FEATURED RESTAURANTS A sampling of great eats in and around Buckhead BY: Wendell
Brock, Rebecca Cha and Angela Hansberger
PHOTOS: Sara
Hanna
1KEPT KITCHEN & BAR This hidden, club-like space took over the home of old-school French restaurant Toulouse in 2013. Manned by a trio of chefs with equal authority, the collaborative kitchen strives to keep up with the contemporary culinary game. When they nail it—with the likes of pimento cheese boards, fresh seasonal salads, old-fashioned pecan pies, killer brownies and what is surely the best steak frites in town—you’ll find yourself sated and happy. Start with a classic Sazerac, then drink in the ambiance. Proprietor Thaddeus Keefe attended Buckhead’s Atlanta International School as a lad, and this is his vision of the neighborhood of today: young, prosperous and ready to embrace the good life. Salads, starters and flatbreads: $6-$14 Entrées: $20-$27 1kept.com
BIG SKY BUCKHEAD The laid-back cattle ranch decor in this West Village hotspot is the perfect foil for top-notch Tex-Mex-meets-DeepSouth eats. Specialty cocktails served up by fresh-faced mixologists combined with events such as Wednesday trivia nights, game-day viewing parties and weekend brunches with all-you-can-drink mimosas make Big Sky Buckhead a favorite urban escape.
Best-in-class dishes such as the Big Sky Nachos, Goose Island IPA wings, Original Burger and Buffalo Chicken Sandwich are good enough to brand this place in your memory forever. Good to know: Big Sky is a cashless establishment, so don’t forget your alt-currency. Also, free on-site parking spots are limited, so check the website for alternative options. Starters: $4-$12 Salads, sandwiches and tacos: $11-$13 Entrées: $15-$19 Brunch items: $12-$15 bigskybuckhead.com
BHOJANIC After a couple of meals at this North Indian restaurant in Buckhead, we’ve come to admire the flavorful, longsimmered home cooking. The samosa chat was a wonderful smash-up of potato-and-pea samosas topped with tamarind and mint chutneys and yogurt. As for the entrées, we loved the intensely flavored goat curry and wanted to sop up every drop of the gravy with rice. This second location of Archna Becker’s beloved Decatur restaurant is an appealing minimalist space, and it’s easy to get in and out and have a solid and affordable meal. Tapas and appetizers: $4-$9 Entrées: $12-$18 bhojanic.com
Made with fresh ground chuck and a branded Holeman and Finch bun, this is no ordinary burger at Big Sky Buckhead.
CO’M VIETNAMESE GRILL In a Buford Highway strip mall on the edge of Brookhaven, Co’m has been for some time now a favorite place for the vibrant, aromatic flavors of the Southeast Asian nation that owner-brothers Duc and Henry Tran once called home. While Atlanta has pho shops aplenty, the stars here are the rice and noodle dishes, which can be ordered with heavenly grilled meats, chicken or fish. The pièce de résistance, though, is the grilled grape-leaf rolls, stuffed with bits of beef, lamb, salmon, duck or tofu and doused in a pool of sweet-fishy vinaigrette and sprinkled with crushed peanuts and crispy fried scallions. Heaven! Appetizers: $3-$10 Entrées: $7-$18 comgrillrestaurant.com
ECLIPSE DI LUNA
Bhojanic’s Chicken 65 is a tasty, non-fried version of the classic.
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May 2019 | Simply Buckhead
At the tail end of Miami Circle is one of the most convivial joints in town. Head over for happy hour Monday through Thursday when most drinks and tapas are half price, and there’s live music. Yummy small plates of habanerospiced ahi tuna ceviche, smoky sundried-tomato mac and cheese (made with three different cheeses) and refreshing Granny Smith apple salad are some of our favorites. Still hun-
gry? It’s hard to pass up the succulent balsamic-y spare ribs and flavorful, crunchy calamari. If you’re with family (or a family of friends), consider the exquisite saffron-infused paella, made with authentic Calasparra rice. Tapas: $2.95-$14.95 (most in the $5-$8 range) Large plates (for two or more): $20-$24 eclipsediluna.com
F&B Like its predecessor, the much-loved former Brasserie le Coze, F&B delivers timeless Provençal fare in a classic brasserie atmosphere. The menu is bolstered by comfort dishes portioned with hunger in mind, but it’s also fortified with lighter salads, sandwiches and soups. Classics such as steak frites and skate wing with a brown butter sauce are deeply satisfying in their rustic charm. Mussels come piled high in a white wine and shallot broth, along with crusty French bread for sopping. The drink menu is built on interesting French wines and remarkable cocktails such as the well-balanced, bourbonbased Line of Destiny. Appetizers: $6-$18 Entrées: $11-$42 Desserts: $6-$8 fandbatl.net
