Omnivore - Upton Sinclair did not eat here

Abattoir opens in West Atlanta

Wayne and I hit the new Abattoir last night. I know the restaurant is literally located in a former slaughter house. But, honestly, I have very mixed feelings about a name that reminds me of Upton Sinclair’s harrowing novel, The Jungle, about the Chicago meatpacking industry in the early 1900s. And then there was Bob Herbert’s campaign against the Smithfield Packing Company in the New York Times a few years ago.

Abattoir, rather like Holeman & Finch, is part of the “whole animal” movement. As its website says: “Abattoir will feature dishes redolent of head cheese, innards, feet and tongue.”

Boy howdy. This starter of chicken liver pate served in a jar with an armagnac glaze was tame beside our lamb kidneys and tripe stew. We didn’t taste anything that wasn’t impressive, even if it was offal (laugh, dammit).

Abattoir had only been open a few days when we visited but is already operating smoothly. We did have one rather out-of-the-ordinary experience, but you’ll have to read about that later this week in “Grazing.”

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)