We arrived at JCT Kitchen & Bar at around 7 p.m. on a Thursday and found a lively crowd at the upstairs bar. A mediocre grunge rock act was loudly crooning second-rate songs. This was an inauspicious beginning to what ended up being an enjoyable experience. We started out by ordering a few appetizers, and the standpoint was pork belly sliders, which included some very tasty pickles. A few of us ordered beer, and the best one appeared to be a local favorite called Sweetwater. Then it was onto the main course, and the table ordered duck, arctic char, bacon-wrapped trout, and fried chicken. None of the sides were particularly noteworthy, and the dishes ranged from average (arctic char) to exceptional (bacon-wrapped trout). Throughout the meal there was an excitement that seemed to be present in this trendy establishment. However, for my taste, this restaurant is too noisy, and is probably better suited to an informal gathering of friends who are having drinks. All of that said, we then moved onto the dessert/coffee part of our meal, and ordered a couple different desserts to go along with some unremarkable coffees. I ordered some fried peach pies, which were good, but not exceptional, and the pies came with a nondescript ice cream. My Dad ordered a coconut cake, which was heavily infused with a rum liqueur, but tasted pretty good (despite not being my favorite type of treat). All in all, I would recommend that out-of-towners try JCT Kitchen because it’s in an up-and-coming, trendy part of Atlanta that is good for people watching. The food, while not exceptional, is above average. There are several other restaurants in the same complex as JCT Kitchen, including Bacchanalia, the perennially top-rated restaurant in Metro Atlanta.