A curious culinary venture is set to grace the local Newnan dining scene in July. Chef Scott Smith, owner and operator of the Curious restaurants, is adding a fourth restaurant, named after his youngest daughter Lilah Gray.
The restaurant is set to differentiate itself with an air of intimacy, a promise of reasonably-priced fine dining, and a focus on supporting the surrounding community.
“I feel like we need to be in Newnan,” Chef Scott expressed, “I really, truly feel like Newnan has been such a huge supporter of the Curious brand since we’ve started. I want to just give them something that’s in their backyard rather than, you know, across the lake, or down the street.”
The restaurant will have about 50 seats, and to keep customers curious and the chefs’ creativity flowing the restaurant will have a dynamic menu. Each food dish will have two numbers: one indicating the cost and the other representing the number of days it has been on the menu. When a dish reaches an undisclosed number of days, it will be as Scott said “guillotined,” making way for new curiosities.
“We’re going to be pushing our staff for creativity and input,” said Scott, “and they’re always going to be able to cook something new or something that the quality is there, the seasonality is there. So it’ll be ever-evolving.”
Scott encourages patrons to make a night of not just his restaurant but also the surrounding ones, “kind of bounce around a little bit so that when you go out on a Friday night, you’re supporting three businesses rather than one.”
“That’s what I’m excited about, being in that kind of [community] environment.”
For Scott, local support is what it is all about. “I really want to be part of the revolution of people going back and eating and supporting people that live down the street from them rather than the people that are on the stock market.”
Lilah Gray is set to open by mid July, and will be located near the former 714 Restaurant and The Costal. They are looking to hire locally so if you live in the area, apply! Check out The Curious Pig, the Curious Cantina in PTC, or Curious Kitchen and Bar in Senoia if you’re looking to try them out earlier.
