Mediaboss Marketing

A famed Birmingham photographer who shot the cover art for the bestselling books Becoming by Michelle Obama and Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey plans to open a steak and martini restaurant on Highland Avenue between Rojo and Bottega.

Miller Mobley presented plans for Georges, a city tavern, to the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday. It would be within walking distance of the Virginia Samford Theatre at Caldwell Park.

The council approved rezoning for the proposed restaurant at 2614 Highland Avenue, about three blocks east of Bottega, and three blocks west of Rojo.

What we are trying to do is create kind of Birminghams first and only city tavern, Mobley said. It kind of goes back to the nostalgic age of dining. I call it the gilded age, where theres those historic cities like Boston, New York and Chicago that have those old-school establishments where you might get a martini and a steak, have a night of theatre, and dinner at the same time. Thats kind of the heart of this concept and what were trying to bring to the area.

Council members expressed concerns about parking, but Mobley said it will be valet parking-oriented, similar to Bottega, and will have a lease contract with a nearby office building that has 60 parking spaces it can use at night as a valet lot.

The restaurant will be in the Hanover Circle Historic District of Highland Park.

To me, atmosphere and place-making is just as important as the restaurant itself, Mobley said. You kind of want to put it in a neighborhood that has the fabric that adds to the overall environment and I think Highland Park is one of the gem neighborhoods in Birmingham and just has the historic beauty that sometimes these new neighborhoods lack.

Mobley, who is also the owner of Slims Pizzeria in Mountain Brook, did not mention any cost estimates on the renovation project for Georges.

It just felt the neighborhood was speaking to me and the building was speaking to me, Mobley said. You know, its been a pretty desolate building for the past decade. So, were coming there to restore it and add some vibrancy to the neighborhood.

The restaurant would have seating for up to 125 people, including outdoor seating, white tablecloth interior tables and seating at the bar.

Its very dark and cinematic, Mobley said of the interior design. Its dramatic.

He described the menu as classic white tablecloth offerings.

Were not trying to re-invent food here, he said. Were doing something thats very classic: oysters Rockefeller, steaks, great fish, that kind of fare.

Mobley, who is from Birmingham, moved to New York City to establish his photography business. His portraits have included studio sessions with Anthony Bourdain, Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, George Clooney, Ariana Grande, Natalie Portman, Mel Gibson, Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Lupita Nyongo, Ben Stiller, and other celebrity subjects. He did a photo shoot of President Barack Obama for Parade magazine in 2014.

Hes been commissioned by Disney, Netflix, HBO, AMC, Random House, Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, National Geographic, Elle, Rolling Stone, Harpers Bazaar, Esquire and Time.

The restaurant would be his love letter to Birmingham, he said.

When I think of this restaurant I think of it as a love letter to Birmingham, using materials that are native to Birmingham, such as the brick on the outside of the restaurant, which is a Clinker brick which is made here historically, and kind of infusing some English vibes into the restaurant, but just creating a really classy establishment.

Mobley later told AL.com he did not have a timeline for renovations or when the restaurant would open. Although the name Georges was in the documents presented to the city, its a working title and the restaurant has not officially been named yet, he said.

The building targeted for renovation was formerly the medical office of Dr. Claude Orian Truss, a Birmingham native and author of the 1983 book The Missing Diagnosis, who attracted clients from around the world due to his pioneering treatment of yeast infections. Truss, 86, a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and Cornell University Medical College and former chief of cardiology at U.S. Air Force Hospital at Maxwell Field, died on Sept. 10, 2009.

See also: Matthew McConaugheys new book cover shot by Alabama photographer

Michelle Obama shares new book cover shot by Alabama photographer

Taj India restaurant must move to make way for Highland Avenue apartments

Remember the Weird Western? Ex-supermarket on Highland Avenue approved for apartments

Read the original:
Famed Obama photographer plans steak and martini restaurant on Highland in Birmingham - AL.com