A First Look at Avize: Atlanta’s Newest Alpine Restaurant

Winter is coming. Especially after the announcement of chef Karl Gorline opening his highly anticipated Alpine restaurant, Avize, on October 3. The renovated restaurant is in the former Nick’s Westside space in West Midtown. The focus of the menu, you guessed it, will be Alpine cuisine.

Gorline, formerly at Watershed and Atlas, says the restaurant is far from traditional and inspired by a mashup of European culinary influences.

“The ethos of true Alpine cuisine, with its focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients … have always inspired me. And with so many cultural influences — Swiss, German, French, Italian — there’s just so much to work with,” Gorline says.

The restaurant is working with a local farm in Bremen, GA to source seasonal produce. Gorline is particularly excited to serve a hay-smoked, dry-aged duck on the menu, in addition to roast chicken with a lemon caper sauce, venison tartare with blueberries, buckwheat, and walnuts, and striped bass with turnips, salsa verde, and anchovy emulsification. Also expect foie gras, a fermented carrot bolognese, and caviar on the menu.

At first look, the wine list at Avize is a deep dive into the obscure and rare. Given the Alpine roots of the menu, expect lesser-known European producers to match the food: German sparkling sekt, an extensive Champagne list, chardonnay from Jura in France, and frappato from Sicily are some available options. The cocktail menu will include innovative drinks like the Alpine swizzle, with navy rum, allspice dram pineapple, and chartreuse vegetal, served in a vintage German beer stein. An old-fashioned and an espresso martini will be on draft.

Avize will be open beginning October 3, Wednesday to Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are recommended.