Warren Bruno has passed. Bruno, who founded Atkins Park in 1983 and Ormsby’s just a few years back, was a vibrant participant in Atlanta’s restaurant and social scene. Bruno succumbed this AM after a long battle with cancer. No word yet on services, tributes, and so forth … but that should come to light soon. RIP Warren.
It’s party time ATL. Serious Eats, that kind of awesome food blog, is throwing a big ole hoedown all across the USA and Atlanta has been invited. [Aside: Tell me I shouldn’t be working in PR with that type of puffery!].
Anyway, on Saturday, February 25th, 2012, people who are fans of Serious Eats will have the opportunity to get together, grab some grub, and get all chatty. If you don’t live in Atlanta, check out the post on the mother ship for all the details about where to find the party in your town. Otherwise, read on to get all the dirty dirty.
In the case of most trilogies, the third edition of a Hollywood picture series is often the weakest [See: Return of the Jedi]. Fortunately for foodies, festivals are not subject to that rule of thumb. As such, and to the delight of the masses, the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival returned yesterday in expanded form over at the Westside Provisions District. After a ragger of an event in 2010, I was all over this like a Cabbage Patch Kid in a tomato patch.
For those unaware, the festival is a slam dance mash up of booze, grub, and music that showcases both Atlanta chefs and that little round red ball of seedy goodness. Oh, hello belly … you are looking an awful lot like a tomato right now. Hosted by JCT Kitchen and sponsored by Georgia Organics, this year’s festival was the first to span both sides of the WPD bridge and went off in fine form. Despite young evil doers and their attempts to sway me with hints of pork festivals far far away, and obscene amounts of food, and a World Cup match to compete with, The Attack of The Killer Tomatoes was a whole lot of Deep South goodness.
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.
Those of you who are New York imports, well-traveled globe trotters, or avid foodies will know the name Milk & Honey. With locations in NYC and London, the membership suggested cocktail lounge is highly regarded as the anti-trend. To put it another way: while name dropping and starfucking can go a long way in certain establishments, it will get you the door at M&H. For a while, people didn’t even know where it was. I call it “elitism for the everyman.” Why do I bring this up?
Well, word around the campfire is that restaurateur Warren Bruno, the man behind Atkins Park and Aunt Charley’s, is ready to bring at least some elements of Milk & Honey to the Dirty South. Details are hush hush right now, and I’m not so sure just how much Milk & Honey to expect out of the place … so I won’t give away the whole kit and kaboodle right now. Besides, what’s the fun in that? However, I will show you the door and tell you that construction is coming along nicely. The intended “laid back atmosphere” will include some grub, some libations, some bocce ball, and a few other treats. It’s over on the Westside, and I’ll at least let you know if it’s actually headed down the route of M&H once it finally opens. I’m sure we’ll all find out soon enough if things like a membership card or just a drivers license are needed for access to Atlanta’s land of milk and honey. Oh yeah … dates and what not. Well, I’ve heard everything from the first few days of November into the middle of the month.
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