After an evening at Damsel, you’ll walk out raving about the powerful vocal cords of chanteuse Loren Rosko and the high-energy cabaret’s female dance troupe. You’ll also likely comment on the 16-foot LED screen or the seductive, Roaring ‘20s-inspired surroundings — dark velvet curtains, curved booths with plush upholstery, brass chandeliers and an art deco metal screen between the dining room-stage and the bar.
Open since late March, Damsel is a venture by restaurateur Dave Green, who also owns the Select restaurant in Sandy Springs.
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
Green and his staff went to impressive lengths to bring this project to fruition, culling elements from cabarets around the world and holding auditions for singers and dancers in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.
They also figured out the restaurant’s complicated food service, which requires its own choreography, so as not to disrupt the performances. Service pauses during the four-minute acts, which run every 15 minutes. As soon as the lights come back on, a well-staffed floor team brings out the next round of small plates.
Credit: Sonder Media House
Credit: Sonder Media House
There are dainty, crispy crepe cones filled with a lobster salad seasoned with tarragon, chives and a brown butter aioli that covers a surprise bite of avocado mousse. The highly noshable Count Me In is a two-tiered tray of cauliflower hummus with crudites and a selection of prosciutto and chorizo, wedges of blue cheese and manchego, a dab of tomato jam and crispy lavash. The thin-cut Damsel fries are so deliciously seasoned with a house red curry blend that they don’t need dipping in the accompanying Thai green chile coconut sauce. And crispy arancini offer heady bites of truffle and melted tomme cheese.
These hors d’oeuvres don’t require utensils, which means you won’t hear the annoying clanking of knives and forks during dance numbers. And, to prepare you for them, the first thing servers bring you is a towelette to wipe your fingers.
Credit: Sonder Media House
Credit: Sonder Media House
The majority of the 15 a la carte dishes also make their way onto the three- and four-course fixed menus.
The standard four-course meal includes the Count Me In and fries for the first course; lobster cones, tuna spring rolls, and beet and goat cheese Neapolitan for the second; arancini, wagyu nigiri and tenderloin sliders for the third; and shrimp phyllo and mini Wellington for the fourth. The nigiri was more salt and smoke than meat on mounded rice. The jumble of shredded phyllo strands wrapped around the shrimp on a stick dominated the flavor of the fresh seafood, just as creamed spinach, bacon and pecorino did in the scallops Rockefeller, a pricey $19 add-on.
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
Damsel accommodates vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners, but my experience with a special menu was disappointing. For the same cost ($125) as the regular four-course omnivorous menu, my vegetarian selection brought far less food and forgettable bites: a small portion of chewy, jerky-like beet slices so coated in peppercorns that I had to wipe them off to avoid choking and sneezing; a mushroom spring roll with only hints of mushroom; globs of avocado mousse sandwiched between tiny cucumber disks; exactly six chips of vegetable tempura with sweet chile sauce; two pieces of mushroom (again) nigiri; and unseasoned fried tofu skewers with the same Thai coconut sauce that comes with the fries.
The bar has serviceable cocktails, which are preferable to a rather uninteresting wine list.
The night doesn’t have to end when your two-hour table time is up. The show goes until 11 p.m. and then turns into a dance party Thursdays through Saturdays. You can take a perch at the downstairs bar and still have a fine view of the stage. Order another round if you’re unfazed by a bill that can equal the cost of a steakhouse dinner.
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
Credit: Courtesy of Damsel
There are new acts all the time at Damsel, and the high-energy performers interact with diners. The restaurant continues to evolve, too. Since my visits, Damsel has turned the upstairs into a lobster and steak bar, with a flambé dessert cart coming soon. Themed weekend brunches and a drag show are in the works. I’ll hope that, in future visits to this singular space, the food deserves as rousing an ovation as the show.
DAMSEL
1 out of 4 stars (good)
Food: new American; mostly small plates and finger food
Service: energetic, syncs with cabaret acts
Noise level: noisy — it’s dinner with a show
Recommended dishes: cauliflower hummus with crudites, charcuterie, cheeses and lavash crackers; fries; lobster cones; truffle arancini; tenderloin sliders
Vegetarian dishes: fries, beet and goat cheese Neapolitan, crisped vegetables; special menus available upon request
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $12-$30 for a la carte menu items, $60 for three-course menu, $125 for four-course menu (excluding drinks, tax and gratuity)
Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Wednesdays, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays (hours vary for downstairs and upstairs bar and shows)
Accessibility: wheelchair lift near entrance, elevator to upstairs lounge and rooftop bar
Parking: deck is free for first 2 hours
Nearest MARTA station: 3.3 miles to Arts Center
Reservations: highly recommended for 2-hour dinner-and-show seating; reservations require a $50-per-person deposit
Outdoor dining: rooftop bar with some covered seating
Takeout: no
Address, phone: 1235 Chattahoochee Ave. NW, Atlanta; 404-549-2480
Website: damselatl.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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