RESTAURANT GUIDE DECEMBER 2005
WORDS BY TONY WARE
M!X Lounge, Bar & Restaurant
$$
Fusion Tapas
1441 Dresden Drive 404-969-3250
Funky Casual Partner to the already established, earthy and romantic Haven restaurant, this Brookhaven enclave aims to “put you in the M!X” as yang to Haven’s yin. Two corners form coquettish conversation pits, while along one wall a ripply banquette looks out on the space’s centerpiece—a bar where foodies and fare mix it up. Bold Pop art dots the walls and the menu—a selection of sharing plates fusing Italian, Mediterranean and Asian influences are presented with architectural flare. The scene is haute and hot.
BUCKHEAD
Meehan’s Ale House $$
Pub fare
4058 Peachtree Rd 404-467-9531
Dressy Casual
Meehan’s Public House offers a neighborhood hub with a hint of Celtic quirk. This is the kind of place where spirits are raised—both those in a glass and of the patrons. Amid mahogany furnishings and mustard walls pass trays of Scotch, Irish whiskey, draught beer and meaty Irish cuisine.
Buckhead Diner $$$
New American
3073 Piedmont Rd 404-262-3336
Casual to Dressy
When defining the Buckhead Diner, stress Buckhead, not diner. Here neon and chrome give way to marble and mahogany in a setting that is upscale, updated retro. The Buckhead Diner’s chefs dress up comfort foods (such as veal meatloaf) till they are theater, creating applause-worthy star after star in the exhibition kitchen.
Donlan and Greenbaum’s New York Prime $$$$
Steakhouse / New American
3424 Peachtree Rd NE 404-846-0644
Dressy Casual
In this men’s club—all wood paneling and brass trim under a domed ceiling, almost a cathedral to steak—are served truly manly portions of USDA prime beef. Succulent cuts of perfectly seared meat are the centerpiece, although lobster, oysters and sea bass, lamb, jumbo lump crab cocktail and cheese-mashed potatoes are no slouches.
The Grape $
New American
3500 Peachtree Rd NE 678-990-9463
Casual
A franchise snaking like a vine through the northern metro area, The Grape wine bar and shop offers more than a hundred wines in three serving sizes and 10 classifications by body. The food selection is also varied from spreads and cheeses to lamp “lollipops” and sandwiches, satisfying all palates in cushy surroundings of plum tones and bronze patina.
Imperial Fez $$$$
Moroccan
2285 Peachtree Rd NE 404-351-0870
Casual
Seeking to offer a memorable experience as much as delicious cuisine, Imperial Fez is a pleasure for the tastebuds and the eyes. Diners are guided through a diffa (or multi-course Moroccan feast) where the food is as beguiling as the belly dancers. The lamb is especially succulent, and the pastry-wrapped Cornish hen is as rich as the opulent fabric draped over most of the surfaces here.
MIDTOWN
Avra $$
Greek
794 Juniper St 404-892-8815
Casual / Dressy Casual
A converted Victorian house with wraparound porch seating, Avra offers several small dining rooms that feel more antebellum than Aegean. Tones of crimson, cobalt and mustard stimulate the eye, while the Greek food—a wide selection of meze (small plates and spreads), tender meats and whole fish—will stimulate your appetite.
Mojito $$
Cuban
125 10th St 404-873-4800
Casual
Although they closed their renowned Virginia-Highlands eatery Mambo, Lucy Alvarez and Hilton Joseph didn’t abandon their home-style meets nouveau Cuban cooking and have resurrected it in Mojito. In addition to masitas de puerco, ropa viejo and squid-ink paella, there are steaks and seafood marinated in specialty mojo-chili fusions. Be sure to sample the renowned tres leches cake or flan.
Park 75 $$$$
French/Italian-Influenced New American
75 14th St 404-881-9898
Funky Casual Well-heeled, well regarded and well plated, the only restaurant at the sophisticated Four Seasons Hotel is serene and sumptuous. Each blissful bite reveals Chef Robert Gerstenecker’s reverence for fresh, seasonal balance—hence a peppering of Southern classics twisted between the French and Italian fair.
MidCity Cuisine $$
European Influenced Brasserie
1545 Peachtree St 404-888-8700
Funky Casual / Dressy Casual At physical and culinary crossroads, MidCity Cuisine offers a constantly evolving menu suspended equally between American and European brasserie flavors. Although it’s not a neighborhood restaurant, the dining room still has a convivial corner bistro air. And with a creamy onion “latte,” plump peppery pork chop, and baked salt-crusted Mediterranean fish among recent signatures, the kitchen can please both the most modern and classic of tastes.
Shout $$
Fusion / sushi
1197 Peachtree St 404-846-2000
Funky Casual
This funky casual, dynamic space shows restaurateur/chef Tom Catherall’s finesse with decor and dishes alike. You’ll find his characteristically bold flourishes across the Asian and Mediterranean-styled sharing plates and sushi. Entrées are presented as if straight from the spice market, and the upstairs open-air caba[00f1]a level is a feast for the eyes.
DECATUR
Wahoo! A Decatur Grill
$$
New American 1042 W College Ave, Decatur 404-373-3331
Casual
Located on the right side of the tracks, Wahoo! is a welcoming warehouse conversion on the edge of a casual community. The rustic space and earthy, unfussy dishes—New American bistro fare featuring Continental, Southern and Southwestern influences—are made-from-scratch labors of love.
Feast $$
New American
314 E Howard Ave, Decatur 404-377-2000
Funky Casual / Dressy
Located in a toasty space—all exposed brick and buttery lighting—across from the Old Decatur Depot, Feast offers comfy cuisine that is both wood-fired and [00e0] la carte. Entrées and pizzas are not so much spicy as spirited, and feature rounded, honest flavors. Sides are mostly vegetables flecked with Mediterranean-style oils and herbs.
WEST MIDTOWN/ DOWNTOWN
Suzy Wong’s Lounge $
Chinese 1198 Howell Mill Rd 404-367-8333
Funky Casual Located in a sliver of West Side real estate formerly called the Onyx Bar, Suzy Wong’s Lounge is an opulent opium den—all inky-black wood and courtesan red lights. Within this intimate hideaway (connected to Sampan Restaurant, some of the city’s finest formal Chinese dining) is offered an array of dim sum, flirty cocktails and a beguiling view of the Midtown skyline.
Max Lager’s American Grill & Brewery $$
New American
320 Peachtree St 404-525-4400
Casual Like a lumberyard canteen, carved from a brick warehouse on downtown’s edge, Max Lager’s offers bites and brews to visitors and local residents alike. On the walls are the accoutrements of a carpenter’s guild, while in the copper mash tuns are the achievements of brewmaster John Roberts. The smokiness of wood-fired chops and pizza mixes deliciously with the fresh-brewed ales, lagers and stouts.
BUFORD HIGHWAY/ OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER
Com Vietnamese Grill $
Vietnamese 4005 Buford Hwy 404-320-0405 Anything Goes Located on Buford Highway, near many authentic—but hardly aesthetic—delights, trendy yet sincere Com offers a markedly approachable, ebullient location to explore Vietnam’s vibrant, elegant flavors. A variety of meats is offered for wrapping in smoky la lot (betel leaf) rolls, with bun (rice vermicelli) in lettuce. Diners can caramelize marinated meats in their own personal hot pots.
Spondivits $
Seafood
599 Atlanta Rd, Cumming 799-844-9060
Anything Goes Seafarers and wayfarers alike come to enjoy the range of steamed or lightly battered shrimp, clam or oysters. The original Spondivits near the airport has been around for 25 years, and this location continues that family-friendly, rustic roadhouse tradition offering buckets of the freshest crab’s legs, as well as New England clam chowder, blue crab cakes and raw oysters, in a boisterous atmosphere.
Food 101 $$
American
4969 Roswell Rd 404-497-9700
Funky Casual / Dressy
Casual Set on a Sandy Springs shopping strip, Food 101 celebrates hearty, homegrown cuisine. The decor is styled after a ’20s New York speakeasy, with black leather and dark woods. The kitchen, meanwhile, is more like a mom’s than a mafia don’s—offering pot roasts, pork chops, juicy chicken and creamy mashed potatoes.
Fire of Brazil $$
Brazilian steakhouse
5304 Windward Pkwy, Alpharetta 678-366-2411
Casual / Dressy Casual
With its spacious wooden interior, Fire of Brazil is a restaurant of ample proportions, and portions. This Brazilian churrascaria crackles with energy as gauchos circulate with skewers of assorted meats that have been slow-roasted on an open fire in the center of the room. The salad bar, dessert and after-dinner liquor options are also substantial.
LITTLE 5 POINTS/INMAN PARK/EDGEWOOD
The Brewhouse Café $
Pub fare
401 Moreland Ave NE 404-525-7799
Anything Goes
Best known for its patio, the Brewhouse Café is a people-watcher’s paradise. Facing Little Five Points’ Findley Plaza, this sports pub in one of the city’s most diverse shopping districts is a prime spot for observing the interesting mix of passers by. The Brewhouse’s beer selection is equally varied, and the food menu offers hearty British classics alongside Southern-fried goodness.
Krog Bar $
Spanish / Italian tapas
112 Krog St 404-524-1618
Funky Casual
Opened by the partners behind award-winning Rathbun’s, Krog Bar is a snug, cheery Mediterranean-style tapas bar featuring Spanish and Italian wines and a daily changing menu. Patrons sit at cozy, communal tables—great for swapping lively conversation and small plates. The assortment of artisan cured meats is a sure bet.
Café 458 $
Southern comfort food
458 Edgewood Ave 404-525-3276
Anything Goes
This lively café serves robust Saturday and Sunday brunches where the proceeds go to charity. Within the distinctive Art Deco building, which has a South Beach look, nouveau Southern comfort food is prepared by Chef Kari Smid. Weekend brunches benefit Samaritan House, which offers free lunch for homeless people.