Chef Pat Pasquale “Pat” Pascarella announces the upcoming opening of Grana, a casual Italian eatery specializing in wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, housemade pasta, authentic Italian specialties and more. Opening in mid-2019, the restaurant will be located in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights neighborhood on Piedmont Ave NE.
With a focus on wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, the authentic Italian menu will feature housemade pastas, a special meatball program, seasonal vegetable sides and a selection of signature Italian entrees, including family recipes from Chef Pat’s Italian-American upbringing and a family-style polenta dish served directly on the table. The kitchen will take a from-scratch approach, providing diners with Italian staples made with fresh, high-quality and wholesome ingredients sourced locally and from Italy. Rounding out the food menu will be a beverage list including well-crafted classic cocktails, thoughtfully-sourced wine from regions across Italy and beer from around the world.
Offering a comfortable, neighborhood feel, the eatery will welcome guests into a relaxed and inviting dining room complete with communal and intimate seating and a lively bar. Guests will be able to experience the dough and pizza-making processes first hand, with two wood-fired Marra Forni brick pizza ovens serving as focal points in the dining room. A mezzanine dining level will give guests a view into the restaurant action down below, while just up the stairs, guests will find a rooftop hangout overlooking bustling Piedmont Avenue. Featuring a bar, soft seating and fire pits in cooler months, Grana’s rooftop will invite guests to gather al fresco for drinks.
Chef Pat Pascarella will lead the kitchen. Last year, he opened The White Bull, a much-acclaimed, farm-forward restaurant located on Decatur’s historic square. He brings two decades of experience to Grana and draws expertise from a culinary background that includes serving as Executive Chef at Atlanta’s The Optimist and as Executive Chef and Owner of his renowned Italian restaurant Bar Sugo in Norwalk, Connecticut. Prior, Pat cooked in Manhattan at restaurants including Eric Ripert’s Michelin-starred Le Bernardin.
“I’m excited to bring Atlanta authentic Italian dishes that are reminiscent of my childhood,” says Pascarella. “Rather than serving inventive takes on traditional specialties, our emphasis is going to be on providing well-executed dishes that are true to Italian tradition. We want to give our guests consistent, approachable food in a casual, laid-back atmosphere.”
