This month, award-winning Chef Jonathan Waxman opened an Italian-inspired restaurant in Atlanta's West Midtown neighborhood. Baffi is currently the New York City chef's second Italian restaurant in the American South, along with Adele's in Nashville.
At Baffi, the spacious dining room gives way to an exposed bar and kitchen, where a wood-fed hearth heats up cast-iron pans holding Chef Waxman's Italian-inspired dishes, like roasted chicken and braised veal and pork meatballs.
Chef Jonathan Waxman opens Baffi Italian restaurant in Atlanta, preparing Italian-inspired dishes with Southern ingredients.
Baffi means “moustache” in Italian. The name is a playful wink to Chef Waxman's famous New York City restaurant, Barbuto, (meaning “bearded” in Italian,) where many signature recipes were born. Chef Waxman created the Baffi menu with many Barbuto favorites, but he added in Southern influences.
“My chef, Andrew Cacioppo comes from a Sicilian/Neapolitan heritage. He and I have bonded over our mutual love of Italian food and deep respect for Southern cuisine. Our excitement comes from incorporating Southern essentials (like grits with mascarpone) with Italian standbys (meatballs) to create a perfect marriage of Italy and Atlanta,” said Chef Waxman, whose exposure to San Francisco's Northern Italian communities led him to explore variations of the cuisine in Italy and the US. “Other intertwined Italian/Southern ingredients include local shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, fish and pork."
Even the hearth, crafted by local Atlanta-based artisan, Chris Demant, forges a connection between Italian cookery and Southern grilling and BBQ culture, he said. The end result: delicious comfort food.
Chef Waxman prepares a braised meatball with veal and pork on a bed of mascarpone grits.
The aroma of fresh baked bread, like grissini breadsticks and dimpled focaccia, often lingers, making the atmosphere even more inviting. A selection of classic Italian cocktails, wine and beer are available. Beyond the dining room, a large patio and fire pit await.
Baffi serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday.