After much anticipation, Coalition Food and Beverage is open in Alpharetta for dinner service at 50 Canton Street at Teasley Place in downtown Alpharetta. This is the third chef-driven restaurant by the RO Hospitality team founded by Ryan Pernice, who is also the owner of Roswell’s Table & Main and Osteria Mattone. It is of course no surprise that our food contributor, Joe Duffy, visited opening weekend. He said:
They noticeably had understandable hiccups on their second night. Undoubtedly, I was not the only person eagerly awaiting the opening of proven player Ryan Pernice’s third restaurant. The kitchen was running well behind, but the product was very good. They give Peach & the Pork Chop a run for their money for best club sandwich in the area. Like Peach, the meats are made in-house.
I have a lot of items to try, but the Gulf oyster soup stole the show on my first trip. Despite the stress of a packed restaurant on their second night, the waitress was super-friendly and gets an A-plus. With Pernice’s track record, they will likely evolve into one of the best restaurants in the area.
Coalition Food and Beverage offers a place for families and neighbors to gather for a common purpose: enjoying expressive, chef-driven American cuisine, carefully crafted drinks, warm hospitality, and the spirited companionship of your guests. The restaurant joins Alpharetta’s celebrated restaurant scene in Teasley Place, a mid-rise building including restaurants, shops and luxury residences by River Rock Development. The 3,331-square-foot space houses approximately 150 seats including a bar, outdoor dining and private dining. The atmosphere uses an urban aesthetic to evoke the action and pulse of a growing community – not only in “look-and-feel” but also as a vibrant hub of community engagement. That sense of possibility and energy infuses all aspects of the Coalition experience including the street-style art and a casually cool, throwback playlist.
“We look to bring the vibrancy of the city – the steel, the noise, the action, the constant swirl of things – to the suburbs,” said Ryan Pernice, RO Hospitality founder and owner. “People should feel very far from their backyard grills when they’re here. They should feel like, ‘This is where the action is!’”
The lead in the kitchen at Table & Main, executive chef Woolery “Woody” Back, a co-owner, serves as the driving force in the kitchen at Coalition Food and Beverage, offering a contemporary menu with progressive and signature interpretations of American wood-fired classics. Upon seating, diners are presented with a menu designed to highlight wood-grilled signatures, which include St. Louis BBQ Pork Ribs (smoked coleslaw, hand-cut fries), sustainably-sourced Salmon (Verlasso filet, Carolina Gold rice, grilled squash and zucchini, pineapple salsa), and Bistro Steak (garlic mashed potato, grilled asparagus, crab hollandaise sauce). The foodscape emphasizes premium meats, entrée-sized salads and burgers worthy of a second napkin, such as The CFBurger (two beef patties, griddled onion, shredded lettuce, sour pickle, red onion, sliced tomato and American cheese on southern sandwich bread), the Blackened Tuna Burger (ginger-lemon mayo, marinated cucumber, and red onion on a sesame bun), the Lobster Caesar Salad (baby lettuce, parmesan cheese, fried anchovy, buttered crouton, anchovy vin), and a variety of sausages made in-house by chef de cuisine and RO Hospitality veteran, Ryan Jensen. Other menu specialties include the Pretzel Tray (Creole mustard and beer cheese) and Gulf Oyster Soup (bacon-parmesan cream and grilled baguette), followed by diner-inspired desserts such as the Classic Banana Split (chocolate-vanilla-strawberry, candied walnut, warm butterscotch, fudge and DIY whipped cream) and a Chocolate Cream Pie (Oreo crust, vanilla whipped cream, and chocolate shavings) prepared by RO Hospitality’s executive pastry chef Kelly Lovett. Back and Jensen are supported by sous chef Noah Bazarte (previously of Table & Main), and front of house operations are led by general manager Jennifer Hamilton (previously of Osteria Mattone).
At the bar guests may enjoy beverage director and co-owner Daniel Pernice’s selection of classic cocktails including The Other Canton Street Cooler (American Harvest Vodka, grenadine, lime, prosecco), the Goserita (gose-style ale, Cimarron Tequila, lime, agave nectar) and the Scorpion Kick (Denisen Byr Rum, clement creole shrubb, lemon, almond syrup). Owner and sommelier of Osteria Mattone, Pernice accompanies the cocktail menu with a variety of local craft beer as well as an extensive wine list that highlights vineyards in California, Washington, and Oregon, and explores his guiding principle that great wine doesn’t have to be expensive.
Upon entering, guests are greeted by exposed ceilings, industrial lighting, and wood-paneled walls. Rustic steel-bordered window panes separate the dining spaces and provide diners with a clear view into the kitchen, where a custom Grillworks grill serves as the focal point for both the interior and the cuisine. The live-fire cooking system harbors adjustable shelves for many layers of heat, as well as an array of instruments that can be maneuvered to work separately or pulled together to create an orchestra-like technique of cooking. To the left of the kitchen is a large, l-shaped bar that offers indoor and outdoor seating, complete with two flat-screen TVs and expanded metal cabinets guard the bar’s large variety of spirits. Caramel brown, studded-leather booths invite guests to gather around custom-branded wooden tables hand-crafted by Roswell’s Rustic Trades Furniture, and exposed brick makes an appearance throughout. Pernice selected a series of framed boombox prints by New York creative Lyle Owerko to line the dining room walls, as well as abstract paintings by Brendan John Carrol. To the far right of the restaurant, sliding glass doors and curtains can create a private dining space to host up to 26 guests, complete with its own exterior entrance for accessibility. Lastly, the restaurant boasts a street-side patio that stretches alongside Canton Street and features a retractable awning for shaded dining during the warmer months.
Coalition Food and Beverage is open for dinner service Sunday through Thursday, from 4:30 – 9:30 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, from 4:30 – 10:30 p.m. Both lunch and brunch service will begin in weeks to follow. Parking is ample via street-side parking or the Teasley Place parking deck, which is complimentary to Coalition patrons. For more information, the full menu, or to make your reservation to experience Coalition Food and Beverage, please visit CoalitionFoodandBeverage.com. Stay in-the-know by connecting with Coalition Food and Beverage on Facebook and on Instagram.
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