While everyone was hoarding bread and milk last Tuesday in preparation for Icepocalypse 2, I stopped in to be one of the last people in Atlanta to check out King + Duke. As of late, it feels like Ford Fry opens a restaurant every few weeks, so this is no longer his newest place (that is currently St. Cecelia, though not for long). This one is in the old Nava space and has a really cool modern rustic library thing going on. Oh, and a big ass wood burning hearth.
The restaurant's literary theme has been discussed to death. The first place I noticed that theme was in the bound cocktail and wine menu where the cocktails all have literary-inspired names (all American literature, I believe). I had the Big Apple Manhattan, which I confirmed was based on The Great Gatsby after Googling the quotation on the menu. The Manhattan was made with apple-infused bourbon, Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth, and apple bitters. It was fine, but I wished I had ordered something else. Too much apple flavor threw the drink out of balance.
The restaurant's literary theme has been discussed to death. The first place I noticed that theme was in the bound cocktail and wine menu where the cocktails all have literary-inspired names (all American literature, I believe). I had the Big Apple Manhattan, which I confirmed was based on The Great Gatsby after Googling the quotation on the menu. The Manhattan was made with apple-infused bourbon, Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth, and apple bitters. It was fine, but I wished I had ordered something else. Too much apple flavor threw the drink out of balance.
The appetizers were excellent. The octopus in the Charred Octopus Salad was the most tender octopus I've had in Atlanta (better than the Optimist) and went really well with the citrus and oil cured olives. And let's face it, the Glazed Pork Belly with Apple Butter and Chestnuts was not going to be bad.
I really wanted to try one of the "For Two" entrees, especially The King, a 1 kilo bone-in ribeye cooked on the aforementioned hearth with roasted marrow bones, or the feet-on Whole Roast Grass Roots Farms Chicken. I was overruled. I settled on the Slow Roasted Lamb Shank with turnips, turnip puree, and spiced pecans. The lamb was fall apart tender and perfect for a cold night. Still, I'm going to think about that ribeye until I go back for it.
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| Slow Roasted Lamb Shank |
One of the best things we had all night was the complimentary skillet cornbread with shaved country ham and jalapeno butter. Sweet, salty, and surprisingly spicy. I almost ate the whole plate myself. We also had a perfunctory Coconut Cream Pie with Key Lime-Cilantro Sorbet for dessert but were too full to appreciate it.
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| Cornbread with Shaved Country Ham and Jalapeno Butter |
King + Duke definitely holds its own with Fry's other fantastic restaurants and is a great addition to what has until recently been an otherwise mediocre food neighborhood.
3060 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, 30305
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