Longtime chef and industry veteran Kevin Maxey will open his first restaurant today, March 18. Named for a type of olive tree found in Italy, Pendolino takes over the former Santorini Tavern space at Chastain Market Place on Roswell Road.
Maxey, whose resume includes stints at Gramercy Tavern in New York and working for Ford Fry’s restaurant group, doesn’t see Pendolino as just another Italian restaurant in Atlanta.
Here, Maxey plays with local and seasonal ingredients in dishes like fried calamari with an accompanying spicy lemon-basil vinaigrette, pink snapper crudo garnished with sea fennel and pine nuts, and chicory salad “carbonara” with rich and savory guanciale. It’s topped with a farm egg and pecorino meant for mixing with the salad.
Handmade pastas include ricotta ravioli stuffed with roasted zucchini or veal-ricotta meatballs served atop mafaldine tossed with juicy San Marzano tomatoes.
The wood-burning oven in the kitchen is a key piece of equipment, which Maxey will use for making a trio of pizzettes (think mini pizzas) and entrees of New York strip steak marsala and roasted halibut.
Look for takes on classic Italian cocktails from the bar at Pendolino, along with a wine list offering Italian and North American vintages from independent and family-owned vineyards.
Like Maxey’s approach to food at Pendolino, the design from Kirby Caldwell leans light and laidback. Accents of aubergine and ruby red pop against cream walls and linen curtains and olive green tiles and booths. The dining room also includes a marble and dark walnut bar and a private events space seating up to 34 people. A dog-friendly patio outside features white umbrellas, banquette seating, and couches for lounging.
Take a look at the dinner and drinks menus for Pendolino below.
Read the full article here
