Staplehouse

I have read and heard so much about this place that I was kinda skeered to come here before they have gotten their game down with the consistency and execution... I didn't want to be let down. This joint has been on my radar for weeks and I wanted to go every single week but just couldn't bring myself to do it... I wanted to go when they are at the top of their game but if it turned out to be a disappointment, the pouch woulda done what it does best... Blowing shit up with no remorse. It's been awhile now since they have been doing dinner service regularly... I guess it's that time to face the music. I know Ryan Smith is a seasoned cook and a good one at that, so I had a feeling it won't be as bad of a shitshow as I make it out to be in my tiny useless squirrel brain... But at the same time, I'm repeating "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." over and over again in my head. Can y'all sense that I really don't want to be disappointed here...
Snuck in under the cover of darkness one recent week night and headed straight for the bar... It was pretty quiet overall which was perfect but I couldn't believe the demographics in here on this night. It was all older well dressed whities... In this neighborhood? Am I missing something here, was it mistress night or something? A girl in the corner of the bar ordered a Cosmo, yeah, a fucking Cosmo! Now, I'm thinking this was a hangout for escorts. If there is a fucking silver Lotus Esprit parked outside and that sex on the beach in the corner starts talking about it riding on rails, I am fucking outta here, yo. Shit, I'm just hijacking this post to avoid talking about this joint aren't I? ...Focus, pouch, focus. Hell, let's just get it over with and see what damage there is at the end... C'mon, SH, work it baby, work it, own it....

Beef Tartare, sake bushi, celery, puff rice. When it came out, it looked a little thin... But once you put that meat in your mouth you'll know why this was not a bigger portion. The beef was diced almost a brunoise size which basically melted in your mouth. The contrast of textures in this simple dish was well thought out. The puff rice gave it that crunch to offset the ultra tender cubes of beef and the sake bushi basically like a powder bonito flake all paired well together on the palate. I think we're off to a good start, so don't fuck it up, yo. Give me another cocktail... I'm getting a blood flow.

Baby Cabbage, sunchoke, pork belly, wintercress. This is my kinda wedge salad! This cabbage wasn't raw and crunchy but instead it was soften and warmed, topped off with cubes of crispy pork belly. It was a different approach to what sounded like a very simple dish on the menu... Which I couldn't believe that I liked it as much as I did.

Braised Beef Neck, celeriac, oyster mushroom paste, rye. This is why I love restos like this that cooks what they want and give customers a little something more adventurous to discover. At first glance, the perfectly chopped chives on top took me back to the days in the kitchen where I have prepped buckets of these perfect little fucking rings day after day for my mise(ry) en place. The chives gave this slice of  "terrine" beef neck a little color of brightness than just a brown patty on a plate like a slice of meatloaf. Come to think of it, a couple squirts of spicy homemade ketchup would be a nice play on this dish as well... But that's just me, a sicko. The beef necks were really good, a little salty on the finish but it works. The neutral tasting celeriac wedges and puree balanced that saltiness out. It's a good looking and good tasting dish. I approve.

Roasted Mushrooms, farro piccolo, Charleston gold rice, sunflower, crisp egg. This dish is just good menu writing. Everything in here just works perfectly together. You get a lot of different textures and colors. It's so simple but yet so good. You can smell the woody and earthy notes from the gorgeous mushrooms.

And the nice surprise here was the crisp egg hidden in the middle. Crispy on the outside, soft boiled on the inside... Mix that shit up all around and it's fucking fantastic and oh so savory. I really liked that crisp egg and the soft yolk pulls this dish all together. These motherfuckers are seriously working me here with their dishes so far... I do keep a pair of knee pads in the car just in case you want to go that extra mile.

Rabbit Boudin, dark roux, chioggia beets, celery. This dish is just stunning, crazy ass colors and textures once again. That rabbit boudin was pretty awesome from the great color on the casing to the smooth and savory sausage mix inside... When I saw the word boudin, I was thinking of blood pudding. How fun would it be if they had mixed in some rabbit boudin noir? But the rabbit boudin blanc alone did not disappoint. The chioggia beets were really good too except that I wished it had retained it's candy cane color. Another excellently executed dish.

Baby Carrots, aged beef fat, broccoli, dandelion greens. The thing that got me on this dish was the "aged beef fat"... What the fuck is that? Yes, exactly as it sounds. The creamy "sauce" had the savory notes from the fat but without all the greasiness. Mix it all up with veggies and it's like a pseudo vegan orgy in your mouth. Those baby carrots were spot on and the char from the broccoli florets gave this dish the smokiness it needed. I can't believe that I liked an all veggie dish... Even if it's not 100% vegetarian but you will never notice the beef fat if they didn't mention it.

You can't enjoy this bad ass spread without a cocktail or two... Penicillin, Gran Torino, Old Fashioned, Life of Ryan, Oaxaca Flacka Flame, 20th Century, The Ivey League... Ok, maybe I had 7. Gosh, I am such a fat fucking alchie... But if Stuart Smalley can be happy with himself with all his faults then I can too... Because "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me." ...Now, pass the booze.

I am no sommelier but I can drink the shit outta some vino... I've been into Malbec for awhile now and who knew the dominant grape variety in Cahors wines was Malbec. You learn something new everyday, even for this unread fat alchie. This half bottle of wine was really nice but it also came with a price... Totally worth it, though.

I'm not even gonna beat around the bush here... This place fucking kicks ass. The talent in the kitchen is one of the finest in this town. The creativity, the technique, the execution, the presentation, the price and the service really makes this joint a destination spot even if it's in a shitty ass neighborhood... Oh, excuse me, an up and coming hood. If the a la carte menu was this skillful, then I will definitely be back to try the chefs tasting menu one of these days. This was far from fine dining, that's not their style but it was dining at it's finest on this night without all the pretentious overpriced shit found elsewhere. It was fun dining. Let's hope they'll stick around for awhile and I'm still on the fence with their prepaid tasting menu... I just don't think that system will work for this town like it has in cities like Chicago, Atlanta just ain't big enough to support it. And it just seems way too invested for most people. But I still like what they're doing here.

Burp.

541 Edgewood Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-524-5005
http://www.staplehouse.com/