Celebrated restaurateur Anne Quatrano’s seafood restaurant W.H. Stiles Fish Camp will close at the end of September in Ponce City Market.
Terminal 26, a Thai street food restaurant inspired by the country’s floating markets, will take its place, according to a news release. It comes from restaurateur Niki Pattharakositkul and sister Tanya, both of whom operate all nine locations of 26 Thai as well as Pink Lotus in west Midtown and Blackjack Bar Tapas in Midtown.
Quatrano opened Fish Camp in 2015 as a counter-service operation on the ground floor of Ponce City Market’s Central Food Hall. It was one of the original restaurants to open in Ponce’s Central Food Hall and offers a raw bar, sandwiches, salads and po’boys.
Quatrano told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Fish Camp was approaching the end of its 10-year lease, and with her forthcoming breakfast and lunch restaurant Summerland Cafe, “I just think it’s the right time, and it’s a great transition.”
“I think it’s just as important … to know when to close restaurants,” she said. “It’s part of (the) business.”
Quatrano also owns Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant Bacchanalia and adjacent deli counter and market Star Provisions.
Her chef Faye Poon and most of the staff will transition over to Star Provisions until Summerland Cafe opens. Some of the dishes from Fish Camp will also make appearances at Star Provisions, like the lobster roll, the shrimp po’boy and possibly the fish sandwich.
“We were so happy to be part of it for 10 years,” Quatrano said. “It’s going to be a great home for somebody else, somebody new.”
Credit: Courtesy of Terminal 26
Credit: Courtesy of Terminal 26
What to expect from Terminal 26
When Terminal 26 opens next spring, seafood won’t be lost to Ponce City Market. The restaurant will focus on traditional and reimagined Thai seafood dishes. It’s modeled after Thailand’s floating markets with the theme of “street food on water,” according to the news release.
Patrons can expect dishes like Thai boat noodles; a Bangkok oyster omelet made with a crispy-chewy egg and rice flour pancake topped with oysters; crispy turmeric fried chicken; raw oysters with nam jim mignonette; grilled jumbo river prawns with chile-lime vinaigrette; and desserts like khanom krok, warm coconut-rice pancakes served with seasonal toppings.
The restaurant will also have beer, wine and floating-market inspired cocktails with tropical fruit, chiles and fresh herbs.
The interior is designed by Thai-based architects and will reference the feeling of “dining aboard a boat drifting along a Thai river,” according to the news release. There will be a reflective table in the center of the restaurant, fishing nets hanging from the ceiling, the illusion of falling water on the walls and fresh seafood on display.
Terminal 26 is one of several new tenants to join Ponce City Market of late, including Boom Boom Bao, Lime Tiger and Uwu Asian Dessert Co. in Market East, a new wing of Asian restaurants from the Vietvana team; La Cueva, a cave-themed speakeasy opening later this year; and Necessary Purveyor which opened on the ground floor of Ponce City Market’s Scout Living hotel.
Credit: Courtesy of Robles Partners
Credit: Courtesy of Robles Partners
A peak at Summerland Cafe
While the closure of Fish Camp marks the end of a 10-year run, Quatrano is looking forward to her next venture in the Upper West Market, a farmers market from Ben Hautt that will include several food and beverage tenants.
Quatrano was tapped to operate Summerland Cafe, a 3,800-square-foot upscale breakfast and lunch restaurant adjacent to the vendor stalls.
“I’m designing this for me,” Quatrano said. “After 46 years of doing this, I think I could design a restaurant with all of my preferences and see how it flies.”
Credit: Courtesy of Robles Partners
Credit: Courtesy of Robles Partners
Quatrano’s preferences include all-day breakfast served in an upscale setting. An opening date has not been announced because the space is still under construction. Possible menu offerings include grain bowl combinations like toasted oats, roast carrots, dates, almonds and Japanese cane sugar; baked cottage cheese, Summerland farm eggs and sourdough croutons; and a Carolina gold rice porridge with roast leeks, burnt onion, salt and crispy rice.
There will also be a seedy rye toast with labneh and smoked Georgia trout; chicken schnitzel with boiled peanuts, pickles, coriander seed, arugula and lemon; an open-faced duck confit sandwich with crispy duck skin, currant and poblano relish; and a savory Dutch baby with roast New York strip and roasted root vegetables and beef jus on the side.
It will also have a counter-service element where diners can order pastries and coffee.
The beverage program may also feature a slushy machine, Quatrano said.
“I’m just hoping that we can get to that point where we’re really just pushing that breakfast envelope,” she said.
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