H. Harper Station

When this old train station was reported to become a restaurant/bar called The Depot back in the beginning of 2008, people seemed pretty stoked about it... But the location sucked ass. It felt like it was in no man's land. It stood there alone like a red-headed stepchild being punished for putting chocolate pudding in his sister's underpants. Soon, this problem child was sent away to boarding school. The food and service at The Depot was mediocre at best, that was prolly their kiss of death. I still remember the cast iron pan that the "seafood pan roast" was served in still had the sticker on the bottom. They didn't even cook it in it, simply poured into the stone cold cast iron pan.

But fast forward a couple years later and H. Harper Station was born... Have they over come the curse of the Depot? Yes. No. Maybe. They're usually pretty slow all week long but with the help of Scoutmob, they saw an infusion of brisk business for the week but it seemed short lived at best. Here's a couple quick take aways and observations on why they may kick the can if they do not turn their business model around...

First, the valet... The fucking valet. Hate to break it to you but it's a bar first and then a restaurant and you're in Reynoldstown. Fucking Reynoldstown, not Buckhead. When did fucking hipsters use valet? What dumb fuck thought of this great idea... And don't give me that "it's for the safety of our patrons" sham. These two valets couldn't rescue a kitten from a cardboard box. Hey, I heard Clermont Lounge is getting valet, too...

Second, the host stand... How many hostesses do they need at that tiny podium? They were like two chickens with their heads cut off. The number one thing you do as a host when a customer comes in is to GREET them, not walk away. I stood there for a good 5 minutes before any acknowledgment. Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to take off my cape of invisibility? Bollocks.

Eh, let's just forget about all that shit and get to the meat and potatoes...

Chicken Livers - These little fried beauties were a Godsend after my last absolutely dismal memory of the fried chicken livers at HD1. These were chunky pieces of liver with a nice crispy crust. The cheap Crystal hot sauce does no justice for them, use Frank's at least. The blue cheese dressing was just plain awful, tasteless and bland. But with livers this tasty who needs that other shit.

Sapelo Island Clams - Pleasant surprise with this dish, the clams were good size and not rubbery. The broth was neither spicy nor cidery. The charred corn were not. The octopus was a nice added touch. With a some tweaking this could be a keeper.


Bacon & Egg Fettucini - A carbonara wannabe. Pasta was a bit undercooked but I liked the effort with the semi fresh noodle. The dish needed seasoning but overall a decent dish but yet not really that exciting.


The Beltline Burger - The Painted Hills Pasture beef was cooked medium as a house rule. Why even boast about where the fuck it came from when you can't even cook it to temp. With that quality of beef there's no other way to cook it than medium rare/rare. It's almost a disgrace... But overall the burger was acceptable with a pink center. The frozen brown bag tater tots were dismal... This isn't the Nook is it?

The service was friendly and attentive once you finally get seated but drinks and food take awhile to get out. The bartenders are talented but watching them work is like watching a round of musical chairs. They were all over the place, back and forth. Here's an idea, set up a couple barkeep stations on either end so no one is stepping on each others feet. The kitchen is on the right track but still got a long ways to go. They need to taste, taste and taste. With a fancy valet program out front, you would expect more from a bar.

2 Stars.

904 Memorial Drive Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30316

(678) 732-0415

http://www.hharperstation.com/