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| Piebar: Wackily Delicious by Jennifer Grzeskowiak Parmesan foam, soy jelly, and gelato with blue cheese and candied pecans. Glancing over piebar’s menu for the first time, I questioned some of the more quirky ingredients. While they certainly complement the bright, futuristic dining area, I wondered if the fare was more gimmick than substance. Yet keeping in mind that piebar is the creation of ONE.midtown kitchen and TWO.urban licks’ Bob Amick and Todd Rushing, I was optimistic. Housed in the former Trust Company Bank building built in 1962, the space calls for innovation. The round, futuristic restaurant is built around a circular bar in the middle of the floor that houses the ceiling-high pizza oven. Servers in powder blue shirts make frequent stops to pick up thin, square pizzas and tumblers of wine and specialty drinks, such as the refreshing and incredibly popular Zentini, a mix of green tea liquor, citron and mint. The servers’ attire accents the décor, which is characterized by metal paneling on the walls and white chairs. The outdoor patio is equally as open and spacious, protected by a large, tent-like cover. The imaginative menu is the collaboration of Richard Blais, Scott Serpas, Nick Oltarsh and Jen Etchison, all of whom submitted numerous dishes, which were then whittled down to create the final offerings. Anxious to see how the food compared to the well-designed dining area, I finally decided on a couple of dishes from the extensive micro plates section of the menu. (There is also a section for create-your-own antipasto plates and pizza pies.) First to arrive was the truffled egg toast with a duck egg, mushroom butter and chives, which quelled any doubts I had about the food. The nearly inch-thick piece of bread was perfect for sopping up the runny duck egg and equally rich mushroom butter. The hint of truffle added to the aroma. Next up were the fresh figs with prosciutto, parmesan foam and almonds. The mild parmesan flavor of the foam paired nicely with the salty meat and sweet figs, while the consistency -- similar to whipped dessert topping – brought a creamy element to the tender fruit and crunchy almonds. While taking a break before moving on to the pies section of the menu, I made a mental list of micro plates for my next visit: eggplant caponata with sheeps ricotta and spiced honey; stuffed clams with chorizo, green apple and parmesan; and deviled eggs with smoked salmon and arugula pesto. Like the rest of the menu, the sauceless gourmet pizzas range from traditional – pepperoni, smoked mozzarella and chili flakes – to adventurous – bacon, quail eggs, breakfast sausage and maple. All the crusts are crispy and very thin, allowing two people to easily enjoy a couple antipasto or micro plates, along with two pizza halves. For my first pizza, I played it safe with the wild mushroom, goat cheese, onion and white truffle pie, which our server pointed out is one of the restaurant’s most popular. As with the earlier dishes, the flavors mixed subtlely, without any overpowering the others. The crunchiness of the crust was a nice base for the soft mushrooms and onions and creamy goat cheese. For my wildcard pick, I decided on a pizza topped with raw tuna, wasabi, sweet ginger and soy jelly. Arranging the ingredients so that each bite contained all the tastes proved to be a bit tricky. (The small cubes of soy jelly seemed to have a mind of their own and packed quite a salty punch.) Once organized, the fresh tuna and other ingredients worked with the crust to basically recreate the taste of a sushi roll. For dessert, my server steered me away from the gelato with blue cheese and candied pecans. Wanting to venture beyond the chocolate gelato, I decided on the homemade vanilla version topped with olive oil and black pepper, which proved to be the perfect flavor combination. The pepper added distinct spice to the creamy dessert in the same way nutmeg might have. Meanwhile, my dinner date applauded the fresh flavor and crunchy cookies of the peppermint ice cream sandwich. Throughout the meal, my server was helpful and honest, so don’t hesitate to ask what yours really thinks about some of the dishes. While the restaurant is far more casual than ONE.midtown kitchen or TWO.urban licks, it still draws a trendy crowd and offers food that is just as inventive as what one would expect to find at a pricier eatery. It seems that the historic bank building finally has a tenant that will keep it going well into the future. Piebar is located at 2160 Monroe Drive in Atlanta. If you don’t have time to enjoy the atmosphere, the restaurant offers food and bottles of wine at its drive thru. For more information, visit www.piebar.com or call (404) 815-1605. |
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| From the top, Antipasti, Apple Pizza, Brushetta with Raw Tuna, and Tomato Pizza. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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