Omnivore Atlanta

TROIS’s former chef, Jeremy Lieb, is heading to Cincinnati after leaving TROIS a few weeks ago. When asked if Lieb would be returning to TROIS, a source from the restaurant replied, “Jeremy has moved on.” Now, running the kitchen is Todd Ginsberg, chef of sister Concentrics gastropub, TAP.

Lieb has moved on, indeed. “Culinary legend,” Jeff Ruby, has invited Lieb to jump start his new downtown Cincinnati tapas eatery, Bootsy’s. Lieb will also be in charge of Ruby’s other restaurants in the area, but won’t be revamping the menus.

According to Ruby in a quote from The Cincinnati Enquirer, Lieb’s purpose will be “helping to individualize the restaurants” rather than turning things around, because honestly, “the food is already great.”

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Check out these Halloween events at Atlanta restaurants:

5 Seasons at the Prado-Fri., Oct. 24: Charity costume fundraiser, raffle, canned food drive for the Atlanta Food Bank, music, dancing, and beer. Hosted by Ravenwood Church & Seminary of the Old Religion and Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore with the 5 Seasons Brewing Company. To buy tickets, contact: http://www.ravenwoodchurch.org/news/current or visit Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore at 5531 Roswell Rd.

Atkins Park Tavern-Wed., Oct. 29th: Adult Pumpkin Carving Contest, 8:00 p.m. Fri., Oct. 31st: Halloween Party w/ music by House DJ and a costume contest, 11:00 p.m. 794 N. Highland Ave. Atlanta, GA. 404-876-7249. www.atkinspark.com.

ENO-Fri., Oct. 31st: Get spooky at the ENO bar, w/ $6 specials for those in costume! 800 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA. 404-685-3191. www.enorestaurant.com.

Marietta Wine Market-Fri., Oct. 31st: Treats, hors’dourves, and spooky wines on tap. Costume contest at the Marlow House, 8:00 p.m. $10 per person. 18 Powder Springs St. 770-919-1574. www.mariettawinemarket.com.

TAP-Fri., Oct. 31st: TAP’s Halloween Bash begins at 5:00 p.m. w/ live music, drinks, menu specials, and a costume contest. 1180 Peachtree Street. Atlanta, GA. 404-347-2220. www.tapat1180.com.

TWO Urban Licks- Fri., Oct. 31st: TWO’s Urban Legends Bash at 5:30 p.m. Costume contest, raffles, and drinks. 820 Ralph McGill Blvd. Atlanta, GA. 404-522-4622. www.twourbanlicks.com.

Whiskey Park-Fri., Oct. 31st: Bad Things Halloween 2008 begins at 8:00 p.m. with no cover charge. Costume contest with sexy prizes! For reservations call: 404-724-2559 or log on to www.whotels.com/whiskeyween08. 188 14th Street, NE. 404-892-6000. www.gerberbars.com.

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As Andisheh pointed out yesterday, the Atlanta Community Food Bank is in dire straits. This month they sponsor Hunger Action Month; a 30-day fight against domestic hunger. 30 Ways in 30 Days To Fight Hunger Calendar lists daily events throughout September and suggestions for hunger relief, such as donating a gas card to food delivery programs, or attending a dinner hosted by Tap, Trois, or Murphy’s (proceeds benefit the Food Bank). Other events include: cooking classes with chef Jay Swift of 4th & Swift, and chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, and wine tastings sponsored by the Concentrics Group. For more information, log on to http://www.acfb.org/ham/.

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This is from Tap (1180 Peachtree St.): “Beer lovers unite! Atlanta’s latest Midtown gastropub has created the ultimate beer club…. By visiting TAP to sign up, beer enthusiasts can become a member of Tap Taster’s Society and will have access to 42 beers from around the world in addition to receiving Tap memorabilia and information on happenings and Tap’s newest brews.”…

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I hit Tap (1180 Peachtree St., 404-347-2220), the new gastro-pub, Monday night and got a glimpse of the demonically red deer Besha Rodell mentioned last week. The restaurant is the latest in the empire of Bob Amick’s Concentrics Restaurants. I’ll be sharing my first impression in next week’s paper.

A couple of observations: The place was phenomenally crowded for a Monday night, partly because it only opened a few days ago, but also because any Amick opening is akin to the completion of a pyramid in the Nile Valley. Everyone has to show up to check it out.

Besides the deer from hell, you’ll find brewery equipment that resembles something in a Rube Goldberg cartoon, sci-fi light fixtures (shown here) that look like they are about to descend upon your head and either dry your hair or screw up your brain waves, a single-toilet restroom walled in red and pressed tin, a great staff clad in black T-shirts, and a mixed crowd of urban types.

Chef Todd Ginsberg’s menu includes snacks, not-so-small plates, entrees and desserts. We ordered a bunch of food and, in fact, I started trying to pass some of it off to a couple of young guys sitting next to us. (Wayne glared at me when I started this process and he actually yanked back the dish I handed them.) One of the two turned out to be restaurateur/chef Tom Catherall’s son Ryan — they look identical — who said he and his friend Robert, who works at the restaurant, were there mainly to drink.

I told Ryan I still miss Azalea, his father’s first restaurant here two decades ago. He looked at me blankly.

“I guess you weren’t alive then,” I said.

Robert laughed hysterically.

Whatever!

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Over the weekend, two much-awaited openings happened in Atlanta, right across the street from one another. Being fully committed to serving my readers, I managed to hit both of them.

On Friday night, Tap opened its doors on the corner of Peachtree and 15th streets. Tap is the newest project of Concentrics Restaurant Group and is modeled after the gastropubs of London. Word is that chef Todd Ginsberg did a tour of London gastropubs as research for this venture.

One thing’s for sure, they have put a lot of cash into this joint, in places you might not expect. The beer system is so complicated-looking, it made my wallet hurt just thinking about it. Red is the color of the day, and for some reason, there’s a life-sized, lipstick-red deer in the corner of the dining room. Design geeks will swoon over the small touches, including menus that look as though they belong in a trendy gift shop (seriously — according to our waitress they’re worth $25 each), and coasters with a cute conversion chart from metric to imperial. I was most impressed with this awesome box of matches.

On Sunday, directly across the street in Colony Square, one of Atlanta’s best Thai restaurants reopened its doors with very little fanfare. Tamarind Seed (formerly just Tamarind) lost its lease to eminent domain on 14th Street last year. On Sunday, it quietly told friends and family it was opening the doors of its new establishment, and ended up with a packed house. Seriously, it was madness. I was just lucky to stumble across the opening, and while there were the usual opening-night nerves and not much to choose from in the drinks department (apart from gloriously fruity cocktails), the food came out quickly and was delicious.

Look for coverage for both of these fine new establishments in the upcoming weeks in the Food & Drink section.

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