Good news for Decatur to Atlanta commuters who can’t get enough of Cakes & Ale’s bread and pastry offerings.

Their new central bakery in Inman Park, “Proof Bakeshop” will open next month in the old Dough Bakery spot at the corner of DeKalb Ave and Hurt Street in Inman Park.  Details courtesy of Eater…

When it launches in April, the bakery/coffeeshop will serve as the central kitchen for baked items served at Cakes & Ale and the team’s forthcoming Bread & Butterfly.

…Proof will offer a variety of baked goods, including country sourdough, honey oat bread, English muffins, hand pies, Danishes, French macarons, croissants, and seasonal muffins, and a selection of sandwiches will be available as well. Located in the former Dough Bakery space at 100 Hurt Street NE, Proof will open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Google Streetview and Proof Bakeshop website

Decatur restaurant mainstay, Cakes & Ale, is shifting the focus of its secondary neighboring space next to its flagship location from a bakery to a cafe, which also will serve wine and small plates in the evening.

Co-owner Kristin Allin explained to us this afternoon that with the majority of the Cakes & Ale bakery team moving from Decatur to the forthcoming “Bread & Butterfly” location in Inman Park, the Allins “felt this was a great opportunity to expand the wine & beverage services we can offer our guests”.

Allin continued, “The cafe will still offer pastries and coffee/espresso bar during the day but will expand at night to a wine and small plate bar.  Lunch will move into the Cakes and Ale restaurant side next week to allow us to expand our lunch service.”

As for the “wine shop” that was originally rumored, Allin says while they have a retail wine license, they are selling retail wine only by request at this time.

Photo courtesy of Cakes & Ale website

Carl points to this extensive interview on Eater with Cakes & Ale’s cofounder Chef Billy Allin.  The Q&A includes his thoughts on the challenges he’s faced at the restaurant and the current Decatur restaurant scene. Here’s a taste…

Now, Decatur Square is a restaurant row. Good or bad, I don’t know. But if you come to Decatur, you have a lot of options, and they’re solid in most cases across the board. The outlook, I think, is positive. More and more people are coming to Atlanta from other parts of the country because of costs of living, there are more businesses opening. You’re getting people who are well-traveled, who are used to different experiences, and that’s fueling a boom in the restaurant world of Atlanta. Decatur, I think, is almost in the forefront— there are a few other little areas, Westside being one, Roswell doing a good job— really booming and catering to not just people who have lived here, but a lot of people that are coming from elsewhere. That’s a net positive in the long run because there’s going to be a flush out of restaurants all the time— some of them may be good, some may not be good. But in the long run it will keep intriguing other restaurateurs, hopefully a lot of independent restaurateurs, to put both feet in and go for it.

This is a couple of weeks old, but I haven’t heard anyone mention it yet.  From the AJC…

Chef David Sweeney confirmed today that he’s no longer working at Cakes & Ale.

“I’ve described my departure from employment with Cakes & Ale as peaceable,” Sweeney said.

…On Sundays, you can still find Sweeney at the Grant Park Octane Coffee, where he presents a weekly menu of  farmer-friendly “Fresh Market Bites.”

As pointed out by the Atlanta Business Chronicle this morning, Cakes & Ale is among the 23 recipients of a the state-wide Georgia Trust Historic Preservation Award for the rehabilitation of their new spaces along Sycamore Street.

Skimming through the press release, it seems that C&A was the only recipient in the metro Atlanta area.  (Correct me if I’m wrong about that.)

Thanks to the readers who pointed this out to me this morning!

Photo courtesy of Cakes & Ale blog

It ain’t even March yet, but Steve points to this new article in the “April issue” of National Georgraphic entitled, “48 Hours in Atlanta” by the Atlanta Mag Food Editor Bill Addison.  There’s this rather clever observation at the beginning..

“People tend to forget that Atlanta is young compared to other American cities,” says author and illustrator Tray Butler, a Georgia native. “New York was founded 200 years earlier. Even Sunbelt superstars like Charlotte or Houston are technically our older siblings. What we have is a youthful exuberance, a kind of rebellious spirit, and yes, some growing pains. Atlanta is like a teenager: It can’t stop changing.”

Both Cakes & Ale and its homestead of Decatur get mentions – with the old “Decatur is to Atlanta as Berkeley is to…”.  You know the rest.

Addison has a lot for you to take on in your 48 hour stay.  MLK National Historic Site!  Little Tart Bakeshop!  Inman Park!  Billy Reid!  Miller Union!  Oakland! High! Dad’s!

Anything missing?  Beltline?  Piedmont Park?

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings look out.

Michelle points out that Cakes & Ale has again made Bon Appetit’s list of “Top 50 Best New Restaurants” for 2012.  Here’s the blurb explaining how C&A can be “new” again…

This one look familiar? In 2009, Billy Allin’s bistro made our list for smart, farm-to-table cooking. A move to a bigger space, a more ambitious menu, and an added bakery mean it’s list-worthy once more.

LOOK FOR

Wood oven-roasted squash and onion with scrambled eggs and trumpet mushrooms; Mississippi mud cake; lemon bar

WE LOVE

At the adjacent bakery’s lunch service, chef David Sweeney’s “good-for-menu” makes healthy food taste great.

Will they move again and try for the three-peat?!

Photo courtesy of Cakes & Ale’s website