Good news for those whose palettes yearn for something light and clean in the warmer months: Parker's has recently rolled out a summer-ready menu of lighter dishes, crisp wines, and fresh cocktails perfect for sipping on a balmy evening.

"Steakhouse" might conjure notions of a dark, stuffy den of a dining room with heavy-duty food fit for hibernation season—not exactly an ideal place to while away your summer nights. Luckily for us, "dark and stuffy" is not how this classic Decatur establishment rolls. Enthusiastic carnivores, fear not: there's always a Porterhouse with your name on it. But Parker's has also rolled out a summer-ready menu of lighter dishes, crisp wines, and fresh cocktails perfect for sipping on a balmy evening. Imbibing a crisp, cold Pinot Grigio or a seasonal caipirinha while nibbling on salmon topped with pomegranate salsa is pretty swell way to spend egg-frying-on-sidewalk season. And doing it all in the sophisticated but laid-back environs of this neighborhood steakhouse? Better yet.

When Parker's first set up shop in the neighborhood a few years ago, they brought the steakhouse into the twenty-first century. Slate-grey walls, tall windows, and a brand-new bar menu of small plates make the bar feel like an elegant neighborhood gathering place (not a Wall Street power lunch hotspot, like so many steak joints feel). Familiar names — White Oak Pastures, Pine Street Market, and Noring Farms, to name a few — appear throughout the menu, thanks to the restaurant's ongoing partnerships with local farms and purveyors. Dishes from surf to turf marry Southern influences with contemporary inspirations, making up a menu that goes miles beyond the typical meat 'n potatoes fare of your everyday chop house. Parker's is sophisticated, but relaxed—a fresh, quintessentially Decatur take on the steakhouse.

And their menu is equally refreshing. "So a pescatarian walks into a steakhouse..." might sound like a knee-slapper, but if that steakhouse is Parker's, someone's about to be a very, very happy seafood connoisseur. While many a steakhouse might overlook any dish that isn't a big juicy hunk o' red meat, Parker's never lets their seafood entrees play second fiddle to the filet mignons. Thanks to dishes like Carolina trout with citrus beurre blanc, or sea scallops with chipotle onion jam, Parker's is just as much a delicious feast for lovers of the fish as it is for T-bone aficionados. And that's really not something you can say about most steakhouses. Then again, I think we've established that this place isn't exactly "most steakhouses," is it?

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Menu Highlights:
Tomato, Basil, & Fresh Mozzarella, $9
Lobster Potato Skins, $16
Blue Cheese-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates, $11
Sea Scallops, $28
Carolina Trout, $24
Tink's Grass-Fed Beef Burger, $15
Filet Mignon (10-oz), $36
NY Strip (10-oz), $23

Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.