73 replies to this topic

[dockhl]

I am so happy I stumbled upon this thread. I'll be in Atlanta, staying at the Hyatt Regency from Apr 4-7. I'll have my sweetie with me for Sat/Sun nights (we'll be getting in late afternoon) and hoped to find out as much as I can before we get there. No car, so we'll take cabs, I imagine.

Since we'll be pretty tired Sat night, I was thinking fairly casual (Flip, maybe?). I was disappointed to see that Blais had left Home. Is it still good? (I have no idea where it is relative to where I am staying.) So much great info in this thread...........

During the day Sunday, we'll want to be out exploring, and then a romantic dinner on Sunday night.

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated ! One caveat..he hates sushi Oh well, if that is the only thing to avoid, we're in pretty good shape !

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Dave the Cook]

After Blais left Home he opened Flip, though Mark Nanna is the real exec there (Blais did the menu design and remains creative director). I'm not the best-connected guy in the city, but I'd avoid Home until they figure out what they're doing; I think they're on their third chef since Blais.

Having said all that, be prepared for a wait at Flip, especially on a Saturday night. It's a fine choice, but Atlanta is a fairly relaxed city, and there are lots of good places in midtown and the old fourth ward where you can chill and eat very well.

I recommend Restaurant Eugene for your romantic dinner Sunday.

And if you're cabbing it, go back uptopic and read therese's guidelines.

[Reignking]

I've really enjoyed Joel the last two times I've been there -- last week and during the fall.

If you want a relaxing Saturday night, Flip would drive you nuts. I ate at Home the weekend the he left; I came away unimpressed (OTOH, I really enjoyed Flip).

[RAHiggins1]

Flip's wait times aren't as bad as they were now that its been open longer. I'd say go ahead and go it doesn't take long to get seated. Or, go for lunch on sunday and get seated right away. Last weekend was the first timeit was open on Sunday and really it was wide open all day long.

Edited by RAHiggins1, 10 March 2009 - 06:08 PM.

[dockhl]

Flip on Sunday sounds like a great idea. Where is my hotel (the Hyatt Regency) in perspective to the above suggestions?

Eugene sounds good. I was also checking out Aria, sounds like good food and they have a private wine cellar table for two......... (can you tell I really MISS this guy?)

Any fun suggestions, other than food? I need to look at a map and get an idea of neighborhoods and where everything is.............

[Reignking]

Flip's wait times aren't as bad as they were now that its been open longer. I'd say go ahead and go it doesn't take long to get seated. Or, go for lunch on sunday and get seated right away. Last weekend was the first timeit was open on Sunday and really it was wide open all day long.

If that's true, I would recommend doing that for Sunday lunch...

Since you are staying downtown, you've got only a few restaurants that I would recommend. In walking distance are FAB, Room at Twelve, BLT Steak, and DrinkShop. I've enjoyed FAB; Room is good, and probably more relaxed; BLT is quite new and much more expensive, so maybe not what you were looking for (I haven't been); Drinkshop is a cool new bar that I'm anxious to check out.

Cabbing, of course, opens up a lot of possibilites.

[micropundit]

Kessler wrote a nice piece on SOCIAL, which is behind FAB on West Peachtree Place.

Edited by micropundit, 11 March 2009 - 10:03 AM.

[SeAAttle]

I will be in Atlanta for a conference late June. A colleague/friend will also be there and we have a tradition of dining at top end places whenever we attend the same meeting. Staying at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and happy to take a cab. I lived in the South for 10 years and am not interested in "traditional southern". Also, since I am from Seattle, seafood is out. Not a big steak fan. (Gee, I am sounding very particular). Have dined in Atlanta twice before. One I remember was New Year's Eve 2000 at Panos and Pauls.

Any recommendations for the hot spots would be appreciated. Also, jazz club recommendations. Unfortunately, I think we will have only one night free (probably a Thursday).

Thanks for your help.

S.

[Dave the Cook]

I'm not sure what you mean by "top end": best in the city, or best in category. I think the consensus on the four best restaurants in the city is (without ranking them): Bacchanalia, Quinones, Eugene and The Dining Room, with a long list of fifth-spot contenders.

[micropundit]

I will be in Atlanta for a conference late June.  A colleague/friend will also be there and we have a tradition of dining at top end places whenever we attend the same meeting.  Staying at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and happy to take a cab.  I lived in the South for 10 years and am not interested in "traditional southern".  Also, since I am from Seattle, seafood is out.  Not a big steak fan.  (Gee, I am sounding very particular).  Have dined in Atlanta twice before.  One I remember was New Year's Eve 2000 at Panos and Pauls.

Any recommendations for the hot spots would be appreciated.  Also, jazz club recommendations.  Unfortunately, I think we will have only one night free (probably a Thursday).

Thanks for your help.

S.

S,
For Jazz, try Churchill Grounds on Peachtree in the same structure as the Fox Theater. Not far from your hotel and there is a new :hotspot" across the street , Livingston, located in the Georgian Terrace Hotel.

[gwilson]

Definitely Churchill Grounds for jazz. There is a Sambuca club here, but I prefer Churchill's music.

Other restaurants I'd recommend are La Pietra Cucina, Woodfire Grill, Abbatoir, Aria, Canoe, Pura Vida.


-Greg

[SeAAttle]

Sorry for the vague request. The four best is what I had in mind. Had considered the first three but need to read about The Dining Room. Thanks.

I'm not sure what you mean by "top end": best in the city, or best in category. I think the consensus on the four best restaurants in the city is (without ranking them): Bacchanalia, Quinones, Eugene and The Dining Room, with a long list of fifth-spot contenders.

[SeAAttle]

Definitely Churchill Grounds for jazz.  There is a Sambuca club here, but I prefer Churchill's music.

Other restaurants I'd recommend are La Pietra Cucina, Woodfire Grill, Abbatoir, Aria, Canoe, Pura Vida.


-Greg

Thanks to you and micropundit for the suggestions, both restaurants and jazz.

[SeAAttle]

Chose Restaurant Eugene. Will report back.

Are restaurants in Atlanta non-smoking?

[JAZ]

Yes, they're all non-smoking with the exception of a very few bar & grill places that seem to have some kind of exception.

[Dave the Cook]

Restaurants with patios usually allow smoking on them.

[RAHiggins1]

If you break for lunch head to Flip Burger Boutique on Howell Mill Road.

[SeAAttle]

Yes, they're all non-smoking with the exception of a very few bar & grill places that seem to have some kind of exception.

Thanks. That is important to me.

[markemorse]

FWIW, went to Pura Vida a week or so ago for a taste, ate at the bar: Diablo Shrimp Cocktail with Butternut Gelee; Duck Confit with Caramelized Plantains; Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Smoked Sour Cream. All of it was fine, but not amazing. We were trying to order a bit light, and probably could've done a better job, but...I think if I had it to do over again, I'd go somewhere else (Eugene, Holeman & Finch, JCT, and Woodfire were my other main interests). Great cocktails and atmosphere, though.

[a10er]

Had a beautiful dinner at Restaurant Eugene last night. Beautiful summer veggies and the service was really great. We had a bottle of the Côtes de Roussillon (2007) that was delicious!

Plus, my friend and I ate quietly, far from our fellow conference attendees!

Thanks for the recommendation.

[jdtofbna]

Thought I would tag onto this thread. A friend and I are making a quick IKEA run next weekend from Nashville and will be staying at the Artmore. As the designated driver, I'd like to have a nice dinner at a restaurant within walking distance so I can have more than 1 glass of wine A couple of people have recommended South City Kitchen--any opinions? Thanks!

[Dave the Cook]

You could do worse than South City Kitchen. But just to confuse you, no further away are Table 1280 (good reviews), Shout (kind of a scene, but the food is decent), J-G's Spice Market (very mixed reviews), Tamarind Seed (Thai "bistro," whatever that means; locals seem to like it) and Tap (gastropub). A little further down the block on Crescent from South City are Vickery's and Front Page, if you're in more of a bar-food state of mind.

[JAZ]

Also, if you don't mind a short cab ride or an easy bus ride, you could go north to Holeman & Finch. It can be busy (they don't take reservations) but the menu is nice and they have great cocktails. Or for a slightly more upscale atmosphere, Restaurant Eugene is right across the driveway.

[jdtofbna]

Thanks for the suggestions---now I need to ponder this a bit more!

[Dave the Cook]

Also, if you don't mind a short cab ride or an easy bus ride, you could go north to Holeman & Finch. It can be busy (they don't take reservations) but the menu is nice and they have great cocktails. Or for a slightly more upscale atmosphere, Restaurant Eugene is right across the driveway.

The same trip would take you past Varsano's, a slightly upscale pizzeria that gets mostly deserved good press. And further in the across-the-driveway vein, the Imperial Fez (good Moroccan food plus belly dancers) is about three doors up from Restaurant Eugene.

[Katie Meadow]

About to make my first visit to Atlanta, and it will be a short one. (In fact it will be my first visit to the Southeast.)

The only thing I'm sure of about Atlanta is that it's bigger than I think. We will rent a car for our two night stay, but I don't really want to spend all my time driving around and probably getting lost. I've read over some of the Atlanta threads and I'm guessing the food at Empire State South, JCT or Eugene would please me totally, but the three strikes against them are: price, location and my daughter's contempt for destination dining and consumer excess. We will be staying near Emory, about halfway between the school and downtown Decatur, and I would be fine with some places that are located in East Atlanta/Decatur area.

I'm expecting a trip to the Brick Store, since my daughter has become a beer lover recently and has already checked that out, along with some other bars in Decatur. Some places that at least sound promising in the area are: Taqueria del Sol (not that I need to go to Atl for Mexican food), Leon's Full Service, Fox Bros BBQ, Fat Matt's. Any other suggestions for mid price dining or funky neighborhood joints that have good food and fun atmosphere? Local gems? Southern style? Fresh vegetables? Nor do I want to eat Vietnamese or Ethiopian food away from home, but my daughter might appreciate recommendations, as she is missing Berkeley a bit.

Edited by Katie Meadow, 05 September 2011 - 12:55 PM.

[JAZ]

I'd give Taqueria del Sol a pass -- the food is average at best. I've only been to Fat Matt's once, but wasn't particularly impressed with the food there, either. In Decatur you might try Farm Burger or Cakes and Ale. Finally, Zucca has pretty decent pizza and a good beer selection.

[Dave the Cook]

The best east Asian food in Atlanta, as your daughter has probably already been told, is along Buford Highway, from North Druid Hills (which, at its eastern end, transects the Emory campus) north to about a mile outside the perimeter (I-285). Japanese, Indian, Viet, Thai, Chinese, some of it excellent.

As Janet said, Taqueria del Sol and Fat Matt's are overrated. But if you're willing to go that far (Fat Matt's is nowhere near Emory), try Top Flr for a nice dinner: creative food at great prices, and for some reason rarely crowded. Almost next door is Papi's Grill for good Cuban/Caribbean sandwiches (don't know about their dinner menu). The location is a straight drive along Ponce de Leon Avenue from Emory.

And speaking of tacos, your daughter is most likely familiar with a quasi-local chain, Taco Mac (there's one in downtown Decatur). Be aware that there are TVs everywhere, but they're not obtrusively loud. Do not order tacos. Order wings, and one of the villion beers on tap or in the bottle. It's an Atlanta institution. So is Manuel's. Good burgers and sandwiches, lots of Democratic-party and Atlanta/Georgia memorabilia -- helpful if you're missing your blue-state vibe.

[Maple1]

I live in Decatur. Our favorite Decatur spots - Cakes and Ale, Leons, Iberian Pig and Brick Store [for beer]. Antico Pizza is the best pizza in Atlanta is well worth the short drive.

[Brown Hornet]

I'm not terribly familiar with the current Decatur dining scene, but I'll ditto Iberian Pig and Antico Pizza. I'd strongly recommend Manuel's, but more for its storied history as the watering hole for local politicians than for its good but not great bar food. I've heard No. 246 is the hot new Decatur place, and it was recently reviewed in our local paper, but I haven't been there to try it myself.

Fatt Matt's is just ok, but it will give you a decent example of Southern-style BBQ. Not sure about Fox Bros., but I thought they did more of a Texas style BBQ. In general, I find BBQ joints better when you get outside the 285 perimeter.

If you can convince your daughter, or maybe have a chance on another trip, I'd recommend Local Three, Miller Union and South City Kitchen as exemplars of contempory southern fine dining. In my opinion, they're all superior to JCT, but not quite as formal as Restaurant Eugene, which is outstanding.

Atlanta has a surprisingly good number of decent Asian places, particularly Vietnamese and Korean, most of which are on Buford Hwy. which is not too horribly far from Emory. I particularly like some of the Korean BBQ places on Buford like Yong So San and Hae Woon Dae. Although it's on the other end of town, if you or your daughter like Szechuan cuisine, there's a good place in Sandy Springs called Peter Chang's Tasty 2 that's worth the drive for their hot and numbing beef rolls. Unfortunately, Atlanta is pretty spread out (especially compared to the Bay area) so the best dining options are not always close.