Thursday, April 7, 2011

Medium Rathbun - Kevin Rathbun Steak

Admittedly, I don't often go to steakhouses for the simple fact that steaks aren't particularly difficult to cook. If I'm going to drop all that coin on some food, it had better be something I can't readily make. I realize that I can't really buy this quality of meat and/or age it and that certainly adds to the upscale steakhouse draw. Rathbun steak has a pretty gleaming reputation, so I made my once-every-two-years steakhouse plans here.

The bread and butter selection was terrific. I'd avoid the appetizers all together and polish off a basket of it.

We kicked off the meal with some lobster fritters. Our waiter really pitched them as a standout item but I can't say much more about them besides the fact that they were fried and lobster. They were satisfyingly salty bites and nothing else. For our main we ended up ordering the dry aged steak for two. It's a great option since each person has the opportunity to try essentially two cuts of steak in one. They'll prop it up table-side so the jus collects at the edge of the plate - which will then be spooned over your meat by a server. The steak was good, as expected, but not otherworldly. I was surprised how much fat there was on the tenderloin side of the porterhouse but it was just too delicious to avoid.

The sides at Rathbun Steak set it apart from other Atlanta steakhouses. They're just slightly less traditional, but well executed starchy goodness. The mac and cheese with truffle was excellent and the creamed corn blew our whole table away.

I read the reviews about KRS being too dark and too noisy but frankly, I didn't think either of these points had much merit. We had no problem seeing our menus or hearing our own party. The interior design is pretty striking and I found the environment to be a much appreciated departure from the normal, stuffy private-club like atmosphere of most steakhouses.

While the steaks will certainly hit the mark, the sides and atmosphere are truly where Rathbun Steak sets themselves apart.

As to the title - I realize that Kevin Rathbun is anything and everything but medium, but my creative ability to come up with anything more clever than that is lacking today.

Kevin Rathbun Steak on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Fritti - It's not Antico, obviously.

It's not Antico. If you're going to compare the two, Antico is better. However, if Antico is a 10, Fritti is about a 7.5 or 8 which is certainly respectable. What I'm getting at is that your pizza is in capable hands and ovens at Fritti.
I've had a number of items here and the standouts to me are still the Margherita and the "Ananas e Gorgonzola."

The Margherita just works - perfect ratio of quality ingredients. The "Ananas e Gorgonzola" combines pineapple, gorgonzola, and aged balsamic. Of course, that combination already sounds appetizing, but when I consider how sublimely fresh that pineapple was, well gat-damn. The crust is light, airy and a nice amount of crisp but it just doesn't have that flavor and chew of the Antico. Then again, it doesn't get soupy either.

Honorable mention goes to the calamari - yes it's a tired and overplayed appetizer, but they do it right. Perfectly seasoned, satisfingly crunchy and plenty of the non-tube tentacle pieces. Simply and well-done.

Reasons in which Fritti is better than Antico-you can make a reservation and sit down comfortably and Buckhead isn't entirely overrunning the joint. They don't burn the shit out of their basil every, single time. Oh, and the staff is friendlier.

Fritti on Urbanspoon
 

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