Put Gato on your radar

Mexican cuisine in Candler Park spot is assured, nuanced.

If you love breakfast, perusing the menu at Gato is almost certain to make your stomach roar like a hungry lion.

Choices include butter cakes with maple butter syrup, fruit compote and agave butter; a burrito with chili ajo potatoes, black beans, chihuahua cheese and salsas, plus your choice of pulled citrus pork, eggs or tofu, and veggies; andsomething called “slom,” which owner Nicholas Stinson describes as a kind of punk- rock hangover cure he devised during his salad days as a line cook.

I’d had an abstemious weekend, but I tried his hash of duckfat potatoes, garlic confit, cheesy scrambled eggs, Benton’s country ham ( normally Benton’s bacon, but theywere out), chili- oil onion and cilantro sauce. In the future, it might be worth having a few too many, so I can determine if this kinetically flavorful, moodlifting dish lives up to its restorative claims.

Have I piqued your interest? Theopposite sideof themenuis dinner entrees that showcase the playfulMexican cooking Stinson has concocted in the two years since he unveiled his Gato Nights weekend series. I’m talking about an adobo chicken quarter that Stinson flattens, tenderizes in a sous vide machine, finishes on a Japanese charcoal yakitori grill, and serves with red rice, housemade tortillas, escabeche, salsa macha and key lime halves. Or, the giant tlayuda, made with red corn meal that he grinds himself and crisps on a cast- iron press he imported from California. The pizza- size tortilla is strewn with mushrooms, summersquash, Oaxacan rope cheese, bean puree, avocado, salsa and the herb pipicha.

The self- taught chef nowpresents his hardy, everyday breakfasts and more intellectual Mexican fare side by side on a pandemiceramenu. And, though he doesn’t knock it out of the park

every time, he comes close. Either way, it’s hard not to be impressed byhis rigorous researchandsolid technique. For certain, he knows how tomake the basic elements of salt, acid, heat and spice come together in electrifying ways.

As fate would have it, COVID- 19 arrived not long after his Mexican magic at Gato had started to make a buzz. Since March, Stinson has been reduced to operating three days a week, and depending a good bit on the kindness of regulars. ( When I spoke to him, hewas delivering takeout to a nearby shut- in.)

Meanwhile, he’s launched private dinners for small groups, for whom he customcrafts a meal from his Gato playbook. Depending on the wishes of guests, he can course out each selection individually, or present the repast family- style.

Stinson, who is likely to pick up the phonewhen you call, is not the savviest selfpromoter. Ordering can feel almost like trying to gain admission to a secret supper club. You can find an old menu on the Gato website, but, for the latest iteration, you must go to the highlights section of the Instagramprofifile. Look for the far left button that says “current menu.”

I’dbe surprisedif it doesn’t make you eager to experience theworkof a chefwho’s spent years immersing himself in the nuances of Mexican, yet remains refreshingly humble about where it has taken him.

Is there a restaurant you want to see featured? Send your suggestions to ligaya. fifigueras@ ajc. com.

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FOR THE AJC WENDELL BROCK/ Gato chef Nicholas Stinson’s vegetarian tlayuda comes with mushrooms, summer squash, avocado, cherry tomatoes, bean puree, Oaxacan string cheese and salsa amarillo verde, all on a crispy red tortilla.

WENDELL BROCK/ FOR THE AJC Gato chefowner Nicholas Stinson brings a takeout order out the door of his Candler Park diner.