RATHBUN'S

She says:
If you’ve never seen Rathbun’s before, it’s understandable. Along with Kevin Rathbun’s two other businesses (Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak), it occupies a former stove factory on a dark graffitied street in Inman Park that you’d never just stumble upon.

If you’ve never heard of Rathbun’s before, well that’s another story. Creative Loafing readers rated Kevin Rathbun Atlanta’s “best chef” in 2007, and Esquire named Rathbun’s as one of the Top 21 New Restaurants when it opened in 2004. And just last month, Kevin and his brother defeated Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America.” How much more famous can you get?

Needless to say, we entered Rathbun’s with high expectations. Exposed brick walls and warehouse-high ceilings set the scene as we perused the lengthy menu. There were numerous mouth-watering fish and seafood options to choose from, as well as a heavy emphasis on red meat. Red meat seems to be a particular passion of the chef’s, making up most of the “Second Mortgage” section of the menu, which can only refer to how much debt you’re going to be in after you pay for your meal! The waitress gave us plenty of time to look over the menu. Actually, I think she just forgot about us. She certainly forgot about the glass of wine I ordered until Downtown Boy reminded her.

He says:
The mediocre service aside, our Rathbun’s dining experience started off on the right foot with an excellent crab tart. It consisted of sweet crabmeat mixed with Creole mustard and served in a pastry tart crust; a smear of sweet pepper ketchup provided a zingy contrast. In the hands of a lesser chef, the creamy mustard and buttery crust might have drowned out the crab’s remarkable freshness, but instead they heightened its flavor. With an appetizer like this, we couldn’t wait to see what entrees Kevin Rathbun could whip out.

She says:
The Carolina Mountain Red trout was perfect. Fried with the skin on, the flavor was outstanding – as if it had been pulled from a stream minutes before. It was drizzled with a teriyaki-type sauce, which was unnecessary and distracting, but a puddle of ponzu hollandaise did add a nice creaminess to the dish. The fish came with stir-fried broccoli which was WAY too salty.

He says:
Judging from the success of his steakhouse (and his Iron Chef victory using elk) Kevin Rathbun knows red meat, and I was eager to see what he could do with my Second Mortgage platter. The venison I ordered was, unfortunately, a letdown. The fist-sized shank tasted like filet mignon in its preparation and juiciness, with just a slight gaminess to differentiate it from its bovine cousin. But for $46 (an extravagant price by Atlanta’s standards) I expected a truly magnificent dish, and this one was simply ordinary. The meat came with a rubbery fennel bulb that I left untouched. Fortunately, my side-order of mashed potatoes was delightfully buttery and smooth. Uptown Girl and I scraped the serving bowl clean.

She says:
The best value at Rathbun’s is the dessert: for $11, you can sample 4 desserts from an extensive menu. Since desserts in most fine restaurants are usually around $8 for a conservative serving, for $11 I was expecting four tiny bites. But the desserts were decently sized – more than we could finish after our meaty entrees. My favorite was the chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache. The cake reminded me of my mom’s own delicious homemade cakes, and the dark chocolate frosting was decadently bittersweet. I didn’t love the banana peanut butter cream pie. With what tasted like toasted marshmallow on top, it was far too sweet, and it was otherwise a little simplistic – for example, the peanut butter aspect of the pie was literally a thick layer of peanut butter spread onto the meager flake that constituted the crust.

He says:
My favorite was the dark chocolate brownie with dulce de leche filling and coffee ice cream; it tasted as good it sounds. The gooey toffee cake with Jack Daniel’s ice cream had potential, but the cake’s sponginess lent the dessert an odd texture.

We say:
If you are thinking about taking out a second mortgage, Rathbun’s is certainly worth a visit – it is, overall, an excellent restaurant. Just be warned that the pricier dishes do not always pan out. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t leave without dessert.




Rathbun’s
112 Krog St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
http://www.rathbunsrestaurant.com/