Dining Out
Saltyard, Brookwood Hills
6-9 p.m. Sundays; 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
Bar snacks, starters and salads, $4-$15; small plates, $6-$9; large plates, $17-$19; desserts, $6.
1820 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, 404-382-8088, www.saltyardatlanta.com.
Saltyard, the lively new restaurant from Christian Favalli and Kristy Jones-Favalli, joins one-year-old Watershed on the ground floor of The Brookwood condo building on Peachtree Road. Favalli, son of La Grotta co-owner Sergio Favalli, and Jones-Favalli share long resumes in the restaurant business.
The look: Designed by Square Feet Studios, the build-out mixes industrial and homey elements, with cushy banquettes and long tables for large parties surrounded by rows of tall windows and rustic wood rafters. An inviting chef's table near the entrance offers a view of the open kitchen, while a front patio overlooks Peachtree Road.
The scene: One recent evening, Father's Day weekend was in full swing, as families with children gathered for dinner and toasts among couples from the condos upstairs. Jones-Favalli made the rounds in the dining room, stopping at tables to greet familiar faces from La Grotta.
The menu: The offerings are centered around small plates meant to be mixed, matched and shared. But there's a section under the title "biggie smalls" that features entree size portions with sides, such as pan-roasted Georgia trout with fingerling potatoes and buttered english peas ($18). Starters include the likes of oysters on the half-shell with sriracha mignonette ($2/each) and deviled eggs with bacon ($4). A raw Thai salad mixes soy-lime dressing, and "soy peanuts" ($6). In the "hot smalls" section, find a bowl of ricotta gnocchi with roasted mushrooms and Parmesan brodo ($10).
The drinks: During its first days of operation, Saltyard struggled without a liquor license, and by the weekend only had a limited selection of bottled beer and wine by the glass. That will change this week with a full bar featuring specialty cocktails, such as Gins and Roses with Uncle Val's gin, lemon, local wild honey, and rose water ($10), and a mostly domestic wine list with 20 offerings by the glass and 75 by the bottle.
The extras: On the dessert menu ($6), look for a mixed berry parfait with mascarpone and amaretti cookies, Meyer lemon polenta cake with honey ice cream, and ricotta zeppolis with a sauce trio.
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