Omnivore Atlanta

As Cliff mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Westside’s most popular Thai restaurant is heading east.

Spoon co-owner Sujaree Hewitt just told me she and her sister, Ain Suteeluxnaporn, plan to open Spoon Eastside in the fall. The restaurant, which will be about the same size as the Marietta Street location (except it will have a patio), will be located in the Ormewood Park shopping center (749 Moreland Ave.) that already houses the more lactose-oriented Little Azio pizza and Morelli Gourmet Ice Cream.

“I think lunch will be a little bit slower than here,” said Sujaree, whom I ran into at the original restaurant. “But dinner definitely stronger — lots of neighborhood people.”

Sujaree got an MBA at Georgia State and handles the front end, while her sister learned how to become a chef at the Atlanta Art Institute. Kid brother Wind Suteeluxanaporn (yes, he spells his last name differently) helps out.

“We’ll have to rotate” between the two stores, Sujaree said.

The menu will likely be the same simple lineup — highlighted by noodles and curries, with interchangeable meats and heat.

This sounds like a pretty good move, doesn’t it? Southeast Atlanta, like the Westside before Spoon came along, is a bit underrepresented in the Asian food department. I’d be surprised if the sisters didn’t strike the same chord they managed to hit on Marietta Street.

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I’ve been hearing raves about Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream (749 Moreland Ave., 404-622-0210) in Ormewood Park for a couple of weeks now. (Among the raves is a review by Jennifer Zyman. Check it out here.) Morelli’s replaces the Bruster’s that closed there.

I was curious about the two most exotic flavors — coconut-jalapeño and Indian kulfi. Honestly, a couple of samples of those two didn’t tempt me much, but Wayne ordered a cone featuring both. Instead, I opted for dulce de leche that was probably the best I’ve ever had, including several gelato versions.

The place was doing a nonstop business when we visited Sunday night but the counter folks were unruffled. They seemed to take each customer on a tour of flavors, helping everyone settle on the right one. It was like watching a pharmacist at work.

Morelli’s backs up to a Little Azio (404-624-3105). We decided to have a quick dinner there before we indulged in the ice cream. Oy. It has not gotten one bit better since I reviewed it almost two years ago.

I ordered a white pizza with shrimp (left). Somehow, I wasn’t informed that the shrimp would be chopped and flavorless. I did like the thin crust on the pizza and the cheese was okay. Wayne ordered spaghetti with meat sauce (above, right), which tasted very Chef Boyardee to me. It was so bland, in fact, that Wayne squeezed an entire lemon on it.

This is the shopping center where Spoon, an excellent Thai restaurant in the westside, is opening a second location. Please hurry!

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)

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