Fresh on the Scene: American Food and Beverage, Diner, and more

American Food and Beverage
Not nearly as opinionated or as good-looking as its sister restaurant, Thirteen Pies, this addition to Buckhead Atlanta is as unoriginal as its name. Fried chicken with a pepper biscuit and braised collard greens, duck pot pie, and flounder with quinoa do little to stir the imagination. That said, the generous pork shank with creamy Red Mule grits and spiced tomatoes, and the Scotch eggs with chorizo do—in large part—hit their marks. 250 Buckhead Avenue, 678-705-0454

Diner
Atlantic Station is home to several inviting restaurants. This retro eatery by Ron “the Angry Chef” Eyester is not one of them. The sprawling space, carved out of an old sports grill, feels lifeless, while service is lacking on all fronts. If you go during the day, stick with the crisp potato hash topped with an egg and housemade sausage. At night, the bleak atmosphere makes plates of meatloaf or potato skins with cured salmon seem even more ho-hum. 261 19th Street, 404-600-6151

Gu’s Dumplings
Those still mourning the abrupt closing of Gu’s Bistro may be disappointed in this condensed follow-up in Krog Street Market. Missing is the tongue-numbing spice and heat that gives Sichuan food its charm. And when much of the food—including the famed Zhong-style dumplings, the Chongqing spicy chicken, and the sliced tofu skin with Sichuan peppercorns—tastes uncharacteristically flat, the prices ($15 for most entrees) are hard to justify. Better are the cold Chengdu-style noodles, dan dan noodles, and the kung pao lotus roots. 99 Krog Street, 404-527-6007

Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore

Le Fat
It took more than a year for Guy Wong of Miso Izakaya to transform his largely disappointing Westside establishment Yum Bunz into this sultry space, which mines the history of Vietnam’s colonial past. Colorful summer rolls in thin-stretched wrappers, the best shaking beef (quickly sauteed tender Angus beef) in Atlanta, and soulful beef pho are surprisingly affordable considering the culinary refinement and the seductive decor. Start with a spirited cocktail like the Billet-Doux, which mixes curaçao with Champagne. The cafe corner serving French pastries and Vietnamese coffee over condensed milk is an attractive fly-by during the day for lunch. 935 Marietta Street, 404-439-9850
—Christiane Lauterbach