There seems to be a never-ending bumper crop of high-end steakhouses popping up in Buckhead, but when veteran restaurateur Rich Clark took on the task, he and his team pledged to do it the only way they knew how, their own way.
Since opening in April, Clark’s has been adapting to inevitable growing pains. Tweaking the menu, managing noise, and cultivating an elevated atmosphere are just a few of the hurdles that Rich and his team have had to overcome as Clark’s begins to plant roots in Buckhead.
What Is Clark’s?
Clark’s Steakhouse is not Rich’s first venture. He is responsible for C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar in Galleria on the Park, Brookhaven, and Sandy Springs. Before then, he worked at the Ritz-Carlton, Brasserie Le Coze, the Blue Ridge Grill, and the Atlanta Fish Market.
Clark’s, his latest brainchild, opened in April and operates out of the ground floor of the 2827 Peachtree Building on Peachtree Road. The classic, moody New York-style steakhouse with Southern influence seats 170 guests, whose dining room is grounded in Atlanta history through curated portraits of local icons, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Portman, Andrew Young, and Ted Turner. Clark’s seats 170 guests, including a dedicated 18-seat private dining space known as The Policy Room. Perfectly placed in Garden Hills inside the newly developed 2827 Peachtree building, Clark’s has quickly become a neighborhood staple, garnering both corporate and local diners.
How does Rich work to stand out in a crowded market? “I like to use this analogy. I’m like, guys, this race car is going, it’s a fast race car, but we just need to get the right driver, the right pit crew to tune it up,” said Rich. And that is just what Rich and his team are doing. Dialing in and tuning things up.
The Menu Highlights
According to Rich, there are several dishes that customers have loved since the opening.
The Lollipop Ribeye, a 22-ounce prime ribeye trimmed to perfection, takes the shape of, you guessed it, a lollipop. “I cooked one for my wife and daughter, and they usually prefer leaner steaks, like filets and strips. Both of them asked me, ‘What is this? This is the best steak I’ve ever had.’ And I thought to myself, I have to have this on the menu,” laughed Rich. This Clark’s specialty runs at $110 a steak. “I didn’t think it was gonna blow up, but we sell these steaks like crazy,” said Rich.
Their Chops, Game, and Fowl menu is also performing well, with the Hudson Valley Duck Breast and Colorado Lamb Chops at the front of the pack.
The dish that Rich is particularly passionate about is actually a side.
The Pommes Anna.
“Our sides mean a lot to us. There’s a lot of effort that went into just making sure that they were really good, and that means something to us. You don’t want to go out there and put a bunch of dishes on the menu that are different just to be different,” said Rich.
Clark’s Pommes Anna was inspired by a meal Rich had in New York. “It’s simply sliced potatoes, with butter, salt, and pepper. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to make, but it’s on point if you can get them right. I’ll be damned if we haven’t pulled it off,” he said.
While Clark’s opened with an elevated cocktail menu, it’s the tried-and-true steakhouse accompaniments that are selling out the fastest. “Vodka [martinis], red wine, and steaks. I need an ice-cold, freezing vodka machine just to pour out of a tap. I knew people were going to want martinis, but I don’t think it’s gonna be like this,” Rich laughed.
Dialing In
As new restaurants often do, Clark’s has made a few changes since April — swapping the Onion and Tomato Salad for a more viral Peaches and Burrata option and trimming down the dress code.
“We touch every single table, and really listen to what the guests are saying,” Rich said.
For better or for worse, the racetrack-style bar in the middle of the restaurant has been a huge hit. But Rich is trying to keep the bar from becoming overcrowded.
“We need to elevate the experience at the bar, because it’s a little bit too ‘bar-ey’,” said Rich.
Drawing inspiration from upscale New York hotels, where guests are seated at the bar via the host stand, Rich hopes to elevate the experience for his customers.
While the overall response to Clark’s has been positive, the team is fine-tuning the restaurant.
“I can only do what’s in the four walls of Clark’s. I hope that people enjoy us, and really, what we do is we have our standards. We worked tirelessly to make sure that this restaurant was very well thought out,” said Rich.
The fine-tuning may never fully stop, but that, it seems, is exactly the point, as Clark’s Steakhouse continues to reel in customers.
