Scout, a new restaurant and bar from Chris Martha, is slated to open in early summer in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur at the historic Neel Reid-designed Scottish Rite building on West Hill Street.
Martha, a longtime Atlanta restauranteur and beverage manager, who most recently created Proof & Provision in the basement of the Georgian Terrace hotel , lives in Oakhurst with his wife and children.
This afternoon, Martha talked about the new concept, which will take over the former McGowan’s Oakhurst Pub space and another large section of the Solarium at Scottish Rite.
“We’re going to be providing an experience that draws on Southern ingredient-driven cooking using local and regional products in different ways,” Martha said. “We’re aiming to keep it approachable but we also want to keep it interesting.
“We’re also going to have a great bar atmosphere, with fun cocktails, cool seasonal beers and a thoughtful wine list.”
Ed Seiber of the Atlanta firm Seiber Design, Inc. is in charge the architectural and interior re-design of the 4,500 square foot space, which will make use of multiple large windows and an open floor plan to create a welcoming, light-filled neighborhood spot.
Among the design features and amenities, look for earth tones and dark wood floors, a granite-topped bar, an exhibition-stye kitchen, a game room with a custom shuffleboard table, a 1950s Wurlitzer Bubbler Jukebox, and a new outdoor patio with landscaping improvements.
“We really want to create the casual, comfortable atmosphere of a place we would want to go to,” Martha said. “The sense of community here is so great that we want respond to that with a restaurant where families can come for dinner or people can drop in at the bar for a drink later in the evening. And we’ll be doing Saturday and Sunday brunch, which we think will be big.”
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