News You Can Eat

Cynthia Holt, chef and owner of the popular Rustic Gourmet restaurant, has opened Rustic Lunch. Located in the FloatAway warehouse on Zonalite Road, off Briarcliff Road near Emory University, Rustic Lunch specializes in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Sample menu items include London broil roast beef and farmhouse cheddar sandwich, organic chicken salad sandwiches and roasted red pepper hummus with vegetables. The new spot also serves muffins, bagels, snacks and made-from-scratch desserts and features a barista bar for coffee and espresso drinks. Rustic Lunch is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to place an order, call (404) 815-1300.

Bella Cucina Artful Food's Italian-inspired pantry has opened a retail store in Virginia-Highland at 1050 N. Highland Ave. Created by Alisa Barry in the early 90's, the market features award-winning artichoke pesto, Meyer Lemon Spread, cookies/biscotti, kitchen accessories and much more. Gifts shipped nationwide. The shop is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. www.bellacucina.com or (404) 347-6476.

The new Publix at Plaza Midtown on Spring Street is offering something new – a Cafe to Go window where you can order coffees, colas, pre-made sandwiches, chips and even sushi. The window is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and there are wrought-iron tables and chairs nearby if you need a rest stop. Plaza Midtown is also going to be home to a new Japanese restaurant, Steel, slated to open early next year, and Dressed, a gourmet salad shop opening this fall.

Matador Mexican Cantina has opened in the old Sweet Devil Moon spot at 350 Mead Road in Oakhurst. The restaurant offers traditional Mexican cuisine and big margaritas and a growing selection of tequilas. It’s open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the bar is open until midnight. Call (404) 377-0808 for more information. Those looking for Sweet Devil Moon will be glad to know the restaurant has re-opened in its new Midtown digs at 980 Piedmont Ave., across from Outwrite Books.

The Farmhouse restaurant at the exclusive Serenbe community, founded by Pleasant Peasant creator Steve Nygren, in south Atlanta, is now open to the public. It is the latest addition to the Inn at Serenbe, 10950 Hutcheson Ferry Rd. in Palmetto. A chef’s choice dinner will be served nightly and "Sunday Supper," which will recapture the feeling of a classic family-style Southern meal. The Farmhouse will be open Thursday through Saturday for dinner and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Call (770) 463-2610 to make a reservation. Visit www.serenbe.com for more information.

Atkins Park will continue to open new locations this year and next. A new restaurant will open in Vickery Village in Cumming later this year, while a second will open in Brookhaven in early 2007 in the City Place development on Dresden Drive. The original Atkins Park, 794 N. Highland Ave., opened in Virginia-Highland in 1922.

TJ’s Subs, which recently opened its first location at 620 Peachtree St., has announced it will open two more locations in the city before year’s end. The sub shop, created by former Coca-Cola executives Martin Kaplan and Bob Solomon, is aimed at college kids – and those who wish they were still in college – with subs like the "Big Man on Campus," the "One-Night Stand," "Keg Party," "Tri-Delt Melt" and "The Streaker." Rock and roll music and frat-house attitude are the flavors of the restaurant. (404) 541-9944.

J. Christopher’s, a local breakfast and lunch chain with a dozen locations in the northern ’burbs, including Sandy Springs and Roswell, is moving Intown. A sign has gone up on the ground floor of the Wachovia building in downtown Decatur for a J. Christopher’s, but no opening date has been announced. Also announced is a location in Plaza Midtown, the new mixed-use building overlooking the Downtown Connector at West Peachtree and 8th Street is expected to open this fall.

^{For more food news and reviews, read The Blissful Glutton Blog.}