BOCADO opening in Midtown West

Bocado is slated to open “early October” (um, isn’t that like, now?) on the Westside, across the street from Octane. Owner Brian Lewis has hired chef Todd Ginsberg for the eatery’s kitchen, and the digs are sure to be groovy, from the hot design group ai3 (fast taking over the restaurant design realm once dominated by Bill Johnson — Flip, 4th& Swift, Aja and Holeman & Finch are all in the creative group’s repertoire).

Ginsberg is taking the menu in a different direction than I had originally thought: sandwiches and small plates sure to lure the Westside’s lunch crowd out of their offices and into the small space’s dining room. With a name like Bocado (which means “snack” or “mouthful” in Spanish), I was hoping the focus would be on real Spanish tapas.

Still, Ginsberg is a formidable chef, and promises to “blend familiar, fresh ingredients with a distinctive twist,” offering goodies such as sandwiches of roasted Thai cauliflower; local eggplant with cilantro and spicy mayo and roasted leg of lamb with fennel and red onion. Small plates include sautéed Point Judith squid with celery, mint and chili flakes and roasted baby beets with valbreso (yum!), olives, capers and Balsamic vinegar.

Lewis comes to Atlanta from Alabama, having owned now-closed Table in Birmingham. Bocado is located at 887 Howell Mill Road. For more information, call 404-815-1399.

Originally Posted October 7,2009

By blogs.ajc