Noble Fin

Now, since 4th & Swift in midtown has shuttered after 8 years supposedly due to all the pedestrian food halls and the new Buckhead in Inman Park/Quarters... The only place now to sample their cooking is at their new joint in way the fuck upstate GA. I would prolly never come up here if I didn't have to but since my office is in the hayseeds of Norcross, I might as well take the opportunity to sample a few dishes at the weirdly placed location... The same exact spot that I watched a Dreamland BBQ burn down to fucking ashes. Dude, have you not seen Poltergeist... Don't fucking build on top of dead half-assed smoked/BBQ'd meats. If I see a clown sitting in the corner in here, I'm gonna shit my phantom underpants since I don't wear any. And make sure the cable box is turned on before you turn on the TV itself... A white fuzzy static screen is not cool when you're trying to eat a rare steak at the bar, I don't want that shit to be crawling across the top to the MILF sitting next to me, you will fuck up my chances of a proper BJ in the back seat of my Jeep... And some pink cookies in a plastic bag she just made fresh for her kids... Which I'm gonna crush later.
So, this joint has been receiving some decent reviews from the local yokels and mossbacks up here. Since, no one from ITP will ever venture out this far to give a glimpse of the offerings, I guess I will have to do it... Because I don't trust anyone's taste, not even mine... But what the pouch does have are a very particular set of skills, skills it has acquired over a very long feeding career... What those skills are still yet to be determined. So, let's take a first bite on this newest outpost in upstate Georgia. There better not be any banjos playing up in this piece or else my piece is coming out blasting.

Maine Lobster Roll,  celery leaves, lemon pepper chips. For $19, I don't know if it's pricey or not for the hinterlands... You just don't see much seafood up this way but if there's a lob roll on the menu this plump lil dumpling will order it. Look at it, it doesn't look half-ass bad... Just stop it with the celery leaves in there. Keep it simple and dressed accordingly. The bun itself was pretty damn good, buttered and toasted correctly all the way around. The lob filler was dressed a tad too much and contained more claw meat than tail. Take out some of the celery leaves and it looks a lot more appetizing. The lobster meat was tender and sweet, so it really didn't need all that dressing to begin with. The slight buttery crunch of the top split bun was perfect with the decent size lobster chunks. The fingerling tater chips were really good. Overall, this was a very very decent version of a "Maine" lob roll... Was it worth $19? I would say yes but with the added cost of driving all the way up here, it really turns out to be a $25 lob roll... But it comes with tasty chips, though.

Maine Diver Scallop "BLT", pork belly, green goddess aioli, arugula, spiced tomato jam, toast. Reading the menu description really throws you off after you visually see it in person... The letters "BLT" makes you think you will be eating it with your hands like a sando... But this was more a fork and knife kinda dish. The scallops were good and seared properly, golden brown unlike most places that are basically black and chewy. The green goddess aioli tasted like nothing if you closed your eyes, the spiced mato jam was pretty decent. The frozen hash brown triangle toast looked pretty good but it was way too greasy and left a film in your mouth. It's a decent appetizer.

Beef Tartar, brioche toast, watercress mayo, baby romaine. Those greasy hash brown toast again! Seriously, who eats tartare with thick ass pieces of greasy toast like that... But if they were half the thickness it would work. The tartare itself was very good, a very nice brunoise size dice of quality raw meat. The baby romaine was basically the center pieces of a normal size romaine... Which was used more as a colorful plate filler. Use the chips from the lob roll for the tartare, that pair up nicely with the perfect sized bite.

Rigatoni with Clam, dolin blanc, calabria chili, guanciale, oregano. This sounded great on paper with all the "foodie" buzzwords... And for the most party it was but it was also a bit sloppy. Some of the clams were a bit gritty but nothing too over the top where it distracted you away from the overall dish. I liked it but with a bit more tweaking and attention to details I woulda liked it a lot more. It's a good start, it has good bones to build upon... But not in a swimming pool. Shit, right back to the Poltergeist references.

There's no doubt what demographic they are trying to cater towards here in this area... One look at the apparel coming in through the door should tell ya. Well off, gaudy, segregated white people driving fancy cars who talk the bullshit talk while ordering a white Zin... I mean none of these old ass manscaped fuckers ordered a real man's drink... Whiskey, bourbon, rye, take your pick, I won't even make fun of you if you got vodka. They got a decent whiskey program for a new joint, not extensive but better than average... But they don't know how to fucking price out the labels. Why is a Whistle Pig the same price as a Bulleit... None of the pricing made sense, I was totally baffled. If I'm paying the same price of a Willett for a Jim Beam, why the fuck would I drink that shit... Oh, wait, maybe I'm paying up for the Suntory name now but yet they don't carry any Japanese whisky. Besides, the tomfoolery at the bar, the place is pretty nice as well with the staff but they need a lot more training. They also need to print out a liquor menu because none of the bartenders know what the price is, they had to log in every time into the POS and look it up. The menu itself is promising with a little more work on execution and plating, it's more than adventurous enough for the palate in this area. People coming here ain't looking to expand their taste, they're looking for familiarity and maybe a little more just to pretend that they're intown. I like the place and it will do well in this area but I don't know if this will be a destination for me... Maybe if someone was expensing it.. Then drink all the Beam-Suntory swill as you please! And order 4 lobster rolls...

5260 Peachtree Parkway
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
http://www.noblefinrestaurant.com/