Gunshow

Gunshow in Atlanta, GA is chef Kevin Gillespie’s restaurant (of Top Chef fame) that offers a bold, new take on the traditional dining experience. Inspired by Brazilian churrascaria-style dining and Chinese dim sum, Gillespie combined the two for a decidedly fun and delicious result. Dishes are presented on rolling carts and trays to diners at their tables where they can then choose what to order. Pricing is a la carte and the menu options change weekly, if not daily.

 

 

Along with an innovative dining experience, the restaurant’s design is also unique. With few walls and a highly visible kitchen, there is a sense of transparency throughout Gunshow. We were seated at the counter and high a direct view of the chefs who would be serving their creations this night.  Our assigned 'server' was also the beer and wine guy, so we ordered our drinks from him.  If cocktails were preferred, another guy made those at a cocktail cart near the front.  Keith first tried the Alpine Tonic made with beet & fennel gin, tarragon tonic, cloosterbitter, citric, and seltzer.  His took a sip and immediately stated "Wow - that's 'beety'!"  He only had the one, then switched to beer for the remainder of the night.

We started with a refreshing salad of Watermelon with cucumber, radish, chevre and bay oil.  If we were ordering from the menu, we probably would have skipped this dish, however it was the first to come by in the presentations and frankly looked pretty that my hungry self instinctively said "yes!" when asked if we'd like to have it.  It was light and a nice start to the meal.

Another item that I would have passed on, but that caught Keith's eye was the Sweet Crab with plum gazpacho and watercress.  It was another cold dish that was refreshing for a warm evening, but a little too sweet for me.

One item we were eager to try was the Vietnamese Style Catfish with crispy okra and dill.  Coated in yellow curry powder, this fish was cooked perfectly and had great flavor.  The dill really accented the fish and the okra.  It was our favorite dish of the evening.

Keith ordered the Braised Pork Shank with autumn squash, pole beans, and turnips.  The Fall ingredients were comforting and this dish was overall very satisfying, hearty, and full of tender pork.

I loved the Charred Octopus with Spanish potato salad, chorizo, jalapeno and mint.  Though a small serving, the flavors were spot on with a creative plating that appeased the eye.  I only wish more octopus was included to balance out the dish.

Lastly, an item on the menu sounded good and we could see one of the chefs taking his time to make it.  The anticipation really tempted us that although we were pretty full, we decided to wait for the House-made Pasta with apple dashi, radicchio and mushroom bacon.  Unfortunately, our expectations were not met.  The 'pasta' was more like a ramen topped with the vegetables including kimchi.  The flavors were lackluster, and overall we were underwhelmed with this dish.  Oh well - one miss out of six dishes is not that bad.

The atmosphere is fun and laid back at Gunshow.  The 'servers' don't take your food orders or serve anything besides drinks, so you have to pay attention and look out for the dish you may want as it passes by.  I highly recommend you study the menu they give you, so you are aware of the night's options.  If you decline any dish, they mark your paper menu and will never return with that same item - so be decisive.  One positive is that the dishes are on the small side, so you can order a handful to taste and share.  Be careful though, as the many dishes quickly add up in price.  It's all about balance.  We arrived early enough that we did not have to wait that long for items to come out, but could see it taking longer as the restaurant filled up, which could be frustrating.  Bottomline, if you go with an open mind and are looking for a different experience, then you will enjoy yourself at the Gunshow.

Total Rating: 4.3
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 4.5, Accessibility: 4.5