Article 14 — Midtown
Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Food: coast-to-coast American
Service: professional and friendly
Best dishes: duck confit slider, tuna and beet tartar
Vegetarian selections: a few salads and sides
Price range: $$-$$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard and American Express
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays
Children: not suggested
Parking: complimentary valet in parking deck
Reservations: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Smoking: no
Noise level: moderate
Patio: yes
Takeout: yes
Address, phone: 1180 Peachtree St., Suite B, Atlanta. 404-443-8432
Website: www.article14.com
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Article 14
1180 Peachtree St., Suite B, Atlanta. 404-443-8432
2 of 5 stars
If you have noticed that your favorite happy-hour watering hole has been strangely devoid of suited lawyers with loosened ties, unwinding after long day of racking up billable hours, then you probably have not been hanging out at Article 14.
One of the newer additions by the Legacy Property Group, the same team behind Stats, Der Biergarten and Max’s Coal Oven Pizza, Article 14 aims to offer a neighborhood lunch and dinner spot that appeals to the cross-section of clientele around its prime location. Set in the thick of the Midtown legal community in the space formally occupied by the lower level of the now defunct Trois, Article 14 offers weary associates and partners alike a place to enjoy a Manhattan and snack on a broad range of American-inspired bites.
As if the name of the restaurant wasn’t nod enough to the legal crowd, upon entering you may pause briefly to admire the impressively large backdrop of whiskeys behind the bar before spotting the array of drawn portraits on the back wall. Before you spend too much time looking for a face you’d recognize, this is Atlanta’s legal “wall of fame,” immortalizing the 50 most legendary Atlanta lawyers. Though not everyone sipping one the cocktails has passed the bar exam, Article 14 certainly draws a professional crowd, particularly on weeknights.
Arianne Fielder created Article 14’s cocktail menu when it opened about 14 months ago then moved on.. She designed a very masculine cocktail list that makes great use of the extensive stock of whisky, bourbon and rye. In addition to classic cocktails such as Pimm’s cup ($11), Fielder offers signature drinks, including Ari’s Old Fashioned ($11), her take on the classic, with hints of maple syrup and made with Bulleit rye, sugar and caramelized orange and black walnut bitters. Or try one of the barrel-aged concoctions, like the Smoke and Mirrors ($11), a heady, smoky version of the Manhattan with kick of Memphis BBQ bitters.
Executive chef Chris Blobaum, who joined Article 14 about six months ago, has crafted a menu of American cuisine that draws from a broad range of regional inspirations. Those who feel inundated by the onslaught of modern-Southern menus around town may find the lack of shrimp and grits refreshing.
The menu offers both entrées and small plates, many of which are perfect for snacking with a drink, and those smaller bites are where Blobaum does his best work. Make sure to order at least a few duck confit sliders ($3 each), a rich pile of duck with arugula and grilled figs. And the wonderfully crunchy okra chips ($5) make for a great shared snack.
Though it probably should have earned a spot as an entrée, considering the portion size, the lobster roll ($17) is another small plate worth sharing. Served on buttery, toasted bread, this lightly seasoned sandwich with ample chunks of fresh lobster is a refreshing change after so many mouthfuls of duck or pimento cheese ($6).
I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken liver pate ($9), which comes not as a chalky, pasty spread, but instead as a loosely packed scoop of chunky liver with bacon marmalade. Similarly, the tuna and beet tartar ($11) arrived, and instead of the finely diced tuna I expected, I found a mixture of mouth-filling tuna squares, tossed loosely with large hunks of beets and a light dressing of soy, pickled daikon, chives and olive oil.
However, some of the entrées could use a little fine-tuning. While the flavor on the grilled smoked pork chop ($21) is good — a strong mix of sweet and smoke on well-seasoned meat — the texture was a little tougher than I expected for a bone-in cut.
Similarly, the pan-roasted sea scallops ($25) arrived well seasoned, but the scallops themselves were slightly overcooked and lacked the firmness I look for in a fresh product. While still enjoyable, I couldn’t help but wonder if that week’s seafood delivery was the following morning.
And while the mild olive tapenade atop the sautéed halibut ($30) added a nice jolt of flavor without overpowering the fish, the halibut and the bed of butter beans fell flat, screaming out for another few dashes of salt or a shot of acid.
Overall, Article 14 succeeds as an impressive cocktail-driven destination for locals, offering a nice range of enjoyable snacks and shared plates backed by a very strong bar program. With a little more tweaking to the execution of some of the dishes, it could become a destination for more than just the post-work law crowd. If you are in the area, it is certainly worth stopping by.
