Saturday, July 7, 2007

Tap at 1180 -- The Gastropub has landed in Atlanta














Tap: A Gastropub
1180 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
404.347.2220
www.tapat1180.com

A gastropub is a British term for a public house ("pub") which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic "pub grub. " The name is a portmanteau of pub and gastronomy and was coined in 1991 when David Eyre and Mike Belben opened a pub called The Eagle in Clerkenwell, London. They placed an emphasis on the quality of food served, though The Eagle was not the first pub to offer good food.

Gastropubs usually have an atmosphere which is relaxed and a focus on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as it is in the best restaurants. Staying true to the format requires a menu that complements the assortment of beers and wines the gastropub offers.

Some describe gastropubs as the Anglo-equivalent of the French brasserie or the Japanese izakaya.

The question at hand: Does TAP follow the confines of a gastropub??

Bob Amick & Todd Rushing started off recruiting a very good chef in Todd Ginsberg. Chef Ginsberg's experience has taken him all over the world and I would say the highlight would have been working for Super Chef Alain Ducasse. The menu is very earthly and delightful with tones of New American flair with deep roots of the gastropub cuisine embedded in it.

The Hellcat & I ventured to another business meeting in the lovely Midtown section and ended up at TAP. Well, the patio was packed to the gills and it was only 5.30pm. There was a 1/2 hour wait for a table of three. This does follow the formula for Bob Amick restaurants -- the place to be seen!!! We decided to take a walk around the space and see what it had to offer. There are three floors with a staircase and an elevator connecting all levels. One item that was very perplexing because I am a chef and this wouldn't make sense to me: The kitchen was all the way on the top floor and the prep kitchen was in the basement? The patio is the busiest part of the restaurant and the food is being cooked on the third floor?? Why??

We finally were seated at our table. the menus are really cool. Kind of like an old school clipboard with a catalog cut into sections. They range from info, brunch, lunch, supper, wine and beer. The beer selection is what I like. They had some great beers and some ones I haven't tasted yet. I started with an Ommegang Rare Vos. Very nice, tasty, refreshing and a nice kick of hops at the end.

The Supper menu as it is called was very gastropub. I started off with the Brutus Salad -- baby yukon gold potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, rocket (arugula) and the optional fried egg -- must have the egg on the salad. Hellcat had the Tomini cheese, tomato jam and crusty bread. It is hard to mess this dish up but Hellcat likes her crostinis and they were not up to snuff. Small detail but still matters. Our business associate Brad Lev -- owner of Lit Kitchen -- had the Tempura Pork Dumpling with whole grain mustard sauce. The dumplings were fantastic but the sauce was off -- maybe too much mustard in the sauce and not enough salt. I must say it was a good meal for the restaurant only being open for less than 2 weeks.

In closing -- if you are looking for a cool place to hang with your friends and enjoy good beer and a nibble this may be your place -- for dinner though I might think differently since most of the people are here to drink and party it up. It would be quite loud for you and a loved one to enjoy a quiet meal.

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