Food & Drink
New Restaurant Makes its ‘Stäge’ Debut with Focus on Fresh and Eclectic Menu
The first thing to know about Stäge Kitchen & Bar, a new Peachtree Parkway restaurant, is how to say its name.
It’s not “stage,” as in the place musicians perform (though the restaurant does have one of those on the patio). It’s pronounced “stahj” and it’s a culinary term for the classic way fine restaurants hire a chef — by making them whip up three dishes on the spot with no advance prep as part of the job interview. The name is the restaurant’s way of saying it’s out to prove the quality of its fresh, eclectic menu every day.
“So it’s kind of a play on, we’re always on stäge, [and] we’re always on stage,” says Raquel
Stalcup, the co-owner and director of operations.
Stalcup and Charlie Sunyapong, the executive chef and co-owner, have a local reputation for quality. They also run La Belle Vie Kitchen, a well-reviewed French American restaurant that opened nearly three years ago about 10 miles up the road in Suwanee.
Stäge opened in late July in the former Noble Fin restaurant spot at 5260 Peachtree Parkway, at the Peachtree Corners Circle intersection, in the same shopping center as Lidl. The eclectic menu includes steak, seafood, pasta, “global” tapas and “elevated” sushi.
“The biggest value we bring to the area is that variety in our menu,” said Stalcup during a recent interview at the restaurant. The feedback from customer reviews so far, she said, is that “there’s something for everyone” and the new regulars are eager to return to try the entire menu.
After just six weeks in business with a soft opening, Sunyapong had already changed the menu as part of a commitment to seasonal and fresh ingredients. As with La Belle Vie, he uses as many locally grown and locally made items as possible, such as fresh pasta from a Gwinnett manufacturer. “We just kind of try to support the community, support home-grown [food],” said Stalcup.
Stalcup and Sunyapong previously worked together in the Atlanta restaurant groups Buckhead Life and Here to Serve. Stalcup also worked at the Stoney River steakhouse here in Gwinnett, and Sunyapong at Marriott’s Marquis and Renaissance hotels in the big city. Stalcup says Stäge’s cuisine is a blend of all of those places as well as “just something that we thought was missing — someplace that we would want to go and dine out frequently, and we just did not find that anywhere in the area.”
Why Peachtree Corners? Stalcup says it came onto her radar as a restaurant spot because she lived in Johns Creek for 20 years and traveled through here to work at Gwinnett restaurants. She patronized Noble Fin, and she and Sunyapong know the owners of such area restaurants as Frankie’s and Mojitos.
Stalcup says she “just loved this area. It’s up-and-coming. It’s booming right now.”
Stäge’s makeover of the old Noble Fin space included expanding the bar from about nine seats to 30; adding a full sushi bar; and an expansion of the patio, still underway in mid-September, that will boost it from a few tables to around 80 seats. There are also two private rooms, one that can be fully closed off and the other with interior windows to retain a restaurant-floor vibe. As of mid-September, the patio was hosting live music on Fridays and Saturdays, including jazz and pop with vocalists or DJs, with hopes of expanding that entertainment to daily.
Noble Fin shuttered in June 2020 after a four-year run, citing the business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked if COVID affected how Stäge was set up, Stalcup says, “Yes and no.”
She said La Belle Vie was able to weather the early pandemic with a closure of only about a month, so they knew business could be done. The pandemic’s uncertainty has been a factor; when they signed onto the Stäge space in December 2020, “we weren’t sure how long it was going to continue to affect us… [and] if there were going to be any more shutdowns,” said Stalcup. The pandemic was one reason for expanding the outdoor patio seating.
Another unpredictable factor is the waves of COVID and shifts in customer confidence and feelings of safety. “I’m the same way,” says Stalcup, who was among the first in line for vaccination as a caretaker for her parents. “So I got an early dose and then I felt pretty confident, and then obviously the other strains are getting scary again.”
Today, Stäge has some guests requesting the outdoor seating as a safety measure, and also offers the private rooms for those wanting more distancing and separation indoors. “So we’re still trying to accommodate that as much as we can,” she said.
The big pandemic impact for the restaurant, and the entire industry, has been staffing shortages. There are varying speculations and studies on the reasons, including restaurant workers not wanting to return due to safety concerns and governmental COVID relief payments, as well as finding higher-paying jobs outside the industry.
For Stäge, the staffing shortage has meant a slowdown on the game plan of operating for lunch and dinner seven days a week. As of mid-September, the restaurant was open for dinner only Wednesday through Sunday, with plans to ramp up to Tuesday nights and brunch hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
For the latest on hours, menus and more, see stagepeachtreecorners.com.
If you’ve been to or near the Forum in the past few months, you’ve probably noticed cranes and construction crews. The anticipation of the first phase of renovation of the 22-year-old retail center has left a lot of Peachtree Corners residents as well as nearby patrons excited to see changes.
The Forum administration invited the media for a hard hat tour on July 17. The event showcased the redevelopment progress ahead of The Plaza’s grand opening on Aug. 8.
Scrumptious bites incoming
Executives from the development and leasing teams joined on-site management and led attendees around the new central gathering space, guest amenities and Politan Row, the newly created 10,000-square-foot food hall.
Dining concepts from veterans at Sheesh, Twenty-Six Thai and newbie Gekko Kitchen were the first food vendors announced for the space, which is expected to open in January.
“We can’t wait to introduce the Peachtree Corners community to our food hall experience,” said Politan Group CEO Will Donaldson in a news release. “Every detail from the design to the bar program to the cuisine is thoughtfully curated to inspire guests to not only mingle with one another but to connect with our incredible restaurateurs and discover new favorites.”
During the tour, Donaldson explained that eventually there will be seven different global cuisines in the Politan Row food court at the Forum featuring well-known and up-and-coming local talent. Once complete there will be a central bar, a private event venue and a covered outdoor patio.
“One of the things that we’re excited about is this unique design that we’ve come up with, that’s very specific to this area,” he said. “We’ll be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Whether you’re with a group for lunch or with your family, it works great for multiple settings.”
Twenty-six Thai owner Niki Pattharakositkul said the restaurant will work with local vendors to source the freshest meats and produce possible.
“There are certain types of produce and protein we try to source locally, but sauces and the more exotic produce and herbs, we have to import from Thailand,” she said. “Our brand is trying to move towards doing things locally and sustainably.”
Working with organizations such as Georgia Grown limits the use of large food distribution companies. Since starting Twenty-six Thai in 2016, Pattharakositkul has launched seven locations across metro Atlanta, including at Politan Row’s Ashford Lane and Colony Square.
The eatery describes itself as an “authentic wok-fired Southeast Asia-inspired menu featuring items such as pad Thai, pad see ewe and classic drunken noodles.”
Sheesh, a Mediterranean concept that uses simple, wholesome ingredients prepared with unique spices and blends, is run by corporate executive chef Charlie Sunyapong and director of operations Raquel Stalcup. The two are also members of the group behind full-service restaurants Stäge at Town Center and Pêche at the Forum.
The popularity of those suburban concepts has already taken off. With Sheesh, they’re looking to do something different.
“There are going to be some things that are unique to Sheesh that you’re not going to get at the other places,” said Sunyapong. “You’re not getting a whole restaurant; this is quicker fare.”
Gekko Kitchen, a former food truck transformed into a hibachi and ramen experience, will be serving fresh, fast bowls that are more colorful and lighter than traditional hibachi fare.
Gathering spots
Development Manager Nick Lombardo explained that NAP is moving away from building big construction projects from scratch like Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta and Avalon in Alpharetta.
“As a company, North American Properties pivoted around 2020 from building big ground-up construction to more redevelopment with already existing properties,” he said. “With the thought of great assets that just need a little more attention Infused into them to create value, we bought the Forum in 2022.”
He said that value-add propositions done at The Forum will create a more walkable center.
“Trying to compete with the internet on convenience is a very tough task, so the way we differentiate is by experiences,” he said. “We host between 150 to 200 events every year. We have things like concerts, wellness and fitness events and we have child playtime events. Our marketing team does a great job and they’re the differentiator when it comes to what makes our property stand out.”
By the first week of August, a large gathering space will be unveiled in the central area of the property between Pottery Barn and seafood restaurant Pêche. It will have a nine-foot LED screen capable of hosting movie nights and sports viewing. There will also be musical performances featuring local artists.
“We’re not in competition with Town Center,” said Charlotte Hinton, marketing manager at The Forum. “Town Center has gates like a real music festival and we’re more like a ‘chill and enjoy the music’ vibe where you can grab a beer and hang out or maybe kind of walk around.”
The smaller space and artificial turf are unlike the Town Center space where attendees spread blankets and bring chairs. The Forum will have furniture and seating in the space so folks can just gather and either enjoy time with family or partake in events.
The Forum will also offer valet parking on a limited schedule at that end of the property.
More improvements
Although the construction equipment will have moved out, the jewel box building will house a yet-to-be-named restaurant that will open early next year.
“We’re pretty much done with what we’re doing as far as landlord work,” said Lombardo. “We ask our tenants to bring their brand and their design and their material pallet and put that on the building to express their brand identity. They know their brand better than we do. They know how to best design their building and how it functions and works.”
It’s the same process with retail stores, he added.
“We always ask all of our new tenants to come in here when they’re building their storefront,” he said. “They’re not just selling their clothes; they’re selling a lifestyle in the brand so we ask them to push their brand out to the street.”
Even with the new spaces, there will be no shortage of parking, Lombardo added. “There’s plenty of parking behind these buildings,” he said pointing toward Pêche. “What we’ve done is enhance the connectivity to those areas. We’ve redone this breezeway and we’re adding lighting and connecting the parking lot to the main boulevard here. The goal is to replace cars with people and activity and bring a sense of community to the property.”
The Taste of Peachtree Corners has been in the works for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic put many key events on hold for the Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA).
But luckily this year, the dedicated staff of volunteers successfully executed a memorable event and introduced a lot of local business owners to their neighboring restaurants and caterers.
As I walked up to the Community Chest Room at Peachtree Corners City Hall on June 27, there was a line outside the door. I later found out that over 100 people had registered to attend the event. I got checked in quickly and was faced with a “passport” of 10 Peachtree Corners restaurants serving everything from high-end bakery items to good old-fashioned barbecue, and modern twists on seafood and American cuisines.
Let’s talk about the food
The idea was to visit all 10 restaurants and collect stars while trying samples and small plates. My first stop was Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, and they had my favorite – homemade chips and queso. The queso was smoky and mildly spicy with a great depth of flavor. What a great start. Next up was Chopt. Creative Salad Co. I had never heard of this restaurant before, but they blew me away with a perfect amuse-bouche of cherry tomato, pesto, mozzarella, and olive oil. These guys understand simple and fresh Mediterranean flavors.
The folks from Marlow’s Tavern were also on-site serving shrimp and grits with jalapeno, spinach and tomato beurre blanc. This is definitely the style of elevated food I’ve come to expect from Marlow’s. And as a nice touch, they prepared a refreshing blueberry cocktail.
Another familiar face was set up on the other side of the room. J.R.’s Log House Restaurant served southern favorites like pulled pork sliders, baked beans and mac n’ cheese. I couldn’t pass this one up. The pulled pork was tender, tangy and saucy. Exactly what I want from a barbecue. Lazy Dog’s table really impressed me with its presentation. The tuna cup with rice, avocado and chili with chips on the side, was a real stunner.
Moe’s Southwest Grill was also on-site handing out tasty tequila lime chicken with rice, avocado, and black beans. This super hearty and comforting entrée was followed by a seafood course from PECHE Modern Coastal. Crab cakes with a croissant pinwheel, roasted garlic and lemon aioli and arugula were on the menu and the flavor combinations were simply fantastic.
PECHE’s sister restaurant STAGE Kitchen & Bar was next door offering a tuna and salmon tostada with avocado, eel sauce, spicy mayo, and cilantro. This was easily one of my favorite bites of the night. The tostada was crunchy and light with clean and bright flavors. No kidding, I could probably eat this every day for lunch.
I moved on the Smoke’s Family Catering and owner Phillip Smoke had whipped up enough barbecue to feed an army. I had the pleasure of trying the smoked chicken with potato salad and it was the perfect pairing. Last but not least: dessert. I capped off the evening with a beautiful chocolate ganache-filled croissant with perfect lamination and flaky texture.
The inspiration behind the event
With a (very) full stomach, I caught up with PCBA President Lisa Proctor to talk about the event.
“We knew that COVID was really hard on a lot of our restaurants to get people back in,” said Proctor. “We wanted to do it in June because we wanted to celebrate our military. Everybody remembers them maybe on Memorial Day or different things, but June is the 80th anniversary of D-Day.”
“The military is always close to our heart,” she added. “We’re also very proud of our restaurants. They all have gone above and beyond.”
Tonight, the PCBA was honoring the Armed Forces and its brave veterans while bestowing two donation checks to very worthy causes.
The first check for $500 went to Folds of Honor. Since 2007, Folds of Honor has provided life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. And now, their mission expands to the families of America’s first responders.
The second check for $500 was given to Light Up the Corners, a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization with an annual glowing, flashing, blinking, shining, nighttime running party and fundraiser in one. All proceeds from the event go to benefit less fortunate children and families in the Peachtree Corners community who are struggling by giving them the chance to participate in life-enhancing programs and activities at the Fowler YMCA.
Over the past 12 years, the PCBA has awarded 19 scholarships and donated more than $156,000+ back to the Peachtree Corners community.
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