good restaurants in ATLANTA
 

can anyone recommend on good restaurants in Atlanata ? Nathalie

Where part of Atlanta, how much do you want to spend, what kind of experience do you want and what kind of food do you like? There are thousands of restaurants in the Atlanta area.
If you want the real Atlanta fast food experience, you have to go to the Varsity.
If you are on an expense account or have lots of $$$$ to spend and you are staying downtown, go to Nicholai's Roof at the top of the Hilton or the Sundial.
If you want a good meal with great desserts, go to any of the Peasant Group restaurants.
If you want s Southern meal, go to Mary Mac's Tearoom.
If you want a Southern meal with a new twist, go to Scott Peacock's restaurant in Decatur, the Watershed.
If will be in a specific section of Atlanta, posters can give you better information.

A co-worker just returned from Atlanta and raved about Blue Point in Buckhead. Rachel Ray's $40 a day on foodtv.com just featured Fat Matt's Rib Shack for barbecue and live blues.

We had wonderful meals at Emerils in Buckhead and Dish in Virginia Highlands. Ted Turner's Montana Grill was just fair.

Rachel Ray also talked about "Sweet Auburn's" Sweet potato cheesecake and other goodies she makes...Looked like she was in a large warehouse type produce market...anyone know where that is???

I live in Atlanta (and have been here since 1985) and dine out a lot. The metro area is huge, and there are bajillions of options, many of them excellent (and some of them not so great).

If you'll be specific about the area of Atlanta you'll be visiting, your taste in food/ambience, and your price point, Nathalie, I'd be happy to recommend some great places.

I live in Atlanta and I promise you these are some of the best:
Bacchanalia
Seegers ($$$$$)
Dining Room at the Ritz (Buckhead - not downtown)
Aria
Oscar's
Bones (only for Steaks)
Float Away Cafe

All of the above are pretty expenisive but excellent.

We had an excellent time at Aria. And the decor is beautiful. I was with a group and the service was excellent and I observed several couples out for romantic interludes.

Blue Point wasn't so great. The food was OK, but the service was horrible.

Suggestions for casual dinner in Midtown, and a good lunch in Marrietta would be helpful for me as well. I will be attending a 3-day conference there next week.

Thanks!

Midtown
1. South City Kitchen (nice casual)
Some say the best in midtown. Great American food with a slightly southern flair.
(On Cresent Ave, between 10th and 14th)
one block west of Peachtree Street.

2. Little Azio (truly casual, cheap)
Hip pasta and salads served at trendy location (inside or patio dining) Good for people watching on Peachtree Street

Marietta
1. Shillings on the Square
Nice place to grab lunch in historic Marietta, Georgia's town square. Home to Newt Gingrich and other simply southeners.

2. The Big Chicken,
You'll know it when you see it. It's just KFC but with a big chicken on top of it ... honest.

Reply to Traveler--Message: Rachel Ray also talked about "Sweet Auburn's" Sweet potato cheesecake...anyone know where that is???

Oddly enough, it is on Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta. AKA Sweet Auburn Ave.

The cake Rachel bought was from a vendor at the Sweet Auburn Ave Curbside Market.

Historic Aubrun Avenue known as "the richest Negro street in America." Fortune Magazine 1956

http://www.cobbcvb.com/htmlpgs2culture/pgf_mlk.html

You can notice Auburn Avenue if you are traveling north from the airport on Route 75/85 N, look to the left for a blue neon "Jesus Saves" sign,,, yep, you are near Auburn Avenue and the home of MLK.

Atlanta restaurants:

Midtown
SouthCity Kitchen, (Cresent Avenue)
Great American food with a trendy southern twist

Buckhead (Lenox Road, past Ritz/Phipps)
Agree with Emril's Atlanta, especially if you watch Emril on Food TV.

Fogo De Chao (Take Peachtree Road to Piedmont road (landmark Rooms To Go, Container Store), head south on Piedmont)

An experience - bring your appetite and your wallet--all you can eat -- upscale.
Imagine Brazilian men servering you an assortment of steaks, chicken wrapped in bacon, and more on swords right at your table and a fantastic salad bar with cheeses, meats, breads, salads and more.

Dante's Down the Hatch in Buckhead
Go for the experience... live jazz, live crocodiles in a real moat... and spend the xtra dollars for the ship...
Best nights Friday and Sat after 7-- brilliant jazz singer against live jazz band.
-- Fondue dinner --

Great Steak Houses
Downtown (near CNN Center/Philips/Olympic Park)
1. Ruth Chris Steak House

Buckhead
1. The Palm (brilliant seafood too-- surf and turf is great)-- try the half and half and enjoy it.

Cheap, Fun, But good eats
1. EATS (Ponce De Leon- midtown)
Create your own pasta OR jerk chicken
Super cheap-- $4.25 I believe

2. Little Azio (On Peachtree Street and about 7th Street)
A better version of EATS, mentioned above

3. Osterio (West Atlanta)
Like Eats but GOOD! and salads too that rock.

4. Sushi
$1.00 sushi always good
Ru Sans

5. Georgia Tech Technology Square
(Cheap, casual eats for the college student budget and appetite)
(midtown)
From Peachtree Street--head west on 6th Street, make a left onto Spring Street and whala Georgia Tech. Good bookstore to wonder around in.

Ok, too much time on my hands.

Hope this helps a bit.
Amanda from Atlanta.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-I will print off these tips tonight to take with me on my early flight tomorrow morning. My only wish is, is that I had planned to spend an extra day after the meetings I must attend to more fully enjoy an area of the country I have not yet visited.

Some more casual dinner in Midtown suggestions:

MidCity Cuisine (on Peachtree, northern reach of Midtown))
Tierra (on Piedmont)
One Midtown Kitchen (on Dutch Valley, off Monroe)
Bazzaar (on Peachtree, southern end of Midtown)
Baraonda (on Peachtree)

A previous poster lists a restaurant called Osterio. I think she's mixing up two differents restaurants, Figo (which is located in-town west, near Bacchanalia) and Osteria 832 (on Highland in the Virginia Highland neighborhood). Figo is mostly pasta, Osteria is pasta and pizza, and both are quite good.

If you do want to go fancy, JWH's list of upmarket places here is a good one. I'll add another, Restaurant Eugene (on Peachtree in Buckhead/Peachtree Battle): slight southern twist, which a lot of visitors to Atlanta like to see. Dress up.

Thanks Therese - and the rest of you. This list is coming with me!

-Paul