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Call it a chicken biscuit … call it a sandwich … call it a coronary heart attack … I don’t care what you call it, so long as you make it a point to grab Noon Midtown’s “Stack” sooner than later.  Katie Birmingham’s top notch restaurant has been kicking ass and taking names since I first stumbled in there a little over a year ago.

Though it has grown beyond its conceptual roots as a lunch place, Noon Midtown has become one of my favorite dinner spots and best bets for a noon time meal.  Case in point, I’ve been there enough times that they can pick me out in a crowd.  However, until this past weekend, I had never ventured over to try their Saturday brunch.  After watching my beloved Oranji win them some football, I took advantage of the break in the action to meet up with Atlanta’s favorite bachelorette blogger.  Having seen Noon’s brunch menu some time ago, I was particularly inspired by Live to Feast’s memo and Chow Down Atlanta’s love note.

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Good news for people looking for a chilled out dinner in Midtown Atlanta.  Noon Midtown, a gourmet sandwich shop meets breakfast joint, is now offering an “After Noon” service (cute isn’t it!).  To help make dinner a reality, executive chef/owner Katie Birmingham has brought in Autumn Benson (Go GIRL POWER!!) and Sean Telo to serve as her sous chefs.  While Benson may not be a name to you and me, her last place of employment, The Bazaar, a Jose Andres joint in Los Angeles, most certainly is.  Meanwhile, Telo was just a hop, skip, and jump away.  He cut his teeth over at Eno (now by Zaza), and comes with high regards.

As for Noon itself, the space has been slightly modified to include a full array of adult beverages.  To help keep you happy, Reggie Weekes, an artsy dude by day,  is now onboard to bring a little bit of cocktail culture to your dinner experience.

The menu is slim and trim (and all fits on a half page).  Though I expect it to change with the seasons, it appears to be a succinct sampling of farm to table goodness wrapped in reasonable prices.  The list of items includes approachably elevated versions of chicken liver mousse, a play on green eggs and ham, and some eye candy in the form of spring fettuccini (above).  That fettuccini includes housemade ricotta and sliced asparagus (good for twirling).  The real kicker is that the pasta is also made onsite.  Apps all run around five and six dollars, while the entrées start at $12 and go as high as $17.  Desserts can be had as well, so long as you have room after sampling one of three sandwiches available for dinner service.  While you’re chewing on that, take a gander at Birmingham’s visit to Inside The Chef’s Kitchen.  Reports soon after I’ve gotten my grub on.

Noon Midtown Restaurant Address & Information

1080 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 6, Atlanta, GA 30309 // 404.496.4891 // Noon Website // Noon Menu // Noon twitter // Noon facebook

The path to restaurant ownership for Katie Birmingham has been anything but traditional.  The chef, turned lawyer, turned restaurateur first made a name for herself working under Günter Seeger.  She followed that up by serving as the sous-chef de cuisine at Anne Quatrano’s Bacchanalia.

In need of a change, she dropped the food gig and decided to wax intellectual at Kilpatrick Stockton.  Now, the LaVarenne trainee is back and doing her own thing.  She has brought a delightful sensibility to her Midtown sandwich shop, appropriately named Noon Midtown.  I should say, don’t get too excited guys, she’s been off the market for a while.

On any given day, you’ll see Birmingham bounding about her restaurant with an ear-to-ear smile, tending to one of the many customers that descend during the lunching hour.  Her approachable personality and high-energy attitude is infectious to say the least.  Hopefully, her time here will give you a little insight into what drives her to do what she does.  Alright ya’ll, time to get down to brass tacks.  And with that, welcome to ITCK!

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So I guess this is my first ever “live review.”  I just sat down here at the newly opened Noon Midtown, the Katie Birmingham experiment over in the newly built 1010 Peachtree Building.  The space is “airy” and open … clean lines and very slick decor.  Me likee.  It sort of reminds me of One Flew South in a lot of ways.  However, I think Noon has done a slightly better job of matching their cuisine to their decor.

A couple of really nice touches have put me in a good mood.  First, I’m sitting against the wall at one of those long booths [my toochis is comfortably at home on a soft cushion.  My back leans comfortably against some wood backing].  At my feet is a plug for my laptop.  It’s nice to see a place supplement their free WiFi with an outlet.  As I sit here and look at the ten seat breakfast bar that faces the open kitchen, I’m chillin’.  Second, I love the little “order markers.”  I’ve seen restaurants hand out numbers, signs, and picture cards before … but never letters.  While I’m sure there is a better descriptor, the point here is that something about these little pieces of metal brought a smile to my face.  A nice twist.  I’m more of a X kinda guy, but K served it’s platoon leader well. 

Ah, but we don’t do what we do because we love table accoutrements (well … at least I don’t).  All indicators are pointing north so far, will the meal hold water?

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