Fine Dining in Georgia

[Andrew]

I will be visting Atlanta for a couple of days and will have a couple of days free to 'explore' the Georgia dining sceen. Any suggestions for the best resturants in the state would be appreciated. They don't necessary have to be 'michelin' type establishments but do need to be 'best in class'.

Thanks

Andrew

[Maple1]

Here are a few of my favorites:

Cakes & Ale My link

Antico Pizza My link

Bacchanalia My link

Taqueria del Sol My link

[Milt]

A very impressive newcomer is Bite on Webb Bridge Wat at Medlock Bridge Road in Alpharetta. Miller Union in Atlanta is also excellent.

[Dave the Cook]

I'd skip Taqueria del Sol. I find the food ranges from (charitably) slightly above average to slightly odd. If you're after "best in class," you want to hit Holeman & Finch for great cocktails and an always interesting menu that hints at nose-to-tail cuisine. Another "everything but the oink" place is Abattoir (owned by the same people that own the excellent Bacchanalia). Atlanta also has several excellent entries in the "farm to table" category: the aforementioned Miller Union, JCT Kitchen, Serpas, 4th & Swift, Woodfire Grille (where Top Chef runner-up Kevin Gillespie is chef) and Restaurant Eugene are probably the best.

For burgers, Flip is the most interesting. But if you don't care about the many proteins that can be ground up and called burgers and don't mind missing nitro-shakes, Farmburger is also very good.

Atlanta has several very good (if not on a par with New York or New Haven) pizzerias: Antica has been suggested; Varsano's and Baraonda are also good choices.

Finally, Atlanta has many excellent ethnic outlets. Bahn mi and Viet are discussed here, dim sum here, just to name a couple.

[Andrew]

In the end I had one night in Atlanta and went to Nikolas (at the Hilton downtown) and three nights in Savannah when I went to the Chart Room, Elizabeths on 37th & the Olde Pink House restaurant.

In their own way they were good, Nikolas for the view, Elizabeths for the house and the staff, the Chart Room for the atmosphere and the Olde Pink House for the food, building and staff.

Andrew

[ThomasColin]

The best of Atlanta:

Steakhouse= Rathbuns Steak

Try the Tuna Poke App and a 12 Oz blue filet. Unreal quality and Chef Rathbun is almost always in the kitchen.

Asian Fusion/Sushi= Miso Izakaya

Best Ramon you could ever wish for. Great Sushi. Great fusion dishes like Asian Pork belly w/ Parmesan Grits. The service is not great but Chef Guy Wong is a superstar in the making.

Southern Style Farm to Table= Empire State South or Bacchanalia

Bach is a bit more fine dining than ESS but ESS is Chef Hugh Acheron's restaurant and Chef Ryan Smith is the executive. ESS is my go-to restaurant for an amazing lunch while Bacch is the top destination restaurant in Atlanta.

Authentic Mexican Street Food- Bone Garden (Not fine dining but amazing authentic Mexican street food- Best in class type place).

Drinks and Unusual Dishes- Holeman and Finch

H&F has w/o a doubt the best Burger in Atlanta. They only serve the Burger Sunday Brunch or after 10:00 everyday to the first 24 people whom order it. If they had it on the menu everyday, it would be unfair to the rest of the dishes. Excellant bartenders.

Brunch- Empire State South

Best steak and Eggs I've ever had. Yummy shrimp and Grits.... True Southern Brunch.

Coffee- Octane/ Little Tart Bakeshop

Think warm buttery croissants almond or chocolate croissant w/ amazing pour-over coffee or cappuccino’s. Ask for Goose. He's the best Barista in the South.

Best Overall

Restaurant Eugene. Chef Hopkins is amazing. Atlanta has some wonderful restaurants but none have quite the attention to detail of Eugene. It's a farm to table restaurant done with elegance and precision. This restaurant would be a success in any city in America.

Eugene is owned by the same group that owns Holeman and Finch. Many wonderful Atlanta Chefs got their start at either Eugene or Holeman and Finch.

Honorable Mention

I've heard Cakes and Ale is great but I've never been there.

My wife's Pork Chop and Apples;

My Mom's Chili;

Bacon.