If you’re looking for vibe dining, look no further: Avize, chef Karl Gorline and Taurean Philpott’s Alpine-inspired restaurant in Atlanta’s West Midtown, has everything you need and more. A dramatic interior featuring a 10-foot mountain landscape mural offset by moody lighting creates a feeling of exclusivity—this is definitely a special occasion restaurant—but the blend of retro/indie electronica and rap and the knowledgeable but approachable staff dial it back into the territory of a neighborhood spot you’ll want to drop into several times a week.
All of this scene setting creates the perfect intro for the menus, which are both modern and vintage, with an element of wildness thrown in—or in Gorline’s own words, “The menu is a take on food traditions, not necessarily traditional food.” The Alpine designation blends Swiss, German, Austrian, Italian, and French cuisine with a focus on mountain game (think trout, rabbit, and venison) and produce grown and foraged by Grant Wallace in Bremen, Georgia.
Sommellier Taurean Philpott, formerly of Atlanta’s Michelin-starred Bacchanalia, Mujō, and Atlas, has curated a delightfully ranged by-the-glass menu, from a vino gross from Slovenia to a pinot noir from the Santa Rita Hills and a cabernet franc from Italy. There’s also a notable focus on bubbles: The Jacquere/Chardonnay Domaine Blard “Cuvee Alpin” is an excellent way to start your meal. Or splurge on a bottle from the 30 pages of wines on offer, characterized not only by sparkling, white, and red but also vibrant and dazzling, textured and broad, electric and fresh, or robust and opulent. Naturally, beers (there’s an excellent Bavarian pilsner on draft) and amari are also available.
Salt-baked beet carpaccio is a nonnegotiable on the Begin menu, with earthy and sweet flavors perfectly balanced by smoked yogurt and dill. Next, go light with the trout cru served with julienned apple and daikon and seasoned with kosho, a fermented condiment, made with juniper; or heartier, with an Alsatian flatbread called flammkuchen. The venison tartare is as beautiful as it is delicious, its deep colors enhanced by purple oxalis (a tangy, sour edible flower) and studded with buckwheat.
The restaurant’s signature entrée is a dry-aged smoked crown of duck, for one or two diners, seasonally presented—unsurprisingly a stellar dish. Less predictable but no less exceptional is the fermented carrot Bolognese. No cliché about “you’ll never be able to tell it’s vegetarian” here; this dish is independently worthy, both in its textural richness and its unique flavor profile, sharpened by horseradish and mint. And for a blend of familiar and adventurous, the poulet Grenobloise (capers, lemon) with cauliflower is comfort food at its finest.
Do not overlook the cocktail program from Jason Swaringen, characterized by herbal flavors of eucalyptus, bergamot, and chartreuse vegetal. His culinary education and experience as a server, along with time spent managing the beverage programs at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, are more than evident in the balanced and beautifully presented cocktails that pair perfectly with Gorline’s menu. You can’t go wrong with A Really Good Cosmo that elevates the classic with French vodka and bergamot.
Avize’s dishes are refreshing and filling but designed to enable room for dessert. A short and sweet menu includes offerings of tiramisu and juniper ice cream with fig leaf oil, along with digestifs from yellow chartreuse to Cynar—but whatever else you do, order the Young Grass Hoppa, a masterpiece of crème de cacao, crème de menthe, matcha, and cream.
You’ll have to visit to experience the additional touches throughout the meal that make this restaurant such a standout from start to finish.
