Some of Atlanta's most tasteful restaurants and retail shops occupy a cluster of old brick and concrete buildings set along railroad tracks on Midtown’s far edge. Few know that these buildings were once slaughterhouses—all part of the United Butchers Abattoir complex that opened a century ago. It will be harder to ignore this trendy neighborhood’s blood-soaked past when a restaurant called, in fact, Abattoir opens in early 2009 in the freshly renovated White Provision development. Staged on a former killing floor and serving a style of cooking the owners call whole animal cuisine, this 150-seat eatery promises a new era of slaughterhouse chic in Atlanta dining.

The restaurateurs responsible for this strangely appealing concept are Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, the husband-and-wife team who run Bacchanalia along with three other local gourmet destinations. The two have long been leaders in Atlanta’s local-foods movement and supply the restaurants with eggs and produce from their farm north of the city. Now, working in a partnership with chef Joshua Hopkins, the couple plan a move up the food chain that’s very much in step with these carnivorous times. “I don’t want to call it Belgian, and I don’t want to say gastropub,” explains Quatrano, “but that’s the direction we’re headed. We’ll have our charcuterie, fries, terrines, and good beers. The food will be very casual but also very meat-centric.”

Little will go to waste. Diners will feast on lamb clean to the animal’s ribs—roasted in a wood-burning oven and finished with a green herb sauce. Fish cheeks and skin will grace the menu, as will headcheese and house-cured bacon made from local pigs.

“Some think Atlanta may not be ready for the reality of the name,” Quatrano says, laughing. “I don’t mind that it’s literal. It’s interesting, and it carries a little bit of history. But, yes, I’ve been called irreverent before.” Quatrano gestures toward a concrete ramp that slices a long, low gash in the side of the building. “That’s the ramp where they drove the cattle. I’m planning to have a porcelain cow walking up it. That cow, instead of a sign, will announce the restaurant.”