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Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield opens Madeira ParkAtlanta chef Steven Satterfield opens Madeira Park

The wine bar is operated in partnership with Neal McCarthy and Tim Willard

Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor

February 24, 2025

2 Min Read
A spread of menu items available at Madeira ParkAndrew Thomas Lee

Popular Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield has opened his first restaurant since the debut of his groundbreaking Miller Union in 2009.

Madeira Park debuted last week on the ground floor of Otto’s Apartment Hotel, formerly The Highland Inn, in Atlanta’s Poncey-Highland neighborhood, which had previously been known as Madeira Park.

Satterfield partnered with Neal McCarthy, who is also his partner at Miller Union, and sommelier Tim Willard, who has more than three decades of experience in hospitality, including his popular Dive Wine Bar pop-up that he has been operating since 2023.

It’s primarily a wine bar, with a food menu developed by Satterfield and chef de cuisine Ollie Honderd focusing on shared plates and snacks. Highlights include dressed oysters, ham and cheese beignets, and butterscotch pear with blue cheese and pecans, as well as a daily cheese and charcuterie board developed in collaboration with local shop Capella Cheese.

Satterfield has long been an advocate for using local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients, and that’s reflected in the Georgia shrimp tempura that’s on the menu, as well as bouillabaisse featuring grouper from the Gulf of Mexico.

That fish dish is one of several entrées on Madeira Park’s menu, which also includes a bistro steak and a heritage half chicken with Armagnac jus.

Related:La Grande Boucherie is now open in Miami, serving up Parisian brasserie food and vibes

“At Madeira Park, we created a menu designed to complement the wine and encourage conversation,” Satterfield said in a statement. “We leaned into shareable plates that are delicious on their own or can be mixed and matched to preference and occasion. It’s reflective of how we like to eat.”

Willard said the wine bar was designed to suit guests’ varied needs.

 "We envisioned a space that is welcoming for all to linger with a great glass of wine,” he said. “You can choose your own adventure, whether that’s snacks and conversation or a full dining experience.” 

AI3 Architects designed Madeira Park’s interior to be lively, bright, and airy with a bank of windows at the front and hanging globe pendants. The space includes a 14-seat bar as well as communal tables.

The blue-and-white wallpaper displays a map of the neighborhood.

A pass-through window extends from the bar to the patio, allowing guests to order, eat and drink outside.

The wine list, developed by McCarthy, Willard, and general manager and sommelier Jade Palmer, includes more than 25 wines by the glass including rarer options and fortified wines available in 2.5-ounce pours.

"Working with Tim to create this wine list was really exciting,” McCarthy said. “We share an affinity for a wide variety of wines, and have similar sensibilities, but we still remain curious and are always interested in trying something new and sharing exciting selections with the community.” 

Related:New York chef Jiho Kim opens Joomak, a retooled version of his Michelin-starred Joomak Banjum

Madeira Park also has a full bar, headed by bar manager Philip Weltner, with draft beers and signature cocktails focused on lower-alcohol options made with fortified wine. It’s currently open Tuesday through Friday starting at 3 p.m. and beginning at noon on weekends.

Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected] 

About the Author

Bret Thorn

Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Senior Food & Beverage Editor

Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality for Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group, with responsibility for spotting and reporting on food and beverage trends across the country for both publications as well as guiding overall F&B coverage. 

He is the host of a podcast, In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities and other experts in foodservice operations.

From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs’ career moves in New York City.

He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality’s staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. 

A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thorn’s monthly column in Nation’s Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column.

He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005.

Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015.

He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Bret Thorn’s areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. 

Bret Thorn’s Experience: 

Nation’s Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present
New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 
Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997
Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997
ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989

Education:
Tufts University, BA in history, 1990
Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989
Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 
Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986

Email: [email protected]

Social Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-thorn-468b663/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bret.thorn.52
Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
Instagram: @foodwriterdiary

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