Bantam Pub

Another newcomer in the pocketpub arena over there in never never where? land...I've been here a couple times and I like the spot. I like how it is no where near anything else. Kinda like a red-headed stepchild placed in a closet. It's a small joint inside with a decent patio outside. It's a chill spot to grab a drink and bite without any hipsters or the Buckhead army annoying the shit outta ya. The cocktails need work, beer list is decent and the menu is at a starting point hoping to evolve. But it's pretty much a "gastro pub" (no! not that word again!). Yep, how else you're gonna now describe this international fare on this small menu. I don't mind "international fare" but just prep and execute it properly, is that so much to ask? So... Let's see what's up in this piece.

Burger. Pretty much a standard issue burger. Decent hand cut fries but needs a minute or two more in the fryer. Asked for medium rare temp on the patty, got medium +... But they just opened so I won't bust their balls too much. Then I look over to the next table and their burgers were a perfect medium-rare. Fucked again. They also have a lamb burger which they swear "it's to die for"... Yep, next time, Ke-mo sah-bee.

Fried Eggplant. Cute but not really all that for a couple of sticks that were a bit over fried when the fries shoulda been. The sauce was much better balanced with less herbs than the rice balls. Oh, look, sprinkled chopped parsley all over the plate, how passé.

Hanger Steak and Rice Balls. Consistency is key to a good menu... The hanger steak presentation looked like they scooped it out of a pot for me while another guy's steak was presented beautifully. Meat was cooked mid-rare as it should. The sliced taters were under fried and kinda raw in the middle, edible but definitely needs attention. The rice balls (arancini) were fine and pretty tasty but the sauce was way over-herbed, is that even a word? Who knows but the oregano just over powered the sauce. Every time you dredge some sauce with your balls and take a bite, it's like ramming your face into a Chia Pet, Herd edition. Both dishes have promise, it just need some cleaning up... Speaking of which, stop it with the chopped parsley all over the plate. Even, Emeril has stop doing that shit. Bam.

Scallops. Seaweed and Asian Sauce... OK, the whole Asian riff is kinda cheesy. I get the Japanese wakame seaweed salad but WTF is an Asian sauce? Is that like a Mexican sauce or American sauce? Perhaps a German sauce... Wait, I don't want to taste a German sauce, you know how dirty those Germans are. The only Asian sauce I know is the baby gravy I make in my pants. When you see $9 for scallops, you kinda get suckered in to it... Well, OK, I got suckered in to it. The scallops were cooked properly but the entire presentation and set up of this dish is just awful. Why put the wakame on top of the scallops? It looks like a giant Lego head with a terrible weave. It also needs some type of starch because it looks so incomplete to me. And there they go again with the 1985 chopped parsley stunt. I'm still trying to figure out what an Asian sauce is... And why did I swallow it.

This place should do fairly well in this area of nothing. With time and a little hard work, the drinks and menu should and will get better. I'm looking forward to hanging out more at this little pub that could. But here's a little advice, stop with all the fucking parsley! It's making my balls itch.

737 Ralph McGill Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30312 

(404) 223-1500