Atlanta Wine Week, Sept. 15-21

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Cafe 458 To Offer Dinner

Cafe 458, the Samaritan House of Atlanta's restaurant where all proceeds go directly to support programs that help the city’s homeless men and women become self-sufficient, will expand its menu to serve dinner Thursday and Friday evenings. Traditionally, the restaurant has been a weekend brunch hot spot. Dinner service begins this Thursday, Sept. 4, and will be available from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Cafe will offer a three-course prefixed dinner as well as a la carte options. Highlights of the new menu include lobster ravioli, seared filet mignon, sunflower encrusted salmon and creamy polenta cake. Cafe 458 is located at 458 Edgewood Ave. For more details visit www.samhouse.org/cafe458.

Quick Bites

Leon's Full Service, a gastro pub from the creators of The Brick Store, is set to open in late fall in the old Rue de Leon boutique space at the corner of Ponce and Church Street in downtown Decatur. The spot used to be a gas station.

Legal Seafood is now open at the Hilton Garden Inn on Baker Street in Downtown. This is the chain's first restaurant in the city although there is rumor additional locations might open in Buckhead and at the airport.

Sweet Potato Pie Cafe, a soulfood restaurant dishing up chicken, waffles and other comfort food, is now open in the Four Corners Market at 1087 Euclid Ave.

The Depot Hosts Trivia Night

Mellow Mushroom Opens Downtown

Mellow Mushroom is celebrating the grand opening of its first downtown location at TWELVE Centennial Park, 400 W. Peachtree St., Suite 1. Mellow Mushroom will offer pizza, calzones and salads for local office workers, downtown residents and visitors to attractions like Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola. The new Mellow Mushroom will occupy a 6,500 square foot street level retail space of TWELVE Centennial Park. 

“We are very excited to have Mellow Mushroom bringing a casual and family friendly restaurant option to downtown Atlanta,” said George Mori, Novare Group’s Senior Vice President of Retail. “Mellow Mushroom is an Atlanta institution and a perfect fit for our residents and hotel guests at TWELVE Centennial Park, as well as for workers and visitors in this great neighborhood of our city.”

The restaurant will feature a 1,800-square-foot patio, complete with two fire pits, on the corner of Spring Street and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. About 30 new employees will be hired to staff the restaurant, which will feature bars downstairs and upstairs and a meeting facility with A/V equipment available upstairs. The restaurant’s contemporary design also offers a fun twist: Guests can eat comfortably while sitting under giant mushroom-shaped light fixtures that illuminate the large two-story dining space.

The location at TWELVE Centennial Park represents a return to Mellow Mushroom’s Spring Street roots. The Atlanta-based chain began with its first restaurant on Spring and 14th streets in 1974. Since then, Mellow Mushroom has expanded to 84 locations now open throughout the Southeast, with 40 locations in Georgia.

Morningside Market Features Barbecue

This Saturay's Morningside Farmers’ Market will feature Johnny Umberger from Smokejack preparing barbecue during a chef demonstration at 9:30 a.m. with an assist from the folks at Coleman River Farms. Barbecue will be available for sale after the demonstration. The market runs year round from 8 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m. featuring certified organic produce from Georgia Farms.

J. Christopher's Plans Expansion

J. Christopher’s Restaurant has announced it will begin franchising by targeting the Atlanta suburbs and markets throughout the Southeast for expansion. J. Christopher’s currently has 20 locations including 17 Atlanta restaurants and one each in Nashville, Savannah and Tampa. 

The focus will be on key markets to include Nashville, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Birmingham and Charleston.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for experienced restaurant business partners to start a franchise and to be stewards for the J. Christopher’s brand,” said President Dick Holbrook. “J. Christopher’s is a successful, 12-year-old restaurant concept in an unsaturated breakfast and lunch casual dining category. With fresh menus, attentive service and warm hospitality, our restaurants are natural community gathering places.”

www.jchristophers.com