First Look: Salt Factory Pub, Alpharetta

The look: Hicham Azhari and Fikret Kovac of F&H Food Trading Group took over a former Kentucky Fried Chicken store and transformed the free-standing building into their vision of a contemporary restaurant. Beyond the front patio entrance, the dining room features a roomy L-shaped bar. Booths run through the center of the space and along the walls, which are covered in a contrasting mix of white subway tiles and red brick.

The scene: On a recent Sunday afternoon, storms left the patio empty while a crowd of families with small children, who all seemed to be eating burgers and fries, occupied many of the tables. At the bar, some couples sipped white wine and shared snacks and salads.

The food: F&H culinary director Bob McDonough's dinner menu can be approached from several directions and price points. Burgers and pizzas are in the $10.95-$13.95 range, while entrees start out at $15.95 for braised lamb shepherd's pie and top out at $27.95 for peppercorn-crusted ahi tuna. Salt Factory starter favorites include pulled pork tacos ($10.95) and Louisiana egg rolls ($9.95). New in Alpharetta, look for oysters on the half shell ($7.95/$14.95) and F&H chicken wings ($8.95) with Korean BBQ, Buffalo-style or lemon pepper sauce.

The drinks: Along with specialty cocktails and a sizable wine list, Salt Factory boasts craft beer, bourbon and scotch menus. Recent beer offerings include Boulevard Single Wide ($6) and Ommegang Rare Vos ($6) on draft and St. Bernardus Abt 12 ($15) in the bottle.

The extras: On the lunch menu, served 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, look for several entrees from the dinner menu at lower prices, and sandwiches such as fried green tomato BLT ($9.95) and an open-face steak ($12.95).