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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

The Ambiguously Foodie Duo has struck again, and this time our victim was Grindhouse Killer Burgers in Downtown Atlanta.  In just a few short days, Grindhouse has thrown down the gauntlet, though not for their food.  The freshly cooked Sweet Auburn Curb Market eatery is alive and kicking and it is readily apparent that owner Alex Brounstein and his crew have hit the ground running.

Before I wax-foodetic about the specifics, Grindhouse has done something many new restaurants, even those run by experienced restaurateurs, have failed to do: open smoothly, at least from the perspective of a patron.  While I am usually inclined to give people new to the restaurant business a bit of a pass in the early stages, Brounstein’s joint requires no such grace period.  Perhaps this is do to the abbreviated amount of service, the relative simplicity of the menu, or the layout of the space (how many fooderies can you name that don’t even have walls?).  In a number of ways, Grindhouse has gone simple.  Some may say they have played it safe, I say they have played it smart.

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