ChatÓ Brasserie is entering fall with a menu change while staying true to the New American cuisine that has made it so popular in Chattanooga since the restaurant opened this summer.
"The feedback and support we've gotten has exceeded our expectations in the first four months," says chef Alex Canale, who owns and operates ChatÓ with business partner Chris Casteel. "We're still about New American cuisine, taking Old World techniques combined with modern innovation."
The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the modern One North Shore building, with patio seating outside for warmer fall days and plenty of parking available. For tourists or local residents, ChatÓ is within walking distance of the many shops on Frazier Avenue or at Two North Shore as well as local sites such as Renaissance and Coolidge parks.
Though the restaurant has a formal and fine atmosphere with white tablecloths and a modern décor,
Canale encourages everyone to come in and give the spectacularly tasty recipes a try.
"A lot of people ask if they're dressed to come in," Canale says. "It's good for them to know that they can come in with jeans and a polo shirt or a tuxedo."
ChatÓ is only open to the public for dinner and is closed for lunch. However, during the off hours the restaurant hosts special events from office luncheons to bridal showers.
"We're in the process of building our catering menu; it changes event to event," Canale says. "We're now into our fall menu and it's been a fun transition completely overhauling the fall food and wine selection."
There are three dishes the restaurant left on the menu from summer - diver scallops, Colorado lamb porterhouse and Caesar salad. The diver scallops are served with lobster risotto, foraged mushrooms, asparagus and caviar beurre blanc. New recipes on the large plate menu include the "Hot Today" all natural air-cooled chicken with a honey bourbon roasted chicken breast, a sweet tea brined thigh, a variety of fresh fall root vegetables and chicken au jus.
From the small plates menu, house-made warm southern biscuits with honey-truffle butter and a baby beet salad with blood orange gastrique, local honey and Chevre Panna Cotta are popular selections. The medium plates include recipes appropriate for cold weather such as the seasonal oyster stew with buttermilk fried oysters and the sorghumglazed Georgia quail with foraged mushrooms, arugula and pickled shallots. Nightly specials are also available at ChatÓ and tend to feature market fresh fish or seafood recipes.
"We've got a fair amount of customers who bring their out-of-town guests here, which is a great compliment," says Canale, who is eager for the restaurant's positive reputation to continue growing.
Happy hour features red and white wines by the glass Monday through Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Later this fall, ChatÓ will begin Raid the Cellar nights, when guests can negotiate with their servers the price of specialty bottles from the cellar.
LOCATION: 200 Manufacturers Road.
PHONE: 305-1352.
HOURS: Sunday through Thursday from 5:30-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m. The bar opens at 5 p.m. Sunday brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.