I’ve come around on K&D. Was not a big fan when they opened but I’ve had several good meals there recently. The pork chop was excellent last week and personally, I’d order the bar steak before I’d order the burger. The restaurant is also not nearly as crowded as it once was given some of the first year buzz has blown over. I’ll maintain that on weekends the place is filled not with people from Buckhead, but with a bridge and tunnel crowd that comes into town to drink at the nearby St. Regis hotel bar. That shouldn’t be an issue on a wednesday night. As a buckhead douchebag, I feel that I’m qualified to make that distinction. 
And sadly, JL is right about the wine list.
As I’ve stated in other threads (and of course Thomas knows this as well) I do love Buckhead and live in Brookhaven, so sometimes when I say mean things just know, while they may seem harsh they come from a good place.
If someone tried to nuke the St Regis, Chops, Umi and K&D I think a good percentage of the people would still survive and keep drinking.
You’re making the assumption that I’d get irritated with trendy douchebag types… and sir, I can emphatically assure you, I’d be right at home 
Alma is ok for middle or the road Mexican food. Stats is not impressive in any way; I’d much rather hit Taco Mac for beers.
Really enjoyed King + Duke. We were running a few minutes late, so I called to let them know I was on my way (i.e. don’t cancel my reservation) and the hostess was shocked that anyone would be thoughtful enough to do that 
Got us off to a good start with our server, so that was cool.
Cocktail list looked pretty solid and I killed 3 mint juleps off. Friend had a Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, which is a great beer, as well. Will echo other sentiments here re: wine list. yawn
Ordered candied lamb belly (unique but good, with lamb, pickled things and minced red pepper on a slice of pita), beef tartar (57 day dry-aged) and the charcuterie plate. I thought the dishes were all very good, slightly short of great.
Dinner was interesting - duck a-la-presse, shared with a buddy. The waiter played it up A LOT and told us about the show we were going to get… only to find out later that their press had broken and somebody had squeezed the hell out of the duck using a cider press, instead. Was really hoping to see the whole process and somewhat bummed that it just came out on plates. Other note - this item takes a LONG time to cook. I think I would have been more excited about it if we got to see the actual pressing.
Overall? Very easy stop on a Wednesday night, with an average tab of $75/head (pre-tip) over 4 heads. I’d recommend, but also note that it was not earth-shattering. On the bright side, service was good. Slow, at times, but good/attentive.
Should be my final update for this trip, unless the concert tonight is rap or hip/hop.
Hit Canoe last night and it was, well, Canoe. Always love the fantastic views from the yard area and the team took at least 3000 pictures in the garden, next to the river, etc. Cocktails were fair-to-middlin’, and the bar ran out of the 10 yr. Whistle Pig, which was irritating. Wine list is one of the most bizarre adventures in pricing I’ve seen, with what looked like a 3x mark-up on most things, but then an 09 DRC Vosne Romanee for $515. Pretty solid selection, as expected.
Mixed results on the food. Anything farm-sourced was insanely delicious, and I’m the guy that doesn’t eat vegetables that often. Beet salad? Ridiculous. Heirloom tomatoes? Unbelievable. Watermelon salad? Again, off the charts. Also loved their salmon appetizer. The slow-cooked rabbit is one of their signature dishes (I’ve had it before) and it was good, but meh. I think it slow-roasted a little too long, as the rabbit was incredibly dry… and three people at the table had the same experience. The NY strip was cooked for the grill marks and less for flavor, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Closed out with desserts and man, did we end on a high note. Popcorn flavored ice cream with crackerjacks? Holy crap, I think I triggered a diabetic reaction after eating that. Georgia peach crisp was what you’d expect… goodness with peaches.
Last question for the King + Duke fans - I was given a little metal tag that says “K+D” and has the number 290 on it. Any ideas what it’s for? I asked if it came with the duck and the guy said something about coming back and showing it, but wasn’t sure what it did. He had one himself and seemed to be excited about it.
Canoe changed chefs from your last visit I’m betting. Long time chef Carvel Grant Gould left and sous chef Matt Brasford took over. The food is mostly the same but I feel like some of it has lost a step. Some of the new menu items are hit or miss. But overall the restaurant remains what it is.
Your number is the number of pressed ducks that have been served. They historically kept track of them in France. K&D is doing the same.
All the stuff that is seasonal and fresh is the best choice at Canoe.
It is somewhat formulaic but I really like the place.
Matt does have some pretty amazing buys of very nice wines on the high end of the wine list.
The rest of the list is the reason I always BYOB.