The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chef brings fresh identity to former Watershed space
Mimmo Alboumeh’s Botica features Spanish and Mexican fare in a lively atmosphere.
Mimmo Alboumeh has a disposition that’s refreshingly upbeat and energetic.
When the chef learned I had eaten from his newly opened restaurant, Botica, he was eager to know my order. As I ran down the list, he offered animated commentary on the phone.
The nachos: “Always a home run.” A variety of tacos: “On the tacos, everything flies!”
Grilled Spanish octopus: “I sold about 200 orders of octopus in one week. That’s a lot of octopus!”
Churros for dessert: “Croissant bread pudding. Eat that for dessert. It’s — oh, my God!”
Yet, when Alboumeh learned it was carryout, his tone became a tad deflated. Time in transit can take a toll on freshly made restaurant food, and the dining experience isn’t the same.
“There’s a magic energy in here,” he said of what has become an instant hot spot (albeit at 50% capacity per the pandemic) since its Jan. 1 debut.
The energy was palpable the Saturday evening I popped in to grab my order. I found the space formerly occupied by Watershed transformed into a lively bodega.
Alboumeh, a former partner at Red Pepper Taqueria, had been hunting for a place to begin a new venture. The expansive seating, wraparound bar and patio all
spoke to him. “It has structure. It is upscale, a beautiful buildout. It was lacking energy, though. It needed a new identity. I needed to put the Mimmo identity,” he said.
Alboumeh speaks with the surety of someone who knows who he is. He has roots in Lebanon, can recall his childhood in Spain and has been cooking Mexican fare for 25 years.
Botica is his attempt to bring together aspects of Spanish, Mexican and American culture. “I did a fine-tune balance between all three cultures,” he said, referencing the menu and the inviting, yet edgy, space, which holds 42 TVS to please sports aficionados, and an improved sound system to help set the vibe.
The menu is a compilation of familiar Spanish and Mexican dishes: grilled Spanish octopus, served with patatas bravas; chicken tamales carefully wrapped in banana leaves; playfully skewered chorizo; and plenty of tacos inspired by those he encountered on the streets of Mexico City. (On Taco Tuesdays, the taco of the day is $1.)
While dishes may be casual, they come with cheffy consideration. It’s a scratch kitchen that sources plenty of ingredients locally and regionally. Meats are smoked in-house, using different woods, depending on the kitchen’s mood. Cuts sometimes get combined to achieve a “superjuicy, magic combination” — pork pibil!
Although he believes in his concept, menu and even the Botica team (some followed him from Red Pepper Taqueria), Alboumeh admitted he had one superstition.
“I’m a big believer in numbers — especially the number seven,” he said. He’s one of seven siblings; the numbers of his home address tally up to seven. The moment he realized the numerals in the Botica footprint — 5,002 square feet —– amounted to seven was “almost magical,” he said. And, that’s why the Botica menu has exactly 34 items (3+4=7), and why Alboumeh pushed to unlock doors to the restaurant on Jan. 1 (01+01+ 2021=7).
“I’m going to open with that blessing,” he told himself.
Alboumeh has worked hard in his decadeslong culinary career, and he doesn’t have plans to stop now. “I’m a chef, an entrepreneur, a guy willing to take a risk,” he said. But, a little luck — especially during a pandemic — never hurts.