First Look: Meat and Potato Kitchen and Bar, Johns Creek

True to its name, Meat and Potato Kitchen and Bar is a concept built around a multiple-choice meat, potato and sauce combo. But the new restaurant on State Bridge Road in Johns Creek also offers plenty of other entrees, plus appetizers, salads and desserts.

The look: In a free-standing building in the Medlock Crossing shopping complex, the contemporary interior is divided by a towering wall that serves as a lighted library-style bar back and separates the bar area from the main dining room. Hardwood floors, pressed-tin ceiling tiles, booths and cafe tables with white tablecloths evoke a classic fine-dining setting.

The scene: One recent evening, a piano man with a short ponytail sat at a baby grand and worked through a medley of "Moon Dance," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Ain't Misbehavin.' " At a nearby table, a middle-age foursome sipped cocktails and nodded along.

The menu: Ordering from among the meat and potato combos, a marinated hanger steak ($19) or a New York strip ($26), for example, could be paired with seven different potato preparations and six different sauces, such as roasted fingerlings and shiitake whiskey cream. Beyond that, there's stewed and braised meats ($18-$20), pastas ($17-$20), and mussels and fries ($17-$18).

The drinks: Wine selections range from $26 to $107 by the bottle and $6 to $16 by the glass, but notably there are no vintage dates listed. The beer list is surprisingly quirky, with Old Speckled Hen English ale and Belgian-style Unibroue Ephemere apple among the current draft offerings.

The extras: There's outdoor seating under umbrella tables and a private dining room. A late-night bar menu is offered until 1 a.m. every night, and look for lunch and brunch menus soon.

Dining Out

Meat and Potato Kitchen and Bar

5-10:30 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Late-night bar fare: 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

Appetizers, soups and salads, $6-$14; meat and potato, $19-$58; other entrees, $17-$20; sides, $7; desserts, $8.

5710 State Bridge Road, Johns Creek, 770-814-7255, www.meatandpotatokb.com