“Simple Done Well” at JCT. Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta, GA

Getting a chance to re-visit my old college town for Thanksgiving was a real treat. I was fortunate to have family there to provide a homey Thanksgiving Day experience and a few extra days to check out the city I loved so many years ago. Knowing that we would be visiting family most of the time, I had only one “dine-out” dinner opportunity and I wanted it to be a good one. I selected the hip southern style restaurant where the chef’s motto is “simple well done” at JCT. Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta, GA.

Arriving early for our reservation allowed us a few minutes in their Upstairs Bar which was fun & lively. The service was friendly and quick and the drinks were good. Once all of our guests arrived, we meandered downstairs to the restaurant and were greeted immediately and seated at a comfortable table in their upscale diner style restaurant. The room was appointed with several styles of tables and booths with an assortment of cool upholstery. There were floor to ceiling curtains that gave a slight partition to the tables. It was a perfect way to offer a bit of privacy while keeping with the style and colors of the room. I thought it was a great idea!

As expected, their menu offered a selection of southern style comfort food with an updated twist. We were greeted with a large hunk of fabulous crusty Country French Bread & Apple Butter. It was scrumptious! Having brought drinks from the bar, only one of our group ordered a drink. It was the “Front Porch Swing” (such a cute name!) and was non-alchoholic made with basil, mint, lemon, water & rhubarb bitters. Delightful and refreshing!

The sides (listed as shares) were so enticing, we decided to order two of them as starters for the table along with one appetizer. We ordered the Brussels Sprouts with roasted garlic vinaigrette, Roasted Squash Risotto made with carolina gold rice, herbs & parmesan and Deviled Eggs with benton’s country ham and extra virgin olive oil. I voted the risotto number 1, sprouts – 2 and eggs – 3, although they were all quite good. The risotto, however, was exceptional – creamy and yummy!

Most of our table opted for fish entrees: North Georgia Trout with smoked kale, cauliflower & almond brown butter or their Day Boat Fish of the Moment with crispy brussels, chiles, creamy celery root, & lemon vinaigrette. The others chose  Wood Roasted Burgers served with sharp cheddar, red wine mushrooms and truffle-parmesan fries. All were quite delicious with interesting and well made accompaniments. The attention to detail was evident down to the homemade brioche hamburger bun and the plating was professional & appealing. 

There were many other items I would have loved to try such as their Angry Mussels or their Creamy Parsnip & Cider Soup or maybe the Fried Green Tomatoes. Too many great choices for one visit. We weren’t even able to tackle their wonderful list of desserts. I think we overdid it on that exquisite bread and butter to start…! I’ll have to save those for next time. I would happily return to this delightful restaurant, although I hear there are many other great places to try in Atlanta!