Kevin Gillespie, the industry veteran behind Red Beard Restaurants, has announced his newest venture, Nàdair, which draws inspiration from his 27 years of cooking in Atlanta and the Pacific Northwest.
“This idea has been slowly taking shape for years now, just as the idea for Gunshow came about,” said Gillespie in a recent press release. “Nàdair is a return to the bold flavors I’m best known for, flavors that only come from the unique style of cooking over an open fire. After I left Woodfire Grill in 2012, I never realized how the food I most enjoyed making was interwoven with cooking it over an uncontrollable fuel source. We did something special at Woodfire Grill. But Nàdair needed to be more than picking up where I left off. Nàdair is me digging deeper into the kind of food I want to cook now while honoring the people I’ve worked with, the kitchens where I’ve worked and my family’s rich ancestral history. I’m calling it ‘reimagined Scottish.’”
Set to debut in May 2024, the 70-seat Nàdair will be located at 1123 Zonolite Road in the former Floataway Café space owned by Asana Partners, long familiar to Atlanta diners. Nàdair’s dining room will be reservation only and guests may choose between a four-course prix fixe menu (with choices in each course) and, as a nod to his days at Woodfire Grill, a six-course tasting menu.
Some items Gillespie has been testing for Nàdair include:
- Softly cooked Wild King salmon, roasted beets, oyster mushrooms, Kizami wasabi, sesame and fried onions
- House-made fresh cheese dumplings, spring peas, asparagus and turnips in a coal-roasted Vidalia onion sauce
- Wood-oven haggis with grilled turnip salad, potato sauce and peated whiskey
And Gillespie will be overseeing the kitchen during Nàdair’s four nights of service each week as executive chef. Reservations will open one month in advance with limited walk-ins served at the 12-seat bar. Private dining is available for groups of 16 – 50 people.
