Newspaper Page Text
Food for Thought: Bringing
books and wine to Buckhead
By Kevin C. Madigan
Lucian Books and Wine owners Jordan Smelt, left, and Katie
Barringer.
Lucian Books and Wine, a wine bar and bookshop that also serves food, is open
in Buckhead’s new Modera
apartment building at 3005
Peachtree Road.
Pratt Institute graduate
Katie Barringer, formerly of
Cover Books in the Westside,
and sommelier Jordan Smelt,
Cake & Ale’s former wine
and beverage director, are the
owners. The place is inspired
by British artist Lucian Freud
and reflects their own “fervent
interests.”
Smelt said the shop has
in the neighborhood of 250
bottles of wine, including
chardonnay from the
premier regions of the world
right alongside “something
unexpected from Patagonia
or South Africa or Australia.”
While the list is dominated
by European regions, there
are plenty of things from the
States, and all with organic
farming as a baseline, Smelt
said.
“A rotating list of by-the-glass options completely turns over every two months,” he
said. “There are grape-based spirits such as Brandy, Cognac, Armagnac — things that
are meant to be sipped on after dinner as opposed to a full-on mixology program, and
an abbreviated aperitif menu that’s very simple and clean.”
Chef Brian FFendrickson, an alum of Cakes & Ale, is in charge of the kitchen
and has introduced Mediterranean influences. “There’s a daytime menu from 11 a.m.
until 4 p.m. — light snacks that pair well with wine, so you can have a glass while you
browse in the bookstore, and you can piece together a light lunch out of that as well,”
Smelt said. “We do have plans for a lunch program but that will probably not come
until fall. Our dinner menu will begin at 4 p.m.”
Berringer said a small concise menu ranging from elevated bar snacks to full-size
composed dinner entrees was designed to meet the needs of a variety of customers.
“ We’re trying to think of the different experiences that people may come to Lucian
for,” she said. “It could be a glass of wine, it could be a group of friends, it could be a
dinner, so we’re trying to provide a food menu with options for all of those scenarios —
a range of size and composition.”
Smelt said that was part of the reasoning behind starting dinner service at 4p.m.
“You have options from popping in for an early glass or two of wine, or a snack, to a
full-on dinner.”
Berringer is doing a mixture of known with unknown for the wine list, but also a
lot of small production wines that people may not recognize, but “hopefully will come
to love as much as we do,” Smelt said.
As for the bookstore, Berringer said nonfiction with a strong emphasis on art
architecture, design and photography are what booklovers will find. “There’s also a
collection of cookbooks and wine and cocktail-related books, with a balance of classic,
recognizable names as well as small production artist books that you’ve never seen
before, and everything in between,” Berringer said. “There is also a a small selection of
magazines with a focus on international titles on similar subjects.” QU
Restaurants announced for
South Dwntn development
By Collin Kelley
The first tenants for the South Dwntn
redevelopment from Newport will open storefronts in
phase one of the project, FFotel Row, along Mitchell
Street.
Chicken sandwich concept Flow Crispy, which
is running a popup in Summerhill with plans to
build a brick-and-mortar shop there — is coming to
FFotel Row along with a pizza shop and underground
cocktail bar from Slater FFospitality, which operates 9
Mile Station and Skyline Park at Ponce City Market.
“After years of planning and programming, we are
one step closer to truly reviving South Downtown,”
said Newport Senior Vice President April Stammel
in a press release. “I could not be more excited to
unveil details on these first tenants for FFotel Row — both of whom will help create a thriving
community and are excited to truly honor the building’s unique character. It’s crucial to us
that we find the best partners to push the vision for South Dwntn forward, and I can’t imagine
having better people behind these first two concepts.”
At press time, Newport announced that Pins Mechanical Company would convert a former
bank building on Mitchell Street into an entertainment complex with duckpin bowling, pinball
machines, classic arcade games, bocce courts, pingpong, and three full bars.
Newport’s plans for FFotel Row, which is named for the collection of early 20th century
historic hotels that once lined the street, will include local restaurants, specialty retail, creative
office and artist spaces. The first tenants are expected to move into FFotel Row starting early
next year.
Listed on the National Register of FFistoric Places, the buildings located in south
Downtown at Broad and Mitchell Streets till retain their early 20th century character and are in
walking distance to the Capitol, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the Centennial Yards project at
The Gulch.
For more information, visit southdwntn.com.Di]
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