American, “vegetable-forward” eatery Humble Pie is set to open Wednesday, January 18, 2023, in The Interlock, at 1115 Howell Mill Rd, Suite P100, the restaurant Monday announced.
Chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, the team behind Lazy Betty, a James Beard semifinalist, and Juniper Cafe, a 2022 Best New Restaurant by bon appétit, are behind Humble Pie.
Upon opening, guests can visit for dinner Wednesday through Monday, and lunch, weekday happy hour and a late night menu will launch at a later time.
The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef Evelyn Ling, Hsu’s cousin, and Chef de Cuisine Lorien Vilchez. Most recently, Evelyn worked in the kitchen at sister restaurant Juniper Cafe and previously at Chef Anne Quatrano’s restaurants Pancake Social and Bacchanalia as executive chef and sous chef, respectively. Lorien previously worked on the pastry team at Lazy Betty before being promoted to the role at Humble Pie. The duo will serve vegetable-forward menus using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients from farms and producers like Diamond City Farms, Rock House Creamery, Spotted Trotter, DaySpring Farms and Fripper’s.
The lunch and dinner menus will feature chef-driven share plates, wood-fired pizzas, a “tight” selection of entrees and artisanal pies and ice cream for dessert. Highlights will include the likes of Oven Roasted Half Chicken with Diamond City Farms arugula, frisée, apple, olive & agrodolce jus, Potato Pie with crispy potato croquette, trout roe, grated eggs & crème fraiche and a Classic “Not So Humble” Burger with dry aged beef, american cheese, caramelized onion, garlic aioli, dill pickle & humble fries.
The team will use grains from DaySpring Farms outside Athens, Georgia to mill its own flour for housemade whole-wheat, sourdough pizza dough that’s made from a starter born in 2020 and fermented for three days. The menu will offer white sauce, red sauce and special sauce pizzas. Non-traditional pies will include Broccoli + Cheese with white sauce, oregano, mozzarella, local cheddar, Ragin’ Cajun Shrimp with etouffee sauce, scallion, soppressata, mozzarella & parmesan and Clam Pizza with white sauce, charred lemon, mozzarella & clam butter dip. More traditional pies, like a Margherita and Get the Greek pizza, plus gluten-free versions will also be available.
For dessert, Pastry Chef Carelys Vazquez’s seasonal selection will include Spiced Apple Buckle Cake with oat crumble, dulce de leche & vanilla bean ice cream, Cranberry Slab Pie with orange chantilly, almond crust, cranberries & cinnamon ice cream and Chocolate Mudslide Pie with hazelnut cream & chocolate cookie crumb, among other items.
The neighborhood spot will offer a beverage program featuring local beers and spirits, and a wine list with natural, biodynamic or organic wines — several on tap and by the glass and bottle — and a selection of dessert wines. Cocktails will incorporate local spirits and creative presentations, and the menu will also offer zero-proof cocktails. On the beer side, the beverage team will serve local beers and ciders, from the likes of Orpheus Brewing, Wild Heaven Beer, Three Taverns Brewery, Good Word Brewing & Public House and Urban Tree Cidery. The full beverage menu is available here.
“Humble Pie will give hourly kitchen staff 3.14 percent of all sales to help alleviate the pay disparity between front-of-house and back-of-house, and to provide a livable wage for the crew doing work behind the scenes,” according to the release.
Located on the corner of 14th Street and Howell Mill, the 4,300-square-foot restaurant is designed by local firm Praxis3. With the intent to create a uniquely local experience, Humble Pie will take inspiration from Atlanta and West Midtown itself. High ceilings, wide-open views to the street and an explosion of greenery hanging above harken back to Atlanta’s nickname “the city in the forest,” while industrial and steel details painted in bold pops of color will place the restaurant right at home in the neighborhood. The rustic interior finishes and eclectic furniture will create a familiar and inviting vibe in a layout that will provide guests with a variety of different dining settings to choose from. Soft forms and a celebration of pie shapes will be found, maybe not so subtly, throughout.
A centrally located wood-burning pizza oven will be on display from an open dining counter where guests can watch chefs in action. Around the corner, the lounge will provide intimate dining with tables and chairs, plus soft seating, while the upstairs mezzanine will allow for private dining for large groups of 50-60 people. The upstairs can also be divided into smaller private dining spaces. The patios and indoor/outdoor bars will welcome guests for casual noshing and imbibing.
