Au revoir, a la carte -- Staplehouse is bringing its tasting menu back

Interior of Staplehouse / AJC file photo

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Interior of Staplehouse / AJC file photo

If you were bummed when Staplehouse changed from a tasting menu to an a la carte menu, next month will bring a welcome change.

Beginning April 1, the much-lauded Old Fourth Ward restaurant is reverting to the tasting-menu exclusive format it first launched with when it opened in 2015. The restaurant switched to a seasonally driven, a la carte menu in September 2016.

The tasting menu, which may range from eight to 10 courses, will cost $105 per person.

The shift means that Staplehouse will no longer offer an a la carte menu.

"Our recent decision to change our menu format to an all-tasting menu is a step towards our goal to provide the best experience possible," said executive chef Ryan Smith said in a prepared statement. "We believe this format will allow us the opportunity to focus on our creativity as well as our standards in service and execution. In addition, these adjustments will help us provide our dedicated staff with a better work-life balance. Our guest experience and the health and happiness of our staff are extremely important to us."

The restaurant will continue to accommodate all dietary restrictions, which diners can list when completing their online reservation .

In addition to the new menu format, Staplehouse is also changing its hours. It had been open Wednesdays-Sundays but will switch to a Tuesdays-Saturdays schedule.

Smith was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best Chef: Southeast category, and Staplehouse was a finalist in 2016 for Best New Restaurant. Bon Apetit magazine also named the eatery the best new restaurant in the country in 2016, and Staplehouse was included in  Eater's annual list of the Best New Restaurants in America and named to  the top of GQ's Best New Restaurants of 2016 list . The restaurant also serves as the for-profit arm for The Giving Kitchen, a non-profit that helps workers in the Atlanta restaurant community who are facing unanticipated crises .

April reservations to Staplehouse can be made beginning March 9 on the restaurant's website.

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