Bar (n) Booze (n) Bites opened late last week at the new Village at Dunwoody. The drinks-oriented concept is part of an emerging dining and entertainment destination from David Abes, owner of DASH Hospitality Group, which is set to open three more restaurants and a food truck.
Last week, Abes took a turn around the project, where he pointed out the locations of the new storefront spaces, which will be situated around a 30,000-square-foot communal courtyard and opened in stages. And he noted that there will be a stage with a big screen and surround sound for outdoor concerts and food and drink events.
“I’ve been working on this project for two and a half years,” said Abes, who lives in a townhome not far from the courtyard. “If you look at Roswell or Woodstock or Alpharetta, everybody has a city center. Dunwoody didn’t have a city center. We started with Bar (n), which is a wine, whiskey, craft beer, charcuterie, and light bites place.
“And then we have a food trailer, which is our pop-up kitchen and test kitchen for the next two concepts. Morty’s is a meat-and-three with barbecue, 24 beers on tap and cocktails. Cuco’s Cantina is a California-style Mexican concept.”
Other upcoming concepts include Message in a Bottle, which is casual seafood, and Yoffi, a Mediterranean food truck concept with shawarma and falafel.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Bar (n) is a free-standing brick building that looks a lot like a barn, though it was previously home to a skateboard shop. It features an indoor-outdoor bar, with a patio, and a cozy open dining room, which can double as an event space.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, there’s a setup for serving coffee and pastries. “People can come and get a cappuccino or espresso, sit outside, and watch English soccer on the TV,” Abes said.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Phil Handley, who is a chef and director of culinary and beverage for DASH, put together the wine and cocktail program. Bar (n) chef Nick Leahy is curating the beer list.
“I love creating flavors, whether it’s with beverages or food,” Handley said. “Creating synergy with food and beverage is the passion. Beverage inspiration for me has got to be where the primary spirit is the primary flavor. Most of my drinks are riffs on classics. But I try to keep it simple, with not more than three or four ingredients.”
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
A good example of that approach is the Dunwoody ATM, a surprisingly bright, refreshing cocktail with just three ingredients — WhistlePig 6 Year Piggyback Rye, Blended Family No. 8 Raspberry Liqueur, and lemon.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
On the classic side, the Noble Roman is mixed with Old Overholt Rye, Amaro Di Angostura liqueur, and Fee Brothers’ Orange Bitters, garnished with Luxardo cherries.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Leahy’s menu includes bar snacks such as bacon-wrapped dates, house-made jerky, and pigs in a blanket with local sausage. Bigger bites include roasted beet salad, Thai lettuce wraps, and tuna tartare. But the heart of the menu is shareable boards and flatbreads.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Cheese and Meat is a self-explanatory rotating selection served with house-made crackers, olive tapenade, seasonal pickles, Vidalia onion relish, and local jam. The Catch currently includes in-house salmon pastrami, Georgia white shrimp, smoked whitefish dip, tuna poke, and house cocktail sauce.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
“It’s food that’s made to be had with a cocktail. I think that’s the experience we’re trying to create for people here,” Leahy said. “We wanted it to have something a little bit different than quote unquote ‘bar food.’ We didn’t want to throw everything in a fryer.
“But the idea is sharing. We wanted people coming here to have that sort of interactive and social experience. So it is lots of boards, charcuterie and seafood, and flatbreads, and even the snacks are all built for sharing. So it works for happy hour or a late-night bite, but there’s enough for a full meal, too.”
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Adding to the fun, Thursdays-Sundays, the food truck will be opening, serving up a taste of dishes from Cuco’s Cantina and Morty’s.
“So one week, it’s going to be a taco truck; the next week, it’s going to be a preview of some of the smoked meat from Morty’s,” Leahy said. “We opened it for a couple of days of friends and family, and it was pretty popular out there.”
DINING OUT
4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 9 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays.
5521 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-338-6992, thevillagedunwoody.com.
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