Omnivore Atlanta

We just had a stunning meal at P’cheen on North Highland Avenue. The restaurant/gastropub debuted a new menu recently and you’re going to want to visit soon.

I started with this spicy lamb merguez, a sausage native to North Africa, over three varieties of sauteed mushrooms. Then I had a big bowl of bouillabaise, followed by a banana-and-chocolate dessert. Wayne ordered ceviche and a special of curried chicken and cauliflower.

Prices are very reasonable, although I should warn you that desserts, recited without mention of price, are $10 and pretty clearly meant for two.

I’ll have more to say in next week’s Grazing column, but here’s a tip: The restaurant has installed a smoker outside and will be serving barbecue on Mondays, starting this week. The menu, “Mike’s Bone Lick BBQ,” will include baby back ribs, pulled pork, chipotle-rubbed smoked chicken and short ribs.

According to our server — actually, one of the owners, I believe — the restaurant’s sous chef is a barbecue fanatic and will be preparing four regional sauces for the meats, including (yay!) a mustard-based South Carolina one. Meats can be ordered alone or in combo platters with sides like pork-braised collards and jalapeno mac-n-cheese.

Besides the really good food, P’cheen (which is Gaelic for “moonshine”) features very smooth music. You can even download some mixes on the website.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

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BAR CODE

Whatever happened to the word “bar”? Where’s the respect for good, old-fashioned bar food? These days, the new generation of business owners do not open bars. They open gastropubs.

The gastropub concept turned up in Atlanta last year with Concentrics’ TAP, followed most notably this year by Holeman and Finch, along with a host of other spots. In recent months, three places in particular have garnered a lot of attention: the Porter in Little Five Points, the BookHouse Pub in Poncey-Highland, and the Bureau in the Old Fourth Ward. I wondered what made these places that different from any other bar in town that serves food. How would they compare to say, Atkins Park – arguably the oldest bar in the city?

At the Porter Beer Bar (1156 Euclid Ave., 404-223-0393, www.theporterbeerbar.com), the main difference is the beer. The Porter has around 200 beers, from hop-heavy American microbrews to gueze to Belgian tripels and quadruples, and not one watered-down domestic among them. For beer lovers, the list is a true joy to behold.

So, that covers the “pub” aspect, but what about the “gastro”? The main claim to the Porter’s foodie fame is the résumé of its owners. Nick Rutherford and Molly Gunn both worked at Seeger’s, the now closed Atlanta temple to haute cuisine. Rutherford went on to make a splash at the Chocolate Bar in Decatur. (more…)

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I noted in a recent Grazing column that gastropubs are threatening to overtake tapas venues as the biggest trend in restaurant openings in our city.

The latest issue of Knife and Fork confirms that two newbies are coming to booming Edgewood Avenue — Bureau and Miso Izakaya, a Japanese pub I mentioned a few weeks back. A third, The Porter, is coming to Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points. It’s being opened by some former employees of Seeger’s.

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