Alipine-inspired restaurant Avize is coming to Westside in late summer.
The restaurant is located in the former Nick’s Westside in the Stockyards development at 956 Brady Ave. NW. Chef Nick Leahy shuttered Tin Tin and Aix in 2020 to reopen Nick’s Westside in the same space. That restaurant closed in early 2024 after three years.
Diners can expect a soulful adventure through chef Karl Gorline’s Alps-inspired cuisine seen through a modern lens. “Avize” means “to inform, consider” in French and is also a Grand cru premier wine designation in France. “It’s known for prestige, elegance and a level of finesse,” said Gorline, who most recently worked at The Woodall in west Midtown, “and that’s an inspiration for us to shoot for.”
Alpine cuisine differs from country to country, from heartier dishes in Alsace to refined Swiss specialties. The culinary heritage is as rich and diverse as the mountainous landscape from which it arose, championing regional produce, resilience and innovation. “A respect for nature, maintaining culture, traditions and cooperation with local farms is the whole philosophy,” said Gorline.
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
Gorline’s grandparents arrived in the U.S. on a steamer from the Bavarian region of Germany. “It wasn’t until I became a chef, exploring cuisines professionally, that I understood the Alps as a meeting place of all these great food traditions — French, Italian, German, Swiss, Austrian,” he said. “When I learned that, all the childhood dishes suddenly made sense.”
Micah Hall of Gather & Grow Studios is creating a contemporary space with modern design elements to match Gorline’s approach to food, including a 10-foot mural of an Alpine mountain range in the dining room. As a backdrop in the chef tasting room, which will open in the weeks after the restaurant’s debut, a moody, textured wallpaper reminiscent of a misty forest sets the scene. “There will be hints and nods to the culture about,” said Gorline.
One of those nods will cleverly serve as a vessel for the bar’s tiki drinks. Order an Alpine Swizzle and it will come in a classic antique German stein. He has collections from different regions, each with a story to tell. “We want you to feel like we thought about everything,” said Gorline.
“The menu is a take on food traditions, not necessarily traditional food,” he said. There will be flammkuchen, an Alsation version of flatbread with onions, smoked crème fraiche and house-cured bacon. Grenobloise, a traditional French presentation of sole will feature Georgia caught trout. There will always be rabbit, local wagyu beef, cheese for all things gratin. A roasted crown of hay-smoked duck will be a signature item.
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
The hay for smoking the duck comes from the restaurant’s 800-acre farm in Breman, Georgia, which will play a key role in the development of the menu. “I wouldn’t attempt this without a serious farm operation behind me,” Gorline said. He plans to source as many ingredients as possible from the farm and other family farms nearby.
Schlutzkrapfen, a northern Italian ravioli, will be made with homegrown rye and buckwheat and stuffed with potato, fresh ricotta and garnished with wild mushrooms, walnuts and berries. Venison tartare will feature a walnut “ketchup” he has been perfecting.
Gorline’s stylistic take on Alpine food will be seen in his version of the emblematic Mont Blanc dessert. His will feature banana, coconut and Alpine liqueur with chestnut, a departure from the traditional version made with chestnut cream and meringue. “I love concept dishes that are stylistically inspired but not literal in nature,” he said. Look for a version of Black Forest cake.
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
Credit: Courtesy of Avize
Taurean Philpott oversees the beverage program, which will celebrate wines, Champagnes and Amari from the Alps. Think classically dry whites from Alto Adige, light-bodied reds from Jura and the mountain botanicals of Braulio and Chartreuse, and an after-dinner drink cart.
Avise’s main dining room is set to open for dinner Wednesdays-Sundays. The former Tin Tin space and covered patio of Nick’s Westside will be unified into Bar Avise, slated for a fall opening and serving lunch, brunch and dinner.
Avise. 956 Brady Ave., Atlanta.
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