There has been quite a bit of action in the Buckhead dining scene lately. Watershed on Peachtree changed hands . Ian Winslade, formerly executive chef at Murphy's, opened his Mission + Market. Kyma's venerable chef Pano I. Karatassos announced a fall release date for his first cookbook . Copper Cover Indian Restaurant shuttered doors.
Irby's general manager, Mark Nelson, provided further details about Irby's, which may open as early as June, pending licensing and permitting.
Like Meehan's before it, Irby's will be a sports bar.
The menu will be similar to that at Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern, said Nelson, who most previously worked as general manager at the Hobnob that opened last year in Town Brookhaven.
Nelson classified the fare as "tavern cuisine, chef influenced with great ingredients and everything made from scratch."
Guests can expect a dozen or so appetizers, including the likes of Andouille sausage-pimento cheese corn dogs, chicken wings, spins on tuna tartare as well as chicken and waffle sliders, charred octopus, and a sandwich-pizza hybrid called Garbage Bread. "It's smashed bread, Cuban style for the crust, and with pizza-style toppings built on it," Nelson said. Irby's will offer Garbage Bread with three different flavor profiles.
Other menu items include "chef-built" burgers, sandwiches and salads.
While Nelson has worked in the industry much of his career - including owning Filet Steak and Seafood in Lake Oconee, serving as opening executive chef for Top Golf in Marietta and some five years as a chef consultant - another Atlanta culinarian, Buttermilk Kitchen chef-owner Suzanne Vizethann, is also participating in the project. According to Nelson, she contributed to menu development and is assisting with hiring and training staff.
Helming the Irby's Kitchen will be Jarelle Delong. He currently works in the back of the house at Buttermilk Kitchen.
The space, which will seat 80 indoors and 36 on the patio, will undergo some cosmetic changes. "They are demo-ing anything that is Irish pub-y," Nelson said. Patrons can also expect more TVs that will cast the wide world of sports.
The tavern is named in homage to Henry Irby’s Tavern, which sat in the same location in the 1800s, when the Buckhead community was known as Irbyville.
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