Artisan Restaurant Celebrates New Name and Menu with Grand Opening

For about 20 years, the Continental Park Cafe on Main Street has been serving up food with a Greek and Mediterranean flair. 

Now, Cary Hamilton and his family, which owns the restaurant, have been inspired by all the changes going on in historic downtown Stone Mountain to make a few changes of their own. This week, the restaurant is celebrating a new name - Artisan - and a menu that includes about 16 new dishes, including Italian, French and American specialities.

The restaurant has also added local entertainment, booking local musicians to perform for dinner on weekends, said owner Cary Hamilton. The restaurant is hiring only local musicians who write and sing their own compositions, he said.

Local artists also will be working in the restaurant, from jewelry makers to painters, and customers can watch them work and buy their pieces, Hamilton said.

"Stone Mountain is obviously going in the artsy direction," said Hamilton, who bought out previous partners in the restaurant in January.  "We decided we would blend in and go with the trend."

After Mama Mia's moved from Main Street to Mountain Park in December, customers started asking for Italian food, Hamilton said. So Artisan is now serving lasagna, chicken penne, timpano rotini and more. 

French dishes include beef bearnaise, beef bourguignon, cordon bleu and seafood au gratin. 

To satisfy customer requests, Artisan has also added barbecue, pot roast and hot and spicy chicken.

For the grand opening, Artisan will hold a drawing for a $100 gift certificate and is offering free flavored tea with meals.

The grand opening starts today and runs through Saturday, June 4, at 941 Main Street, Stone Mountain. The restaurant is open for lunch every day from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., and for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until "people stop coming," Hamilton said.