Poised as a prime place for a drink and a bite before or after a show at the Fox, Proof and Provision has the potential to become a convivial neighborhood hangout for Midtown residents, too.
The cocktail bar-with-eats concept is tucked away in the lower depths of the Georgian Terrace Hotel and shares executive chef Zeb Stevenson with the Livingston Restaurant and Bar, upstairs.
The look: Though the aura is decidedly subterranean lounge, one side of the former Basta restaurant space features windows that look out on Ponce de Leon. The filtered light adds an element of surprise to a setting that includes secluded booths and communal tables among a mix of steel, wood and concrete.
The scene: One recent evening, a small group sharing drinks and banter at the bar already seemed to be regulars, extending their good cheer to some of the servers. At a slim high-top table under one of the windows, several women sipped wine and hovered over meat and cheese plates.
The menu: Printed on a place mat-size menu, Stevenson's budget-priced offerings are a playful mix of snacks, sandwiches and retro French bread pizzas. Priced at $3 each, choose from the likes of deviled eggs or chicken liver mousse. Five bucks buys a half-dozen confit chicken wings. Seven bucks gets you a pig in a blanket-style hot dog wrapped in potato dough or a grilled cheese with pecorino spread and truffle butter.
The drinks: Riffs on classic cocktail combinations star on the drinks menu. The Southern 75 ($9) mixes Four Roses bourbon, demerara syrup, lemon and Finch's Cutthroat IPA. The concise, mostly American wine list recently included a Spanish Albarino ($10/$40) and a Washington state Riesling ($9/$36). Sweetwater IPA ($5) and Brooklyn Brown ($6) were on the draft beer list.
The extras: Parking near the Georgian Terrace can be challenge, but Proof and Provision validates up to three hours of complimentary valet service.
Dining Out
Proof and Provision, Atlanta
5 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays; 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
Snacks and starters, $3.75-$13.25; mains, $9.50-$44.50; sides, $4-$7.50; desserts, $8.
659 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, 404-897-5045,
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