“I’ve done what I could from a distance, shared stories, and donated,” he said. However, it has never seemed sufficient. Thus, I will travel to Ukraine.
According to Reeves, he will travel to Ukraine in November and stay there until January to volunteer at Hell’s Kitchen. Based in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has been largely occupied by Russian soldiers, the organization organizes volunteers to prepare hot meals and bake bread, which are then transported to nearby hospitals.
Reeves intends to visit Kyiv for one month and Kharkiv for two. In order to finance his endeavor, which includes securing a visa, airfare, and lodging, he intends to raise $8,000. According to him, any extra money will go toward maintaining the kitchen where Reeves would be employed.
Brave Wojtek will continue to operate as a pop-up every Tuesday at Dead End Drinks until Reeves leaves for Ukraine. Additionally, he has scheduled a coursed dinner at Banshee on September 15 and another dinner at Minhwa Spirits in October; specifics will be revealed later.
The hisSpotfund fundraising page has more details regarding Reeves’ volunteer work.
Chef announcements at two West Midtown establishments
Separate announcements this week announced the addition of new chief chefs to two West Midtown kitchens.
Chris Hong, a chef from St. Petersburg, Florida, has joined O-Ku, one of the neighborhood’s oldest eateries. With thirty years of culinary experience, Hong will collaborate with Masa Hamaya, the culinary director of O-Ku, to manage the kitchen and improve the cuisine.
Source: Handout
Source: Handout
The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which runs 11 O-Ku restaurants in the Southeast and Washington, D.C., is the operator of O-Ku Atlanta.
This week’s second chef will assist with the opening of Retreat by The Gathering Spot at The Interlock. The 60,000-square-foot rooftop private membership club that will replace the L.O.A. Social Club will have Chad Sosa Hester as its executive chef. The two distinct restaurant areas and the spacious rooftop pool area will be served by Hester’s kitchen.
Source: Handout
Source: Handout
According to a press statement, Hester, a native of Georgia, most recently oversaw the kitchen at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta. Hester’s menu at Retreat will feature dishes like peri-peri fish with a sweet and spicy bird’s eye chile sauce and smothered chicken with a truffle veloute sauce, which combine Southern comfort food with international inspirations.
According to The Interlock’s website, Retreat is anticipated to launch later this year.
1085 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta; 404-500-2383; o-kusushi.com; O-Ku Atlanta
The Gathering Spot is a retreat. Atlanta, 1115 Howell Mill Road. The gatheringspot.club, 404-948-2459
Other items of interest
A nostalgic, off-menu food dish is being offered by Your Third Spot. A Happy Meal, which costs $15 and consists of chicken nuggets and parmesan truffle french fries topped with crème fraiche tartar sauce and tobiko roe (flying fish eggs), is available to patrons of the Upper Westside dining establishment.
Atlanta, 770-230-3033, 400 Chattahoochee Row NW, your3rdspot.com
VinoBarrel, an automated device, will soon let patrons pour their own wine at Two Urban Licks, the Concentrics hospitality restaurant on the Eastside Beltline Trail in Old Fourth Ward. Customers can select from two different wine options then tap and pay at a barrel-shaped dispenser using the new method. According to the VinoBarrel website (which includes a film recorded at Two Urban Licks), each of the two wine kegs can carry more than fifty bottles of wine.
Atlanta, 404-522-4622, 820 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, twourbanlicks.com
Source: Handout
Source: Handout
This past week, several restaurants, including Delbar in Inman Park, Serena Pastificio in Midtown, and the Betty and St. Julep restaurants at the Kimpton Sylvan Hotel in Buckhead, debuted new cocktails. Additionally, the cocktail of the month at Taffer’s Tavern in Alpharetta is a key lime pie martini.
404-500-1444, delbaratl.com, Delbar Inman Park, 870 Inman Village ParkwayNE, Atlanta
Pastificio serena. 470-893-8526, 1197 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, serena-pastificio.com
374 East Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta; 877-984-6548, thebettyatl.com and saintjulepatl.com; The Betty/St. Julep
Taffer’s Tavern. 33 Sain Street, Alpharetta; tafferstavern.com; 678-585-4456
Give thanks to Jamestown.
Give thanks to Jamestown.
Restaurant openings
Necessary Purveyor has opened on the ground level of the Scout Living hotel in Ponce City Market. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the market and restaurant are open all day and provide baked goods, sandwiches, salads, and coffee drinks. It changes into a full-service restaurant in the evening, serving beer, wine, cocktails, and a raw bar program.
Atlanta, Georgia; 639 Glen Iris Drive NE; thenecessarypurveyor.com
Pop-upIn downtown Atlanta, Pepper’s Hotdogs has launched its first physical shop. With a range of inventive hot dog combinations, Tarina Hodges debuted the pop-up in 2020. Her hot dog stand in Truist Park’s food hall, Outfield Market, now has a permanent position close to Woodruff Park. On August 11, the downtown Atlanta facility will celebrate its grand opening with hot dogs, classic diner fare, and dessert.
Atlanta, 84 Peachtree St. NW, peppershotdogs.com
West Midtown is now home to La Mixteca Tamale House. The restaurant offers a variety of Oaxacan fare, including tlayudas, gorditas, tortas, tamales, and chilaquiles. In addition to an outpost in Suwanee, this is its second location.
Atlanta, 470-851-1390, 1465 Chattahoochee Ave. NW, mixtecatamales.com
Big Softiehasopened its third location near the Eastside Beltlinein Old Fourth Ward. Situated close to 3 Parks Wine, the walk-up window offers the same soft-serve menu as its sister outlets in Poncey-Highland and Summerhill.
Atlanta, 405 N Angier Ave. NE, bigsoftieatl.com
Thanks to the creators and finders
Thanks to the creators and finders
New restaurant announcements
King s Chicken, a fast-casual fried chicken concept, will open as a stall in theHalidom Eatery food hallon Aug. 15 at 11 a.m., according to a news release. Owner Steve Mallard and chef Aleem Wahl are behind the Southern comfort food menu that includes such offerings as mild or spicy fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, sides like macaroni and cheese, kale salad and potato salad, and sweets like a mint lemonade slushie and chocolate cake.
1341 Moreland Ave. SE, Atlanta.kingschickencompany.instagram.com
A second location ofChubby Cattle BBQis opening in Dunwoody this month. The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat Japanese-style yakiniku barbecue with proteins like American, Australian and Japanese wagyu, sushi and seafood.
4400 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody.chubbycattle.com/project/chubby-cattle-dunwoody
Blake s Oyster Bar, a sister restaurant to D Juan s New Orleans Bistro, will open on Aug. 27 in South Fulton. New Orleans native Donald Williams Jr. founded D Juan s in 2023 with a menu of New Orleans favorites and seafood.
510 Fairburn Road SW, Atlanta.blakesoysterbar.com
Ghee Indian Kitchen, a Miami-based Indian restaurant, is set to open in West Midtown s Star Metals District,What Now Atlanta reported.
1050 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta.gheemiami.com
Buddy Buddy, a cocktail bar from Atlanta bartender Nick Chaivarlis, will open in the Midtown Promenade this fall in the Tapa Tapa space,Rough Draft Atlanta first reported. A tentativemenuon its website features a martini tour, playfully named cocktails and a variety of small and large plates inspired by Chaivarlis Greek heritage.
931 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta. 404-481-5226,buddybuddyatl.com
Restaurant closings
Murph s, the restaurant owned by legendary Atlanta Braves player Dale Murphy, will close Aug. 12 at Cobb Galleria, according to the two-time MVP sInstagram.
Charcuterie Chick, a charcuterie shop in Sandy Springs that offers made-to-order meat and cheese boards, grazing tables, classes and workshops, will close Oct. 4 after nearly six years in business, the shopannounced on social media.
Planta, thevegan restaurant in Krog Street Market, shut down late last month, as firstreported by Tomorrow s News Today.
Tacos & Tequilason Ponce De Leon Avenue has temporarily closed through the remainder of 2025, according to a news release. The closure was forced by akitchen fire in early June, but the restaurant will delay reopening as it undertakes a more complete renovation.
