Bocado’s move to Sandy Springs produces immediate payoff

The warm-toned dining room and bar area are small, with most of Bocado’s seating capacity housed on the patio. The interior dining room is so small, in fact, that there’s no room for a host stand. Bocado does not take reservations, but it’s not clear what you should do when you arrive. A server will address newly arrived diners when they get a moment, but you might have to wait a while before anyone talks to you, much less seats you.

For the most part Bocado’s food is worth the wait, and once we were seated, the restaurant’s servers were experienced and confident.

The new Bocado menu focuses largely on pizza. Its famous burger is nowhere to be found, but some of the most exciting cooking is found among the small plates and entrees. The beef carpaccio was a treat — the meat shaved unbelievably thin, giving it a delicate, almost melting texture. The shaved king salmon, cured in-house, was another excellent appetizer, thanks to the high-quality, richly colorful fish, which tasted clean and fresh. The salmon also was served with a ramekin of chopped herbs in olive oil and fresh, grilled focaccia, which can be ordered as an appetizer on its own.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

The small plate that was the most fun was grilled artichokes with rémoulade, which was comprised of three gorgeous globe artichoke halves with thick rémoulade sauce. Ripping off the artichoke leaves to swipe through the tangy sauce was messy, but fun for those who like finger foods. The artichoke hearts, par-cooked and tender before going on the grill, gained some contrasting texture and charred flavor from the flames.

Bocado’s lasagna was classic in style and executed beautifully, with real bechamel, as well as mozzarella, provolone, pecorino and Parmesan cheeses. It was crisped in the oven before being served in a bed of warm marinara sauce.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

Bocado’s pasta carbonara was inconsistent — bland and oversauced one time, but rich and well-seasoned on the second try.

The pizzas, which can be bought frozen from Bocado’s website, also were hit-or-miss — when they were available. On one visit, the restaurant ran out of pizza dough. We ordered the last pizza of the night, the signature Bolognese, but it seemed to sag under the weight of too many toppings.

The previous visit’s pizza, topped with creamy, slightly sweet bechamel and local wild mushrooms, was more successful. We did not get to try any other pizzas; ditto for the red snapper entree, which was not available on either visit.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

The menu’s crown jewel was the wood-fired filet mignon, a relative bargain at $42. The tender filet gained texture from the wood fire, and both times it was nicely cooked to medium-rare. The steak was topped with a decadent bone marrow butter that also enhanced the grilled cipollini onions and crispy potato pavé served alongside the beef. The layered potato dish was crispy, tender and well-seasoned.

With some real hits on the menu, a thoughtful wine list and a convivial atmosphere, Bocado is likely to continue packing in diners. While the sheer crush of customers clearly is stressing the restaurant in some areas — particularly its supply chain — the experienced servers are adept at handling problems.

Yes, the crowds might keep the Bocado experience from reaching its full potential, but that’s a problem any restaurant owner would love to have.

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