A few notes from our Metro Area restaurants.

The folks at Sweet Auburn Barbecue told Decaturish that its Poncey-Highland location at 656 North Highland Avenue NE is now open.

“The menu pays homage to this notion with traditional options such as chopped chicken, pulled pork and beef brisket, along with distinctive features including pimento cheese wontons and the southern Seoul sandwich, which features Korean-style short ribs, pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro and jalapeño,” spokeswoman Julia Baker said.

The food is largely influenced by the Malaysian-Chinese cuisine of owner Howard Hsu’s childhood, as well as his experiences growing up in Atlanta.

“Opening Sweet Auburn BBQ’s first full-service location is a dream come true for my family as a natural progression of our experience as entrepreneurs in Atlanta’s culinary community,” Hsu said in a press release. “Atlanta is home for me and Poncey-Highland’s strong sense of community and pedestrian-friendly culture made it clear that this was the perfect location.”

Some of the items on the Sweet Auburn menu:

– Award-winning “Chomp and Stomp” chili with sour cream and scallions

– Carolina pulled pork bowl with stone-ground cheddar grits and scallions

– Coconut lemongrass pork spare ribs

– Maple Glazed Smoked Peking Duck with hoecakes, peanut hoisin and Asian slaw

– Sweet Auburn blues burger featuring house-ground beef blended with smoked bacon, caramelized onions, whipped bleu cheese, tomato-bacon jam and bread and butter pickles

– Delectable sides including pear coleslaw, BBQ whipped mash, mac and cheese, bacon-roasted sprouts, Sweetwater 420 borracho beans, jerk-spiced collard greens and Brunswick stew

– Desserts include mint tea sorbet; bourbon pecan pie with High Road Craft Ice Cream’s bourbon burnt sugar ice cream; and fried Asian pear pie featuring cinnamon, sugar and buttermilk ice cream.

In other restaurant news, Bourbon Bar in Buckhead says it has introduced three new private label barrels.

The restaurant is located at 3315 Peachtree Road NE.

“Adding to its existing trio of exclusive labels including Jefferson’s, Four Roses and Buffalo Trace, Bourbon Bar is thrilled to introduce barrels from Woodford Reserve and Old Forester to the collection, with Heaven Hill Select joining in late spring,” restaurant spokeswoman Kelley McLaughlin said. “All barrels were hand selected with the help of the master distillers at each location.”