Venkman's

I don't know how or why they came up with this name but I kinda like it... Even though, I wanted to bust their balls about it deep down inside the pouch. I mean who doesn't love the original Ghostbusters. Besides the novelty naming of this place, the inside has nothing to do with the Ghostbusters. The only nod to the movie is a slushy cocktail called the Ecto Cooler which was kinda gimmicky yet tasty... But it's no Victory Jack and Coke slushy. Speaking of booze... They were nice enough to give out complimentary drinks while waiting for their license to come in. BYOB was welcomed and people responded, on one crowded recent Friday the entire place looked like it was the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer.
Ok, so the location is across from Bantam Pub and behind the building. You can not see it from this quiet part of the street on Ralph McGill. I like the clean space, it's pretty big with a stage in the center and an open kitchen. The vibe reminds me of Nashville, I don't know why but it does. The menu is interesting to say the least, everything on here is familiar even to people with no taste... But it's the little nuances in each dish that makes it stand out. They're not trying to change the world but they're putting out something a little different in each dish with some including Asian flavors such as fish sauce and gochujang... Not that those ingredients are that exotic anymore when you can find it on the menu at Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday, but it's amazing in this day in culinary age that there are people out there who are still incredibly closed minded when it comes to food. The pouch on the other hand wants restos to go even further and push the envelope with all types of cuisines... Luckily, for the sheep, the menu here is not that bold and it's quite approachable. I'm sure there will be many changes as it evolves but for the time being... Let's take a first look at the grub.

Ecto Cooler Slushy, vodka, tangerine, lemon, orange, ectoplasm. I got slimed... A few times. It's not a bad gimmicky drink but after a couple you'll want to switch it up.. To whiskey.

Chicken Liver, charred onion hush puppies, green goddess dressing, pickled peach & mustard green salad. It needs more liver, I like to taste chicken liver even if it's in hush puppy form. The color was a bit too dark, too. It's creative but the execution fell flat. I'm still not a fan of putting hot deep fried shit on top of any vegetation.

Smoked Chicken Wings, gochujang pepper jelly, pickles carrots, sesame seeds. They were pretty tasty, not spicy at all but the pepper jelly gave it that finger licking sticky sweet goodness. You can get a hint of the smoke on the finish, not much but it's there a little.

Fried Chicken Skin, green goddess sauce. I love that they did fried chicken skins... Too bad they were pretty greasy. They were really nice size pieces but you just can't get over that grease factor.

Smoked Trout Beignet, celery slaw, apple ketchup. It was like a fish mousseline thinger battered and deep fried, not too shabby at all. The apple ketchup is bit weird in a chutney kinda way but it give it a bit of sweetness for contrast.

Cast Iron Fried Chicken, pickled mustard, hot sauce, honey.  A whole 1/2 bird portion which was nice. The thin crust was a plus but the thin hard crust was like shellac enhanced by the honey brushed on. I love a crispy crust but this was almost like candy brittle. The seasoning was good but there was no hot sauce involved whatsoever. The meat was tender but also a bit dry, not that it was a deal breaker. It wasn't a bad fried cheekan but it would be tough for me to order this again. If they can get this cast iron fried thin crust cheekan just right, it could be a contender in this town.

The Burger, custom grind, white cheddar, tomato jam, pickled slaw, dill mustard, sweet potato bun. WTF, someone not doing a double patty medium-well temp cheeseburger in this town??? ....How sacrilegious! No, how refreshing. All the ingredients used here were top notch. The skin-on fries were seasoned well but they needed just a little more time in the fryer to crisp up just a bit more, they were a tad limp.

Temp was spot on mid-rare. The patty portion was acceptable even though a little more meat wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings. They bulked it up with a good helping of slaw which squeezed out the sides when you chomp on the burger. No one needs that much slaw on a burger, it's better off to the side. The tomato jam give it that sweetness without having the customer squirt on their own ketchup. What about the mustard you say? Well, that's where the dill mustard seeds come into play. This is a pretty good burger but it still needs to evolve a bit more until it's burger heaven worthy. I think we are all a bit too used to the double patty cheeseburger these days and I don't think H&F burger is that good anymore, it has lost that magic, so I'm waiting for someone to come up with an amazing but yet simple burger that will make me believe in god again.

Butternut Squash, raisin vinaigrette, fried sage, yellow grits. Bottomline- this shit was good. Sweet squash with raisins and the creamy grits was just a perfect threesome. Squirt.

Dry Fried Okra, fish sauce caramel, peanuts. Another hit, the fish sauce paired nicely with the lightly fried okra and the peanuts gave it that crunchy texture it needed.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, apple bacon jam, sherry. Once again, they're killing it with their sides.  This savory brussels sprouts side dish was just plain good. Get it.

The gimmicky name still leaves me scratching my pouch but I knew I liked this place when I stepped in... Even though, they're gonna get a lot of wannabes in the beginning, I would still come back and see what's new and happening here. The menu is on solid footing but it's still a work in progress because there are always dishes that needs more tweaking (like the fried chicken because I need them to be good here). Overall, they are on a good start and I think they will do just fine... If they don't slack off on the menu evolution and whenever they stock the bar with real liquors. One can only drink so much ectoplasm.

740 Ralph McGill Blvd.

Suite A
Atlanta, GA 30312

470-225-6162

http://venkmans.com/