I’m always on the hunt for good restaurants in lower midtown (south of Peachtree & 10 ^th). They come in handy for grabbing a drink after work or dinner before a show at the  Fox Theater. 

My latest discovery in this part of town is  Proof & Provision, an underground spinoff of  The Livingston Restaurant + Bar. P&P shares the same executive chef as its fancy older brother, but that’s where the resemblance stops. The food, the drinks, and the vibe are completely different. 

Proof & Provision is meant to be more of a bar than a full-service restaurant, and its menu certainly reflects this fact: A lengthy list of original, hand-crafted (read: amazing!) cocktails and a small selection of comfort food-inspired bar bites, charcuterie, and sandwiches. The good part is that you can’t go wrong with anything you order—everything is delicious. 

One of my girlfriends and I started with the pickled veggies—which were pickled in-house, btw—and the deviled eggs. Actually, who am I kidding, we started with drinks: She had the Firm Handshake, a rye whiskey cocktail, and I got the Retox, a tequila cocktail with a spicy kick. 

For the main entrée, I ordered the prosciutto and arugula sandwich and she got the adult grilled cheese. Once again, you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu—we devoured everything! And the best part is that it’s all (ok, almost all) under $10! 

The only caveat: All this deliciousness will set you back some major calories. I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, since pretty much anything even remotely tasty is highly caloric (namely bread, cheese, and butter, which account for a big portion of the small menu). So be sure to fit in a hardcore work out before your meal at P&P. 

Another friendly warning if you’re bringing a healthnut as your date: There aren’t many vegetarian options. Even the seemingly innocent dishes had hidden meats in them, i.e., the deviled eggs had bacon bits and the French onion soup was made with beef stock. 

THE VERDICT: Other than the aforementioned words of warning, P&P is awesome. The underground secrecy gives it a super cool vibe; the exposed brick walls and the giant Edison light bulbs reinforce it. It also fits exceptionally well into the pre-show-at-the-Fox-dinner category. It’s located in the basement of the Georgian Terrace hotel, which happens to be directly across the street from the Fox. Valet your car at the hotel and your first 3 hours are free—plenty of time for dinner and a cocktail and a show like  Beauty and the Beast, which is playing at the Fox through Dec. 2!