jaypm51

Nashvegas, just for the record, there is no music at Seeger's and there is absolutely nothing "common" about the palate emanating from that kitchen. There are many restaurants, one could argue, that meet your description, but I assure you Seeger's is not among them.

I think Cru as well. The food is great and and the bill won't require a second mortgage to pay.

Ambience? Never noticed the ambience. Too much preoccupied with the food and wonderfully paired wines. Chairs were functional, table was solid, service was great (friendly and informative) and my guests were as appreciative of what came out of the kitchen as I was. One interesting observation though, the chef is as understated as his surroundings. Maybe, just maybe, he only wants us to see the food.

Great place for the exotic cocktail, wonderful atmosphere (very pukka-like) and often, at the bar, interesting and erudite conversation. Bartenders are without peer. The best of all, however, is the simple but elegant unadorned martini made with some of the world's best gin. Just plain hard to beat.

Well, someone felt that their financial backing would make all the difference .. and, ultimately, he was satisfied enough to stay ... I think this is wonderful news for Atlanta! ← It is wonderful news indeed. Hopefully the rest of Atlanta's food-wise community shares our sentiments and provides the patronage necessary to sustain the restaurant beyond the next few months. I, for one, believe Seeger's best is yet to come.

Obviously Andrea Strong's intelligence is flawed. As of August 25, Seegers is still open. Also, I doubt very much that Seeger has ever heard of The Strong Buzz. Of course there is lots of speculation regarding Seeger's next move but whatever it turns out to be, he has demonstrated that his commitment to Atlanta has been far greater than Atlanta's commitment to him and his restaurant.

Chef Guenter Seeger has finally given up the good fight. After investing better than twenty years of his life providing Atlanta's epicurian community with some of the finest dining in the world, Seeger is moving on. Sadly, a slow but steady exodus of Atlanta's most talented chefs have bled the city of top flght restaurants. Where have all the epicures gone? Following their favorite chefs to other cities I presume. It really is a drag to have to fly to New York for a great meal.

u.e. "I've also been to Heinz Winkler's three star restaurant in Aschau. This is, in my opinion, the worst of the german three star restaurants. It appears that his cuisine stands almost still." I totally agree with malacitana regarding Winkler. I dined there only 3 days ago. Winkler was not in the restaurant. It was half empty. The dining room seemed drab (over lit, perhaps) and both the food (we had the chef's tasting menu) and the service were inconsistent. To be fair, there were instances of sheer brilliance on the menu, particularly at the amuse stage. He is also at his best with fish. However, there were several egregious displays of sheer amateurism like the sauce (a port wine reduction?) accompanying our final course of pheasant breast, which was the color of muddy chocolate (a turn off to everybody at the table) and tasted primarily of uncooked flour. Unfortunately, out of the entire menu, this is the one dish we will most likely remember. On the other hand, Tantris is certainly worth a visit. Haas' cooking is honest and without pretention yet precisely executed and often sublime. He is always in the kitchen and takes extraordinary pride in every aspect of preparation, execution and delivery. I have eaten in both restaurants several times and my judgments remain unchanged.

Strongly second Ned! Just returned from Europe where I dined at two Michelin three star restaurants. Neither restaurant could claim the standard set by Seeger for either food, service or for that matter, since his remake, ambience. If money is not an object, though Seegers is not nearly the most expensive in town, then do yourself and your fiance a favor and dine there. When making your reservation, mention that one of you is a vegetarian, and you'll find out just how sublime veggies can be.

But I wonder how much better than Smart Chicken it is? ← Have prepared this bird several times now. Simple roast served with jus. "They really do taste like chicken." Of course, if they taste like turkey.... Actually, they are exceptionally good and worth the money. Nothing like starting with the best ingredients.

Have to second Ned on Tres Hermanos. Took some of my friends from Dallas there recently and it blew them away. It helps if you understand a bit of Spanish, though even if you don't you won't leave hungry. You will need to be able to decipher a written (white board) menu. Mexican idiom. No matter how you spell it though, its really, really good and as down home Mexican as it gets. In a strip mall off Sandy Springs Circle just short of Roswell Road, north side of street.

. eGullet thread on book by Charlie Trotter ← Try "Eat Smart, Eat Raw" by Kate Wood. Lots of good ideas and creativity. Not my thing but occasionally "cook" for friends who are still stuck in past lives (pre fire). Good resource to have on hand. My dogs, however, love their raw diet.

Try a trio of anchovy stuffed olives. I get mine from La Tienda.Com. Fabulous complement to an ice cold martini straight up.

We had the pleasure of dining at the newly reopened Seeger's. There are great chefs and there are great restaurants and, unfortunately, one doesn't necessarily imply the other. Seeger's has often been the subject of spirited discussion. Few would deny chef Seeger's greatness as a chef. Many have criticized the restaurant for its attitude, ambience and diffident service; I among them. It seems as though the Chef has not only heard, but acted definitively on the feedback. Clearly the Chef is intent (intensity is perhaps the one quality that is most indicative of him) on creating the perfect dining experience for his guests. From the moment you arrive at the restaurant to the moment you drive off, everything is orchestrated to insure a sublime evening of fine dining and exquisite attentiveness. As soon as you enter the parking area you are greeted by a valet who escorts you to the front door of the restaurant and announces you by name to the hostess who is standing outside to greet you. You are then led into the newly decorated lounge where you are seated and offered champagne, wine or a cocktail. The lounge area, facing the bar, is populated by a small number of cozy seating arrangements consisting of love seats and armchairs arranged for comfort and privacy. While you sip, nibble on a delicate "amuse" and relax, menus are delivered for your leisurely perusal. Whenever you are ready you are taken to the dining room and seated at "your" (you get to choose when making your reservation) table. The room, also newly decorated, seems much larger than before until you notice that there are only half the number of tables previously there. Here again, Chef Seeger demonstrates his out-of-box thinking; halve the capacity of the restaurant and increase the number of staff in order to insure that every detail of your dining experience is attended to, and those details are evident everywhere. The ambience is warm, intimate, graceful and elegant. New linens, silver and table service adorn each table. The china, carefully chosen to accomodate the Chef's unique dishes differ from one area of the restaurant to the next. The usual unusual flower arrangements are everywhere. We were thoroughly overwhelmed even before the first course arrives. We chose to sit at the Chef's Table and sample the Chef's 12 course Menu de Degustation (only available at the Chef's Table). Chef Guenter Seeger has long had the reputation of being a Chef's chef. His ability to coax maximum flavor from his every ingredient with minimum manipulation is his gift. Therefore, its hard to imagine that the food could have gotten any better than it was, and I'm not certain that it did. It was just purely sublime. I will not describe every dish that we had (though I will list them all) just those that I think are most indicative of Chef Seeger's particular genius. Grand Degustation Menu Burrata Cocktail Marinated Eggplant, Tomato Water, Anchovy Garlic Confit, Burrata (cheese). This dish epitomizes the Chef's absolute control over his ingredients. Every flavor nuance is evident and yet it is impossible to tell where one begins and another ends (we are speaking of garlic, anchovy and eggplant, no shy flavors here). This is perfect harmony until at the very end a, symbol clash, a stunning burst of pure tomato essence. Unbelievable! Egg Steamed Farm Egg Custard, Maple Syrup, Shaved Mullet Bottarga. The addition of the bottarga to the Chef's classic egg prepariation was pure inspiration. The interplay of salt and sweet, maple and fish was worked brilliantly. Sashimi (Two courses) Loup De Mer Seasoned with Three Peppers (as in peppercorns), Lime, Tuscan Olive Oil Abalone on Ice. This was served thinly sliced in the shell with just a hint if citrus. The flavor was pure, clean ocean brine. Soup Vichyssoise, Beet Gelee, Select American Caviar. Another dish of remarkable intensity and richness that was studded with whole roast chestnuts. Again, every flavor nuance identifiable but with indistinguishable bounderies. Oyster Pemaquid, Cauliflower Mousse, Vegetable Vinaigrette, Spice of the Angels. Three, each served on a tasting spoon. The cauliflower mousse perfectly emphasises the sea-brine flavor of the oyster, leaving the palette clean and sweet on the finish. No "fishiness" whatsoever. Salad Mache Salad, Pecan Sauce. Beatifully simple, a great palette cleanser as well. Turbot Wild from Brittany, Wrapped in Fig Leaf, Easter Egg Radish, Olive Oil Sauce. Cooked with figs in the fig leaf, the turbot was fish perfection. Light, sweet and cooked to retain all of its natural moistness. If I didn't already, I could love fish because of this dish. Squab Baked in Cinnamon Cream, Woodland Gardens Glazed Carrots, Date Chutney, Squab Jus. No adjectives necessary here. The squab was crusted, cooked "a point" and simply the best squab preparation I have ever eaten by a wide margin. Veal Tower Four Story Hill Farm Veal Cheek, Sweetbread and Tongue, Butternut Squash Puree and Sauteed Arugula. Again, a beautifully crafted dish, rich and redolent with flavors that flow together on the palette in perfect harmony. Cheese Degustation Selection of International Artisan Cheeses. Like everything else in the restaurant, the dozen or so cheeses represented the best of its genre. Seeger's Chocolate Dream Vanilla Cappucchino, Chocolate Crisp, Utah Salt. Peach From Georgia Mountain, Baked with Grand Marnier, Lemon Verbena Ice Cream. Both desserts were extraordinary but the peach was as good as it gets. The flavor was just absolute, peach. The Chef's stated intent of the remake was to create a new standard of dining experience for his customer. Incredible food and service from start to finish with total focus on the guest and every detail atteded to. Atlanta deserves a destination restaurant and with the reopenning of Seeger's I think we have one. If all this sounds as if I'm a fan, I am not. I've been converted. I'm unashamedly a devotee. I think Atlanta finally has a chef run restaurant worth the trip.

That is very bad news ... will have to rethink my dim sum priorities ... Does anyone know anything about a new dim sum place next to Ricesticks (Sandy Springs) anyone? ← Yes. Can't recall the name offhand though. The restaurant is small, quiet with good, though the selection is quite limited, dim sum. If you're already in the neighborhood on a Sunday morning, have limited time and crave dim sum then, by all means, drop in. Jay