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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Inman ParkInman Park-Reynoldstown (North-South, Northeast-South, East-West, Proctor Creek)
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Atmosphere was great. We had drinks at the bar and then we enjoyed the outdoor music after our dinner.
I had the veal chop which was very salty and lacked interest. Overall, the food was disappointing.
This place is definately hit or miss, thats really the best way to describe it and I realize after reading some others reviews im not alone in this. I've been here a couple times and its just so inconsistent, last time it was blow my mind amazing, this time it was just ok and for the price I want consistently blow my mind amazing.
Last time i had the Ribeye special OMG good, this time the filet :(
my friend got the terragon chicken, fine for chicken i guess.
The chocolate creme brule was really a dissapointment but the eggplant fries always come thru.
I hit up Rathbun's for the third time recently, but this is the first time I've posted. There was no wait for a table for two inside, though their loud and dark dining area was almost full at 8PM on a Wednesday evening. While we browsed the menu I ordered a 375ml bottle of Duval-Leroy Rose Champagne. I'm learning that ordering a half bottle often has many benefits - the price is obviously lower, which means I can afford some better wines, I am more likely to savor the wine instead of slugging it down, and I'm less likely to stumble out of the restaurant at the end of the night. Plus, who doesn't like bubbly at the start of a meal?
Rathbun's has an extensive list of small plates, large plates, and the "second mortgage" section, where Rathbun's proudly flaunts their most expensive dishes, an approach I find humorous, but I think it also has an in-your-face effectiveness to it. Though, we were there to eat healthy and ordered six dishes from the small plate, raw plate, and soup menu. I don't know that we could call our order guilt-free, especially when we started with champagne, but I was successful in avoiding the broiled lamb loin special and the 20oz bone-in ribeye. It's the small victories...
We started with the two soups, the green pea spring onion bisque, and the gazpacho, which was the soup special of the day. While both these soups were of obvious quality, and delicious upon first bite, with these two dishes a trend began that would continue with almost every dish we consumed. These soups were salty. Extremely salty. So much so I was actually confused. The gazpacho was otherwise wonderful, and amazingly fresh tasting - why would ripe, vibrant tomatoes need this amount of seasoning?
The pea soup had an incredible velvet texture, rich flavor, but the amount of seasoning was even worse than the gazpacho. With every bite I was rushing to sip my water to rinse my puckered mouth.
My confusion was laid to rest, if not for a while, when the remainder of our meal arrived. The remaining five dishes were all delicious looking, with great plating and appealing color contrast, they just looked like they were going to taste good.
The tuna with citrus and thinly sliced serranos was my favorite dish of the meal, and perhaps not coincidentally, it was also the dish with the least amount of salt that had been added when the dish was finalized. The tuna crudo, thin sliced zucchini, caprese salad, and peaches, had been either moderately or heavily seasoned at final plating with large crystals of salt.
The tomatoes in the caprese were slightly firmer than I expected in season, and the house made mozzarella wasn't what I had hoped for texturally, but again, this dish would have been just fine to me if I hadn't been crunching on salt with every bite of the cheese.
The peaches in blackberry balsamico would have been the best dish on the table, had it not been for the few slices of ripe peach that had its flavor suppressed by the salt. At times during the meal, my mouth tasted as if I'd been drinking margaritas from a salt-rimmed glass. It was really strange.
The charred corn side dish in gouda was even a bit too salty for me, though I will say that corn was crunchy and sweet, and I loved the char flavor and I would order this side dish again in a heartbeat.
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Confused and full, I was mentally ready to finish our meal, but the peanut butter and banana dessert was my siren song. At under $4 each, the desserts are well priced for ordering more than one, so we also ordered the tiramisu mousse special.
I'm glad we did stay, because the peanut butter and banana cream pie was fantastic. I'm not even a huge dessert fan, but there was a well balanced distribution of sweet, burnt marshmallow, creamy banana, and just enough peanut butter at the bottom.
The tiramisu was good, but it didn't stand a chance against the banana/peanut butter dessert. It's light composition was outmatched.
I'm not really sure what to take away from this meal. A lot of these small plates had good stuff going on, they looked appealing on the menu, they featured local and fresh ingredients, and they came out of the kitchen looking great. But the over-salting ruined most of them for me, and it leads me to wonder, is it just my palate that is intolerant of this aspect of the dish? It's clear that the salt was added on purpose when plated, could it just be that I'm overly sensitive to this oft-used seasoning? Or is there a heavy hand working with the salt in the plating department? I'm nervous to go back and drop another $130 to find out.
Rathbun's used to be my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. I was really disappointed at Rathbun's during my last visit. The quality of their food has gone down significantly unfortunately. We ordered SEVERAL things on the menu, and they were just all ok, nothing to rave home about like it used to be.
I'm giving this place two stars because of the small portion sizes...The food was good but not spectacular and certainly not worth $26 for one of the tiniest entrees I've ever had. The desserts are really small too. If you're paying this much I really do think you should be able to leave with a full stomach. My parents took me here for my b-day but next year I'm definitely picking the Cheesecake Factory!
Best. Restaurant. In. Atlanta. Food, service, atmosphere. If I could afford it I'd eat here weekly!
I came here a few times before but this time was okay, not great, hence the 3 star rating. Every time I came I was never blown away with the food. The waitress was snobby and annoyed with us, even though we were there before the dinner rush, and we didn't take long in ordering. We didn't want to complain to the manager in case she spit in our food.
FOOD: We started with the YaYa's Eggplant Fries and Mediterranean Mussels. The eggplant was cut into steak fries shape, battered fried, and dusted with powdered sugar. It came with a Tabasco dipping sauce which killed the eggplant taste. The powdered sugar gave the mild-tasting eggplant a little sweetness. The mussels were very good! The mussels were shucked in garlic butter on top of a piece of focaccia.
For dinner, I had the Seared Ahi Tuna in soy-sesame sauce with Chinese eggplant and mushrooms. The tuna was overcooked and was drenched in soy-sesame sauce. It was overpowering. I had only had 3 bites of my dinner.
For dessert, we had the apple cobbler and brownie dessert. Each dessert was small enough for one. The apple cobbler was warm and fruity inside, and crumbly on the outside. It came with a dollop of ice cream. The brownie dessert was very chocolaty and undercooked. It was like warm chocolate pudding.
TIP: They write out the specials for the evening on another menu, so make sure to take a look. Kevin Rathbun makes his appearance and greets this guests, so you may see him.
I wish I could give it 3.5 stars. GIven the amount of competition in the Atlanta market, it is a pretty good place to eat, but there are so many other excellent restaurants as well.
We sampled a variety of small plates:
Fresh oysters with blood orange sauce - very good, the oyster's had a nice appearance, good quality.
Chicken Livers A La Plancha, Fig Molasses - livers were nicely cooked. I had a malbec with them and it paired nicely.
YaYa's Eggplant Steak Fries 10x Sugar - these were excellent, well seasoned. They serve it with tabasco sauce for dipping, which is a bit bitter, i would have liked to see hot sauce with a more savory taste.
Lamb Scaloppini, Pancetta, Goat Gouda- This was pretty good, a bit salty but well cooked and tasty.
Pan Fried Kefalotiri Cheese, E.V.O.O. & Lemon- I enjoyed this dish, it is salty and rich . This is normal with kefalotiri cheese, be prepared!
Gulf Snapper Sashimi, Ginger Dashi
Chilled Noodle- Average, I don't think I would order it again.
Mock Turtle Soup with Dry Sack Sherry - Thick and rich, I liked the soup.
Gooey Toffee Cake, Jack Daniel's Ice Cream- Pretty tasty, very sweet with a nice cake texture, not too dry or wet.
Chocolate pudding cake with vanilla sauce - Ganache-esque, my wife found it a bit bitter, while I liked the counter point to the sweetness.
I like Rathbun's, however, like a previous reviewer, I was not blown away by the small plates. The price is reasonable for the food, including the large plates. Perhaps it's best to come for large the plates?
I heard Rathbun's is one of those restaurants where it's either hit or miss. My first food experience was a miss. I partly blame myself due to poor food choice.
I came here to celebrate my brother's 39th birthday. We had a great table outside and our waiter was very knowledgeable. If there was a question he didn't know the answer to, he went in search.
I started out with the mozzarella and tomato salad. They grow their own tomatoes, so you can just image how fresh the salad was. This was one of the best things I ordered. For my entree, I ordered the lamb chop special. I assumed since it was a special that it was going to be great. I was wrong. There was way too much seasoning to where you couldn't taste the lamb. Very disappointing.
Both brothers had the center cut filet. They said it was good, but not as good as what my sister-in-law ordered: ribs. I didn't try either of these, but I would suggest to stay away from the lamb and go with either the filet or ribs.
All in all, I had a great experience dinning at Rathbun's and will return soon. I hope to order right the next time!
Rathbun's competes with Bone's as having the best steak in Atlanta. The key lime pie I ordered was fantastic. It was presented in a torte cup and was topped with whipped cream, blueberries and sat in a path of bright raspberry glace. This was really great. Funny, though, the lime flavors were faint on one side and super bright on the other. Regardless, it was a very tasty finish to a great meal.
The steak was very tender and juicy. That was the most memorable food of the night. Definitely will come back again.
We had something to celebrate and decided to visit Rathbun's for the first time. It was great! My husband and I ordered a bunch of small plates instead of ordering main entrees. Our sampling is as follows:
Red curry chicken tenderloins - good, nice flavor
Hot smoked salmon tostadas - nice fresh flavor and generous portion of salmon
Lamb scallopini - loved it. lamb was tender, goat cheese was great complement
Pan fried Kefalotiri cheese - good, but rich
Thai Rare Beef & Red Onion Salad - tender beef, high acidity, great contrast with our other dishes
Soups 1-1-1 - loved the pea soup even though I hate peas, and fish stew was yummy too
Peanut butter banana pie - Incredible!! Must have more! My husband now refers to it as banana sex.
Key lime pie - creamy, tart, yummy
Gooey toffee cake - cake was okay, but jack daniels ice cream is good
Creme brulee - excellent, be sure to eat cookie and brulee in same bite
My husband drank a ginger raspberry cocktail that was wonderful. My amaretto sour was way too sweet.
Service was very good. Our server was knowledgeable and didn't pester us too much. She knew when to come by and was very subtle. The noise level was surprisingly not too loud, so we were able to hear each other talk.
Overall, we enjoyed it very much and would come back again soon.
I had not been to Rathbun's for several years, as we had gotten into a Bacchanalia/Quinones Room rut however I recently hosted a business dinner here and it was excellent. The Thai Beef salad exceeds most high end Thai restaurants (sans Nan) and the Lobster Taco's are second only to Fuel City #2. Great place, everyone knows it, and you can't go wrong with the extensive menu.
Where do I start... I was so excited to finally try Rathbuns. Went last night for Inman Parks Restaurant week. So first impressions - love the decor - our waitress (Alycia) seemed put out by us being there and that we were ordering off the prefix menu - the food was a little too salty as some other reviews have stated... Now all of that being said - I was impressed that the Manager stopped by every table to see how everything was as did Kevin Rathbun. I know that this place is more than capable of putting out great food and will definitely give them another try. May try Rathbuns Steak next time. We did hit KROG before dinner and had great service and great wine as usual!!!
The salmon, at over $30, was basically made of bloodline, and the grits seemed to be made of cheese and butter, normally a thing that I would put into *my* bloodline, but in this case, was catastrophic.
okok. the starter that our waitress forgot was really good, when she eventually was reminded that it had been forgotten... right before dessert. Speaking of, it was great. Truly, dessert: you can pick 4, 4 delicious desserts.
Tighten up those bolts, or at least: captain, jump ship. The passive mutiny will benefit your patrons.
I've been going to Rathbuns for special occasions since they opened, and have had a great evening every time. Service is excellent--Buckhead Life standards without the stuffy. The food is always perfect, I love the shockingly complex mushroom-leek risotto. But what really keeps us going back is the desserts. The banana peanut butter cream pie is to die for. Still amazing all these years later!
Order the veal scallopini. It it possibly the tastiest and richest (small) plate in the world.
Maybe I had high expectations coming here but I was for the most part not that impressed. The food was good but nothing to write home about. Went with a group of 5 and the best dishes were the lamb chops and the elk. The restaurant is a bit too loud and busy for my tastes. Voice was almost gone by the end of the night just from trying to have a conversation.
Logistics are a nightmare. We had reservations and showed up on time only to be told to sit at the bar while they figure out our table. After a 15 min wait, the hostess asked us over and over again whether we had closed out our tab to which we replied yes repeatedly. People with such terrible memory should not be offered hostess jobs at a busy restaurant.
Maybe I'll give it another try some other day and will have a better experience. Perhaps a saturday night is not the best time to come if you want better service and breathing room.
My favorite restaurant in Atlanta. NEVER disappoints. Even though it's not Rathbun Steak, I had the best steak of my entire life here on my last visit. It was so good, I can actually taste it right now just thinking back on it.
As a proud Cabbagetown resident, don't listen to that crap about it being in a bad part of town. Whoever said that obviously doesn't have a clue. Enjoy!
p.s. Try the mussels as a starter.
My wife and I were taken out for dinner here by a good friend for taking care of his 2 pugs. :)
We got the table facing the kitchen- which was just, meh- it's not that exciting watching a bunch of people stand around while several people take food out of the kitchen. But we did get a complimentary appetizer....of exactly 1 scallop per person. -_- Don't get me wrong, it tasted good and was decorated decently...but yea, 2-3 would've been nice. That aside, I liked the general ambiance of the place- dimly lit but well enough for faces to be distinctly illumined, which is important.
I don't remember what the others ordered, but I ordered the 20 oz Bone In Ribeye with Warm Point Reyes Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. I asked the waiter for advice as whether to choose this one or another dish (I forgot what it was), and he gave heaping praise for this one. So I went with his pick.
I should've known...but this combination didn't really work for me. IMHO, when you combine something as pungent as blue cheese vinaigrette with steak...what you really taste most of the time (even if the cut of beef is good)...is the blue cheese. That's not what we're after, folks- it's about the beef! Unfortunately, the cut of beef was not exactly up to par for a place like this. The texture of the beef gave me a hint of being taken out of a freezer not too long ago...the juiciness wasn't there, and the meat just didn't hold together as I'd have expected.
It's a pricey place, so we can't come to places like this very often. Maybe in another blue moon we'll give it a second chance...
Good, but not great or transcendent. I have a great appreciation for Kevin Rathbun, so I made sure this was a stop during my trip to Atlanta. Rathbun's is located in an, ahem....not very nice neighborhood, on an odd little street called Krog street, where a modern, post-industrial group of businesses has laid claim to reinventing the 'hood. So if you get lost driving over here, just be sure to stay alert, as these parts of Atlanta are not the best places to be.
That said, Rathbun's is one of Atlanta's premiere restaurants, and rightly so. The service, decor, and food rival what you would in the best restaurants across America. I personally had the Australian rack of lamb ($32). Thankfully, this chef brings a fresh perspective to this classic dish and served it crowned, in a very interesting evoo/balsamic vinaigrette preparation. Balsamic vinaigrette ON your lamb? Shocking, bizarre, and PERFECT. It was an eye-opening treat. But I wouldn't try it at home.
Overall though, the slight imperfections at this price point make it difficult to rave too much. I ordered medium and certainly got medium-well (which, for lamb, is unforgivable). The service at the bar area was iffy most of the night as the bartender chatted it up with her restaurateur friend most of the evening. She was somewhat redeeming when she offered me several other dining suggestions based on my preferences while I paid the check, but still...I need to service whilst eating! Lastly, while a lot of attention was paid to the interior, it still seemed a little spacious and cold, and I really wish it didn't.
That said, it's Kevin Rathbun's, and the food truly is worth it.
Absolutely 100% my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. I have eaten here way more times than I can count since Rathbun's opened, and I cannot recall one visit when the quality has faltered even a little bit. So I thought it was high time to give them a review.
One of the countless wonderful things about this restaurant is the large selection of small plates. I think this is really where the menu shines. I haven't ordered an entree here in 3 years. I am way too satisfied with portions of Thai Rare Beef, Ahi Tuna Crudo (my favorite raw fish dish in this town), Sambal Tossed Crispy Calamari, Jonah Crab Tart, or Hamachi Tartare. Any combination of 3 of these will fill me up perfectly, and I'm not a light eater (well, they do also bring out amazing bread and butter first which might help some too). The unintended, but wonderful, side effect of this style of ordering is that it makes a meal of this great quality so affordable that it doesn't have to be a luxury item.
I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but their desserts are delicious and very affordable as well.
And last but not least, eating at the bar or in the bar area here is also highly enjoyable if you can't get a reservation.
All in all, Rathbun's can't be beat for a wonderful meal in Atlanta.
It was Friday and my friend made reservations for a group of us to celebrate her birthday at Rathbun's. Though I love my friend and would have gone to a birthday dinner at Big Al's Bait and Gonad Shack for her, I've been meaning to go to Rathbun's for a very long time--even before he won his Iron Chef challenge.
We arrived. Chef Rathbun was out front, schmoozing, bigger than life. His chef's coat was still stark white, but I guess being the exec has its advantages. We were seated. It was dark and romantic. Or it would have been had 1) I been alone with my honey 2) it been quiet enough to hear each other. Oh, it's not deafening in there, not like eating at One or anything, but it's not exactly quiet in there. Those high ceilings will get you every time.
Despite the rep, I didn't find the prices to be too outrageous. The menu had several price points and we picked and chose. The girl had the pork shank. I picked the smoked beef brisket. She selected the Thai beef salad starter, I had the curried chicken tenderloins with tofu. The girl also ordered the peanut butter and banana, uh, pudding? I'm not quite sure what it was since I didn't order it. The girl really liked it and tried to offer me some. Unfortunately, I don't have a sweet tooth. The one nibble I had seemed good.
Though everyone's meal was tasty, for once I ordered wrong. The girl's meal was far superior to mine, down to the crusty exterior of her shank. Mine was merely (sigh) fine. The service was competent and unobtrusive, even though I'm pretty sure that one of our servers heard me say that he looked like the Indian guy from that show "Chuck." Sorry about that, dude.
A solid 4-4.5 stars. I probably would've given 5 stars had I ordered a dish that I loved. Maybe next time.
Jane and I went here last night for our anniversary. The restaurant was fairly crowded, but even though we had no reservation, they found us a seat right away, in the back corner so we both got to sit on the couch wrapping around the back wall.
Looking over the menu, we decided to try a bunch of small plates, much to our server, Martha's delight: "get in there and play around!" We sampled all kinds of great stuff... swordfish, elk schnitzel, cheese-stuffed peppers and a few other delicious items including pork belly tacos (bacon and tacos... two great tastes that taste great together!)
And then after all that, dessert. Like the small plates we had for our meal, the desserts are all small-sized but packed with flavor. You can get 4 for $12 which is a great deal. The price drops by a dollar if you let the pastry chef pick them for you. We opted for some gooey toffee cake and three of the most chocolaty items I've ever eaten. I'm still recovering from the sugar shock but WOW they were tasty.
It was worth every penny. Great food, great service, I recommend it to everyone :D
I have eaten in many places in my life. Enough to know that just because something costs a lot, doesn't mean that it's good. I mean, my favorite grilled cheese in the universe is from a diner in Philly that I wouldn't go in to if it's before midnight.
However... Rathbun's is absolutely positively worth the price of its food. I had one of the most delicious meals of my entire life (the Maine Lobster & Roasted Green Chile Soft Taco). IT WAS SO GOOD!! So good that yes, it deserves caps lock and two exclamation points. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals as well, and I think my boyfriend and I have been dreaming about going back since.
We sat outside, which was pleasant. Not sure if the experience would have been the same inside, because the bar scene was super crowded by the time we walked back inside.
I also appreciated the lack of pretense or snobbery that some restaurants that are trying too hard tend to have (to make up for lack of quality? Perhaps).
My wife and I went to Rathbun's a month or so ago and were not impressed in the least. I had high hopes as I had heard much good about it, but, especially considering the upscale reputation and price point, it was a big let down.
I had Braised Beef Short-ribs and they were pretty amazingly bad! They had the texture and taste of pot roast and bad pot roast at that. I could grab a $7 chuck roast and toss it in the crock pot with no seasoning and it would come out significantly better than my entree! Any greasy diner's pot roast special would have put this plate to shame. Pretty nuts.
Other than her dessert, my wife was not impressed at all by her selections either (though they weren't nearly the miss that my bad pot roast - umm, I mean Braised Beef Short-ribs were).
The interior was decent, but we had an early reservation and the place was nearly empty when we got there and we were seated in the most miserable table I could see in the whole place (two place table jammed up against a wall with a tiny gap between our table and the next table over in the direction opposite the wall). The staff was a mixed bag. At reception the host that seated us was very pleasant, but the check in desk had three other people there and two were huddled around a mac and seemed to be bothered by our presence. Our waiter was not overly impressive either - definitely some unnecessary attitude.
My wife wants to give it another try - someday. Me? I'm thinking there are plenty of great restaurants we know we love (Pacific Kitchen, Shaun's, Wisteria all kick Rathbun's ass IMO) and plenty we've yet to try that I find it hard to imagine being very excited about a second chance.
I came here for NYE, and although we had to wait well past our reservations, and they were out of a bunch of stuff by the time we got seated, it was quite good. For NYE, they had a five-course prixe fixe with both regular items and special items that don't seem to be on the normal menu.
The scallion crab fritters were yummy, my lamb was tasty but disappointingly toughish, my brussels sprouts side dish was spicy and ooh-yummy, and my chocolate oreo mint ice cream cake was just okay. I liked the tidbit of short rib (though a bit too sweet) and lobster tail I tried off my friend's plate. They don't do anything super special for NYE, but they did pass out hats and noisemakers!
I'd definitely be willing to come back again on a normal night and try stuff from the normal menu.
Oh and by the way, while driving here, I totally thought we were in the wrong place and my GPS was taking us for a spin. GHETTO FACTORY YARD but super cool atmosphere once you find the parking lot!
I would've given 3 stars until I recieved a snotty email from their General Manager Cliff. So, they get two.
I went to Rathbun's for Valentine's dinner with my girlfriend and was VERY sorely dissapointed. All of the food was AMAZING. Period.
The service however, was VERY VERY bad. I'm not going to go into the entire meal, I'll just do some bullet points.
-No introduction, we were asked if we were ready at the first sight of our server.
-My wine took over 10 minutes to get to the table
-Our appetizers were delivered to the wrong table and then after a few minutes picked up and put on OUR table, after sitting in front of other diners.
-Desert was limited because they had run out of two items that we initially wanted to order.
-We left without a thank you, and without knowing our servers name.
So, in sumation, if you're looking for amazing food, they're a sure thing, but if you're looking for great service to accompany a $300 dinner for two, then I highly reccomend seaking it elsewhere.
This place is elegant but not over the top. I especially love the location. Something in Atlanta begets amazing restaurants in very strange environments. I think it adds a flare of authenticity to Atlanta dining.
Getting to the best part, the food. One week after Kevin won Iron Chef, I visited the restaurant for the first time. One of the courses that one it for him was his Elk Chops, which I had to order despite its hefty price tag. I'm not one to like food just because it is expensive, as a matter of fact it immediately brings it down a notch. I don't like spending big money on food, and when I do, it needs to deliver. Kevin Rathbun's restaurant delivered on its Elk Chops, and every other dish my girlfriend and I ordered. Our waitress, was very pretty, and offered the perfect recommendations.
I was very pleased with my meal, despite its high price tag. It is a restaurant that makes me proud to be an Atlantan.
I ate at Rathbun's this week with clients.
While the service was impeccable and I still love the decor and atmosphere, the food did not live up to my admittedly lofty expectations.
I initially ordered the steak off the specials menu (as did several others at the table), but they ran out. I understand it s a special and that it can/will run out, but we ordered around 7:30, and therefore I would have expected the special to last a bit longer.
I changed my order to the brisket, as I was eying that anyway.
For apps, we had the eggplant fries. They were quite good (and I wouldn't call myself an eggplant lover). Battered and fried, topped with powdered sugar - they were very sweet. They were served with a tabasco dipping sauce, but tabasco is a bit too hot for my palate.
My brisket was a disappointment. it was several chunks of pulled meat that was very inconsistent. some were wonderful - flavorful, moist and tender, but other chunks were either dry or overly fatty. The baked bean side was average, but the fritter/fried ball things (i have no idea what was inside) were good.
For dessert I had the Krog Bar. Good flavor, but it was very hard and therefore difficult to eat (especially to share).
I'd still rank Rathbuns among the tops in Atlanta, but this time it was not the 5-star experience of my previous visits
I love Rathbuns - definitely one of my fav restaurants in the city.
I recommended it to a friend who…
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I must say that this was one of the best meals that I have ever had. The food was exceptional, and the service was excellent. You must have the Ribeye with warm blue cheese vinaigrette (Disclaimer: Make sure your mama isn't near, 'cause you will slap her). All of our drinks were delicious (strong), and the desert was amazing! I had my favorite Crème Brulee.
This is one of my new favorites, and not just in Atlanta. Stepping into this place, I feel like I"m walking into a restaurant at the W or Mandalay Bay. It is quasi-modern without being overbearing, which is not too much of a surprise considering it's location in town. Enough about the decor however, if you are going to a restaurant to be seen you should be reading a review of Two Urban Licks.
That being said, the food here is phenomenal. The duck risotto is perhaps one of the more decadent things I have found in Atlanta. As with most restaurants that 'blow me away' it will involve a portion of your recent paycheck.
As an earlier reviewer pointed out, the hostess staff here is pretty inept, however that is maybe 90 seconds out of your 90 minute meal, and the food will more than make up for any shortcomings you have with them.
Wonderful business-schmoozing spot, even better date location. I love Rathbun's and will be going back frequently
A serious culinary treat!!
We made reservations at Rathbun's for NYE & although we were a bit put off by the wait (even with reservations) & the chaos caused by the sheer volume of people waiting in the bar area, I think we can both say the food was worth the trouble. The restaurant is located in a warehouse - type building in Inman Park that has been remodeled & looks as if it once housed a car dealership. It was very dimly lit & (as I mentioned previously) packed to capacity, but the ambiance & service by the wait staff never seemed to suffer. The wine list was expansive & mixed drinks are available too. For New Year's Eve, a five-course dinner was offered for $85.00 per person plus tax and gratuity. After we were seated, we ordered drinks & settled in with a menu to make our choices of one from each category.
First course: I ordered the Maine Lobster-Parsnip Ravioli's with Tangerine
Butter, hubby had the Potato-Chive Perogi's. Both were delectable appetizers seemingly designed to foretell the greatness of the meal to come. We devoured dutifully and eagerly awaited the parade of courses.
Second Course: We both had the Field Greens. It was just a bowl of lettuce & I make better salads at home but the menu never claimed it to be anything other than "Local Greens, Feta Cheese, Ouzo Vinaigrette" so it was fair enough, just a filler.
Main Event: I ordered the Australian Lamb Loin & hubby got the Beef Tenderloin Medallions. They were both cooked to perfection, not over or underdone. The flavor and seasoning were good but the real surprise came with our side dishes: Charred Corn with Gouda & Toasted Orzo with Parmesan. Never have I seen so much attention paid to side dishes! I am a cheese-lover & both these side dishes were ample in their use of cheese. Whoever knew a gouda sauce could add so much to a dish of corn? The orzo was spiced wonderfully! Both side dishes were enough to share.
Dessert: I had the White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cake & hubby ordered the Toasted Coconut Crème Puffs with Amarena cherries. The desserts were fair, but nothing compared to the appetizers & side dishes. I usually go for the chocolate but I must admit I preferred the crème puffs this time. Those soaked cherries complemented them in an oh-so-delectable way.
As an added bonus, we were there when the clock struck midnight & we got to see the kitchen staff emerge from the back, making a parade around the restaurant, banging pots & pans in celebration of the new year. It was a magical night for us & we thank Rathbun's for being a part of it. :)
Free Valet Parking: To start, Rathbun's offers free valet parking which is definitely a plus for me. I love the freebies. I never understood why any establishment would charge anyone to park when doing business with them.
Ambiance: Loved the ambiance! Modern décor. We felt like we'd walk into a Zen spa. A great date night spot and truly a hidden gem.
Reservations: Definitely make reservations. This place gets packed and the wait can be quite long. Although we made reservations, there was a slight delay and the Manager was more than accommodating.
Attire: Rathbun's recommends casual, but most people generally dress up a little more here. Splurge a little and step out into the night with your sexy black dress ladies. Guys, wear nice slacks and shirt. Ditch the tie!
Appetizers: When we were seated, the Manager immediately sent the infamous eggplant steak fries with powdered sugar to our table on the house. Can you say "Yum"! I never would have thought to put this combination together.
Pricing: Moderate pricing, but so worth it!
Entrees: Husband had the lamb chops and couldn't stop raving about it. He's NOT easy to please, much like myself so that speaks volumes. The problem generally with lamb chops is there isn't enough meat. He was pleasantly surprised with the large portion. I ordered the Sea Scallop w/country grits and asparagus. I was very happy with my meal and even had leftovers to take home. Always a plus for me, especially with scallops.
Probably my favorite restaurant around here. I like that you can go and drop bank or just snack and check the place out without spending a paycheck. My favorite item that I have to get every time is the charred corn with gouda. Second favorite is the peanut butter pie. I've liked every entree that I have had, but the scallops are the most memorable. I'm a sucker for grits and pork products, so that dish makes me happy.
Not a big fan of valet parking, particularly not when you can beat the guy to your car.
I lived in Atlanta from 2006-2009 and Rathbun's stayed at the top of my favorites list the whole time I was there. No other restaurant really lived up to my expectations when it came to food, wine, and service.
Food: my last great meal at Rathbun's was last Saturday. We started with two of the appetizer specials: lamb tongue and watermelon radish carpaccio. Both were spot on; absolutely delicious. We had the soup trio: a fabulous split pea soup (I never thought I liked split pea soup until then), a leek and onion soup (delicious curry flavor, amazing, my favorite of the 3), and a mock-turtle soup (made with veal instead of turtle, still yum but not as good as the real deal). My entree was the crispy duck breast with a thai curry risotto. The duck was cooked perfectly and was tender and delicious and not greasy at all (I sometimes find duck too fatty, but not this time!). My boyfriend had the braised pork shoulder with artichokes, which was just falling apart when you touched it with your fork. We had amazing desserts of a georgia peach tart and chocolate pudding cake. Only criticism is that most of our food was over-salted.
Service has always been awesome. Servers are friendly, educated on the food and wine and always offer good advice. A pet-peeve of mine
is when I ask about a particular dish and the server says "oh I don't eat lamb, but other people love that dish".
I was there the night of the tornado (3/2008) and got a personal phone call from Kevin Rathbun a few days later, making sure everything had gone smoothly. I have no complaints!
I went to this restaurant back in February, right before the Iron Chef battle. We had heard that they would be on and wanted to hit it up before the extra publicity. The service is great. I wouldn't say it is in the traditional sense great, but the staff was very accommodating and bent over backwards to make sure that one of the people in our group had something that suited their dietary needs.
We had heard such great things about this restaurant from friends and the press, that our expectations were pretty high. I'd say it is a pretty good restaurant, but I don't think I'd go back. The menu is incredibly unfocused. There were so many selections on a handwritten xeroxed menu that was almost illegible. I was a bit shocked that a restaurant considered to be one of Atlanta's finest would have such a poor presentation. The nice chic decor combined with the tattered, food-splashed, xeroxed menu set a confusing tone.
I'd rather seen Kevin Rathbun focus in on the strengths of his cooking, rather than providing SO much variety. The table was divided in what was ordered. Half had seafood and half of us had "land meats". The seafood certainly was not the strength of the restaurant. Those with the fish and shrimp dishes barely touched their plates. The other dishes, a pork dish and duck dish, were delicious.
The reasonable dessert menu is a cute concept, but it really didn't deliver. There wasn't anything special. The presentations were cute and the prices were very reasonable, but I probably wouldn't order any of them again. They recommended the donut dish, which came presented in a brown paper bag. (Cute but cheesy and nothing special when it came to taste) At a restaurant like this, I expected better desserts and would have gladly paid more to get it.
Overall, we were split on the dishes. We enjoyed some very much while being extremely disappointed in the others. We loved the service and decor. As proud Atlantans, we were thrilled that the Rathbun brothers won the Iron Chef battle and plan on trying Kevin Rathbun Steak to see if it is any better.
You gotta hand it to Kevin Rathbun for taking the risk of opening a restaurant in a warehouse with absolutely no draw to it. That in itself is impressive to me. Then he spends minimal amount of money to build out the space and delivers an atmosphere that puts some of the nicest Atlanta restaurants to shame. Top that off with a super-cool down-to-earth personality, I'm instantly a fan of Rathbuns.
The first time we dined there we called in advance and asked about a corkage fee if we brought our own wine. The hostess explained that there is no corkage fee on the first bottle and just requested that we offer a taste to the chef. What a great idea! Wine lovers enjoy sharing their wines - now we have an opportunity to meet the chef also!
The food is consistently excellent and affordable. In fact, for my birthday, we decided that we would start with some appetizers. They were so good, we went on to order a couple more. Wow, now we are getting full. Skip dinner. Get Dessert. Bill comes. wHaT?! Is this someone elses bill? Nope. Our bills was less than $50. And we felt like we had eaten a 4 course dinner. How cool is that!?
Bottom Line - it is a Forever Fave in my book!
AGREEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the taste of ATLANTA!!!!!!!
It is the standard all 5 star restaurants should be held to.
There Lobster Taco was amazing and the special Rib Eye (from the painted hills region) I got was off the charts. I was amazed after driving thru atl's industrial district to find this place.
My family celebrated my younger sisters 25 B day there. It was a special night for more reasons than I can begin to count.
The wine list was superb, the food amazing, the atmosphere PERFECT, and with the wine bar next door, it proved to be a fun filled evening.
The only downside is....now I can't wait to try Rathbun's Steak House.
I think someone's B-day is coming up, if today is yours send me a message and I will take you to Rathbun Steaks, I am dying for an excuse to go.
Thanks Kevin for going out on a limb. Rathbun's eclipses all others...
Great food and pricing. Sometimes very pleasant surprises on the specials menu. Service is prompt and the space is always busy and loud. A very nice restaurant indeed.
I've been here numerous times, but always ate at the bar as I usually was here by myself or with at the most two other people. Even if I was just sitting at the bar and get 2 small plates, they still bring me a nice bread basket. On a few occasions I've ordered entrees; usually, just lots of small plates. Almost everything I've eaten here were delicious. Some people say this food is over seasoned, but I enjoy the authoritative use of strong flavors. It's like eating Stooges' Raw Power on a plate. Love the 3 soups sampler--always get it, always different, always satisfying. Marrow, decent. Although the regularly featured onion risotto is excellent, I keep remembering the absolutely wonderful soft shell crab risotto (with a herby emulsion) that was a specials item, damn was it good. Ribeye comes drenched in blue cheese, a little much, but cooked just right. Salmon Tostada is another great signature small dish, much smoky flavor and savoriness. Beef short rib, dry and tough, like it is at just about every bistro I've been too...sometimes I'm convinced only the Asians truly know how to make tender, juicy, fatty, tasty short ribs. I would be extremely happy if they put a paella on the regular menu as I know they are capable of making some of the best!
There's good wines to drink at all price ranges. Unfortunately almost total absence of beer love. Interior is comfortable, just plush enough without being snooty. Like a lot of places that call themselves "Bistro" here in Atlanta, Rathbun's is a little too blown-up to be called that...especially with so many dressed-up customers having one kind of special occasion or another.
Good food, nice place. Do try.
We liked Rathbun's a lot but it didn't live up to the hype.
GREAT GREAT GREAT ATMOSPHERE.
GREAT GREAT GREAT SERVICE.
So why 3 stars? Food wasn't as great as we hoped.
Appetizers: eggplant fries with tabasco and confectioners sugar. WOW. Great combination. Not crazy greasy either. Also had the crabmeat tart. It was good, not a wow app by any stretch. Tart coulda come from a box and the crabmeat was kinda just cooked, mayonaisey crabmeat. Yawn.
Dinner: I had the lobster taco. It's on their "2nd Mortgage" section, it was $35. It was good, nice chunks of lobster but a really disappointing sauce that tasted like it was heavy with Pimentos. In fact, it really took away from the lobster. I said to a friend later, "Ya know, McDonald's sells great lobstuh rolls in New England every summer and that might tasted about the same and wasn't $35.
My wife had the stew and a field greens salad for dinner and she was very satisfied.
Our server suggested we order side dishes. We asked for her suggestions and she suggested fries with blue cheese dressing and the garlic spinach. The fries were WOW, kick ass. The spinach-- we could have done at home.
Dessert: We had the gooey toffee cake and it was INCREDIBLE.
I guess the point is this. We liked some things A LOT, and the atmosphere was phenomenal-- but some of the details were average and the main event was a complete disappointment.
Neighborhood: Inman Park
Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Inman Park
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Inman Park
Category: Tapas Bars
Atlanta, GA
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Inman Park
Category: American (New)
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