Dining in Atlanta

In a few weeks I will be attending a conference in Atlanta. I am in need of fine dining suggestions. I know that the Ritz Carlton Dining Room in Buckhead is superb and enjoyed a fabulous dinner there a few years ago. However, I will be downtown and prefer something that is a short cab ride.

BigDar wrote: I know that the Ritz Carlton Dining Room in Buckhead is superb and enjoyed a fabulous dinner there a few years ago. However, I will be downtown and prefer something that is a short cab ride.

You could try Mid City Cuisine. their web site is midcitycuisine.com. Good to exc upscale bistro food, exc bar and wine list. Mid way between downtown and buckhead, on P'tree around 16th st so an easy straight shot by cab. Not in Ritz league, however. Few places are.

For fine dining perhaps you might enjoy Restaurant Eugene http://restauranteugene.com. Its a few dollars further up P'tree by cab than mid-city cuisine.

Others say good things about Luxe, downtown, however I have not been.

Buckhead, of course, is the Atlanta epi-center of 'fine dining' with tons of choices--and when you're spending $100 plus per head on fine din-din, what's a $20 cab fare, anyway?

In Atlanta this week, and as I have remarked before, I find the advice of my LTH compatriots to be the best guidance around, so I spoke with Mr Drucker, and he sent me to Woodfire Grill for a business dinner for about 20 people that I hosted.

Woodfire is a place that uses locally sourced, often organic, foodstuffs, http://www.woodfiregrill.com/index.asp, and works with Slow Foods. The cooking is pretty simple, usually over a wood fire (using a combination of oak, hickory and alder wood), really highlighting the ingredients above everything else.

Our dinner started with a choice between a salad (lettuce, ricotta, radish, and fig balsamic vinaigrette), and a roasted vidalia onion soup with a house pancetta, vincotto and micro celery. I went with the soup, and found it pleasant, quite light, with the vincotto enhancing the sweetness of the onion. Did not try the salad.

Main courses included a Spit roasted chicken, pan roasted halibut, wood grilled hanger steak, and a vegetable mix.

The chicken was served on a bed of "steel pan greens," which seemed to be a dark kale, steamed/sauteed, and with a salsa verde, which I did not notice. I found the chicken a bit disappointing particularly because Steve had spoken quite highly of it. Very lightly seasoned with good chicken flavor, but bordering on bland. And I think that because of the size of our party they may have had to hold some of the chicken a little too long, rendering it a bit too chewy.

I also sampled the steak which was served with the same greens, plus fingerling potatos (lightly roasted and salted) and chimichurri. This dish was wonderful. Smoky beef with an excellent crust and pink juicy inside, set off by the chimichurri, potatos and greens.

Dessert was warm chocolate truffle cake, strawberry soup and mint chip ice cream, or coconut panna cotta, candied coconut broth and wood over roasted pineapple. Many know that among my rules of dining is the ABC (anything but chocolate) dessert rule. Every dessert list must have representation of chocolate, so it is the other dishes that are put there solely because of quality (plus chocolate is a pretty overwhelming ingredient). So I had the panna cotta. Very, very good, and based on some recent experiences, I think I will need to try some experiments with wood grilled or smoked pineapple. What a lovely combination of flavors, and you can take it so many different ways - with main courses and light touch of salt, with any course and a light dusting of chili pepper, or on its own with the dessert course.

The only comment I heard about the chocolate was that the strawberry soup was excellent.

Wine list and service were also very good, and quite reasonable. I let the Sommelier take us through the dinner, and I believe we had a Gruner Veltliner (Domaine Wachau), a Penedes white, and then a spanish red to finish. Sorry, no notes.

Tho I did not sample it, the cheese selection also looked quite good. Not cheap, but quite reasonable. I think one could do a meal for $50 to $70 pp.

A couple of days later I met Steve for lunch in Doraville, and in addition to his pleasant conversation and excellent hospitality, I also had a great lunch at Frank Ma's, which Steve claims is the only good Chinese restaurant in Atlanta. Don't know about that, but it was very good. But I will see if I can get Steve to post on the meal and place. Seemed pretty near to the Marta stop in Doraville, and it was both inexpensive and mighty tasty, so I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

The two Atlanta fine dining restaurants that I would recommend (I lived outside of Atlanta for seven years) are Seeger's and Bacchanalia. I last ate at Seeger's two years ago and it was superb - cuisine that reminded me of that at Everest.

Bacchanalia is a long-time Atlanta favorite, although it has been longer since I have been there, but prior to Seeger's opening, I thought it was the best local restaurant.

I would avoid Panos and Paul's, even though many Atlantans rate it highly.

Seeger's
111 West Paces Ferry (in Buckhead)
404-846-9779

Bacchanalia
1198 Howell Mill Road (northwest of downtown)
404-350-0677

GAF wrote:Bacchanalia is a long-time Atlanta favorite, although it has been longer since I have been there, but prior to Seeger's opening, I thought it was the best local restaurant.

I must be the only voice in Atlanta who thinks little, if any at all, of Bacchanalia. Very good technique--but flavors that just don't belong together in course after course. I remain stumped at the accolades. I tried it twice at their first location and never thought for a moment of going back.

Have not been to Seegers. Without re-opening up an old argument, its because to my preference for kitchens and cuisines that feature pristine simply prepared ingredients. That said, I bear an immense fondness for Blackbird--an exception that proves the rule.

dicksond wrote:In Atlanta this week...
A couple of days later I met Steve for lunch in Doraville...a great lunch at Frank Ma's, which Steve claims is the only good Chinese restaurant in Atlanta. Don't know about that, but it was very good. But I will see if I can get Steve to post on the meal and place. Seemed pretty near to the Marta stop in Doraville, and it was both inexpensive and mighty tasty, so I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

Right now (and things change, sigh), Frank Ma's is worthy of a full force LTH dinner. I would do it tables of ten in the back room.

At Frank Ma's would recommend the Shanghai Juicy Dumplings (aka soup dumplings), the chive dumpling ( a savory pastry filled mostly with green onion tops and sprinkled with scrambled egg and glass noodles), the onion pancake, the current specials of cold hacked rabbit in piquant dry dressing; wide glass noodles with slivered cucumber, chicken, hot pepper and rice wine vinegar; a current special (hot) of minced red snapper in a hot pepper saute, three cup chicken (amazing), lions head meatballs, spicy homestyle tofu, exc rendition of salt and pepper shrimp, snow pea leaves, ong choi (water spinach). They have 5 or so hot pots, have tried two but not yet found the winners; beef stew noodles look great but haven't tried. With the arrival of a second chef, now features a darn good Peking Duck. Also features the bowl of heated broth and plates of veg/meat/noodles that your party cooks itself at the table. According to the owners, the menu is 40% Shanghai, 40% Taiwan and 20% Mandarin. All that said, I have only tried about a quarter of the menu, despite the fact that I have been there weekly for the last 3 months. I keep getting trapped by the above items.

Simply Good - Quinones at Bacchanalia

For nearly two decades Bacchanalia has served as the Gold Standard of Atlanta fine dining (with the exception of the glorious, but brief reign of Seeger’s). Atlanta fine dining has largely been rather traditional, if not to say stodgy (e.g. Panos and Paul’s), but Bacchanalia introduced Atlanta to some of the canons of modern cuisine. Granted this was not a restaurant that should be compared with the true temples of haute cuisine – and the main restaurant is more formal than dining establishments on the coasts – but it was and is a regional highpoint.

Once (or twice) a week Bacchanalia under chef David Carson and pastry chef Carla Tomasko ventures into the world of degustation, serving a nine course tasting menu (plus amuse) in a separate dining room in the Star Provisions restaurant complex. And how is it? In its own terms it is very pleasurable. If it falters a bit in ambition or starry brilliance, perhaps feeling just a bit like modern cuisine with training wheels (seemingly no more than five ingredients per dish), that does not detract from the soundness of the plates. Atlanta will not be a fine dining mecca, but if one resides in Hotlanta, Bacchanalia is as warm as it gets.

The dishes served the night of August 14, 2010 (they change on a weekly basis) were:

1) An amuse of Sweet Vidalia Onion Soup with Chicharrones: a wonderful sip of soup, a paean to local terroir – onion and pork skin.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Sweet Vidalia Onion Soup with Chicharrones by garyalanfine, on Flickr

2) Kumamoto Oysters, Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, Caviar, Heirloom Melons, and Chervil – a smart and well presented dish, perhaps the flavors were too sweet to be truly challenging, but it provided a cool punch of summer pleasure from the oyster, tuna and melon.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Kumamoto Oysters, Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, Caviar, Heirloom Melons, Chervil by garyalanfine, on Flickr

3) Nantucket Diver Scallop with White Gazpacho, and Melon. The scallop, fresh enough, was not as sweet and tender as one might expect, but the gazpacho, tiny though it was, proved delightful.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Sauteed Nantucket Diver Scallop, White Gazpacho by garyalanfine, on Flickr

4) Foie Gras Terrine, Pickled Blueberries, Spiced Cocoa Nibs, and Wild Arugula. A nicely composed dish, but well within expectations of how foie is presented.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Foie Gras Terrine, Pickled Blackberries, Spiced Cocoa Nibs, Summerland Farm White Arugula by garyalanfine, on Flickr

5) Loup de mer with Melted Spring Onion, Local Squash, and Crispy Fingerling Potatoes. Simple and elegant. Perfectly cooked fish with thin potato scales. A real treat in its minimalist presentation.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Loup de Mer, Melted Spring Onion, Local Squash, Crispy Fingerling Potato by garyalanfine, on Flickr

6) Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Oyster Mushrooms, Pole Beans and Young Carrots. A straight-ahead preparation of sweetbreads. It was well-made without being uniquely memorable.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Crispy Veal Sweetbreads, Oyster Mushrooms, Pole Beans,Young Carrots by garyalanfine, on Flickr

7) Colorado Lamb Loin, Stewed Field Peas, Butter Beans, Zipper Peas, and Summerland Farm Herbs. This was the least compelling dish of the evening. It was not poorly prepared, just rather dull, although capturing some of the farm-grown beans that dot Southern tables.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Colorado Lamb Loin, Stewed Field Peas, Butter Beans, Zipper Peas, Summerland Farm Herbs by garyalanfine, on Flickr

Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill Cheese, Georgia June Peaches, and some more Arugula. A small bit of nice cheese on a pretty plate.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52391789@N00/4930121040/" title="Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill Cheese, Georgia June Peaches, Young Arugula by garyalanfine, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4930121040_3c4b0f26e6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill Cheese, Georgia June Peaches, Young Arugula" /></a>

9) Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Local Blueberries, and Blueberry Sorbet. Well-done, but what one would expect given the ingredients.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Local Blueberries, Blueberry Sorbet by garyalanfine, on Flickr

10) Skipping the chocolate dessert, I was served four scoops of sorbet: peach, melon, blueberry, and blackberry, each a straightforward flavor.

Quinones at Bacchanalia, Atlanta, August 2010 - Quartet of Sorbet: Peach, Melon, Blueberry, Blackberry by garyalanfine, on Flickr

Of the dishes it was the Loup de Mer – awash in simplicity – and the Vidalia amuse – simple in its own cunning way – that captured my affection. Chef Carson hasn’t quite developed a distinctive gastronomic style, other than attempting to build on Southern farm produce (beans, leaves, and herbs), admirable to be sure. Still, there is no doubt but that he is surely a very capable chef, probably the best around. I will surely continue to dine at Bacchanalia when I get to Atlanta, but, as yet, I don’t plan to travel to Atlanta in order to dine at Bacchanalia.

Quinones at Bacchanalia
1198 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-365-0410
http://www.starprovisions.com/

Vealcheeks

what were you drinking--it looked interesting (was that a melon garnish?)

boudreaulicious wrote:what were you drinking--it looked interesting (was that a melon garnish?)

It was a Tom Collins: Leopold Gin, Lemon, Melon, Tarragon, topped with Soda Water. It was delicious on a warm Georgia evening.

that sounds wonderful...

GAF, your write up of Quinones at Bacchanalia really changed something inside of me. I think I might have actually enjoyed that meal. To me, modern cuisine often seems over the top and not something that I would be very comfortable with. Perhaps you described the dining experience best as modern cuisine with training wheels. I think I'm still at the tricycle stage!

Thanks. Looks a lot like Tru circa 1999. Nothing wrong with that at all. But not what I'd spend my time/$ on during my many visits to ATL. I agree that if one lived there, it seems like a great option.

JeffB wrote:Thanks. Looks a lot like Tru circa 1999. Nothing wrong with that at all. But not what I'd spend my time/$ on during my many visits to ATL. I agree that if one lived there, it seems like a great option.

In the few times that I have eaten at Bacchanalia, partaking of their daily four course menu, I have been quite impressed with the freshness and attention to detail in the dishes there. At $130, it is expensive for what it is. But, it is one of the best run kitchens in town.

It certainly doesn't compare to say, Alinea, but I don't think that they have set that bar for themselves either.

They do focus on local Georgia produce, meats and seafood there. I found Atlanta to have a very strong local organic movement in its restaurant kitchens. The attached market has some wonderful cured local meats- and their house made cold fried chicken is simply to die for.