Omnivore Atlanta

Prominent Atlanta pastry chef Aaron Russell of Decatur’s Chocolate Bar notified the restaurant yesterday that he will not return to work. Since new management took over the Chocolate Bar this year, staff members have been uncomfortable with menu changes centered around the new restaurant location in Castleberry Hill, said Russell.

It’s rumored that several other staff members also quit yesterday in support of Russell.

Russell said he has had “to endure a long, slow slide into mediocrity” since original owner Karen Britain left the Chocolate Bar early this year. Russell originally teamed with current Porter Beer Bar chef Nick Rutherford (both had previously worked at Seeger’s) as co-chefs for the Chocolate Bar under Britain when it opened in 2007.

According to Russell, the new Chocolate Bar menus will only be printed once a year — so seasonal changes or creativity are out of the question.

“It’s not the kind of restaurant or the kind of food I’d like to be associated with,” he said.

Russell said he’s had several job offers already, but has not yet made a decision about where he’ll go next.

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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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