Hot Off the Press: Steakhead Enjoys Meal at French Restaurant

True foodies probably shake their head at me when I say I rarely eat French. But the truth of the matter is, sometimes French cuisine something just tries too hard. And for a simple Steakhead like me, it just gets lost. But I am always up for trying to expand my horizons, and after reading about the Mother's Day brunch at Pastis in Historic Roswell, I thought this may be as good an opportunity as ever to give the French another chance.

It was a learning experience all around for me. Let's start with Roswell, which is a town I was not very familiar with. Not only did I not know Roswell had an historic square, but I was surprised to learn there are actually two squares in Roswell. Neither is a square in the true sense (like the four-sided variety in Marietta), but both feature old buildings, adjacent green space and are home to several restaurants and art galleries.

The two-story building that houses Pastis dates back to 1813. There is a balcony upstairs that looks out onto a small park across the street. The inside reminded me a New England or Pennsylvania farm house with beautiful wide board hardwood floors. The house and décor alone is reason enough to visit Pastis, as you just don’t find houses like this very often in Atlanta.

As for the brunch, it was a nice spread for $24/pp. A buffet was set up in the bar area, which is the main area on the first floor immediately inside the front door. For the seafood lover, fresh smoked salmon, oysters on the half shell and chilled and peeled shrimp adorned the bar. Fried calamari and mussels in a tomato broth were also available. A carving station featured hot roast beef and ham. There were even a few traditional French staples like French toast and chicken fingers and French fries for the kids. Dessert included crème brulee and chocolate mousse (they sound French). Seriously, though, we thought the brunch was a great value.

So, even though my profile says I rarely eat French, I did enjoy my visit to Pastis. I would like to make a trip back one night to experience the regular menu (I was pleased to see the vodka smoked salmon is a regular offering, and I would definitely have that again). Perhaps take a stroll by some of the galleries, and then sit at one of the balcony tables that overlook the square. Who knows, maybe foie gras will be next.