The February Hit List: Southern Belle, Atrium, Bread & Butterfly, and More

Aside from the obvious reasons to enjoy fresh oysters with that special someone around Valentine’s Day, there’s also the reality that Watchman’s just announced that it will close permanently on February 27. That’s a bummer, because for anyone closer to Inman Park than Decatur, the trendy Krog Street Market seafood diner with flowing flower pots hung throughout the dining room has some of the freshest surf in town, shuckable and otherwise. The delicate flavors found in their daily oyster selections range from briny to buttery, and from as far north as Maine to as near as the buzzy E.L. McIntosh oysters of coastal Georgia. Save room for a toasty shrimp roll, or snapper risotto, and don’t miss out on specialty cocktails starring Chartreuse, absinthe, overproof Caribbean rum, and other spirits that aren’t for amateur shakers and stirrers. At least you’ve got a short month to make one last reservation and give them a proper toast for four years of fond drinking and dining memories.

Just west of the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, this recently opened cashless brewery is already the talk of the O4W, thanks to something any great brewpub restaurant would hope to achieve: word of mouth. The single-story brick and concrete industrial space, a former welding shop, is very pedestrian-friendly, with a front patio spilling out into Edgewood Avenue for prime people-watching to pair with your fresh beer-drinking.

Speaking of the brews, Biggerstaff leans into the classics with contemporary lagers and ales like the Daddy Jack dry stout, the crisp and clean Pauline pilsner, and a short-but-mighty selection of IPAs. They also serve wine, cocktails (Negronis, Manhattans and Moscow mules — keeping the classic vibes flowing), and even house-brewed coffees and teas from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. six days per week. As for the food, they’ve got seven sandwich options, including beef and pork meatball subs, Cubans, and a spiced sausage banh mi, and very good fries, which are perfect accompaniments to their superb garlic-buttered PEI mussels.

Ponce City Market’s newest Central Food Hall tenant is Atrium, a new European-influenced American restaurant from the culinary team behind popular spots like Italian restaurant (and PCM neighbor) Bellina Alimentari, West Midtown Israeli eatery Aziza, and others. The bright floral decor includes a penchant for tropical leaves painted on backgrounds of pink, gold, and green, giving it an easygoing energy.

On the menu you’ll find seasonally driven dishes described as “vegetable-forward” on the appetizer side, along with light pastas and filling entrees, such as agnolotti with duck and celery root filling, and bistro steak with roasted sunchokes and king oyster mushroom. The space is also split, so you can dine on large pink banquettes in the 4,000-square-foot bistro, or at the hand-painted tile bar inside the 1,200-square-foot parlor, where your beverage options include punches inspired by world-class cities, classic and modern cocktails, and an assortment of cider, wine, and beer.

Downtown College Park is all the rage these days, with a corridor of successful Black-owned restaurants and bars that are entirely crawl-able. But it’s The Corner Grille that held down the block for years until the new wave of hot spots opened in the last five years. Originally a breakfast restaurant, it’s now a lunch, brunch, and dinner establishment, with a menu that skews notably Cajun. That’s obvious when you see seafood gumbo and beignets in the starter section for dinner, and entrees like shrimp and grits or blackened salmon topped with crawfish mushroom sauce over jasmine rice. As for brunch, you’ll do fine with a crawfish-topped shrimp omelet with mushroom, spinach, and Parm, if you can resist the calling of the strawberry caramel pecan-crunch French toast, sided with applewood-smoked bacon.

The closing of Proof Bakeshop in the final days of 2021 caught lots of loaf-lovers completely off guard and cursing the pandemic yet again, especially those who’re still lamenting the loss of Billy and Kristin Allin’s well-loved Decatur Square restaurant and café Cakes & Ale (where The Deer and The Dove is now located). Atlanta still has Bread & Butterfly, the self-described “whimsical” European bistro surrounded by gorgeous green tile. The drinks get going with a classic espresso, or aperitifs like the Paper Plane cocktail, and take advantage of the fresh-baked greatness in plates like cured anchovies with a baguette, royal red shrimp toast on brioche, or red lentil hummus with focaccia.

While Southern Belle is connected to Georgia Boy, and both are driven by chef’s tasting menu formatting, it’s important to know that the two restaurants are entirely different concepts with completely separate dining experiences, even despite chef Joey Ward being the brain behind the kitchen line. SB is the far more romantic of the two, which should explain the February dinner recommendation. The deep velvet blue hue of the dining area and all of the colorful art adorning the walls (including the neon “Bless Your Heart” sign above the bar) make for a very intimate and personal affair, or at least its setup. The rest is in your four-course menu, which changes often but is known to include offerings like beef tartare in truffle emulsion, egg yolk, and caviar, up to 90-day dry-aged rib eye with coconut-braised collards and roasted beets.

6,000 square feet of sprawling social space is the idea at this new Colony Square dining and drinking hangout. From the vaulted wood-beamed ceilings and dark charcoal-painted walls to its plush leather booths and couches, large central bar, and living-room-styled “pod” areas, including one set up next to a stone fireplace, there’s a bit of throwback coziness at play here.

There’s also an element of entertainment, with the kitchen set up on a stage overlooking the dining room, offering views of the chefs in action, and an outdoor pergola complete with booths with individually heated seat cushions not far from a fire pit. The wide-ranging menu runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., whether you’re up for huevos rancheros, having a midday meal of Thai beef salad with rice noodles, or enjoying a dinner of yellowfin tuna seared in cast iron prepared Mediterranean-style with eggplant, harissa, labneh, and thin beans, there are no shortage of options and plenty of space if you need it.

Call 770-731-8159 for reservations.

If you’re the drinking type, it’s safe to assume you’ve earned the right to responsibly enjoy one or two this month, Dry January or not. That makes February a great month to get reacquainted with Full Commission, where the impressive maple pork sausage breakfast biscuits and lunchtime Italian sandwiches are supporting characters to a high-quality cocktail program (it’s a favorite of local bartenders and industry workers, meaning the pours are pro-level). You can’t go wrong with the spice-balanced Fire Sale, a soda-mixed drink with Earl Grey tea-infused dry gin, Benedictine, Heering cherry liqueur, clove, and lime, but there are also reliable interpretations of classic old fashioneds and others you’ll recognize if you’re feeling set in your ways.

Southern soul food meets Caribbean flavor for brunch here at Ms. Icey’s, which has become a popular attraction for eastside Atlantans and hungry diners inside, outside, and all around Interstate 285. While dinner is full of fabulous feasts, such as fried barbecue shrimp, rib-eye steak with jerked Dianne sauce, and roasted half chicken brined in Red Stripe, it’s brunch that’s the runaway star of the show. Show up early and have a honeysuckle mimosa, then consider a plantain waffle with eggs, etoufee with shrimp, crawfish, andouille chicken sausage, and grits, or go straight toward “Grandma’s” braised oxtails with mashed sweet potatoes. Whatever you do, be sure to get the skillet cornbread with bourbon praline butter and blueberry jam — it’s epic.

After initial reports that it would close in the early days of COVID-19, Phipps Plaza’s Northern Italian steakhouse is back, with a six-figure renovation aimed at making the 9,000-square-foot upscale space more expansive by removing partitions and wall structures while adding more room for seating. The menu is mostly unchanged from the dining room and outdoor patio to the private rooms and 28-seat bar; that means you’ll still find all the opulent seafood towers, daily made tagliatelle Bolognese with San Marzano tomatoes and other pastas, or turf-oriented entrees like the 16-ounce center-cut veal rib chop. In addition to dinner, Davio’s also offer breakfast and lunch, and there’s a gluten-free option for all three menus.

Call 404-844-4810 for more info.