KR STEAKBAR
349 Peachtree Hills Ave., Atlanta. www.krsteakbar.com.
[3 of 5 stars] Merits a drive if you’re looking for this kind of dining. $$$
Italian small plates and steak form a blissful union at KR SteakBar, where you can do a happy dance around a menu divided into snacks, charcuterie, pastas, vegetables, seafood and meats.
The restaurant, run by Kevin Rathbun and crew, establishes its Italian presence with fresh handmade pastas accented with delicate sauces. The cream-kissed tomato bolognese ($15) highlights folded ribbons of slick and tender inch-wide pappardelle. Ridged rolls of thin garganelli ($15) boast a more aggressive flavor from a creamy ricotta that melts into a brothy jus studded with briny olives and lamb bits.
KR SteakBar also offers small portions of prime dry-aged beef like the well-seasoned shell steak ($28) with beefy espresso jus and fresh shaved horseradish. Pair it with the grilled radicchio ($7), enriched with cubes of ham and vinegar. The slight bitterness from the radicchio draws out the espresso notes from the steak.
You’ll want a buddy to split some dishes, like the glistening coil of house-made lamb sausage awash with dark cane syrup ($8) or the juicy lamb sweetbreads ($8), their pleasantly unctuous texture bouncing off tart green strawberries.
Rathbun and his team have crafted another establishment with a little something for everyone.
Jenny Turknett
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