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El Poquito: Garces alum opening in Chestnut Hill

George Atterbury, who helped oversee the Iron Chef's Amada, Distrito and Village Whiskey restaurants at the ill-starred Revel Casino in Atlantic City and later became the group's director of operations, is taking over the former Chestnut 7 at 8201 Germantown Ave in Chestnut Hill.

Another alumnus* of the Garces Group is going out on his own with a Mexican restaurant.

George Atterbury - who helped oversee the Iron Chef's Amada, Distrito and Village Whiskey restaurants at the ill-starred Revel Casino in Atlantic City and later became the group's director of operations before departing in April - is taking over the former Chestnut 7 at 8201 Germantown Ave in Chestnut Hill.

Atterbury says El Poquito ("the little one"), opening before Dec. 1, will be a Mexican cantina with a bar - but "more of a restaurant than a bar." In other words, he and investors are aiming at families.

Boxwood Architects and Groundswell are working not only on the interior but are adding cool outdoor elements, including communal tables and fire pits.

Crucially, they're also adding parking in the rear of the property.

Chef will be longtime Garces alum Andrew Sabin, most recently chef de cuisine at JG Domestic. Sabin is thanked in the acknowledgments of Jose Garces' book The Latin Road Home as someone who was "absolutely instrumental" in bringing it together.

Atterbury said he also has a deal for a second location in a new development by the Christina River in Wilmington.

* Chef Tim Spinner and Brian Sirhal went on to create a mini-empire, including Cantina Feliz, La Calaca Feliz, Taqueria Feliz and Beast & Ale.