CAPE DUTCH
Supreme Fork Restaurant Review
CAPE DUTCH
By J. Wickliffe Cauthorn Cauthorn Nohr & Owen jwc @ cauthornnohr. com
Woodfire Grill was once my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, from the friendly knowledgeable yet unpretentious servers to the seemingly endless ability to find great chef after great chef, it had everything you could want in a special event restaurant. Now occupying the same space is Justin Anthony’ s cure for the common steakhouse, Cape Dutch. Walking in the front door, you quickly notice that this place is shooting for hip and young.
The bar space offers plush low seating and room for several groups of people( the night we visited, there was a group of 8-10 sharing small plates and enjoying drinks in one of the nooks near the front door). Although there were plenty of people in the room, it didn’ t feel crowded, and you could easily walk through the area to the hostess stand without worrying about knocking someone’ s elbow or spilling a cocktail.
The newly decorated dining room is much brighter than Woodfire Grill. They have upgraded the seating and added a couple of large high top tables that comfortably accommodate groups of 8-10. Cape Dutch would be a good option for either a romantic dinner or cocktails and supper with colleagues; it’ s certainly the type of place to entertain out-of-towners.
The cocktail list is old fashioned. Literally. Old fashions dominate and range from the classic rye – sugar – bitters combination to a latin themed tequila – agave – mole bitters version. The classic was perfect and just what I needed to get ready to relax and enjoy my dining experience. Don’ t let the cocktails fool you, though, stodgy this place is not.
The“ Braai” section of the menu is an homage to South Africa and features enormous 30 ounce porterhouses, 18 ounce ribeyes and a whole lobster(“ Braai” is an Afrikaans term that refers to cooking meat over an open fire or hot coals). Although large cuts of red meat and“ Braai” sauces dominate half of the menu, Cape Dutch is more sophisticated than a regular steak house, and the rest of the menu is devoted to refined smaller-portioned plates like seared sea scallops, porcini ravioli and seared sea bass. If you’ re not hungry for a huge dinner, there are several options that can easily be shared.
Cape Dutch offers quality wines from all over the world. You don’ t have to break the bank to enjoy yourself, either. I had a delicious cabernet and my wife had an excellent chardonnay / pinot noir blend, both by the glass. If you want to order a bottle, there are numerous options at any price range, any one of which you will enjoy.
We started with seasoned spinach and arugula salad and seared sea scallops. For our main course, we ordered a ribeye with sides of frites and brussel sprouts, which were served in sharable portions, and porcini ravioli. We split Belgian-style chocolate soup for dessert.
The scallops were delicious and perfectly cooked. They came with mint and were served over a quinoa tabbouleh. The mint added a freshness making the already light dish even lighter, but the quinoa added nothing except an odd texture. The salad was absolutely fantastic with“ braaied” oranges.
The ribeye was a ribeye – delicious, but three times more than I could eat. The porcini mushrooms stuffed ravioli made you forget you were eating a vegetarian dish. It was the best thing we ate. The Brussels sprouts were caramelized in the grill, and if you like pomme frites with a creamy sauce, then Cape Dutch is for you.
Well-balanced bitter-sweet chocolate soup with brandy capped perfectly punctuated the evening.
All in all, Cape Dutch is an exciting addition to the Atlanta food scene, located on Cheshire Bridge Road. Serving classic cuts, it also has a more refined and modern selection of dinner entrees. The price ranges from $ 5- $ 24 for starters, $ 14-market price for the Braai, and $ 19- $ 43 for entrees. The wine selection is large enough with options for everyone. You’ ll want to valet park, and uber home.
20 THE ATLANTA LAWYER January 2016 The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association