DINING REVIEW
Leon’s Full Service
131 East Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-687-0500
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Remember that guy in high school everyone loved? C’mon, you know who I mean. Not the football team captain — he was too smart to be that good looking. Not the debate team leader, either. This was the guy who was just enough: smart enough not to intimidate; cute, sure, but there were guys technically better looking. Funny, yes — that’s where he made his mark. Vince Vaughn would play him in your movie version.
Becky Stein/AJC special
The affably outfitted bar, with its handsome library look-alike set-up, boasts a beer bill that hangs from the wall like the postings at a train depot.
Becky Stein/AJC special
Carrot-pine nut and cilantro hummus, flatbread, olive oil and mint.
Becky Stein/AJC special
White oak pastures grass-fed burger, tillamook cheddar, catsup and mustard, bread and butter pickles.
Becky Stein/AJC special
Pub Frites peppercorn gravy, smoked tomato mayonnaise and pepper mayonnaise.
If Leon’s Full Service has a personality — and it does — it’s that guy’s. The pub-grub, gastropubbish spot on the corner of East Ponce de Leon and Church Street in the heart of Decatur, from the owners of the Brick Store Pub, has proven itself immediately likable. A no-reservations policy has the city lined up outside on warm days, whiling away the wait for a table by drinking one of the many excellent beer choices and playing a bit of bocce ball on the crushed slate court built onto the pub’s outdoor space.
Inside this converted gas station, the affably outfitted bar, with its handsome library look-alike set-up, boasts a beer bill that hangs from the wall like the postings at a train depot. The tables are sparsely set with a wooden box filled with blue-and-white kitchen cloths for napkins and plenty of flatware.
But the most important fixture is the presence of owners Dave Blanchard, Mike Gallagher and Tom Moore. One or more of them is always around, just as they are at Brick Store Pub, a stone’s throw away. They pour tastes of a beer you might have been eyeing, or tell you about the cool-as-beans drinks young Miles Macquarrie is crafting behind the bar (he trained for a spell with Greg Best of Holeman & Finch, and it shows). Or just to gab.
Besides the incredible beer list, their brand of hospitality — where everybody knows your name — is the reason Brick Store has become a legend in the Southeast, and it’s what makes Leon’s work, too.
In the kitchen, the three hired Eric Ottensmeyer away from Rathbun’s more than two years ago to employ a menu that reaches beyond the usual pub-grub offerings, into the realm of the gastropub. Ottensmeyer manages to keep the menu simple, but with interesting twists of cleverness, such as bacon in a glass, which is precisely that: slices of Benton’s bacon fried and placed end up, with peanut butter to accompany for an extra 50 cents. In the beginning, rabbit fingers bordered on being too canny, and tasted like chicken fingers anyway. But the owners were smart enough to remove them from the menu.
There are things that work perfectly: the pub frites already rank with the best in the city, accompanied by side sauces ranging from a brown peppercorn gravy that really grows on you to an immediately tasty pepper mayo perfect for dipping.
And if you stay in the realm of appetizers, the pickings are plentiful in finding something to like, if not love. Toast smothered in Gruyere and Benton’s country ham and broiled with pineapple, served with a sweet-tart cherry jam, is a fun nibble. Ample meats and cheeses, such as Benton’s prosciutto-style ham and cana de oveja — a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese with a bloomy rind that ripens from the outside in — is a rare find on cheese plates. A hummus of carrot, pine nuts and cilantro morphed into something different each time I tried it, and never for the better (there just isn’t enough starch in a carrot to puree it into the creaminess needed for a hummus, and the flavor is just sweet, with nothing to contrast).
The burger is completely acceptable on its fluffy brioche bun, but frankly, the big, juicy straightforward version you get at Brick Store is better. A grilled pork chop proves tasty, but too tough, though a mix of fingerling potatoes and kale is meal enough.
Dessert seems like an afterthought at a place like Leon’s and frankly I’d recommend exploring the beer menu for sweet offerings such as Oud Beersel’s framboise Lambic (on draught) rather than indulging in a yeasty waffle served with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Leon’s is a shinier penny than its sister, and the food offerings are much more ambitious. But the beer and cocktails are among the best in the city. Paired with the infectious hospitality of the owners, it’s no wonder bocce ball is everyone’s favorite lawn game these days.
LEON’S FULL SERVICE
Overall rating:
Food: American
Service: Full disclosure: Everyone at Leon’s knows what I do for a living. That said, I had no problem finding my way to the bar to grab small bites on a couple of visits. When I sat at a table, I had a friend go before me to check the wait, which ended up being about five minutes. I arrived after she sat down and had very cordial service
Price range: $ - $$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard. American Express
Hours of operation: Dinner/late night Sundays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-midnight; Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
Best dishes: Pub frites with sauce selections, pig “smorgas” of Gruyere, ham and pineapple, burger, roasted beef brisket, bacon in a glass, chicken livers
Vegetarian selections: Warm chickpea and cherry tomato salad, arugula salad, cheese selection
Children: Yes
Parking: On-street or in nearby lots
Reservations: No
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking: Church Street bocce court side only
Noise level: High
Patio: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Address, telephone: 131 East Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 404-687-0500
Web site: www.leonsfullservice.com
KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region. 
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area. 
Very good: Merits a drive if you’re looking for this kind of dining. Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss. 
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.
PRICING CODE: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. (The price code represents a meal for one that includes appetizer, entree and dessert without including tax, tip and cocktails.)
