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John Kessler Awards Abattoir Three Stars, Slate One

Yelp/Foodie Buddha F.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s John Kessler visited two restaurants this week: Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison’s Abattoir and Brian Martin’s Slate. Kessler gave Midtown West’s Abattoir a respectable three stars, praising the menu’s Asian influences while noting its inconsistencies:

I love the umami-bomb flavors of the pork belly ($18) served with a weirdly winning pâté sauce and a pickled vegetable salad jumping with the brightness of kaffir lime leaf and ginger. This is the work of a chef who sees the big flavor picture. Alas, I can’t quite deal with the hard jiggle of that seared hunk of fat. A longer cure, a braise, a sous-vide spin in an immersion circulator — something needs to be done to this porky blubber.

Meanwhile, Roswell’s Slate merits a disappointing one star. Despite the impressive selection of craft beers and an impressive Reuben, Kessler notes that “not all of the pub-grub staples work here.” Kessler ultimately finds that Martin’s menu fails to live up to expectations:

I had high hopes for the ginger barbecue Kobe beef brisket skillet ($14.99), a hearty helping of beef, mashed potatoes and green beans. But nothing about the shredded chunks of meat in the gravy-like sauce looks or tastes like its Kobe namesake, and it certainly doesn’t do justice to the meat...Paring down the menu to focus on the things they do well and a tighter execution of some dishes would go a long way toward improving the consistency in an otherwise promising lineup of food.

THE BLOGS
ATL Food Snob pays a visit to Pho Dai Lo 2 and enjoys soups and apps, and Quick Bite assesses the Italian fare and overly loud music at Cucina Asellina.

Cucina Asellina

1075 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309

Abattoir

1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30318 (404) 892-3335 Visit Website

Abattoir

1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30318

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