Palate Café & Bar

Bells on draft. And – if you live in my ‘hood (O’hurst), you can walk your happy ass home post Bell’s session.
Heavenly delight!

Palates is no longer here. The new bar is divided into to sections. One is like a sports bar with patio and one similar to a wine bar. Palates used to be known for their wine, this place is not. Their staff was friendly and their beer list was not bad just dont go here thinking it’s still a wine bar.

This business has closed and has been re-​opened as McGowan’s Pub. I am told the owners are the same and it looks like some of the menu items on McGowan’s Pub’s menu have been carried over from Palate’s menu.

Palate has a beautiful patio facing green lawns in downtown Oakhurst. It’s a perfect local to drink a few glasses of wine and seriously wind down. I’ve been here a handful of times over the years and the menu so far has reliably not changed and the food execution has also reliably not changed.
That means your Macadamia-​Encrusted Scallops ($ 13.50) will always be served with reliably under done green beans and somewhat dry rustic mashed potatoes but still, very serviceable. The Old-​Fashioned Meatloaf ($ 10.95) is good, but even better when it was the $ 5 recession special. On the whole, most of the food is average, not really anything to write home about, and for a wine bar, the wine list could be a bit more expansive.
Still, the real draw though is – close your eyes — holding that glass of cool white wine on the patio in the summer. Think about it.

It’s been almost a year since I least went — hope it’s okay to post an update!
We went and had dessert and just hung out on the couch — the servers were very accommodating and we appreciated the attention. I like being asked if I am royalty — perhaps I looked regal sitting on the couch and surveying the whole room with arched brow?
We got coffee and dessert — very low key. I like this place a lot because you get the same treatment regardless of whether you drop a load of cash or are just passing through.

I’m a Palate junkie. It’s got to be in my top 5 favorite places to eat in the city. I’ve been here for dinner, private events, and parties. Every time I leave stuffed and happy. Last night I went to dinner with my friend and her husband and we took advantage of half price bottle night. We got a really great bottle of pinot noir for only $ 19. A glass of that will cost $ 10 regularly, so that was a steal. We split the bruschetta appetizer (yum!) and I had the scallops for my main course. The menu is small, but allows them to do things very well. I’d have that over a 6 page TGIFriday’s-esque menu any day of the week.
Still haven’t gotten someone to take me on a date there yet, though. Hope springs eternal.

Their kitchen is small, and because of this, you may (rarely perhaps, though it just happened to me) not get your food until everyone else at your table has finished eating.
The server explained «hey, we’re a small restaurant,» and one person at my table quietly replied «and about to be smaller.» I really do like the food and drinks and atmosphere– it just seems like they need to prepare a bit better for prime time.

My girlfriend and I came here just for a relaxing evening and to have a nice glass of wine. great wine list. Might be a little overpriced but what wine isn’t. Nice servers and attentive. the night we were there, there were two women sitting on a couch over from us and apparently they couldn’t see each other well enough, so they asked to have the lights turned up. But it turned out the lights above US were the ones brightened and when I asked the ladies if we could turn them back down, one got a little snotty with me. So we just went and sat at the bar, which was nice. All in all, with the exception of the snotty women, which in no way had anything to do with palate, we had a nice time. I recommend for a date or a small get together. The montepulciano was VERY good. We did not try the food so I can’t comment on that.

Great ambiance and staff. I love what they’ve done with the place, especially out front on the patio, which used to be a messed up concrete slab and is now something a bit more special. Historically significant, too. As I understand it from the Oakhurst locals, this was a turn-​of-​the-​century sanitarium for TB patients. Mmmm!

I was invited by a friend to join her for a Monday evening happy hour. It turned out to be ½ price wine night and we enjoyed a couple nice choices and a cheese platter. The service was pleasant, the bar was low key and we pledged to support them cannot wait till spring when the patio opened.

This is an interesting place and I can see myself going back. First, the bad… the entrance is not easy to find. And there are these funny little ramp things up to the door (as opposed to stairs). It’s hard to explain, but suffice it to say that on a snow day like today, I was concerned about going up that ramp (after experiencing confusion about where the front door was). There’s a door on either side of the building on Oak St. and it seems you can go into either of those doors. There’s also a door in the middle that I don’t think is an entrance. Overall, the signage is not clear and it is just not very apparent where to go in. And it is cold and icy today, so that was a bit of a nuisance.
That said, now on to the good…
1. Very friendly, nice, yet not annoying service. Our server gets an A. He had just about the perfect-​level of attentiveness. He didn’t bug us. But he also did not forget about us.
2. This place doesn’t feel like a restaurant or bar. It’s hard to describe. It kind of feels like an event place. It was a little weird at first, but I liked it at the end.
3. It would be a great, unique date place for anyone looking for something that has a nice, cool, «different» vibe. The menu is limited, but if you are not picky, you’ll find something for dinner. Alternatively, it would be a good spot to hang out at after dinner somewhere else. It almost has a coffeehouse feel — moreso than «restaurant.»
4. The food was good. I had bruschetta and hot tea. My dining companions had wine, scallops and meatloaf — everything was eaten.
Overall, a nice place and worth a visit.

I was very happy to find this in the Oakhurst area of Decatur. Lovely outdoor seating. Not a huge wine list to choose from, but what they have is good and very fairly priced. Food was good, but it was the outdoor seating and casual atmosphere that really did it.
Be sure to look around inside at the art gallery. Palate is located in the old Scottish Rite hospital, so it’s a rather unique building.

This place is… ok.
I’ve been here once, on friday night, and it was ok. I had a small dinner (the sandwich was too small) with a sandwich and just water (i had to drive!!). i sit outside, but i had some problems with some mosquitos.
Inside the place is. different. Actually i like it, but i want to come back again and try some wines.
I think i can add a star then!

Went here yesterday for the Monday special – any bottle of wine for half-​price. We went at eight and thought maybe it was closed. It has a cute atmosphere (though the overpowering 80s music was a little incongruous), but it’s not so cozy when you’re THE ONLY PEOPLE THERE. Perhaps that should have tipped us off…
The wine suggestion was great (Big Fire), but the cheese plate w/​one meat was not quite as gourmet as the description and price implied… The bread was a little past its prime, the olives were mushy. My friend said one of the cheeses tasted like Velveeta – I’m not sure I would go quite as far, but it was pretty damn flavorless. It was still far better than the awful main course, rosemary chicken. With images of rotisseries dancing in my head, you can imagine my disappointment when two blanched chicken breasts that looked like old man cheeks bleeding balsamic reduction appeared, floating on ‘rosemary potatoes’ and about two roasted cherry tomatoes. If there was rosemary on those potatoes, I’d be astonished. There was no seasoning except for balsamic reduction, not even salt. At least the old man cheeks were nice and tender…
I’d say go for the wine and don’t get much else. The server was nice, at least!

Man, I love wine, and I was so happy to discover this place! Palate’s in the middle of an adorable, neighborhood called Oakhurst, which has a few shops (check out the gourmet dog food store) and restaurants.
They’re having a great half-​off wine special on Monday nights now, as well as a buy 1-​get 1 coffee drink special every night!
The wine here is great — try the Sun Garden, it comes in a cool blue bottle — perfect for summer. They have good beer too, though, which I thought was great.
The food is GREAT! I’ve had all the appetizers by now — the Bruschetta is sooooooo good, and the desserts… please order the chocolate bread pudding, it is beyond description.
I can’t wait until summer when I can sit outside on the lovely patio and sip wine. Yum.

This is an enjoyable place to have a glass of wine and enjoy a snack, dinner or dessert, but it is not really a good place for large groups (at least not on a week night).
Had a bottle of the Big Fire Pinot Gris, which took them about 15 – 20 minutes to bring out, and the cheese plate to start. All food is made from ingredients bought at the DeKalb Farmer’s Market according to their menu. Ordered the tomato mozzarella panini with field greens and my partner ordered the panini with prosciutto. We hadn’t tried the paninis before and we both enjoyed them (I did at least once mine arrived!). I still think their mac and cheese is some of the best around (although 4^th and Swift’s is up there too).
We were in a group of 15 – 20, got there at 7:30 and when I had to leave to meet someone at 9:30, my entrée had not yet come, so had to grab a to-​go box. Luckily I wasn’t dying of hunger since the cheese plate was somewhat filling. Oh well… poor waitress couldn’t help that they understaffed the kitchen. Everyone else got their food but me, so maybe I was just the unlucky one. Maybe sitting outside slowed service too.
I do enjoy the neighborhood and ambience, so I’m sure I’ll be back (but not in a large group on a week night).

I enjoyed Palate and hope to return soon. There’s just nothing quite so «grown-​up» as sipping wine while walking around a gallery and then reclining on a chaise.
This is a great spot to enjoy wine, nibble on a tasty treat, and just sit back and chillax. Or, if you’re feeling sexy, Palate can accommodate that mood, too. I would recommend for either a date or for a group ready to enjoy a (pleasantly) heated political debate.

Alright — by no means am I a wine connoisseur, but I do love a good red. If you’re looking for a superior wine bar, or a quiet and casual place for a date, this is the spot.
An excellent selection of wine is offered, as is a variety of beer. The desserts offered are all excellent; the bread pudding that I had was excellent.
Its located a little off the beaten path, but I think that’s one of the reasons I like it so much. I can’t wait until I go back.

I checked out Palate on a Thursday night. They were having a special wine flight, as they do every other Thurs. For $ 10 you get 4 tastes of wine and some cheese. The night we went, it was value wines from Ca. Having just moved to Atlanta from SF, I was really hoping to love this place. I know the wine bar business is hard and when you throw in all the crazy GA liquor laws, it really is hard to find a great wine bar.
Having said that, I was a bit disappointed in the wine selection. The list is small and most of the wines can be purchased at Kroger. I had looked at their website before we went and there were a few wines that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, they were not on the list the night we were there.
I would not recommend this place for serious wine conisurers or for those looking to try hard to fine wines. It really did not have a wine bar vibe to me, as it was very open and bright. Probably not a place I will go to frequently, but I might stop by if I was in the area.

Looking for something a step up from bar food, but not interested in «New American» emulsion of coulis with a hint of rosemary essence?
Palate is a perfect spot for an evening on the patio with a glass (or two) of wine and some low-​maintenance noshing on pasta or a vegetable tart. Finish with a dessert and a port, and you’re a happy camper.

The wine list isn’t huge, but it doesn’t have to be. Each wine has been carefully selected and no matter what you choose you’ll be rewarded. This is a good place to experiment with a few glasses and find some new favorites. Having the menu broken into highly-​structured tiers — a few whites, a few reds, a bubbly or dessert or two in each — is very helpful. There are a lot of ports represented in the dessert selection. I do wish there was a little more diversity in that area, since dessert wines are a universe in themselves.
The atmosphere is clean and upscale, but laid back; it blends seamlessly into the gallery next door. The crowd skews toward the professional, mature side of the spectrum. The music they pipe in is… dorky, for lack of a better description, but it’s quiet enough you can tune it out.
I’ve tried the chocolate bread pudding and it was a little bland. Next time I plan to go for dinner and sample from the nice selection of cheesecakes.