Topped with mushrooms, Avize’s venison tartare somehow managed to be fierce and delicate at the same time.

Meltingly tender morsels of lean meat, cut uniformly, were naturally sweet and mixed evenly with ingredients that tasted like forest treasures.

Holding everything together was a walnut “ketchup.” Robust and sharp (as if A1 and Worcestershire had a baby), the sauce was made with walnuts from the restaurant’s farm, and it had a deftly balanced sweetness. Herbal notes burst in each chewy bite, thanks to the blueberries fermented and brined in the style of capers. Crunchiness and grassy, nutty notes came from puffed buckwheat, also grown on the farm in Bremen. Tiny beech mushrooms were an earthy addition, while sorrel provided a lemony tang. Dark flecks sprinkled about the dish, to add extra hits of umami, were made by dehydrating and smoking olive oil — a clever, tasty addition.

And here’s a tip: The crust from Avize’s flammkuchen makes an excellent vehicle for the tartare.

Avize. 956 Brady Ave. NW, Atlanta. 404-879-1713, avizeatlanta.com

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Spooky sips from around Atlanta, left to right: The Select's Hex on the Beach cocktail with fog from dry ice (Courtesy of the Select); Haunted Waters at Alta Toro joins a lineup of spooky themed cocktails (Courtesy of Alta Toro); Beetlejuice Martini from Piastra (Courtesy of Piastra).

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(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero | Sources: Hyosub Shin for the AJC, Unsplash)

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