Pork–the other white meat.  It’s what’s for dinner on tonight’s date.  Lots and lots of pork.  There’s more pork tonight than in most congressional spending bills.  Join us for a porkapalooza at the Peach and the Porkchop.

We are at one of the thousands of strip shopping centers that have sprung up in the Atlanta suburbs.  There’s probably one being built near you right now.  The restaurant’s motto is “slightly North of South”.

We haven’t quite figured this one out.  Does that mean it’s southern cooking with enough sophistication that northerners will actually eat it without complaining that the food is better in New York?  Actually, it’s because one of the owners is from Pittsburgh and the other is a southern belle.

Any Steelers fan will appreciate the bar at the front.

The restaurant uses a lot of stacked stone in its decor.

There is a decent beer list here, including a selection of rotating seasonal taps.  That’s a good thing for us, especially with the winter beers out.  We are very close to the Jekyll and Reformation breweries, so we go as local as we can with our beers.

The Reformation Munich Lager (left) makes you think you are in Germany.  The Jekyll Redneck Christmas Stout has a hint of peppermint.  Both beers are excellent choices, and best of all, are on special for only $3 tonight.  Date Night is all about saving you money!

Many nights we decide to share an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  Tonight will be one of those dates.  We begin with an appetizer that even Porky Pig would like. (Well, maybe he wouldn’t be eating pork as we hear he keeps Kosher.) Meet (or should we say “meat”) the Pittsburgh Plate.

There are three kinds of local sausage on the platter: andouille, bratwurst, and kielbasa. All are grilled, plump and juicy. This is an excellent dish to share with four people, two more than we have at our table tonight. The sausages are huge and we take some home and put them into pasta for lunch the next day.

The star of our dinner is the entree.

This is the pork chop, the restaurant’s namesake. Don’t even think about ordering anything else when you come in. Get one and split it with a friend, or take home lots of leftovers. This thing is huge, and one of the best pork chops this reporter has eaten. Our server boasts that Men’s Journal called it one of the best chops in the country. It’s tender, juicy and full of flavor. It’s even topped with a little peach chutney, a homage to where you are eating. You will probably forget the fingerling potatoes and spinach on the plate, but you will always remember this piece of pork.

After eating the pork chop, everything else is anti-climatic. The apple cobbler follows the main act and doesn’t even come close to topping it.

Speaking of topping, it’s served with a huge scoop of cinnamon ice cream on top. There isn’t that much cobbler underneath and we are left wanting more cobbler and less ice cream.

The bottom line on Peach and the Porkchop: Go and get that pork chop. Pair it with a couple of $3 local beers and you have an excellent date. The family crowd is there early, but it turns more adult as the night progresses.