Quick Bites: Chow Bing and BurgerFi open, and more

Atlanta Restaurant News

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Downtown’s Pencil Factory Flats & Lofts has a new fast-casual, healthy Asian restaurant. Boasting tons of parking at 349 Decatur St., Chow Bing serves up (mostly) gluten-free dishes incorporating sustainable seafood, all cooked to order, at affordable price points. It’s “responsible Chinese food,” (that means no MSG!), according to owner Gary Lin, who is a native of Fugian, China and also the proprietor of Sandy Springs’ R Rice restaurant and Papa Chow on Camp Creek Parkway. At Chow Bing, expect build-your-own “burrito” bowls, lobster Philly wontons, sesame fries, soups and salads as low as $2.25.

Woodfire Grill (1782 Cheshire Bridge Road) has hired a new pastry chef in Canoe and Chicken and the Egg alum Karie Brown. Brown’s desserts have delighted countless foodies across Atlanta, as the Le Cordon Bleu-educated cuisinier has made her way through the local restaurant scene with stints at Repast and with pastry chef Heather Hurlbert, to boot. Her international experience, including early childhood memories savoring her first sweets from authentic German bakeries, makes her an expert in nostalgic but nuanced desserts.

BurgerFi (1520 Avenue Place) has officially debuted in Emory Point. The Florida-based restaurant chain, with dozens of locations around the country, has built a tried-and-true brand on all-natural burgers, Kobe beef hot dogs, craft beer and wine offerings and earth-friendly practices. We dare you to resist the red velvet milkshake.

Chef Todd Richards - formerly of the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, currently of The Shed at Glenwood, and soon to helm the Wildflower later this year - was crowned the winner of Ron Eyester’s second annual Mother Clucker Fried Chicken Festival, held April 13 at his Morningside restaurant Rosebud. Coming in second for their own renditions of fried chicken were Matt Swickerath of Brookhaven’s Valenza and Scott Weaver of Atlantic Station’s forthcoming Chick-a-Biddy, respectively.

Chef Daniel Chance, top toque at Maureen Kalmanson’s Midtown Italian eatery Campagnolo, has taken top honors at the 36th annual Vidalia Onion Festival, held April 14 in Vidalia, Ga. He was crowned champion of the second annual Golden Onion professional cooking competition, thanks to a savory scallop-stuffed Vidalia with onion puree.

Whiskey Blue Atlanta will soon launch its Sundaze events for the summer 2013 season. Held on the WET Deck of the W Atlanta - Buckhead hotel, the series will treat Sunday revelers to DJ beats, gourmet eats, chilled towels, and “deep-end” cocktail service, starting May 5. Guests can also grab up extras like Champagne and boozy popsicles. Order them on arrival, because they go fast.

Earlier this week, Green Olive Media tweeted that Atlanta rapper-actor-restaurateur Ludacris will soon be collaborating with One Flew South chef Duane Nutter on yet another Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport restaurant. Ludacris’ first airport concept, Chicken & Beer, should appear later this year, but his “hard-rocking” second restaurant will serve travelers at the world’s busiest airport starting in January 2014.