Kevin Rathbun Steak — Restaurant in Atlanta

I had been craving steak for awhile and decided to check this place out! The steakhouse is located at the end of a street with complimentary valet parking so it's easy to get in then easy to get out. Once inside, I was seated quickly for my early dinner. I knew, as I was celebrating a special occasion, I wanted to try a little bit of everything so I made sure to mix it up! With the waitress being very attentive throughout the evening, by making her recommendations and mentioning some of her favorites, I truly appreciated the excellent service. I ended up trying the foie gras, oysters, the seafood chowder (which was the soup of the day), the dry aged rib-eye, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. As I was in a small party, another plus is they offered half size portions for the sides. So if you wanted to try a smaller size of the sides instead of ordering the normal size, it works! Although my service was excellent, unfortunately my meal was less than adequate. The bread was delicious and had great flavor! I found the foie gras to be a tad salty and thought it was missing something on that plate. Now originally, it comes made with peanut butter and a peach sauce, but as I have a peanut allergy, mine came without. Although this element was missing on the plate, I still found the dish to be lackluster compared to other foie gras I've tried. The oysters were good but the size of the sauces it came with was too large! I mean, I love when I get a little extra of anything but those oysters were super tiny compared to the sizes of the sauces! It was clear I would have a ton left over. At least make the size of the sauce containers be comparable to the size of the oysters.

That seafood chowder was not merely in close consideration of what a chowder should look or feel like! I was expecting a thick chowder soup full of bold flavors and flavorful seafood but instead, I got a watery tasteless soup with no seasoning and over cooked seafood! I mean as soon as I picked up the soup in my spoon, it was too thin! I was disappointed with this dish and regretted even ordering it! Not even the fresh cracked black pepper saved that dish. I had my steak medium rare oscar style, but that hollandaise sauce was a tad salty for me! I love me a hollandaise sauce on my steak, but that sauce was not my favorite and I could tell between the texture and flavor, it was missing something. Then when eaten with the meat, it was just blah. When I ate the meat on its own, I couldn't taste the dry age. It was just a big hunk of meat that had no seasoning added to it before it was cooked. The cook on the steak was perfect, but each flavor component fell flat for me. Overall, I felt my plate needed something to bring the entire thing together. I loved the mashed potatoes! The creamy texture was perfect and the flavor was just right. As for the creamed spinach, I've had better. As it was a special occasion, I received a free dessert of my choice! I ended up getting the bread pudding, which was ok. The bourbon ice cream was great, but I found the bread pudding itself was dry! The praline sauce on top covered the dry bread pudding, which was great, but as I ate the dessert, I could clearly see this sauce covered up the boo boo underneath. If the bread pudding itself was moist, the sauce would have complimented it but unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I did end up getting some items to go, and the waitress ended up adding a free side, which I appreciated! I don't mind spending money on food, but for an expensive meal, my food should be perfect! My food clearly was not and I've been to better steakhouses for the price. If less salt was used and if every component on the dish had more thought put into it, the meal could have been remarkable. Great vibe and decor, but not...

I love trying new places in Atlanta, so I was excited to visit Kevin Rathbun Steakhouse with a friend who heard great things about it on social media. We should have known that something was up when the "K" was missing frim sign on door.. We went in expecting an amazing experience, especially given the $300 price tag for our meal, but unfortunately, the evening fell far short of our expectations.

The Food:

The steaks were underwhelming. Mine was cooked medium, as requested, but it wasn’t tender or buttery and lacked proper seasoning. My friend ordered a medium-well steak, which was also under-seasoned and, oddly, not as tender as expected. We shared a salad which we both enjoyed.

The waitress could have given a better description when recommendung the scalloped sweet potato this was disappointing. We were expecting traditional scalloped sweet potatoes but instead got sweet potatoes layered over white potatoes with a creamy cheese sauce. It ended up tasting more like mac and cheese, which we didn’t enjoy.

The sides didn’t fare much better. The spicy cauliflower was under done spiced was not well balanced the sauce that was served with it didn't compliment them The mushrooms were unimaginative and bland, while the asparagus came with a tasty sauce but had no seasoning at all.

Surprisingly, the best part of the meal was the bread.

Drinks:

The rosé was enjoyable, but the margaritas were a letdown. My friend ordered two margaritas while we waited, but they were served in small glasses better suited for bourbon or other spirits. Despite his request for the drinks to be served with our food, the waitress ignored this and brought them earlier.

The Service:

The restaurant was buzzing, but the service didn’t match the energy. Our waitress was nice but not very attentive. There was a 50-minute wait for our food, and she only realized we didn’t like the mushrooms at the end of the meal.

To her credit, she did remove the mushrooms and the Pellegrino from the bill without us asking after noticing the issues. However, when she replaced a dirty water glass, she only swapped the glass and not the bottle of Pellegrino, which felt odd.

By the time the dessert menu was offered, we decided to cut our losses and declined.

Overall: The subpar food, slow service, and lack of attention to detail make it unlikely we’ll return. For the price, we expected a much higher standard. Kevin Rathbun Steakhouse, unfortunately, didn’t live up to the hype. The experience left us disappointed and wishing we’d chosen ...

This is an experience of a life. I'm a very picky steak eater, due to improper cooking, however, this place was amazing and exceeded my expectations. Firstly, the entrance to the restaurant is beautiful. The outdoor furniture compliments the flowers and greenery perfectly. It's welcoming and shunning on a bright cool day. Once you enter the restaurant, it sets the bar higher for the food, beverage, and service. The restaurant is cozy, romantic with dim lights and candles on every table, plus modern and classy. It's perfect for couples honestly. I took my mother on her birthday, but I was just repeating in my head how I would love to take my spouse on a relaxing date out in the town here. I would live personally in the restaurant if I could, the energy and vibe is chill, cool, and you feel as if you're in another world. Secondly, our server was amaze balls and made the experience for us three times better. His name is Rick and he is the sweetest, funniest, attentive, and all round a great being. I will come back just for him honestly. His customer service skills are like no other. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials they had. His recommendations were delicious, a man of great taste, and he was just all I ever wanted in a server and person period. Thirdly, the food was speechless. You know when you do your happy dance because something is just that good, while the food will have you dancing. I ordered my steak medium rare and it was perfectly cooked plus made with super amounts of love. The charcoal accents from the grill added to the flavor and sent my mouth on an adventure. The lobster mac and cheese was to die for in addition, the charred jalapeno corn was just what the doctor ordered. Their oyster are fresh as if they were caught this morning, and the dessert was heavenly. I left in a food coma and ready for a nap because it was that good. If you want amazing food with great service then this is the place to be, and let's not forget the steaks are the best I've ever had. Sorry pops but their steaks beats you today. Did I mention how amazing Rick was? Please look for Rick and tell him I love him plus I sent you over for the meal...