Lamborghinis sit in the parking lot. A heavy, wooden door is guarded by a doorman. Elevated velvet booths occupy one side of a windowless room; a DJ booth is on the other. Go-go dancers cavort between tables.
With its sexy, upscale lounge vibes, Knife Modern Mediterranean does not appear to prioritize food, yet the dishes it serves are worth the menu prices. Executive Chef Metin Erturk emigrated from Turkey to run the restaurant’s kitchen, and he takes the food as seriously as the maître d’ takes the dress code.
The final component that makes visiting Knife a treat is the fabulous hospitality. The staff was equally welcoming for an 8 p.m. date night with my wife as it was for a 5:30 p.m. dinner with my parents, a grouping generally frowned upon at other trendy lounges.
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
The menu might not be very creative, but it does draw from various Mediterranean locales, including Turkey, Greece, Italy and Israel.
A standout dish was the Bodrum branzino ($38), a whole fish that was roasted beautifully. It was served with a hearty portion of roasted vegetables and crisp, fried fingerling potatoes. There was no singular “wow” component that took the branzino to another level, but it was perfectly executed, and a total pleasure to eat.
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
Likewise, nothing specific stood out about the lamb shank ($38), but it was a good piece of meat that had been braised perfectly. The fork-tender lamb was cradled by a bed of mashed potatoes, and was served au jus. It wasn’t ambitious, but it was very good.
Shrimp saganaki ($24), a fun take on the Americanized Greek appetizer of flambéed cheese, was more adventurous. It served as another bit of evidence that the conventional wisdom saying cheese should not be paired with seafood is crumbling.
Both salads on the menu were excellent, and pretty hearty, a help to vegetarians on a menu that doesn’t offer a meatless entree or kebab. The Knife salad ($15) leaned into the tartness of pomegranate, pairing the fruit with feta and lemon over chopped mixed greens. The burrata and arugula salad ($15) balanced the richness of the cheese at its center with colorful cherry tomatoes and sweet-tart strawberries.
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
Credit: Knife Modern Mediterranean
There were a few head-scratching choices among the appetizers. Our hummus ($9), which was solid but not spectacular, was served with three slices of bread from a tiny baguette. We asked for more bread and were not charged for it. The sushi kebab ($19) gets its name from the shape of the rolled lavash, an Armenian flatbread, stuffed with boldly seasoned ground lamb. It was very tasty, but not at all what we expected, based on the menu.
A grilled leg of octopus ($17) was served alongside a towering cloud of lavender foam. It was a spectacle, and one that made sense in the context of the restaurant, but the foam added little in the way of flavor, and the octopus, though nicely seasoned and charred, was a bit tough.
Drinks tend to be on the sweet side, and weirdly named, but several were quite good. The Mon-Glera spritz ($13), a combination of Italicus bergamot liqueur, sherry and prosecco, was dry and sophisticated, unlike the treacly sangria ($10). Despite its name, the hurricane ($14) was not the classic tiki cocktail. Instead, it combined Scotch with passion fruit, lime and bitters for an impressively balanced drink that went down a little too easily. Outside of cocktails, the trend-bucking beer list and interesting wine list had great options, and both of our waiter’s wine recommendations turned out to be very strong.
Knife Modern Mediterranean is the sort of restaurant that won’t appeal to everyone. Around 8 p.m., the lights dim, the DJ goes live and dancers in skimpy club attire start working their way through the dining room.
However, it skirts past the pitfalls suffered by many other lounge-style restaurants.
For one thing, there is real thought and effort put into the food, and much of the menu is genuinely good. It also is a luxurious space — meticulously clean, solid furniture and lighting that gives everything a honeyed glow.
Most of all, the personable, welcoming service, attentive at every turn, allows you to enjoy the experience.
Knife Modern Mediterranean tries to make every customer feel like a VIP, and delivers on that idea, which is an achievement worth celebrating — perhaps by popping open a bottle or two.
KNIFE MODERN MEDITERRANEAN
Food: diverse Mediterranean
Service: welcoming, friendly; overall, excellent
Best dishes: sushi kebab, mushroom souffle, burrata and arugula salad, Knife salad, Bodrum branzino, lamb shank, shrimp saganaki
Vegetarian dishes: flash-fried Brussels sprouts, risotto fritelle, mushroom souffle, patatas del born, hummus, baba ganoush, atom, burrata and arugula salad, Knife salad
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $$-$$$$
Hours: 5-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-12 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Parking: valet, pay lot next door
MARTA station: about half a mile from the Buckhead station
Reservations: recommended
Outdoor dining: patio out front
Takeout: no
Address, phone: 3162 Piedmont Road, Atlanta. 404-963-6395
Website: knifeatlanta.com
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