It’s the Buckhead big leagues for the second outpost of Little Alley Steak.
The hot seafood bouquet with charred lemon
It’s been a wait of interminable length, but Little Alley Steak Buckhead has finally arrived. From F&H Food Trading Group comes a 9,000-square-foot megarestaurant ready to take on your expense accounts. Unlike its intimate, cozy sister restaurant on Canton Street in Roswell, Little Alley Steak Buckhead is primed for its local, upscale, demanding clientele.
The cabana lounge and outdoor bar, which already has a booming scene.
With the restaurant being divided into three distinct sections, there’s truly something for every diner. Live music six nights a week helps invite those looking to dine tête-à-tête in the bar area, while a smaller “Butcher Block Room”—so named for the custom butcher blocks donning the walls—is a showstopper, thanks to an enormous Edison bulb chandelier hanging over a table set for 10. The formal dining room with plenty of half round banquets to accommodate groups and a completely separate, lively cabana bar—DJs at the ready—outside round out the seating options. (A private dining room complete with wine wall, kitchen and separate bar is what’s up the long staircase at the back of the restaurant).
A signature cocktail dubbed Muddled Mission
Start with the drink menu and, chances are, you’ll feel overwhelmed—an astounding 426 types of bourbon, scotch and whiskey are yours for the taking. Everything from a 30-year-old Macallan (2-ounce pour for $450) to a 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle (2-ounce pour for market price) make the cut. The menu is divided by locations, including rarer places of origin like India, Taiwan, France and South Africa. Three Old-Fashioned and three Manhattan choices are also available.
The menu under Culinary Director Tony Manns Jr. is the same for loyalists of the Canton Street outpost, but there’s also an additional lunch menu in Buckhead to serve the plethora of office buildings nearby. Charcuterie, including local offerings from The Spotted Trotter, appear, as do starters ranging from duck confit rolls to American Kobe carpaccio. There are salads as well, but you’re really here for the seafood and steaks. Skip ahead to the shellfish bouquet—done hot in a bouillabaisse-style broth that’s addictive, thanks to the fennel, saffron and charred lemons—before diving into the meat.
Six fish options include branzino and wild Georgia shrimp, which can be served a la meunière, fire-grilled or pan-crisped. There are also seven alternatives to steak listed, ranging from Springer Mountain Farms chicken to Border Springs Farm lamb chops. But the 12 butcher cuts, six upgrades, four sauces, four butters and 16 sides are the real showstoppers.
The 100 percent Black Angus beef hails from revered Meats by Linz and are cut exclusively for Little Alley Steak. Come hungry: The smallest cut is 8 ounces of a 21-day-aged marinated hanger steak. Heartier eaters will have a hard time choosing between a 28-day-aged barrel-cut filet and 35-day-aged ribeye, both listed under Wet Aged. Dry Aged options include bone-in New York strips (45 days) and a bone-in ribeye in a lollipop cut (38 days). Switch it up and give the Progression of New York strip a whirl, in which 4 ounces each of medium-rare sous-vide wet-aged, dry-aged and USDA prime beef are offered. Gild the lily with upgrades such as king crab Oscar, yuzu bearnaise or foie gras butter.
An 18-ounce dry-age ribeye
There are a few items that sill need to be tweaked, as with any new restaurant, but all things that can be worked out with time. If a recent visit was any indication, they’ll be jampacked for the weeks and months to come, so get your reservation booked early.
LITTLE ALLEY STEAK BUCKHEAD
3500 Lenox Road NE, 404.254.1899
