LPC

La Pietra Cucina was good back in the day when Bruce Logue was overseeing the kitchen, some dishes were outstanding. But like every cook everywhere they must move on to bigger and better things... Like STG Trattoria. When will his new place manifest no one knows but when it does I'm sure it will be boss.

So, after a name change, a new look inside and a new semi-celeb cook at the helm, LPC is finally reopened for biznaz. Who's the new cook you ask? Wellllllll, we're waaaaiting... It's no other than Hell's Kitchen Season 8 runner up, Russell Kook. Who? Can this town harbor another TV game show cook? That depends on what he can do and keeping up the standards of the past La Pietra will be a challenge...

First challenge, the cook actually has to be there in the kitchen cooking on a Friday night. But he supposedly took off early because it wasn't crowded. Come again? Fuck me. Is this what TV has done to this industry and work ethics? As the new head cook of any kitchen, you should be there every fucking goddamn day for at least one year making sure every thing is done properly whether or not there is 100 people or 1 person. I don't think Russell even lasted 6 months at his last gig, Chicago Cut Steakhouse. Who? It looks like that's the trend these days with lazy owners/chefs in this town. No wonder why their food sucks and then find themselves on Scoutmob two weeks in.

I'm not saying that I'm writing this place off already because I know what this kitchen can do... So, let's go find out what the dealio is. The staff is pretty much on point since the beginning. They got their shit together... So, it's up to the kitchen to bring it and hurt my pouch in a good way.

Brussels Sprouts Salad, hardboiled egg, percorino grand cru, marcona almonds, lemon vinaigrette. Half of the sprouts were fried and other half poached. The vinaigrette was a bit too acidic and the sprouts still came out a tad bitter but overall edible. I just don't get the fascination of a brussels sprouts salad, like Octopus Bar's version which was awful and I like Octo Bar a lot.

Fritto Misto, fall vegetables, calamari, rock shrimp, saffron aioli. Pretty much your standard fry mix of stuff which were tasty but that saffron aioli was absolutely devoid of taste. Open your mouth and swallow some air, that's what it tastes like. So, I ask the server to taste it, he went back into the kitchen and everyone else agreed that it was crap except the head cook of the night who said it was delicious and that no one else knows what the fuck they were talking about. If it's that good, bottle that shit up and sell it... Good luck with that. Wait, I think they do sell it in the market, it's called ammonia.

Calabrian Pepper Mayo Thinger. Replacement dip for saffron aioli... Tis was nice and spicy but just too much of it. Also, they came out with some pomodoro/marinara which was pretty kickass.

Linguini Carbonara, housemade pancetta, percorino, duck egg, cracked black pepper. This has got to be 100 times better than that slop I had at Eclectic Bar & Bistro... And it was it! This was G U U D. I know everyone and their mother loves H&F's carbonara but this might trump it. Get it, you'll see. Then give me a reach around to thank me. You're welcome.

Squid Ink Spaghetti, ndjua, rock shrimp, scallions. Ah, their classic dish... What the fuck is a ndjua and will it be just as good as before? Yep, tis was... And I think it's nduja. The end.

Bucatini, rock shrimp, uni butter. The special of the night and I lurv me some bucatini if it's fresh and done right. Like with most places that offer uni butter, it's barely noticeable. With this dish, a hint of it was there but it coulda used a lot more of it. Besides, the lack of uni flavor, it was still a good dish. Get it if it's still available.

Sorbetto, peach and pink salt & grapefruit. Peach was peachy tasting but the pink salt/grapefruit was an interesting specimen... Tried it and it's not for me. Next.

This place still got it when it comes to pasta. I'll try their other non-pasta dishes next time... And hopefully, the head cook they hired to do a job might actually show up for work. Unless there's something he's trying to hide... We will see soon, very soon. If it's anything like the pasta, I may have to bump it up to a solid 3 stars.

PS- Stay away from the Saffron Risotto... Trust me.

2.5 Stars.

1545 Peachtree St NE #100
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 888-8709
http://www.lapietracucina.com/