Large, and definitely in charge.(chef Kevin Rathbun)

Restaurant Hospitality; 8/1/2004; Krummert, Bob

You have to wonder what guests think when Kevin Rathbun steps out from behind the stoves and begins working the dining room at his new Rathbun's Restaurant in Atlanta. He's no different than any other chef who goes from table to table to see how patrons liked their dinners--with one exception. Rathbun, a monster of a man, doesn't so much enter the dining room as invade it. He looks like somebody dressed a NFL lineman in chef's whites and pushed him out onto the floor. What guest would get into the face of an imposing figure like this guy to tell him the food is no good?

In reality, such a situation is unlikely to come up. But it's not because guests feel intimidated. Rather, it's because they are routinely amazed by the meals they're getting at his restaurant.

Rathbun may not look the part of someone who's predisposed to create imaginatively flavored food. But he's been cooking at this lofty level for years. Previously, it was always done as somebody else's employee. This time around--his first as a chef/owner--he's giving it his best shot.

Not that his previous shots weren't memorable in their own right. Want precocious? At the tender age of 17, Rathbun was working as sous chef at the American Restaurant in Kansas City, a kitchen then run by Bradley Ogden. Then came three years as sous chef at Brennan's of Houston, followed by a tour at Commander's Palace in New Orleans when Emeril Lagasse was the boss.

Rathbun next served as chef along with Stephen Pyles at Baby Routh in Dallas before heading for Atlanta to open nationally recognized restaurants NAVA (1995) and Bluepointe (1999). Both were Buckhead Life Restaurant Group properties, and Rathbun soon moved up to a post as that organization's corporate executive chef, overseeing the workings of places like Chops, Atlanta Fish Market and Buckhead Diner.

Heady stuff, indeed. But after 10 years with Buckhead Life, Rathbun decided to strike out on his own. He found a spot at The Stove Works in Inman Park, put together a team of formidable players to help him, rounded up $300,000 and opened the place this past May.

"I love this city and Inman Park provides everything I was looking for in developing a new restaurant," Rathbun says. "It's a hip, regenerated area with a tremendous growth potential. I love the atmosphere of the neighborhood, yet we're close enough to everybody in the city." In fact, downtown Atlanta's lucrative hotel and convention area is only two miles away.

The chef describes his food as "Modern American," and the menu is definitely in tune with the times, both in structure and in pricing, it's divided into four sections: Small Plates, Raw Plates, Big Plates and what Rathbun dubs the "Second Mortgage" area. "It's seasonally and globally driven food," he says.

Indeed. The Small Plates like Thai Rare Beef & Kaffir Lime Salad or Sambal Tossed Crispy Calamari cost less than $7, as do all but two of the Raw Plates: Ahi Tuna "Credo" and Hamachi "Crudo," both of which go for $7.95. Big Plates such as Sea Scallop Benedict on Country Ham Grits, Asparagus & Spiced Hollandaise ($18.95) and Braised Brisket in Smoked Tomato, Poblano Quesadillas ($13.95) come in under the $20 mark. Even Second Mortgage Plates like Maine Lobster and Roasted Chile Soft Taco, Cascabel Cream and Tomato Pico ($24.95) and Prime 20 oz. Bone-In Ribeye, Hot Point Reyes Blue Cheese & Bacon Vinaigrette ($29.95) don't really break the bank.

That small plate theme carries over to dessert, where a tasty lineup of choices go for $3.15 apiece, with pastry chef/partner Kirk Parks' Favorite Four sampler priced at Sl0. Parks, a Beard Award winner (as is Rathbun) spent the past nine years as pastry chef at NAVA. General manager and partner Cliff Bramble is another NAVA alum. He also opened and ran restaurants for Marriott Hotels.

Bramble is the author of the forthcoming book, Your Guide to a Restaurant Business Plan, so it's no wonder this trio came up with the winning formula they did for Rathbun's. The location, the space, the menu and the pricing add up to an undeniable bargain.