Dining Out
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
Sunday Gravy pasta, melt, solo, $4.50-$7.50; salad, $3.50; to-go jar of sauce, $15; High Road ice cream, $3-$7.
209 Edgewood Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-659-1665, www.facebook.com/sundaygravy.
Atlanta’s High Road Craft Ice Cream recently reopened its stand in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in partnership with Sunday Gravy, a New York City Italian food company known for its meaty, slow-braised red sauce, which sells online for $25 a jar.
The look: Along with meat, seafood, produce and baked goods, the historic municipal market is home to the likes of Bell Street Burritos, Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Metro Deli Soul Food. Sunday Gravy is located in a nook adjacent to the entrance doors. Under a chalkboard menu, the open kitchen is fronted by an order counter and an ice cream case.
The scene: One weekday afternoon, the market's parking lot was full, as a steady stream of shoppers and lunchers arrived on the scene. In the Sunday Gravy kitchen, a crew of two was busy simmering sauce, draining pasta and assembling orders, while an enthusiastic young woman at the counter offered tastes.
The menu: Inspired by the traditional meal Italian-American grandmothers cooked on Sundays, the sauce is a blend of beef, pork, sausage and meatballs, with plum tomatoes, garlic and basil. Order it in a snack ($4.50) or meal ($7.50) size in one of three ways: on pasta, "touched with garlic, butter and olive oil"; in a melt, with thick H&F bread, fresh mozzarella and grated pecorino, griddled in garlic butter; or solo, with "gravy and a little more gravy." Look for vegetable lasagna and eggplant Parmesan among the daily lunch specials ($8). Free condiments include herb gremolata, grated Parmesan and Romano, and crushed red pepper. The Salad ($3.50) is a mix of pickled vegetables, greens and ricotta salata.
The drinks: The concise beverage menu includes San Pellegrino sodas, sparkling and still water, Coke and Diet Coke. If you're feeling decadent, you could order up a High Road shake ($5).
The extras: In addition to High Road favorite flavors such as Bourbon Burnt Sugar, Brown Butter Praline and Bitter Chocolate Hazelnut, there's Italian-style blood orange stracciatella, seasonal tortoni and limoncello sorbet. Along with a pint of ice cream ($7), you can grab a pound of Sunday Gravy to go at the relative bargain price of $15.
