1542 Gastropub seems to be a successful rebranding

The space formerly known as The Reserve unlocked its doors this past weekend with the softest of openings, giving folks the opportunity to see the fruits of minor construction and a rebranding at the hands of Atlanta based Invigor, with new head chef Cyrus Keefer leading the charge with a new menu that follows the Gastropub Formula to a T, not necessarily in a bad way (more on that in a sec). The structural improvements are mostly cosmetic, adjusting the lighting a bit and adding some more deeeply stained wood here and there, and a bench/booth lining the side of the joint. As opposed to the “industrial chic” touted by The Reserve, it’s warmer and more in line with a dining experience. Check.

The menu is “very Gastropub,” following the usual line of a lack of dollar signs, multi-worded ingredients and lots of Creme Fraiche and / or Aoili;  we sampled a spring onion waffle topped with Escargot,
whipped Boursin cheese and maderia- truffle sauce (12, dollar sign not included), alongside a small plate of fried things including some very tasty fried olives (9). There’s definitely a bump in quality from the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese seen previously on the menu, chef Keefer seems to know what he’s doing and shouldn’t have a hard time getting some favorable reviews for his cuisine, Invigor8ing (see what I did there) the space and getting folks interested in dining at 1542.

That being said, since 1542 seems to have solved its “identity crisis” as noted by many of its previous patrons, they’d be better served to sticking with what’s working well and doing it well; the lighting, the dining atmosphere, good quality food. Standup comedy nights, Trivia and DJs on the weekends are really disruptive to any unfortunate couple’s dining experience who happen to get caught up in the mix, but I would have to assume that any company in charge of said rebranding would have told them that.

All that aside, the new 1542 Gastropub is worth a look, their beer and wine selection have been bolstered to be more in line with its solicited sophisticated clientele and the happy hours listed looked pretty decent. Maintain the rest of it and I could see this being a spot of repute with some longevity. Best of luck, 1542 Gastropub!