Clark’s Bets Big on Velvet and Volume
Clark’s is located at 2827 Peachtree Road. Call 404-343-1831 for more information.
New-ish Clark’s Steakhouse serves Southern fare rooted in French technique, Texas-inspired fire, and Buckhead polish. It works because it’s a slice of nostalgia, country clubby, refined, but still sassy. What stands out is on the grill, in the room, and in the glass.
On a Wednesday night at 6 p.m., the dining room of 170 plus 30 at the central bar was brimming with full tables, end of workday deals in the making, and dates portending romance.
Enter and note the deep red velvet upholstery wrapping the booths and banquettes, glowing under low light, with the elongated bar dead-center in the dining room. Everything else radiates outward. The effect is theatrical. It’s also loud, conversation across the table takes some effort as the room fills.
After an Old Fashioned ($22) arrived smoking (literally), tableside theater that fit the room, we ordered an $18 glass of Argentinian Malbec, poured into a “bowl- like glass,” oversized in the context of drama. When we mentioned it, the server swapped it out “pronto.” The servers move with the confidence of folks who’ve done this before. They walk through details and processes in a rehearsed routine, part-hospitality, part-performance, but not intrusive. For those who care about beef, cattle, and the like, the server hailed from Nebraska and knew all about marbling, “wet” vs. “dry” aging exposures used to tenderize and develop flavor. “Not for us”, we said. “Seafood all the way.” No problem.
This is a far cry from Rich Clark’s other Atlanta venture, C&S Oyster Bar, where the vibe is more neighborhood seafood than red-velvet spectacle. For 18 years, Clark has built a reputation on seafood across three C&S locations, self-described as a “Southern classic guy” with an appetite for fine dining with this added energy. Clark’s Steakhouse, which opened this past spring next to Fellini’s on Peachtree Road in a red brick office building, is his answer, drawing inspiration from comps in New York and Charleston.
Even the bathrooms get the treatment: sleek, marble-toned surfaces on all sides. The sink fixtures took a moment to figure out how to “wave in” the water.
So how do non-meat eaters navigate a steakhouse? Very well, thank you.
What we sampled:
• Tuna Tartare ($28), served over avocado with a soy-mirin sauce, was well-balanced with the purply cubes high atop the green base; even better as leftovers.
• The Caesar salad ($18) came laced with extra white anchovies, maybe a small thing, but hard to find, where most Caesars go light or skip the fish.
• The Chopped Salad ($18) was large enough to share, built around a black-eyed pea puree and feta for a Southern twist on a staple.
• Chilean Sea Bass over Succotash ($56) and the Blackened Red Snapper ($55), ordered “86” without the crab meat topping, both leaned into Clark’s seafood pedigree. The Whole Branzino with chimichurri ($48) came alongside a side of spinach that stayed bright green and a side of the house pomme purée, creamy rich. Portions were not skimpy.
Dessert was a spectacle: a hulking chunk of chocolate cake, easily enough for four. The real find was buried inside, the German chocolate filling, nutty and coconutty that outshined the surrounding cake.
Dinner at Clark’s is not inexpensive, but portions are generous and the service well-timed.
Buckhead has its share of pricey dining, but with a fish list this deep, Clark’s is playing a different game. It may be exactly where the C&S instincts make their strongest case.
The Policy private dining room accommodates up to 18 seated guests for lunch (Mon-Sun): $1,000 minimum; dinner (Mon-Sun): $2,000 minimum.
Clark’s is located at 2827 Peachtree Road. For more information, call 404-343-1831. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Dinner is served from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.; 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.; and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.