Angus Brown closing Lusca Feb. 14, opening two new restaurants

Angus Brown and his business partner Nhan Le have sold their restaurant Lusca. Feb. 14 will be the final day of service at the James Beard-nominated restaurant located at 1829 Peachtree Road .

Brown shared the news with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, along with word that he and Le had not one, but two new projects in the works. The pair announced late last year, they are opening Ama in Paris on Ponce. Now, they have shared their plans to open 8 Arm, a coffee and breakfast spot at 710 Ponce De Leon, in the space formerly occupied by Atlanta Motorcycles & Repair shop.

8 Arm will offer a tight coffee menu and food menu.  The coffee program will be run by Matt Mullins, who currently runs the coffee program at Lusca. The food, said Brown, would include light breakfast fare such as soft-scrambled egg sandwiches, bagels and morning buns as well as some lunch items. Brown anticipates opening doors to 8 Arm by the end of March since minimal construction is necessary and they are not applying for a liquor license at this location.

Ama is on track to open in early June according to Brown. The menu at the 45-seat restaurant, which will be accessed from the Beltline, will lean toward fish and seafood dishes.

The final day for Lusca has been in flux. Originally, it was expected to close earlier this year before being turned into a catering operation . Then, the date changed to early summer. "We were trying to keep the transition of Lusca and Ama as close together as possible," said Brown. "We wanted to sell it but we were going to keep it open as long as we could."

The names of the new Lusca owners have not been disclosed. However, Brown noted that the restaurant would not re-open as Lusca. “They are going to do their own thing.”