This joint was never that high on my list... It was like I'll get here when I get here. I even went to the new sushi joint next door before this place. The philosophy here is mostly new American with a hint of Latin influence. Sounds like it could be really good but the pouch's instinct is usually pretty spot on. The menu just never wow'd me in the sense that I had to try ASAP. So, since I have basically exhausted all the recent offerings around town, I thought it was a good time to finally check this place out when mostly everyone has been through here already and the kitchen should be running smoothly after all this time. The reviews have been mixed but things like that never stops the pouch from giving it's bona fide take on the grub.
The space is nice and cozy, a good date night kinda vibe. The service is spot on, not all up in your grill and not lacking either. The bar is always my preference when it comes to drinking or eating, you just get better service and more action. I do like that here. It's good to watch how chefs cook in real time and to check out their mise en place, what's pre-made and reheated and what's made to order.
They are changing the menu to an all tasting menu theme (9, 5 and 3 course) which looks very promising but let's take a look at the old menu offerings before they're gone forever...
Let's do this, putas!
Black bean butter. It's interesting but it also looks like you know what... Mr. Hanky just proposed to it. The good thing is that it will come out looking the same going in. Those masa/corn bread stick/toast thinger were bland and even with the black bean butter it didn't make much of a difference. The first thing that you eat should pop and make you guessing/wanting for more. It's a nice gesture that they want to give you something to nibble on but it was pretty much forgettable.
Wild mushroom soup, goat cheese cremeux, mushroom powder, mushroom confit. Nice presentation with pouring the soup into the bowl in front of you but all the neatly plated accessories in the bowl were basically covered up by the soup. I guess it really doesn't matter since you're gonna mix it all up anyways. The soup was good, great consistency, not too thick not too thin. The flavor was there, mushroomy, earthy and the shroom confit give it a little extra texture. The powder and other stuff didn't do much, even the goat cheese kinda blended into the liquid. I have mushroom powder at home and it's really just a gimmick for plating effect, has no real flavor value. I woulda sauteed/roasted some larger shrooms with bold flavors to go with this soup, it woulda give it a better texture and it wouldn't get lost in the soup. But overall, it's a pretty good soup.
Charred corn salad, salsa esquite, toasted corn cob tea, brown butter. For $10, this little corn app fell a little short for the money. It's a tasty little dish but it needed something else, perhaps some spicy peppers.
Silk handkerchief pasta, wild mushrooms, tomato marmalade, porcini cream. Their claim to fame dish. You would think the handkerchief size of pasta sheets are just cute and gimmicky but they do serve a purpose... They hold in a lot of the goodies in between the folds... Kinda reminds me of a fat chick I banged when I was on many different drugs in college. The shrooms and porcini cream gives it a velvety earthy note to the dish. This didn't even have meat in it and I still loved it. This was a really nice pasta dish.
Guinea hen breast + fried leg, smoked potato salad, cornichon, black garlic honey mustard. Sounds great on paper but just ok on the plate. It's nicely presented but it's basically a classic chicken dish pan seared and finished in the oven. The breast was a little dry but I'm not surprised. The fun part of this dish is the deboned fried leg, it's crispy and somewhat tender inside but still tasted pretty good. The tater salad is, well, a tater salad. I don't know if this really fits in with the main ingredient because it's a cold side on a warmed plate.
I don't even remember them putting this on the table, it kinda just appeared from nowhere. It was some hybrid butterscotch/brown butter cake. It was pretty much tasteless and forgettable. After one bite I had enough. It was as sad as I am.
The place is definitely more of a local neighborhood joint than a destination but the hood around here is mixed, mostly students. So, it's hard to tell who their demographics are during the week vs. the weekend crowd. They have passion and heart but the old menu offerings were just ok, while everything was cooked properly, nothing really stood out as a culinary trailblazer. But that doesn't matter now, since they are going a different direction and offering only tasting menus with 9 for $75, 5 for $55 and 3 for $35 courses. I like that concept a lot better but I'm not rushing back for it, either. I don't know if it will work for them in this area considering the price points. The tasting menu does look pretty decent including red snapper, seared scallop, guinea hen and oxtail ravioli while keeping same the New American/Latin fusion-esque theme... And of course, the silk handkerchief pasta will stay on. And we can't forget the cremeux, they love that word.
I hope they stick around because I think they are a good addition to this area's growing resto scene.
349 14th St NW
Atlanta, GA 30363
404-695-4547
http://betterhalfatl.com/
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