EACH SPRING,
the Dining Guide rolls out its list of the top 10 restaurants in the
city. And each year, my editors ask me to explain the unexplainable:
Why I choose the restaurants I choose. Why these 10? Is it the food?
The chef? The excellent service? The interesting wine list? The
ambiance?
Un hunh. You betcha.
But it is something else, too. Something a little more intangible
than golden roasted beets or a boutique wine list with reasonably
priced bottles. It is all of the above combined with the theater that
happens at the table when I'm dining. Whether it's a Pinter play or a
Broadway musical, there is drama (and sometimes comedy) to dining, and
these 10 restaurants know how to bring the house down. They are listed
here in alphabetical order.
There are two new additions to the list this year: Aria's
contemporary finesse has been an Atlanta favorite since it opened six
years ago. Quinones at Bacchanalia's Southern charm has made it one of
the city's few five-star experiences.
On February 28, we lost one of our best restaurants, Soto, a
constant in the AJC's top 10 best restaurants list. Sushi master
Sotohiro Kosugi's masterful presentation and devotion to perfection
will be sorely missed. Infamous service issues aside, Soto was a
world-class marvel, and we are none the better for losing it.
ARIA
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Buckhead 
490 E. Paces Ferry Road N.E.
404-233-7673.
A perennial favorite among Atlanta foodies and food neophytes alike,
Aria consistently strikes a synchronistic chord between hip and
comfortable. Under the neon light of a giant mosquito-shaped
chandelier, chef-owner Gerry Klaskala has always had the ability to
throw finesse into even the simplest of dishes — the "creamless" celery
root soup laced with the earthy flavor of black truffles has become a
signature, and heirloom Bulls Blood beets can almost always be found
tossed around beautifully with goat cheese. Fresh Georgia mountain
trout is always interesting, though the able, seasoned staff will steer
you toward the slow-roasted pork. Kathryn King is a formidable pastry
presence and her desserts are some of the best in the city. 6-10 p.m.
Mondays-Saturdays. $$$-$$$$
BACCHANALIA
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West Intown 
1198 Howell Mill Road N.W. 404-350-0677.
Ahhh, Bacchanalia. It exudes the modern, warm tones and warehouse
chic Atlantans love. And perhaps more than any other Atlanta
restaurant, Bacchanalia represents what great dining means to us:
Chef-owners Clifford Harrison and Anne Quatrano cook with easygoing
personality and use the freshest ingredients possible. Their sense of
flair and flavor coaxes, then lulls you into submission. Daily menu
changes make it hard to play favorites, but expect full-flavored
freshness from everything from Kumamoto oysters with cucumber and peri
peri peppers to the precious royal gala apple puree that accompanies
your foie gras. Ingredients such as cavelo nero, hakurei turnips, lady
apples and tarbais beans aren't just words thrown around on the menu;
with one of the finest local provenders fronting the restaurant, if
it's possible, they'll have it. The warm Valrhona chocolate cake with
mint ice cream can always be counted on for fireworks at dessert.
Dinner: 6-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. $$$$
THE DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON BUCKHEAD
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Buckhead
3434 Peachtree Road N.E. 404-240-7035.
Never has the Dining Room been more dramatic than with new chef
Arnaud Berthelier, and never has it felt this buoyant. Servers who have
been a part of the front of the house brigade for years seem renewed in
attitude. Claude Guillaume, Dining Room maitre d'hotel, sweeps through
the staid room, still rich with Oriental silks and doggie portraits,
like a contented cat who has found a very cozy spot in the sun. Lovely
young Chantelle Grilhot, the Dining Room's amazing sommelier, seems to
have found a new depth to pairing wines with Berthelier. It is
sophisticated, yes, but like the choicest of ingenue roles, there is a
girlish playfulness to her performance that lightens the evening's
mood. And Berthelier? He is director, script writer, actor. The menu
changes nightly, but expect bold flavors with African, Asian,
Mediterranean and Indian accents. It is Berthelier's playful mood that
permeates the attitude of the staff, his script of dish after
incredible dish that provides the spine of the performance and his
presence in the Dining Room as the meal closes that proves he considers
himself just another member of the ensemble. 6-9 p.m.
Tuesdays-Thursdays; 6-9:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. $$$$
JOËL
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Buckhead
3290 Northside Parkway N.E. 404-233-3500.
Every time I visit this gorgeous restaurant I fall in love with it
all over again. Joël reminds us why we eat food in the first place:
each bite is a mouthful of freshness, and elegantly presented with
savvy, modern style. Antunes magically creates subtle portions
beautifully manicured — yet so approachable. I'm as happy digging into
a pretty-as-a-picture brandade with mushrooms as a bee-yoo-tee-ful
pavlova filled with the most velvety creme patisserie this side of the
Atlantic. It's an oasis of delightfully unpredictable French cuisine,
with lots of Mediterranean undercurrents, all arriving at the table
happily unrecognizable. Service on my last visit was less plodding, but
still not up to the caliber of what comes from the kitchen. During
lulls between courses the towering ceilings, orange tiled wall, groovy
leather banquettes and expansive windows will give you something to
ponder. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. $$$-$$$$
KYMA
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Buckhead
3085 Piedmont Road N.E. 404-262-0702.
Big, beautiful fish. Crisply seasoned potatoes, sprinkled with a
dusting of tangy kefalotiri cheese. Sweet, thick imported honey over
creamy yogurt. Baby calamari so sweet and delicate it almost melts in
your mouth. These, plus the royal atmosphere of this lavish Greek
restaurant, make it one of the best dining experiences in the area,
period. Kyma seamlessly brings the authentic flavors of Greece to the
table, setting the gold standard for the Buckhead Life Restaurant
Group, and chef Pano Karatassos, son of the Buckhead Life founder,
strikes the right notes of homey authenticity and gourmet finesse. The
service staff makes you feel as pampered as a kitty cat. And save room
for dessert, perhaps the best course of all. 5-11 p.m.
Mondays-Saturdays. $$$-$$$$
NAM
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Midtown
931 Monroe Drive, Suite A-101. 404-541-9997
Owner Alex Kinjo of MF Sushi creates a hip, elegant respite in his
menu of nouvelle Vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant's shaking beef and
rice flour tamales that are among the coolest, and tastiest, offerings
this city has to offer. Flavors here are fresh. Clean. And thoughtful —
they allow for Vietnamese traditions while embracing an unmistakable
modernity. Bask in flowing, organza-like sheer panels between tables
and a muted, modern atmosphere while noshing on the buttery texture of
shaking beef seasoned with garlic and onions. Its exquisite flavor is
made bright with a lime-and-pepper slurry for dipping. The banh nam
(rice flour tamales) are a lesson in understated elegance, wrapped in a
banana leaf and filled with pork, shrimp and mushrooms. Lunch: 11:30
a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays;
5:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. $$$
QUINONES AT BACCHANALIA
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West Intown
1198 Howell Mill Road. 404-365-0410.
This restaurant, the newest from award-winning Bacchanalia
chef-owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, has a soulfulness that
is at once sensuous and ladylike. The mood is warming and refined, from
the graciousness of maitre d' Robert Payne's easygoing, Southern style
to chef de cuisine Drew Belline's fresh, young approach to a prix fixe
menu that could have drowned in its own soberness. It doesn't. Instead,
Belline's creations, a constant collaboration with Quatrano and
Harrison, come alive with a fresh-faced accessibility. They may be
pretty, but they aren't fussy. And flavor is the driving force behind
them. Earlier courses, such as the egg custard or buttery hamachi with
a trio of heirloom watermelon diced into Barbie-sized cubes, are just a
bit more than a biteful and loaded with full-on flavor. As courses move
forward, each arrives a little larger and sometimes heavier than the
next, until the crest of dessert brings the meal back to pianissimo.
With or without wine pairings, Quinones offers a meal to remember.
Dinner reservations 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $$$$
RATHBUN'S
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Inman Park
112 Krog St. 404-524-8280.
Kevin Rathbun's menu exemplifies what's fun and comfortable about
modern American cuisine. His take is sophisticated, but never fussy,
and loaded with influences from the Southeast, Southwest and his native
heartland. Most restaurants take lots of time garnering a reputation
for a signature dish, but in less than a year the kitchen's sea scallop
Benedict over country ham grits — unapologetically salty, sexily smoky
— is so popular Rathbun couldn't take it off the menu if he wanted to.
Ditto the always-fun eggplant steak fries, cut thick, crisp edged and
covered in confectioner's sugar, served with hot sauce. Rathbun isn't
afraid to play with his food, having as much fun globe-trotting through
classic Greek dishes like pan-fried kefalotiri cheese (saganaki style)
as he does sprucing up tiny tostadas with habanero sauce and smoky
salmon. Save room for pastry chef Kirk Parks' creamy, dreamy peanut
butter-banana cream pie. It has already become a city legend. Dinner:
5:30-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
$$$
SEEGER'S
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Buckhead
111 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W. 404-846-9779.
Seeger closed his restaurant last September to let Johnson Studio
remodel the interior, restructure his tasting menu (which now includes
a grand chef's tasting of 12 courses for $175 per person) and revamp
the staff. Most of the interior changes — bold blue-and-gold carpeting,
a salon in the bar area now secluded by plush drapes, far fewer tables
and all new service ware — are hardly dramatic. But the staff is no
longer as brittle as it once was, catering to whims and clamoring over
the food. Fine lines, clean flavors and pristine presentation are the
calling cards on every plate that leaves this spotless kitchen. A
tasting menu might include Santa Barbara sashimi-style sardine, making
a bold statement with contrasting textures of American paddlefish
caviar and a frothy lemongrass foam. Seeger is always at his best with
fish, and proves it with a fleshy, snowy white halibut poached in court
bouillon and crowned with locally grown yellow oyster mushrooms that
taste preternaturally good.
Everything — from the texture and temperature of savory egg custard
to the perfect mouth feel of a mushroom — is as technically accurate as
food can get. It's hard to picture this tiny renovated Buckhead house
as the home of one of the Southeast's greatest restaurants. But Guenter
Seeger is one of the country's great chefs, and a meal at his
restaurant is the benchmark for fine dining in the Southeast. Dinner
reservations available 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Lunch:
noon-1:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. $$$$
WATERSHED
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Decatur
406 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-378-4900.
A converted gas station in Decatur is an unassuming spot for a
nationally recognized restaurant. Chef Scott Peacock and owner Emily
Saliers of the Indigo Girls have created a comfortable space with muted
tones of teal bathing the walls and lots of serene bamboo out front.
And it's an ideal setting for Peacock's gentile Southern dishes — a
blessed reminder of how important cooking used to be to all of us.
Savory shrimp grits with hearty slices of Pullman bread to dip or smear
have become, like the fried chicken, staples on a menu that is half
signature, half seasonal. Amid offerings of Greek-style fish served
whole with lemon and capers are hardy short ribs with a corn bread so
good it defies the laws of nature. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
Brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. $$-$$$
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Yellow Pages 
MOST POPULAR STORIES
Very good: Merits a drive if you're looking for this kind of dining. 
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss. 
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
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