Despite being brand-new, chef Steven Satterfield’s Madeira Park already has a timeless quality similar to Miller Union, his much-lauded farm-to-table restaurant.
Located in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, the new wine bar has already become a popular a gathering spot for dining, imbibing and socializing — where the ambiance changes throughout the day.
Earlier, Madeira Park can be a relaxing retreat. The restaurant opens at 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, and it’s a great place to spend an afternoon with a glass of wine in hand, reading a book or chatting with a friend.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The kitchen’s menu of snacks is available all day, but Madeira Park begins to serve entrées and other hot items after 5 p.m. And as the crowd swells and the wine flows, the atmosphere gains energy and conviviality. The dining room, which has a long bar on one side and communal tables in the center of the room, can get loud, so if you worry about noise at restaurants, go out on the covered, air-conditioned patio instead.
Wine is meant to be the star at Madeira Park, and the selection, guided by sommelier Tim Willard (a partner in the restaurant who is known for his Dive Wine and Loire Bar pop-ups), offers interesting options at varying prices.
Madeira Park also has a second sommelier, General Manager Jade Palmer, and typically either she or Willard is available for in-depth wine chats. The staff also seems knowledgeable and confident.
The wine list feels tightly edited, despite being untethered to any specific region or winemaking philosophy. I enjoyed every glass I tried, especially the Christophe Mignon Champagne and the Hirsch pinot noir. The house red and white both were tasty, reasonably priced French blends.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The food menu is relatively small, with one side of it dedicated to charcuterie. At $9 per selection, the charcuterie is not cheap, but it’s painstakingly sourced from small producers — not the sort of meats and cheeses you’ll find at a grocery store.
As lovely as its wine selections and charcuterie are, it’s the cooking that elevates Madeira Park.
The Frenchy 8-minute egg had a fudgy yolk, with its richness enhanced by a slice of anchovy and offset with a tart pickle slice. Delicate Murder Point oysters on the half-shell received a touch of mignonette that spotlighted their clean flavor. The crispy panisse (fried batons of chickpea flour sometimes called chickpea fries) had a delicately crisp exterior and an ethereal fluffiness inside, as did the excellent pommes frites.
Those pommes frites paired perfectly with the bistro steak, which was served with rich bordelaise and crisply fried mushrooms. However, diners who like their steak a little more cooked should be aware that the kitchen may err on the rarer side.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The menu at Madeira Park changes frequently, but diners can expect to see a tartine of some sort. The current version is a butter and anchovy tartine on a slice of toasted sourdough from Colette Bread & Bakeshop, a neighborhood wholesale bakery run by Sarah Dodge.
And if a server offers you a chicken liver mousse tartine as a special, be sure to order it. The combination of unctuous, luxuriant liver mousse with top-quality sourdough bread, pickled mustard seeds, apple and walnuts was divine, a humble dish that tasted like a rare delicacy.
The livers are the byproduct of another wonderful dish, the succulent, tender poulet rouge. Satterfield said that the Madeira Park kitchen freezes the livers from the chickens until the special tartine can be made.
The concept behind Madeira Park — a neighborhood wine bar with a short menu — is a relatively humble one, but it has been executed beautifully here by a talented team.
MADEIRA PARK | 3 out of 4 stars (excellent)
Food: American and European small plates
Service: excellent, with well-trained, knowledgeable staff
Noise level: increases from calm to very loud over the course of an evening
Recommended dishes: crispy panisse, raw oysters, Frenchy 8-minute egg, pommes frites, butter and anchovy tartine, chicken liver tartine (when available), little gem salad with chilled shrimp, grilled carrots, seared snapper, poulet rouge, bistro steak
Vegetarian dishes: olives, crispy panisse, pommes frites, hummus with crudites and flatbread, little gem salad, grilled carrots, potato gnocchi
Alcohol: full bar with a deep, curated wine list
Price range: $50-$75 per person, excluding drinks
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 3-11 p.m. Fridays, 12-11 p.m. Saturdays, 12-9 p.m. Sundays
Accessibility: fully ADA-compliant, with street-level entry
Parking: paid at nearby lots, deck and on street; no parking dedicated to the restaurant
Nearest MARTA station: none
Reservations: recommended (via Resy)
Outdoor dining: yes
Takeout: no
Address, phone: 640 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-228-2058
Website: madeiraparkatl.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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