PARISH

He says:
Midway through a Saturday night dinner at Parish, I turned to Uptown Girl and said, “Don’t you wish Bacchanalia or Rathbun’s had a place like this?” She immediately concurred. To say that Parish is a beautiful restaurant is to traffic in understatement. This New Orleans-inspired market and eatery is, without question, the best-looking restaurant in Atlanta. The handsome decay of the Big Easy is discernible in every scraped stone tile in the ceiling, every wrought iron chandelier, and every brick peeking out from behind the crumbling plaster. Never has degeneration looked so gorgeous or organic. There are touches of New Orleans everywhere, like the beaded curtain at the front entrance and the corroded statue in the dining room, seemingly purloined from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. And when the lights are dimmed, Parish just might be the most romantic spot in the city.

Such a wonderful location deserves wonderful food, and that is where Parish falls short. We ordered the beer can chicken pastry appetizer hoping it would be super moist (as it should be), but the kitchen made the mistake of shredding the chicken breast and thus robbed it of its succulence.

My Mississippi Stuffed Catfish entrée was significantly better, with the crab stuffing and smoked macque choux lending the catfish some serious punch. My only complaint was the dish’s overt saltiness, which kept me reaching for a glass of water the rest of the meal.

She says:
The Crawfish Pie was disappointing. The crawfish tails were not very fresh. The lemon and tomato stew it came in was heavy and buttery, almost overwhelming. The herb biscuit drowning in the middle of it was a nice touch, but it wasn’t enough to cut this dish’s gumminess. This is definitely not a good summer dish.

The chocolate pecan pie was decent but not chocolatey enough. The mint ice cream was an attempt at innovation that didn’t quite hit the mark. It’s just not the best combo.

We say:
Imagine what Harrison & Quatrano or the Rathbun brothers could do in this space! Until then, we can only hope …




Parish
240 N. Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30307
http://www.parishatl.com