Chef’s Table - Bullish sign of the times

After a 10-year run at Canoe, Gary Mennie left the restaurant in March to open his first restaurant, Taurus, slated for a late August debut.

Creative Loafing: How’d you know the timing was right to open your own restaurant?

Mennie: At Canoe, it was 10 years of nonstop love. It was like being on tour with a rock-n-roll band. But everyone that I trained at Canoe is now a chef-owner. I was ready for the next step in my career.

The restaurant is not at street/eye-level.

That is definitely a challenge. Our number one goal is to get people upstairs. We are where Buckhead meets Midtown, at 25th and Peachtree. It’s a high-profile address. We have a 24-foot neon sign, a valet, a beautiful garden. Our hostess stand is on the ground level and you’ll be greeted there under a beautiful awning. There’s a 55-foot glass atrium and a lounge area before you go up the elevator. Capital Grille and New York Prime have proven that you can break the mold, think outside the box.

What’s the concept?

This is not fine dining, five-star dining. We’re a New American chophouse, with entrees in the $14-$20 range. This is a neighborhood restaurant, a big one, with 200 seats. Along the lines of what Kevin Rathbun is achieving - I respect the hell out of him. We’ll do a lot of roasted on the bone: suckling pigs, duck, salt-crusted prime rib, whole roasted fish. We’re a practical, playful kind of restaurant. We’re keeping it fun.

Chefs barely have a personal life as it is. Now you are going to run the whole show. I’ve been doing this for 19 years. You spend more time with your sous chefs than your family, but my wife understands how I tick. My children turn 2 and 4 this year. For the last few months, I’ve been like Mr. Mom, cooking dinner every night. But if you want to succeed in this business, you’ve gotta be obsessed. Now we are in the final stages-menu tastings, hiring. It’s like a woman who is eight months pregnant. The baby isn’t going to stay in there forever.

chefstable@creativeloafing.com






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