Leon's Full Service
3 stars 131 E Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-687-0500. www.leonsfullservice.com. Sun.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-2 a.m. (Kitchen closes at 1 a.m.). Full bar. Street parking.It’s a rare but beautiful thing when a restaurant inhabits its surroundings so thoroughly that it immediately feels like an intrinsic part of a city’s landscape. Leon’s Full Service, located in the former gas station that was most recently Rue de Leon, has managed to become such a natural part of Decatur already, it’s hard to believe the restaurant is only eight weeks old.
The reason may be the owners' intimate familiarity with the hopes, desires, and beer enthusiasms of Decaturites. They've spent the last 12 years running the legendary Brick Store Pub around the corner. But it’s more than Leon's pitch-perfect reading of what a young, booze-friendly customer base requires. The space is brazenly appealing, evoking a slightly nautical feel with its white wooden booths, blue walls and red accents. Just enough of the building’s vintage character has been left in place to communicate its aesthetic, and just enough has been done to modernize the space to make it feel clean and vibrant. It’s Decatur all over. Don’t you just hate Decatur sometimes for being so … awesome?
There are certain qualities of Brick Store the owners have imported to Leon’s. The commitment to outstanding beverages includes a manageable but thrilling beer selection, and extends into wine and cocktails. (Try the Belgian champale cocktail for something truly weird and delicious.) The enthusiastic service here mirrors the passions of Brick Store's brew-loving barkeeps. It’s not uncommon for a server to take a seat at the table to fervently discuss a certain beer, cheese or dish. It sometimes makes for slow service at other tables, but is wholly worth it for the attention when you do get your turn.
Chef Eric Ottensmeyer's menu excels most at nibbly bits to go with drinks. I’ve had great meals here made up entirely of selections from the “snacks,” “sides” and “starters.” Peppadews (tiny red sweet/hot peppers) stuffed with goat cheese are the ultimate in creamy/piquante contrast, utterly simple and satisfying. The pig smörgás is like a gourmet version of the toaster oven concoctions my, um, slightly altered friends used to make in high school — Benton’s country ham and melted Gruyère grand cru on toast with cherry jam and pineapple. Salty, cheesy, crispy, gooey, sweet. Dude, that’s gooood.
I’ve had mixed success with the fries, which come with your choice of dipping sauces. Some days the fries are piping hot, crispy and addictive. Some days they're too scattered and crumbly. The dipping sauces are fun, but I’d prefer more mayo choices. Leon’s claims its fries are Belgian-style, but the Belgian frites places I adore offer dozens of varieties of mayo, from curry to dill to Vietnamese pineapple. Leon’s offers 12 sauces, including (strangely tasteless) goat cheese fondue and massaman curry, but the five mayos are by far the best of the bunch.
Sides, such as the madras curry cauliflower and broccoli with cashews and golden raisins, showcase some of the kitchen’s creativity and aptitude for smart flavor combinations. The chickpea salad combines warm chickpeas with the fresh burst of basil, the sweet squish of dried cherries, and the mellow hum of aged provolone.
I’d like to see more of these kinds of inventive forays with the entrées. Roast chicken over stone-ground grits with beery mushrooms hit its comfort food mark exactly, but needed another component to hold my interest through its hefty portion. On the other hand, crispy trout rests over a truly engaging jumble of endive, radicchio, cashews and apricot vinaigrette for a pleasing play of bitter against nutty sweet tang. I could eat it over and over. Niman Ranch pork osso buco was tender and well-paired with butternut squash and greens, but also merely sufficed without being particularly exciting.
Other misgivings included heating issues — an osso buco came out stone cold, and an otherwise delicious apple cobbler's uneven temperature screamed of microwave — and long waits for drinks to arrive (the function of a bar that’s happily and justifiably slammed — get these folks some help!).
But there’s so much to love about Leon’s that minor quibbles tend to fade quickly. Especially when the bill arrives — you get a lot of quality for a lot less here. Try as I might, in my three recent visits I couldn’t break the $100 mark, and folks, I can drank. So that’s saying something.
It’s also saying something that Leon’s already feels like an inexorable part of Decatur. Leon’s and Decatur deserve each other.
COMMENTS
RE: Review: Leon's Full Service
Posted by decaturpete on 05.20.09 @ 10:42 PM
I was very excited to visit Leons for the 1st time, I live in Decatur and had been driving by the last few months just waiting for the opportunity to go with friends. Well I just returned home and am overall disappointed. This is the 1st review I have ever written so it deffinitley made an impression. The only real hic-up was that they way over cooked my MR steak (not the reason I am writing, it happens) the server very nicely took it back to the kitchen. Imagine my surprise when the floor manager showed back up at my table with the same steak and instructed me to cut back into it to prove it was cooked correctly. Then imagine his look when I did and it looked like jerkey. Only then did he offer to correct the mistake, too late. I did not excitedly go out to dinner to argue over a steak temp. I kept my steak ( not worth it to argue or wait for another) They did take the steak off the bill when it arrived but I insisted that they reinstate the charge. I do not want to be one of those awful customers that complain so they get something for free, I worked too many years in the industry to do that. I will probably go back and give it another try, down the road, but for now I am just going to enjoy telling this very bazarr story to all my friends.
RE: Review: Leon's Full Service
Posted by dervish on 04.25.09 @ 10:03 PM
Love the renovation of the building, but have to agree with bhplo. Waited a full hour to be served even though a table for 4 sat empty for 30 minutes. How can they charge $18 for four medium sized scallops with a straight face (with no taste to boot)? The noise was intolerable: could not hear my dinner mates or the waiter. Most of the menu was contrived. The flat iron steak was fine, but the zucchini casserole was wet. For value, order the brisket sandwich, which was reasonably priced and delicious. Frankly, I have no reason to go back to Leons - what a shame!
RE: Review: Leon's Full Service
Posted by Fireball on 04.14.09 @ 02:38 PM
I can't get the servers sitting down with you. Forget that! The problem with ALL restaurants in the South is that the staff want to be your best friend. Why? Bigger tips. Instead, you keep your floor and keep me well served and I'll keep my seat and give you a big tip. Another 'MUST STOP NOW' for restaurants: LOUDNESS (music, plus voices bouncing off cement walls, wood floors, etc.; get some sound panels!) and temperatures that please only the staff but leave women, especially (typically dressed to please their dates), freezing! Enough already! If you spend all your time on the menu and don't cover the comforting BASICS, customers won't return but you won't know why.