Pielands coming to Virginia-Highland and more dining news from the week

The exterior of Pielands, opening in Virginia-Highland in fall 2021. / Courtesy of Pielands

The exterior of Pielands, opening in Virginia-Highland in fall 2021. / Courtesy of Pielands

A new pizza concept is set to open in Virginia-Highland this fall.

Pielands will open at 1021 Virginia Ave. NE, in the former Goin’ Coastal space. The eatery comes from restaurateur Billy Streck, who also owns Atlanta restaurants Nina & Rafi on the Eastside Beltline, Hampton + Hudson in Inman Park and Lyla Lila in Midtown.

The 1,600 square-foot counter-service restaurant will serve whole pies, individual slices, salads and Italian-style subs, plus beer and wine.

Pielands’ design will “channel old-school neighborhood pizzerias with a laidback, community feel,” according to a press release. The space will feature “red, white and brick accents, concrete floors, fun pizza design details and a vintage photo of the Brooklyn Bridge spanning the main dining room wall.”

Streck, a New York native, grew up hanging out in his family’s pizzeria and “hopes to continue his mission of creating community places for people to gather.”

The Pielands space was previously slated to open as Pizza By the Slice from Anthony Spina, the owner of O4W Pizza in Duluth and Streck’s former partner in Nina & Rafi.

Spina did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why he is no longer involved in the Virginia-Highland project, and a representative for Pielands did not immediately respond to a request for more information on the restaurant.

Folks looking to splurge on a fancy meal have a couple of options in the days ahead.

Atlas at the St. Regis resumes its Four Hands collaboration dinners that see culinary director chef Freddy Money teamed up with a visiting chef to prepare an eight-course tasting menu. The next in the Four Hands dinner series, which runs Sept. 21-25, showcases the talents of Mathew Peters, who gained international aplomb as a member of the Team USA that took home the gold medal at the 2017 Bocuse d’Or, the culinary “olympics” competition held biannually in France.

The multicourse meal will feature modernist takes on oysters Rockefeller, an uni tart, and squash gnocchi, among other dishes. The dinner is $250 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made online at atlasrestaurant.com or by calling 404-600-6471.

On Sept. 23, chef Nick Leahy will host a wine dinner at his Nick’s Westside to explore the wines and cuisine of Croatia. The five-course meal, each paired with a Croatian wine, will include a chilled octopus salad, black risotto with mussels and shrimp, fisherman’s stew, and wine-braised beef with rye gnocchi in mushroom ragu. Reservations for the dinner, which costs $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity, can be made online at nickswestsideatl.com/upcoming-events/croatia or by calling 770-838-5701.

Located in the heart of Midtown at 1117 W. Peachtree St. and recently opened, Epicurean Atlanta is a culinary-driven hotel whose every detail is shaped by food and drink. (Ligaya Figueras / ligaya.figueras@ajc.com)

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

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Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Culinary-driven hotel Epicurean Atlanta opened Sept. 16. Located in the heart of Midtown, at 1117 W. Peachtree St., it includes 178 guest rooms, a theater with a state-of-the-art kitchen as center stage, and three dining spots.

Epicurean’s flagship restaurant, Reverence, offers a new American menu developed by the hotel’s executive chef, Ewart Wardhaugh, and emphasizes locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Wine is a focus of the beverage menu, with a floor-to-ceiling, temperature-conditioned wine library, complete with rolling ladder, as a focal point. Seating options include a bar in the main dining room, a lounge and a two-level patio overlooking West Peachtree Street.

The Office Bar sits on the ground level of the office tower, opposite the hotel. Here, the focus is on spirits, with 100 whiskies on the drink list.

Aerial, the third restaurant on the property, is perched a few stories above ground on the terrace. A cantina-style menu includes a variety of Latin-inflected snacks, tapas and salads; a trio of ceviches; and a raw bar.

AC Hotel Atlanta Perimeter Center recently opened its doors across the street from Perimeter Mall, at 40 Perimeter Center Place in Dunwoody. Dining concepts include the AC Lounge, whose menu of snacks and small plates, as well as a full bar, can be enjoyed indoors or on a 40-seat patio with a fire pit. Coming soon to the property is Bar Peri, a rooftop restaurant-bar featuring Spanish fare. The 4,000-square-foot space holds seating for 40 inside and 60 outside. The opening date is yet to be announced.

Margherita Pizza from Antico Pizza is becoming available in Delta One business class on flights to Europe and on trans-Pacific flights. (Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Chris Hunt

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Credit: Chris Hunt

Delta Air Lines has revamped its business class menu and is adding Antico pizza and other local food brands on international flights from Atlanta.

The Atlanta-based airline says it has started serving Margherita Tradizionale di Napoli from Antico Pizza in Delta One business class on flights to Europe and on trans-Pacific flights. The small pizzas are par-baked in Antico’s ovens and refrigerated, then reheated onboard, according to Delta.

The airline developed the menu with one of its new in-flight catering contractors, Mainline Aviation LLC, a subsidiary of Marietta-based Goldbergs Group. The airline will serve Goldbergs’ everything bagels for breakfast in business class on international flights and bread “hydrated with SweetWater’s 420 beer.” And Delta said it will use Georgia-grown pecans, peaches, apples, olives and mushrooms and Springer Mountain Farms chicken.

Knife Kitchen and Cocktails is set to open at 3162 Piedmont Road in Buckhead, Reporter Newspapers reports. The restaurant comes from Ali Ebrahimi, who has previously worked with Southern Proper Hospitality Group.

Biggerstaff Brewing Company has finally opened at 521 Edgewood Ave. in Old Fourth Ward, down the street from much-lauded restaurant Staplehouse. Clay and Sarah Davies first announced their venture in mid-2019.

In addition to serving Intelligentsia coffee in the mornings and beer in the afternoons and evenings, Biggerstaff will also offer food from a menu designed by Staplehouse chef Ryan Smith in collaboration with Biggerstaff executive chef Davis King.

Toscano Restaurant Italiano has opened inside Atlantic Station in the former Meehan’s Irish Pub space. The restraurant comes from Linda Harrell and Gianni Betti, who also own Cibo e Beve in Sandy Springs.

Village Burger will open a location at 137 S. Perry St. in Lawrenceville, What Now Atlanta reports. The restaurant will join Village Burger locations in Dunwoody, Tucker and Cumming.

Perrine’s Wine Shop is slated to open a second location at 3121 E. Shadowlawn Ave. in Buckhead, Reporter Newspapers reports. The first Perrine’s opened on Howell Mill Road in 2010.

Mediterranean restaurant Yalda is slated to open locations in 2022 at 980 Howell Mill Road in the Osprey Atlanta development and at 6500 Aria Blvd. in Sandy Springs, What Now Atlanta reports.

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