that is Atlanta’s most trending neighborhood.

Hudson Grille is a high-end sports bar with three spots around the ATL.  As of this past week, they have added a 4th with their new venture in Midtown Atlanta.  Located in the former Artistry location, you’ll find them trying to be the Burger King to the McDonald’s that is Taco Mac.  That is, much like every fast food chain, they have moved in right on top of their competition.  HG Midtown sits directly across the street from Taco Mac’s Metropolis location.   There ya have it!

Hudson Grille Midtown Restaurant Address & Information
942 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 // Hudson Grille website // Hudson Grill menu (pdf) // Twitter // Facebook