QUICK BITES: Food news roundup 6-21

Cocktail bar Little Spirit, brought to you by business duo Randy Pechin and Cindy Wong (Opera), opened Tuesday in the former AMER location in Inman Quarter. Industry veteran Scott Mayer and Evan Hawkins (Broken Shaker, NYC) were charged with creation of the cocktail menu which seeks to be unpretentious and solid. Rotating pop-ups will handle food for now. Menu comes via chalkboard and all ingredients are fresh/made in house. Not only is the food of great taste, but so is the decore. Hand-painted works by local artist Erica Arndts cover the walls.

We now know what is coming to the former Illegal Food (1044 Greenwood Ave.) location in Virginia-Highland. Tiki Iniki, the Hawaii restaurant opened by musician Todd Rundgren and wife Michele, is set to take the spot. Supper Club restaurant group (Brett Holtzclaw and Bill Chapman) have licensed the concept and will serve tiki drinks (flaming zombie bowl anyone?) and tiki-sort-of themed food (think burgers, wraps, poke bowls, and salads).

This beer is dank, for real. SweetWater Brewing Co. unveiled a new line of beers this week called the 420 Strain, marrying select hops and botanically sourced terpenes (fragrant oils) with a proprietary hemp flavor blend. The first style is G13 IPA, what they call a “aromatic super-hybrid sticky IPA.” It’s available in draft late June and hit the shelves of stores in September. Brickstore Pub in Decatur is having a release party for the brew on Friday evening, beginning at exactly 4:20 p.m.

What’ll you have? You’ll have any item on the menu for a meer 90 cents on August 18 at The Varsity in celebration the iconic Atlanta institution’s 90th birthday. The party goes all day at all five locations.

Taiyo Ramen (130 Clairemont Ave.) has a noodle challenge for you. The Ayce Ramen Challenge offers unlimited bowls of ramen for $21, with from broths made from scratch and handmade noodles. And there are prizes for slurping! Finish three bowls, get a free beer. Four bowls gets you a $25 gift card. Slurp down five bowls and receive a $50 gift card, a feature on the leaderboard, and hella bragging rights. Rules apply, available all day everyday!
Upscale French Vietnamese restaurant Le Colonial will take over the former Dolce spot in The Shops Buckhead. Le Colonial also has outposts in San Francisco, Manhattan, Chicago, and Houston.

Momonoki and its sister coffee shop Momo Café are now open at 95 Eighth St. N.W., near Georgia Tech. The team from Brush Sushi Izakaya has already thrilled eaters with Momo’s black sesame and matcha soft serve ice creams, and they are now serving ramen, rice bowls, katsu sando, and Japanese small plates from their visually appealing outpost. Check out their peach logo, which looks a heck of a lot like I-285.

Prepare for those mini dessert indulgences, North Atlanta. ToneToATL reports another location of Seasons 52, the American restaurant with a healthful bent, is opening at Mall of Georgia next year. The restaurant already has locations in Dunwoody and Buckhead.

Celebrate the love apple. South City Kitchen’s Tomato Jam menu is back at the Vinings location June 27-July 10. Executive Chef Jack McGinn is proud to offer tomato pie, Blue Point oysters with green tomato granite, and other delights celebrating the summer staple. P.S. The tomato is a fruit, not vegetable.

Reynoldstown hotspot Golden Eagle (904 Memorial Dr.) has a new happy hour menu nightly from 5-7 p.m. as of today. Chef Spencer Bennett’s $5 bites (think crispy chicken skins with habanero sauce and fancy cheese plates) accompany beverage manager Jeff Stockton’s $7 cocktails (daiquiris, Moscow mules, Bee’s Knees). Half priced wine specials are also available.

Inman Quarter’s Beetlecat is throwing another Taco Luau! On Tues., July 3 chef Andrew Isabella fires up a Caja China pig roast along with beachy inspired taco fixin’s (think pineapple kimchi) for $28 a ticket, which includes two drinks.

CHOPT, the fast casual “creative salad company,” held a preview opening this week at Toco Hill Shopping Center. “Pick a bowl of something you like” is their catchphrase and basically sums up the joint.