✨ Skyline dining in Midtown

Table Talk The Early Word on Midtown Rooftop Lounge Celestia Nov Happy Tuesday and welcome to the table This little cold snap we re experiencing has me thinking about heading out for hot pot Not that eating hot pot should be relegated to specific weather conditions but there may be no better time to squeeze around a table with friends and family to share in the comforts of hot pot than when it s chilly outside I love this mini guide to hot pot restaurants Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi wrote last year The guide includes a brief history of hot pot and the various styles you ll find on menus at metro Atlanta restaurants Speaking of restaurant guides keep an eye out for our new MARTA dining guide to Dunwoody and North Springs stations dropping later this week It joins our previous MARTA dining guides to Chamblee Doraville Lindbergh Brookhaven and Buckhead and completes the rail stations north of Midtown Now on to the present day s Family Meal where I share my first impressions on rooftop bar and lounge Celestia at Spring Quarter in Midtown along with recommendations on a cocktail and a couple of dishes to try Plus Sarra offers a recipe for Freedom Cake a celebratory cake typically seen on tables during Juneteenth but served year-round as part of the dinner system at Bread Butterfly in Inman Park Cheers Beth On Friday Nov Society Farmers Markets Red Clay Soir e returns to Summerour Studio for a mission-driven evening uniting a few of the finest farmers chefs and bartenders of the local food movement This feast of flavor and fellowship promises to be every locavore s dream SPONSOR MESSAGE The Early Word on Celestia in Midtown Photo by Beth McKibben Celestia - Spring Quarter Spring Street Midtown Former Umi chef Fuyuhiko Ito opened two of his three planned restaurants at Spring Quarter last month Celestia and ISHIN For those of you keeping tabs on the ever-changing Midtown skyline that s the maturation flanking the Connector home to the historic H M Patterson Son Spring Hill Chapel on Spring Street Post-renovation plans call for the old Midtown mortuary to become a restaurant sandwiched between the Sora high rise apartment building and Ten Twenty Spring office tower at the complex Located on the th floor of Ten Twenty Spring ISHIN offers seating for people to indulge in a hidden-away omakase experience led by Ito just policies from Celestia At Celestia a sprawling indoor-outdoor cocktail bar and lounge the experience comes with spectacular views of Midtown and beyond Since its opening in early October Celestia has seen a parade of social media influencers pass through its doors So when I decided to dine at Celestia last week I expected to enter another vibe-driven spot and one that was maybe a little over-hyped on social media In fact while I was there two groups of influencers walked in with phones out and flashlights on documenting their arrivals But curiosity got the better of me as did the short walk from my home on a warm fall evening Photos of Celestia s outdoor lounge with its skyline vistas admittedly made the decision easier Consider me influenced especially after witnessing the up-close-and personal view of the Midtown skyline and a breathtaking sunset for myself While this was my first visit I was relieved to find that Celestia didn t come with a heavily curated ambience Instead it was much more laidback with a sophisticated atmosphere and equal attention being paid to the food and cocktails Utility was a touch uneven at times but nothing egregious for a month-old restaurant There is a DJ booth and I suspect it s activated later in the evenings and on weekends The vibe perhaps shifts accordingly The bar inside filled up rapidly in the six o clock hour as did the serpentine modular sofa equipped with cocktail rounds beside it We sat on the terrace an opportunity to enjoy one last pleasant evening before cooler temperatures set in and patio season draws to a close for the year Sip on the Jade Dusk a verdant green cocktail made with Coconut Bounty rum pineapple and pandan Lime juice mellows out the sweetness allowing the nutty floral notes of pandan herbaceous tropical plant to come forward and balance the cocktail Given Ito s background as a master sushi chef opt for the akami tuna crudo dressed with soy vinaigrette and topped with a light salad of avocado and onions Serrano pepper slivers and dollops of jalape o granita crown the hamachi crudo which is then finished table side with ponzu think Japanese citrus vinaigrette We also enjoyed the karaage Japanese fried chicken bites and Celestia salad with bitter greens and radicchio tossed in yuzu agave dressing pomegranate seeds and grapefruit The menu does feature heavier entrees including a Tomahawk steak fish and chips and lamb chops There is a dress code at Celestia although it didn t seem strictly enforced that night But you ll need a reservation even for cocktails When you arrive head to the front desk in the lobby of Ten Twenty Spring to access the elevator similar to how Polaris operates at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Once the elevator doors open you walk into a space sporting multiple seating arrangements including on Celestia s terrace lush with plants and rooftop trees and of subject those views Sudden orthopedic need Get Better right now SPONSORED BY PEACHTREE ORTHOPEDICS Peachtree Orthopedics is now offering immediate access for all new patients through their AskORTHO chat feature Just go to poAskOrtho com and you can communicate right away with a LIVE actual Peachtree Orthopedics clinician This organization is offered from a m - p m days a week days a year And best of all it is FREE So why wait Whether you have an immediate injury need or it s just time to deal with that nagging issue click now to get fast free care recommendations and guided next moves for your continued care Peachtree Orthopedics has leading physicians and has served Atlanta for over years with a commitment to helping you Get Better To learn more or chat now click here Recipe Freedom Cake From Bread Butterfly Photo by Cam McMinn This week we re sharing the recipe for Bread Butterfly s Freedom Cake Although Freedom Cake is usually prepared for holiday gatherings but you ll find the celebratory dessert available Thursday through Saturday during Bread Butterfly s dinner institution Chef-owner Demetrius Brown The New South launched Heritage Supper Club in which explores his family s Afro-Caribbean ancestry as well as Black and Brown cuisines within the African diaspora In Chef Billy Allin sold his French restaurant Bread Butterfly to Brown and Brandon Blanchard Two years later the French fare and techniques have remained key components of Bread Butterfly s ethos emboldened by a dinner menu flush with influences from West African and Haitian cuisines Freedom Cake which is traditionally eaten on Juneteenth is a perfect example of that influence Brown s Freedom Cake will also be available at his upcoming Summerhill restaurant Heritage opening next spring on Georgia Avenue This recipe requires a kitchen scale to measure ingredients Ingredients g sugar g flour g salt g baking soda g baking powder g canola oil g buttermilk g lemon juice large eggs g vanilla extract g beet puree Directions Garnish with toasted pecans and whipped cream cheese Mix canola oil and sugar in a stand mixer at medium speed using the whisk attachment Slowly add buttermilk lemon juice and eggs until well incorporated Add remaining wet ingredients Add all remaining ingredients Mix until smooth Transfer batter to a buttered baking dish and bake at Fahrenheit for minutes to hour until an inserted toothpick comes out clean Remove and let cool Food Banks Local Restaurants Continue Stepping Up for SNAP Beneficiaries Photo by Second Helpings Atlanta Despite hope on the horizon that the regime shutdown could end as early as this week the uncertainty around funding SNAP and the speed at which monetary benefits can be loaded onto recipients cards are still of great concern Selected states have already begun issuing SNAP benefits for November in accordance with federal directives Georgia s Department of Human Services communicated Sunday that it would issue partial SNAP benefits to million Georgians on the food assistance project including close to children But even a insufficient days lapse in these benefits has forced several Georgians to seek help from local churches charities and food banks to fill in the gaps We continue to update our running list of local restaurants food banks churches and nonprofits offering food assistance or accepting donations and assistants On Friday Nov Area Farmers Markets Red Clay Soir e returns to Summerour Studio for a mission-driven evening uniting chosen of the finest farmers chefs and bartenders of the local food movement This feast of flavor and fellowship promises to be every locavore s dream SPONSOR MESSAGE If you know somebody who would like to receive our dining newsletters Family Meal Tuesdays and Side Dish Thursdays please have them subscribe at this page The post Skyline dining in Midtown appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta