A-Town burgerCourtesy of Southern Exposure Chef Joey Ward accomplishes a lot from a single kitchen in Poncey-Highland. He cooks inventive, shareable dishes for Southern Belle, dreams up fanciful tasting menu items for Georgia Boy, and soon, will prepare munchable snacks for his newest creation: Bell e Bar. Located on the Southern Belle patio, which has recently been weather-proofed, Belle Bar will serve a separate menu of small bites and cocktails. Unlike Ward’s adjacent spots, Belle Bar will operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. “I wanted a more approachable outlet for the neighborhood in a more casual setting, and I want to utilize our beautiful patio space,” he says. Slated to open early this summer, Belle Bar features a garden aesthetic with faux ivy, azaleas, hanging plant baskets, and string lights. Artificial turf lies under communal picnic tables, and the concrete floors are painted dark green to connote grass and then layered with colorful rugs. A 30-foot-tall metal roof features skylights, bringing the outside in, and fabric “walls” roll up to invite in the breeze. The space includes a large drink rail for a convivial atmosphere. Altogether, the space fits up to 100 guests. Look for oysters, house-made chicharrónes, char sui chicken skewers, Ward’s popular A-Town burger, French onion dip with an optional caviar bump, and bistro fries with garlic, parsley and truffle aioli. For dessert, there’s a strawberry tart with cardamom streusel, ube cheesecake with magnolia sorbet, and chocolate cream pie topped with bruleed bananas. At the bar, expect eight cocktails made with seasonal ingredients—a least a couple will feature partner ASW Distillery. There will be a riff on a Capri Sun, a couple beers, and “patio-pounder wines for easy drinking,” Ward says. On Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., a jazz band will play. On Thursdays, DJs will play throwback hits (think ’90s music). There will be Yacht Rock nights as well. The post Joey Ward adds a third concept to his Southern Belle space with Belle Bar appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less