The restaurant, which was slated to open last year and eventually opened this past June, closed last week. Owner Amanda Fore originally signed a lease on the former Abbadabba's about a year before the restaurant opened, and poured plenty of money into it, transforming what had been a shoe shop into a casual restaurant.
I stopped by the restaurant a few weeks ago for dinner, only to walk right back out, due to the overpowering smoke in the restaurant. I'm told that while smoking was allowed at dinner, lunch was smoke-free. Given the tremendous number of lunch options in Buckhead, and lack of late night options, I never made it back in. An appearance on Scoutmob August 17th hinted at the trouble the restaurant was in.
I stopped by the restaurant today and found a crew already tearing apart the inside under the direction of a new owner who will launch a new concept soon. A dumpster outside is already full, and the restaurant's interior looks as though a tornado ripped thorough it. Seems odd that someone is so eager to spend so much money into changing a space that was essentially brand new.
Given nearby late night options like Elbow Room (where smoking is allowed) and Al's Cafe Agora already exist, I wonder what the new owners have planned for the space.
What do you think? What would you like to see open? What does Buckhead need? Are you turned off by restaurants that allow smoking?