Matt Marcus Leaves Portofino to Open “Americana Fast Casual” Spot

The Journal-Constitution reports that executive chef for Buckhead fine Italian restaurant Portofino Matt Marcus is out, and he’ll be opening his own more casual spot in Chamblee this summer alongside Andy Lasky on the business side.

It’ll be called Bluetop, named for the taxi company that formerly inhabited the Peachtree Road space Marcus has taken over, and the AJC calls is “Americana fast casual”. That means all-American dishes (obviously) on the comfort food side of the spectrum, but done with the technique and care of a chef with a solid fine dining pedigree — Maine lobster corn dog, and takes on the classic sloppy joe but with lamb and confit chicken. Everything will be under $14, except for a family-style take on meat and threes.

The AJC report suggests that Bluetop will have a solid cocktail program, but in an odd twist, some of the cocktails won’t be a meat-free zone as cocktails usually are. Some will feature Marcus’ bone broth, or will use glasses rinsed with animal fat.

It’ll be a 160-seater, but those tables won’t all be jammed inside the relatively small former taxi building (pictured above) — the container portion of an old big rig is being added, and there’ll be picnic tables for outdoor dining. If you head over to Bluetop’s website, the background image gives an idea of the layout (you may need to squint, though).

August 1 is the projected opening, subject to all the usual restaurant construction business.

• Bluetop [Official]
• Portofino exec chef to open Bluetop in Chamblee [AJC]
• All Portofino coverage [EATL]