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Hotel (July 2000) W Atlanta
Hotel and Georgia Shakespeare Festival have joined together
and are offering special one weekend night's stay - Friday
or Saturday - for two adults and includes two tickets to the
Shakespeare Festival for one performance and two $25 coupons
to apply toward food and beverage. For further information
call toll free 877-WHOTELS.
Wasabi (April 2001) *See also Nickiemoto's - Seng Lay Khat has recently purchased the Nickiemoto's location at 247 Buckhead Avenue from his former boss and renamed it the Wasabi Fusion Dining Lounge. In addition to serving as sushi chef at both Nickiemoto's location, Khatt has also worked at Prime and Tom Tom. According to Wasabi's General Manager Paul Thong there are only a few changes being made to the interior and a few items being added to the menu. "We are putting down tile and using black tablecloths," says Thong. "The place will basically keep the same vibe. We are just giving it a little more upscale feel." Among the new menu items is a steak dish, some seafood dishes and a house specialty lobster roll which is a one and a quarter pound lobster steamed and then served in ten to twelve pieces of maki roll with asparagus, cucumber and scallions served with garlic butter and spicy aioli sauces. Although the prices for most dishes will remain in the $10 to $20 range the lobster roll is $24.95. A wide selection of individual sushi is available for $1. The restaurant will also serve twelve upscale martinis including one made with Red Bull energy drink. Wasabi Fusion Dining Lounge is open for dinner. Considerations are being made concerning opening for lunch down the road. The restaurant's phone number is 404.842.0334.
Watershed (Opened October 1998)
Whole Foods Market (September 2000) A second Whole Foods Market will be making its debut on September 1st on the corner of Hammond Drive and Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. The market will sell prepared food and bakery goods in front of the store for easy access to those who need to "grab it and go." Meat, seafood, produce and specialty (fine cheeses, wine and other dairy products) departments will be located in the front of the store with grocery items housed in the back area. Other departments will include vitamins and beauty products, floral and a complete section of educational books and magazines. A Jamba Juice bar, the first in the Southeast, will provide fresh, all-natural fruit smoothies and beverages to drink while shopping or take out. Opening weekend (September 2, 3 and 4) will include days filled with grilling demonstrations, a clam bake, old-fashioned cookout, happy hour and live music. Also store vendors will be on hand to provide education and samples of all-natural and organic foods that will be sold. The first Whole Foods Market is located on Briarcliff and opened a year ago on September 1st. Whole Foods Market is the nation's largest all-natural and organic grocery store chain originating in Austin, Texas and grown to 112 nationwide.
(September 2000) Whole Foods Market, Roswell Road - Newly Opened
Wildberries (Opened October 1997)
Wild Times Cafe (April 2001) Ron Disbrow, Mary Ann and Andy Wike, and Jamie Sikes have recently opened the mammoth 21,000 square foot Wild Times Cafe at 11105 State Bridge Road in Alpharetta. Having worked for Red Roof Inns, Marriott and serving as vice president and owner with the Impac Hotel group, Disbrow is the only one with experience in the hospitality industry. This is the group's first foray into the restaurant business. "We had to do such a large place because we wanted to get in all of the elements and concepts we had been discussing for four-and a-half years," says Sikes. Constructed of massive logs from Washington and Canada, the Cafe resembles a wilderness lodge. The interior has a dining area, a bar, a teen and adult arcade, and for children under age 12 there is the Silly Shack Kidz Zone. Patrons enter the restaurant under a canopy of faux 16 foot oak and pine trees. Moonlight glows over the tables recreating a night time outdoor setting. A wall mural depicting a river flowing through the mountains leads to an actual 30 foot waterfall that flows over a rock archway framing a view into the kitchen. Customers dine in a setting resembling front porches of rustic cabins overlooking the forest, an old mine shaft and a lodge. There is a large bar with seating around an open stone fireplace. The bar opens onto a terrace with outdoor seating. Owners worked with the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department to obtain animals that had died of natural causes to be mounted and placed throughout the restaurant. The arcade, located in a buffered area to keep noise levels down for dining patrons, features games ranging from Skee Ball to interactive video games. The Kidz Zone is a separate dining and play area for children featuring an animatronics show with the Cafe's mascot Buddy Bear, a soft play area and interactive games. Parents can let their children eat and play in the Zone while they enjoy a meal in the dining room. Fare at the Cafe is American dishes including USDA Certified Angus beef, ribs, fresh game chicken, pasta and seafood. Among the specialties are pecan-encrusted yellow fin tuna - $17.95, pan fried rainbow trout - $14.95, slow roasted cashew chicken - $9.95 and chargrilled pork tenderloin - $12.95. An extensive appetizer list including bacon cheeseburger pizza and buffalo wing pizza, calamari, shrimp, tortillas, artichoke hearts and stuffed jalapeno's, to name a few, range from $5.95 to $7.95. Soups and salads, including a quail salad, range from $2.95 to $11.95 and pasta dishes along with such sandwiches as grilled portobella, marinated chicken breast, a spinach herb wrap and Atlantic cod sandwich range from $6.95 to $16.95 for the fettuccine seafood pasta dish. An electronic customer satisfaction system will soon be in place at the restaurant. Along with their bill, customers will be given a hand size electronic device to answer a brief questionnaire about their dining experience. Responses will be feed immediately into a data base alerting managers or owners to any problems so they can be resolved before the customer leaves. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Silly Shack is open Sunday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The bar and arcade are open Sunday through Saturday from 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. For more information or for reservations call 770.664.6116.
Willi (Opened September 1999) See Also Gecko
(October 2000) Closed
Williamson Brothers (March 2000) Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q turns 10 years old this month. It is in Marietta. It could have a lot of places - Fort Walton Beach or Pensacola, Fla., or Birmingham, Mobile, Anniston, Mobile or Anniston, Alabama. Frankly anywhere the Williamson brothers - Larry and Danny - happened to pass one extended road trip back in the late 1980s could have been the magic spot for their barbecue joint. The two toured the south in a 1988 Chevy Blazer they had won in a $100 raffle, looking for the perfect spot. On a whim, they decided to check out Atlanta and they were headed north off I-75 in Marietta when they spotted a "restaurant for rent" sign. The rest is successful history for the two brothers from Talladega, Ala. They pooled all their resources (when they opened they had $167 left between the two of them) and opened on March 24, 1990 at 1425 Roswell Road in Marietta. The in-house brick barbeque pit and a menu of BBQ pork, beef, chicken, ribs, sandwiches, brunswick stew, slaw, beans, corn on the cob, onion rings and french fries was an immediate smashing success. Among their regular customers are Newt Gingrich and Congressman Bob Barr. The Williamsons also have a thriving catering business and some of their customers include Coca Cola, Anheuser Busch, Home Depot, Post Properties and the Braves. Their special barbeque sauce is sold at Kroger, Publix, Sam's Club, Wine Dixie and Costco. Not bad for a couple brothers sitting around in Talladega, Ala., a decade ago wondering what they ought to do with the rest of their lives.
(March 2001) Brothers Danny and Larry Williamson will celebrate the eleventh anniversary of their first location at 1425 Roswell Road in Marietta by opening a second Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q at 1600 Marietta Parkway in Canton on March 22. Danny and Larry's company, the Williamson Group, owns the original location. They teamed with Kayla Cobb, Tim Williamson (Danny and Larry's cousin), Guy Guantey and Reyes Morales to form a new company, Bar-B-Cue South, Inc., which will operate the new location housed in a site that was formerly a Western Sizzler. "We're always looking to talk to groups or individuals who may be interested in licensing the concept, recipes and the name," says Danny Williamson. The new location will serve the same barbecue ribs, pork, chicken and beef; Brunswick stew, handmade burgers; homemade onion rings; rotisserie chicken; sloppy Joes and other fare that has kept the other location going for eleven years. Barbecue platters at both locations are around $6. Stacked stone and the use of stuffed elk and moose heads will give the new location, which also has a full bar, a lodge type atmosphere. The Williamsons will be catering a party in Washington, D.C. on April 4th for local Congressman Johnny Isakson. "There's a chance that President Bush will be there. If he is we'll treat him to a little Georgia barbecue instead of the Texas stuff he is use to," says Williamson. Along with the barbecued chicken, ribs and pork; baked beans; potato salad cookies and sweet tea, Williamson says he'll also take along another Georgia favorite - boiled peanuts. "Most folks in Washington have never seen a boiled peanut," he adds. The original location's phone number is 770-971-3201. The number for the new eatery is 770-345 9067.
Winfield's (Opened October 1982)
Wing Zone (July 2000) What Domino's did for pizza and delivery, the Wing Zone is doing for hot wings. The Wing Zone, opened its first training center and residential take-out restaurant in June at 1245 Powers Ferry Rd. The Wing Zone was created by former University of Florida student Matt Friedman who started the business in his fraternity house and moved to a storefront location with a start up cost of $500 in September of '91. "This store is a milestone for us. Until now, our focus has been entirely in university markets. This location will be a test of the residential take-out market segment. We're confident that it will open the door to a whole new industry for the Wing Zone concept," said Friedman. The menu offers over 25 flavors of wings including hot garlic, sweet and sour, honey mustard, Cajun, teriyaki and hot to name a few and can be purchased in counts from 10 to 500. Prices range from $4.99 to $169.99. But wings are not the only thing on the menu. Also offered is a variety of chicken sandwiches (grilled, Cajun, mesquite, honey mustard, and fried), a number of appetizers (jalapeno poppers, curly fries, and chicken fingers), salads and desserts. No eat-in service is available but delivery is offered to the surrounding area.
Woody's, Canton Road (Closed November 2000)
Wyndham Atlanta (August 2000) (See also Caliterra) Caliterra, located in the Wyndham Atlanta hotel downtown, has announced the appointing of it's new executive chef, Patrick Gebrayel, who has also created a new lunch and dinner menu blending northern California and Tuscany Italy influenced items.
Zoobar (February 2000) It's an old story these days in Atlanta: New Yorkers fall in love with our city. Old friends Ron Espinosa and Rod McBrien owned and operated several nightclubs in New York City, including the Ski Bar. After moving to Atlanta Rod told his friend he needed to be here. Ron followed, fell in love with the city and Buckhead and now the two are in business again. This time they opened the Zoobar, in the former Doghouse location at 3029 Peachtree Street on January 21st. A sure bet to quickly catch on with the college age crowd the full service bar offers 46-oz. yard draft and pre-mixed specialty drinks, 30 oz. fish bowls with tri-colored frozen drinks and the far end of the bar, named the penguin area, there are frozen drink machines. Also nearby are two large blocks of ice for pouring shots down. The "jungle" theme is carried throughout with palm trees, stuffed animals and a tiki hut bar top. Two large airbrushed murals were painted and one depicts a jungle theme while the other is of a bar theme with animals serving and drinking. The deejay booth is eight feet in the air in a cage. Dancers boogie to top 40 tunes from over the past 40 years on the dance floor as well as in two dance cages. Don't be surprised if you see a bartender lighting himself on fire or the deejay hanging from his cage or jumping into the crowd for some wild antics. An upstairs will open in the springtime and half will be covered and the other half open. The unexposed portion will become a tanning deck and guests will be encouraged to wear bathing suit attire. The food served includes "anything that can be cooked in a broiler or fryer" which simply means burgers, fries, chicken fingers, etc.