Avize Modern Alpine Kitchen opens Oct. 3, taking over the space once home to Nick’s Westside on Brady Avenue.
Owned by Chef Karl Gorline, the name includes roots in the words “advise” and “avisen”, a Middle English term meaning to examine, consider, or take counsel. It’s what Gorline hopes to achieve at Avize, exploring his family’s heritage in Bavaria and the cuisines of Alpine countries through the restaurant’s menu.
Some dishes are based on family recipes. Gorline’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Bavarian region of Germany. Look for other dishes styled after those found in countries bordering the Alps, including France, Switzerland, and Italy, many using foraged ingredients and fresh vegetables, grains, and herbs from Avize’s farm in Bremen, Georgia.
Expect a dry-aged duck for two smoked in hay from the Bremen farm. Gorline considers the duck one of Avize’s signature dishes. His take on flammkuchen – tarte flambée from the Alsace region of France – comes topped with onions, smoked crème fraiche, and house-cured bacon. Minced blueberries, buckwheat, and walnuts create bittersweet notes in gamey venison tartare.
The bar features Alpine twists on cocktails, such as a riff on the rum-based swizzle using Navy-proof rum, allspice dram pineapple, and green chartreuse served in a vintage beer stein. The wine lists highlights small producers and more unusual vintages from around the Alpine region.
For Gorline, Avize is more about honoring Alpine cuisine and traditions rather than being too literal or traditional in the approach.
“Being involved with the process of designing the space [with architect Micah Hall of Gather and Grow Studios] and finding the balance of being inspired by an Alpine theme without becoming gimmicky, really inspired me to create a menu that honored Alpine food traditions and still be true to myself,” Gorline told Rough Draft. “It will always be a balance between being inspired by the classics, but not restricted.
Check out the menu for Avize below:
Avize, 956 Brady Avenue, Atlanta. Open Wednesday – Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
