Posted by Foodie Buddha
on July 22, 2010
Eli Kirshtein, one of Atlanta’s handful of Top Chef alums, appears to be on the verge of making a big splash. Word around the campfire (translation: not finalized) is that Kirshtein is set to take over the old Repast space at 620 Glen Iris Drive, which sits on the edges of Poncey-Highlands and Old 4th Ward.
You might remember when Besha Rodell broke the news about Repast’s demise, which came just a few weeks after co-owner Joe Truex left to helm the kitchen at Decatur’s Watershed restaurant. In the month since, a number of rumors have surfaced as to the future for the Repast location. This one seems to have some real legs … though again … it’s not finalized.
When last we heard from Kirsthein, he was on his way to New York City to serve as a stagiaire at Solo Restaurant. After spending the early part of this year working at the kosher restaurant, Kirshtein hopped around a bit … I believe he spent some time in Israel. The mystery continued when ENO (Eli’s restaurant of choice during his Top Chef time) closed. It left many of us wondering what was in store for the young knife slinger.
If this is indeed the case, it will be interesting to see how the concept develops. This will be the first venture for Kirsthein, a padawan of celebrity chef Richard Blais. More on this as it develops.
PICTURE CREDIT: Kirshtein (right) appears at a cooking demo with Blais. [courtesy SavoryExposure.com]
Posted by Foodie Buddha
on February 16, 2010
Mention the name David Chang to any food craved fan boy (cough … me), and you’ll probably hear a one word response: Love! The dude just kills it. His Momofuku restaurant empire is one of the most talked about restaurant groups I can think of. Meanwhile, his food is just freaking great.
Luckily for us, Creative Loafing’s Besha Rodell, our resident Aussie critic, had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Chang. On the heels of her jealousy inspiring Changian meal at Lantern, Rodell laid down a pretty quick interview, so there’s no good reason to skip it. Chang answered questions about his overall badasseness (sic), his incredible book (BUY IT!!!), and our long lost Sotohiro Kosugi (aka Soto). You may remember that Chang cooked with Soto during Madrid Fusion 2009.
Like I said, go give it a listen!
Posted by Foodie Buddha
on January 19, 2009
Atlanta’s most notable restaurant launch in the last few years has hit the Omnivore blog. I dropped in for a short note, but wanted to elaborate further here.
It is clear that the menu will continue to change. What is not clear is if this is a true maturation process or nothing more than a rotation. By the later, I mean that it is possible that they have a stable of burgers that they will rotate through depending on a number of factors.
The buzz over this place keeps it hopping. Reports of hour plus waits abound, but Jimmy of Eat It, Atlanta did not seem to mind. I still drop in once every couple of weeks. I have not sat at a table in quite some time as I prefer the bar.
One thing is for sure: this place will invoke an opinion. Burgers are all the rage right now, and Flip is at the forefront here in the city. Hopefully they will fix their problems in time to harvest the crowd before the adoration fades and people start getting annoyed. More competition for Sir Blais is on the way. We’ll see how they fight off the rush.
