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Continue from page 23 Not anticipated or expected “We are just ‘heads-down-doing-our- thing people,’ so getting the notice from Michelin [telling them of an impending award] was a complete surprise,” Pernice said ofTable & Main’s recognition this year. “We were hoping to get maybe a ‘recommended,’ so getting a Bib Gourmand was a special surprise.” Khoury also said Hen Mother Cookhouse’s Michelin honor was not on her radar in 2024. “We are a breakfast place, so I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said. “When we first got a notice [from Michelin] to send in some pictures, I thought it was a scam, so I ignored it for a couple of days.” When the official invitation arrived from Michelin a few weeks later, Khoury said she was still skeptical, until Aaron Phillips, chef and co-owner of one-star restaurant Lazy Betty in Midtown, told her it was legitimate. So and Crawford said they were gratified by the Michelin recognition for Spring, considering their humble beginnings in the restaurant industry. “You’ve got a guy who used to be a hibachi chef and another one who used to be a manager of a Pizza Hut now with a Michelin star,” Crawford said. Pernice, Khoury, Crawford, and So all note the significance of Michelin venturing OTP in 2024 and recognizing the Atlanta HAPPY TOGETHER, WE LIGHT THE WAY This Chanukah, may we celebrate the light that unites and strengthens our community. Happy Chanukah from your friends at Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Jewish vvvl/yy Federation vjy of Greater Atla nta ATLANTA _ _ JEWISH FOUNDATION iiuHii I I I I I I | I dining scene expands far beyond the boundaries of the perimeter. The 2025 guide may expand even further into Atlanta’s suburbs. “You can’t tell the story of Atlanta restaurants without going outside the perimeter,” Pernice said. “Atlanta dining, to me, is amazing food found in unexpected places.” Khoury said she was grateful that Hen Mother Cookhouse, located in an area of Johns Creek dominated by chain restaurants, was recognized. “A lot of people told us we should expand to Buckhead or Midtown, but we are very happy where we are,” she said. “We live in Johns Creek and this allows us to have some semblance of a life and a chance to watch our children grow up.” Earlier this fall, Khoury did expand Hen Mother Cookhouse to a second location in neighboring Alpharetta. Is there a Michelin boost? Pernice said in the few days following the Michelin announcement, he saw a significant uptick in reservations for November, typically the restaurant’s slowest month ahead of the holidays. “While it’s too soon to draw broad conclusions, the early word is that the Bib Gourmand has definitely boosted business,” he said. “We are starting with the most covers on the books that we ever had and sales were up 29% over the same week last year.” Khoury said she has been focusing recents efforts on ramping up Hen Mother Cookhouse in Alpharetta, not so much on the impact of the Michelin designation at either location. “We are just trying to focus on great service and good frickin’ food,” Khoury said. “We might feel a bit of pressure, but there’s no ambition to do more at this point. We don’t want to expand, and we don’t want to franchise.” Woo Nam Jeong (Stone Bowl House), 5953 Buford Highway, Doraville; Hen Mother Cookhouse, 11705Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek, and 50 South Main Street, Alpharetta; Masterpiece, 3940 Buford Highway, Duluth; Table & Main, 1028 Canton Street, Roswell; Spring, 36 Mill Street, Marietta. Delbar Middle Eastern opens in Buckhead at former King & Duke space By Beth McKibben Popular Middle Eastern restaurant Delbar, owned by Chef Fares Kargar, opened on Nov. 18, in Buckhead. Taking over the space once home to Ford Fry’s King & Duke on Peachtree Road, the Buckhead location of Delbar will serve a similar menu to the Inman Park and Alpharetta locations. However, this location does offer a handful of new dishes exclusive to Buckhead, including lamb and baghali tahchin (lamb shoulder with fava beans, yogurt, egg, and onions encased in crispy basmati rice) and a rainbow roasted carrot salad. Dessert in Buckhead also features tahini and honey soft serve and Persian tea flan. In addition to the main dining room and bar, Delbar in Buckhead includes a covered patio with its own bar and cocktail menu, as well as two private event spaces. Open daily for dinner and weekend brunch, Kargar plans to launch a weekday lunch service at the Buckhead restaurant in December. Kargar left Iran in 2006 when he was 17. He fled to Turkey as a refugee to avoid the Iranian compulsory military service requirement. The chef eventually made his way to the United States, arriving in Atlanta and earning a degree in hospitality from Georgia State University. The chef worked in several Atlanta restaurants before opening Delbar, including Rumi’s Kitchen in Sandy Springs. He went on to open the first location of Delbar in 2020 at Inman Quarter during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of Delbar led Kargar to open Persian street Delbar Middle Eastern includes locations in Buckhead, Inman Park, and Alpharetta. (Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee) food stall Bibi at Ponce City Market two years later, followed by a second location of Delbar last year in Alpharetta. Michelin recognized Delbar in its 2023 and 2024 guides to Atlanta. Next year, Kargar will open Eden at the Star Metals district on Howell Mill Road. The sprawling French-Mediterranean restaurant will include a rooftop bar called Garden of Eden. Delbar, 3060 Peachtree Road, Buckhead. Open Sunday — Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; weekend brunch, 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. 241 DECEMBER 2024 ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
