One of Atlanta’s favorite chefs, Kevin Gillespie, is finally back in the kitchen again. His highly anticipated restaurant, Gunshow, is opening its doors today in East Atlanta’s Glenwood Park and is Gillespie’s first executive chef position since he left Woodfire Grill late last year. Woodfire Grill was achieving unparalleled success at the time of his departure, thanks in part to Gillespie’s being a finalist (and fan favorite) on Bravo’s Top Chef season six.
But Gillespie wanted to do something more unconventional. And that’s why he came up with the concept for Gunshow. He’s described the experience as being similar to Brazilian churrascaria-style dining and Chinese dim sum — instead of ordering from a traditional menu, guests choose their dishes tableside from rolling carts and trays. This kind of service also encourages the casual and family-style experience Gillespie wants patrons to enjoy. The name Gunshow also is highly unusual for a restaurant, and Gillespie says is in honor of the rare times he was able to spend with his father, who worked seven days a week. When the two had time together, they typically went to a Sunday afternoon gun show.
Dishes are available in tapas, appetizer and entrée sizes, and include Southern favorites such as buttermilk dumplings and foraged mushrooms, North Atlantic scallops in brown butter and herbs, Texas Hill Country-style smoked beef sausage and old-fashioned hot banana pudding. The menu will change regularly, and weekly updates and specials will be posted online every Sunday night so you’ll always be able to find out what’s available for the upcoming week.
The team at Atlanta-based ai3, Inc. designed the restaurant, constructing it into a 2,500-square-foot open space with seating for 52. There is no separation between the kitchen and dining room — the kitchen staff, servers and diners all share the same area, a completely unique design element for Atlanta. Kevin’s Table, a reservation-only chef’s table with seating for up to six, is for guests to experience a one-of-a-kind tasting menu with dishes and number of courses tailored specifically by Gillespie for the evening’s group. Pricing for Kevin’s Table is $1,000 and includes all food, beer, wine, tax and gratuity.
