Turning tables: Restaurant and food news

Main dish

Earlier this month, the iconic Harold's Barbecue planned to close up shop, its closing date coinciding with the restaurant's 65th anniversary . After the closure was announced, customers flocked to the restaurant, some driving as many as three hours to get there. Owner Billy Banyon says, "people are begging us to stay open."

When I first spoke with Banyon, he attributed the restaurant closing to the economic downturn. “The economy has gotten us. We are a lunch business . . . people are carpooling and are not going to lunch as much.”

Now, Banyon believes there is another reason for the decline in business. Customers have indicated that they believed Harold’s closed a year ago. Banyon says the confusion arose from the closing of the Jonesboro and McDonough Harold’s Barbecue locations. The remaining (original) location sits near the Jonesboro Road and McDonough Boulevard intersection, an unfortunate coincidence.

While Banyon understands that the restaurant may be unable to sustain the level of business that it had immediately after the closure was announced, he says, “We will try to go on through the rest of this year. Keep supporting us and we can stay open.”

171 McDonough Blvd S.E., Atlanta.

Bites

• Roswell recently welcomed a newcomer Stax Burger Bar, located just west of Ga. 400. Stax is named for its double "stack" of three ounce burgers on brioche buns. In addition to a short list of traditional burgers, Stax also features a number of specialty burgers made from pork and chorizo, shrimp, salmon, veal, chicken, turkey or lamb. Burgers can be paired with one of the sides or tapas like the buttermilk onion rings, green pea risotto or sauteed Brussels sprouts with shallots and pancetta. In addition to the main dining area, Stax offers high-top seating on the patio and a handful of seats at the bar, which serves both beer and wine. 11 a.m. -- 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. -- 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 690 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell. 770-992-2229. $.

• Watershed on Peachtree, which will open in its new Buckhead location at the end of the month, recently announced that chef Julia LeRoy will be joining chef Joe Truex's team as chef de cuisine. LeRoy has experience in fine dining, having worked at both Seeger's and the Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Her most recent venture was the now-closed LeRoy's Fried Chicken in West Midtown. In an email to its customers, Watershed on Peachtree said that LeRoy, with Truex, "will expand on Watershed's Southern-inspired cuisine with flavors from the Georgia Coast to the Louisiana Bayou and everything in between including the diverse ethnic flavors found throughout the South."

Gravy

Dunwoody Beer Festival . . . Perimeter Mall, www.dunwoodybeerfest.com

The 11th annual Dunwoody Beer Festival takes place on Saturday, May 12 rain or shine. Sample over 150 beers, malt beverages and liquors from around the world while listening to live entertainment. Food will be available for purchase. 2-7 p.m. May 12. $30 in advance, $40 day of festival.