A New Soul In Downtown Dining at Asante

October 28,2014

On Monday, November 10, celebrity chef Marvin Woods is bringing the world premiere of his signature cuisine, “Coastal Soul” to Downtown Atlanta at Asante Restaurant and Lounge. The restaurant will feature Woods’ unique genre of culinary art that pulls from his decades of experience cooking, traveling and studying global influence of the African diaspora.

Thanks to Woods’ experience as an Emmy-award nominated television host of Home Plate, a best-selling cookbook author of Home Plate Cooking and The New Low Country, and as lead chef for First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, Woods has developed a signature style that blends the worldly ingredients and techniques of South America, the Caribbean, the Low Country and Southern United States and Africa. The common theme through these cuisines (also considered “the Middle Passage” because of its role in history as the route where slaves were run from the West coast of Africa to the Caribbean, Americas and Europe) is their use of okra, sweet potatoes and rice, blending well with the soulful cuisine of the American South. Asante’s casual fine dining service, affordable menu and ambience is a remarkable composition of all these cultures coming together in a setting that appeals to Atlanta’s sophisticated culinary set, as well as visitors and tourists to the Downtown area.

The space, formerly occupied by Downtown’s iconic Peasant Bistro, includes two floors, with a second-floor main dining room as well as a private dining room that can seat up to 60. The expansive second-floor outdoor patio can host 80 and the ground level will feature a lounge area and a 10-seat bar with handcrafted cocktails that complement the cuisine. These versatile areas are perfectly suited for parties and receptions of any size.