Lemon Pepper Wet Frog Legs Are a Real Atlanta Moment at Avize | Eater Atlanta

"Defining what an Alpine restaurant can be in Atlanta, Chef Karl Gorline builds a smart, unexpected bridge between Southern ingredients and Bavarian influences—nothing says it better than lemon pepper wet frog legs that taste like tender chicken in a lemony, herbaceous butter sauce, served with a dainty crystal bowl for discarded bones and best paired with Champagne Paul Goerg. Plates range from rabbit heart boudin (a nod to his time in New Orleans) served with duck, okra with lamb, and North Georgia Mountain trout, to an exceptional hay-smoked duck ($65) dry-aged for two weeks and served with duck heart and liver boudin, deglazed in 1983 Armagnac; the lamb is another visual treat, and the black sesame tiramisu ($18) with tableside shaved truffles is earthy and rich—pair it with a 2011 Smith Woodhouse late-bottled vintage port. The Notorious B.I.G. plays softly and the lights are dim; an elegant older couple sits next to me—the woman chic in a black turtleneck and a large silver necklace—while a table over, a group of young women order martinis beneath the restaurant’s famous taxidermied white mountain goat; service is present but nearly invisible. It’s a classy joint that knows how to chill. Insider tip: ask sommelier Taurean Philpott which reserve Rieslings he’s hiding; the wine list sticks to Alpine regions, but true treasures might not have made it onto the list yet, like a 2021 Selbach Oster Riesling Spätlese or a crunchy 2020 Ngeringa apple, quince, and pear cider." - Henna Bakshi