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What Do You Think of Restaurant of the Year?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How do you feel about the choice of Five & Ten — in Athens — as restaurant of the year?
There’s no doubt in my mind that Hugh Acheson and his team deserve the honor, and the restaurant defines destination. It’s chef owned and operated and honors what’s right about local cooking and good sourcing. And Acheson’s take on modern Southern cuisine is as welcome as rain would be right about now — a testament to community, not just neighborhood.
What’s your take? Who would you nominate as restaurant of the year?
Permalink | Comments (40) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Comments
By Stacey
October 4, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this
My top pick is Little River Grill in historic downtown Lawrenceville. Their dishes even look as great as they taste. The best dining experience I have had in a LONG time.
By Elesha
October 4, 2007 8:27 AM | Link to this
Five Seasons Brewing in Sandy Springs gets my pick. We followed Dennis from Yakitori Den-Chan and he has never disappointed. The cuisine is innovative and fresh, yet he leaves the ‘old standards’ on the menu for the faithful. THIS IS NOT PUB FOOD OR BAR MENUS! Truly fabulous flavors and presentation. It’s always fun to be there, the service is consistent and it’s a great place to relax and catch up with friends, or just my husband.
By Bob
October 4, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this
A lot of great choices and I look forward to exploring some of the new ones. Five & Ten is a surprising, but deserving top pick. Canoe should be on the list. I have tried many of these places, and Canoe still rates as one of my favorites because of the good food and incredible setting.
By Corey
October 4, 2007 8:53 AM | Link to this
You guys are missing out on a real treat in “Chef Pete’s BBQ” located at the on Spalding Drive at Holcomb Bridge Rd. in the Gold’s Gym/Brunswick Lanes shopping Center. This guy does BBQ, sausage and sides right. I honestly think its the best bbq in Atlanta. He is fairly new to the area and his “pit” sits right in the parking lot. A+ for Chef Pete
By Dan
October 4, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this
ECCO in Midtown! ALWAYS GREAT!
By Dan
October 4, 2007 9:10 AM | Link to this
ECCO in Midtown! ALWAYS GREAT!
By Dan
October 4, 2007 9:11 AM | Link to this
ECCO in Midtown! ALWAYS GREAT!
By Pete
October 4, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this
Dominicks in downtown Lawrenceville is the best Italian I have ever had. The slivers of fresh parmesean on their classic ceasar salad is so yummy and their mussels are mouthwatering great. The setting on the newly revitalized courthouse square just can’t be beat.
By Dan
October 4, 2007 9:24 AM | Link to this
SILK, Asian Fusion, in the METROPOLIS building !
By Phil
October 4, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
Alfredo’s on Cheshire Bridge has got to be one of the best Italian spots in the entire city! I have been there numerous times over the years and the food has always been top notch. Fresh ingredients, fresh meat, old world charm.. it is definitely a throw back to your NYC Italian places.
By Jim
October 4, 2007 9:54 AM | Link to this
Canoe is the best overall menu and food in town, especially if you want something a tad different. Surprised it was not on the top 50 list.
By O-Gee
October 4, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this
great! the best restaurant in town is an hours drive from town. once again, access atlanta astonding me with their amazing stupidity. their stupidity is topped only be the readers’ suggestion for best restaurant. - a brew pub? why don’t you go eat atlanta’s best indian food which, according to access atlanta’s poll, is served at imperial fez, a moraccan restaurant. love, o.g.
By Hollywood
October 4, 2007 10:39 AM | Link to this
HEEEYYYY. What about Rusan’s?!?! That’s the BEST place in town. Also, for a more quieter/romantic setting, try “Sage Woodfire and Tavern” in Alpharetta. JUST PERFECT!!!
By Debbie
October 4, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this
To O-Gee - Read the rest of the blogs. They’re all positive. If you don’t agree with the choices, then mention your own, like everyone else did. Get over your negative attitude and smile!
As for those of us that live all the way down in Peachtree City - we have an iconic spot here in town called Partner’s II. They’re known for their spectacular Pizza (have you ever had a potato pizza?) and unbelievable Wings. But their menu is extensive and they also offer really great salads and terrific Italian food - all for a very, very reasonable price! If you’re ever down this way, make it a point to have lunch or dinner at Partners! We eat there at least twice a week.
By ellie
October 4, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this
Oak Street Cafe is the best restaurant in town. It’s a little off the beaten path but reminds you of the cafes in NYC. They have the best fries in Atlanta and the crab cakes are to die for! The creme brule & chocolate molton cake are the best desserts I’ve ever had.
By RK
October 4, 2007 11:21 AM | Link to this
Fleur de Lis, downtown, needs more respect!
By RC
October 4, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR IS INVALID!!!
O-Gee, I could not agree with you more. WTF was Meridith thinking? Is there not one restaurant in ATLANTA that could fit the bill as “Restaurant of the Year”? Or have we grown so much that Athens is now considered a suburb? Maybe we’ll see Elizabeth’s on 37th in Savannah on next year’s list. Five and Ten is a great place no doubt, but I can think of about five restaurants inside the perimeter that are better.
And what’s with some of the readers picks? I thought this was Restaurant of the Year; not What’s the Closest Place I Can Wear My Flip Flops to.
By O-Gee
October 4, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this
debbie, you’re right. let’s just ignore all standards. as long as you are cheerful and positive, you should contribute. by the way, while you’re heading down to the peachtree city, you should try the ‘olive garden’. they have the BESTEST breadsticks in the whole wide world!!! it is the yummiest (yum yum yummiest!!!) italian food this side if rome!!! love, o.g.
By Gabe's fan
October 4, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
The best new restaurant in the state is Gabe’s in Villa Rica. I know its a long way out of the city, but its a fabulous new restaurant. Its definitely worth the 30 minute drive out I 20. I heard that the chef was the one time chef at Gumbeaux’s in Douglasville. I don’t know if this is true, but the guy sure can cook. The menu is very upscale and the food itself is amazing! You have to go there. You won’t believe food can be that good!
By What
October 4, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this
Seriously, why would anyone want to go to Villa Rica or Douglasville? Both cities are embarassments to Georgia. I figured Sonic would be considered 5-star cuisine in those cities.
By GaConservative
October 4, 2007 12:25 PM | Link to this
Cafe Lilly in Decatur is damn good.
By Ben
October 4, 2007 12:28 PM | Link to this
NO REDFISH??? List = Garbage
Also, Bacchanalia is unedible pretentious crap.
By SH Spruill
October 4, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this
The Farmhouse at Serenbe, of course!
By SM
October 4, 2007 12:44 PM | Link to this
Here’s my qualifications: if the meal costs more than $30/person, the restaurant is junk. If you pay more than that, you’re an idiot. Food does not cost that much, and the rest is just inflated egos and inflated profits. Atlanta has hundreds of thousands of morons living in it, and if you’re willing to make money by fleecing these overpaid morons, you’ll get rich.
By F & B Guy
October 4, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
Meridith you gotta be kidding me! You have many good choices, but you leave out FAR TOO MANY excellent choices. What about the following? Chops Pricci Nan Canoe One Midtown Kitchen Taurus Posh Blue Ridge Grill Pauls Bhojanic Wisteria City Grill Taqueria Los Hermanos
Probably a few more I left out…
I have to say I am way dissapointed with the Top 50 list. Hope it gets better next year
By Debbie
October 4, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this
Hey O-Gee - Ignore standards by contributing to the list of good restaurants? And insulting people when they don’t agree with you?
It must be really hard being you.
Go have a meal with your imaginary friends. What an idiot!!
By David Bruce
October 4, 2007 6:56 PM | Link to this
The Top 50 list is a joke. Gasthaus is probably the only place worth being on there. What is the deal with Mezza? —overpriced and bland Lebanese cuisine must really go over well with the AJC reviewers. Nicola’s is by far better.
By Eric B.
October 5, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this
The Atlanta restaurant of the year for 2008 should be the French Laundry.
In Northern California.
That makes about as much sense as having an Athens restaurant named as Atlanta’s restaurant of the year.
Who makes these decisions???
By MP
October 5, 2007 10:39 AM | Link to this
CIAO BELLA on Pharr Road. My favorite little romantic restaurant… the owner sits down at your table to say hello and the staff greet you with a hug. Beautiful patio and bottomless wine on Monday’s!
By Lollie
October 5, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this
I live in Athens and completely disagree with Meredith Ford’s pick. Five & Ten is a GOOD restaurant but great, no. It is a hit or miss place. My top restaurant is still Sotto Sotto in Atlanta.
By Chef Diablo
October 5, 2007 1:43 PM | Link to this
True true…Athens is NOT Atlanta. I don’t consider Roswell or any place upstate- metro Atlanta either. Resto of the year? How about ELEMENT? lol… Blais left the state before the axe fell…like usual. My new pick is El Bulli for best resto.
By Speakeasy
October 5, 2007 2:36 PM | Link to this
MF i’ve always valued your opinion. you are a food goddess in this town, but did you really have to call an athens resto “Atlanta Restaurant of the Year”? this hurts. i’m sure 5 and 10 is great, but what about all the great spots here locally?
By Geography Challenged?
October 5, 2007 3:59 PM | Link to this
Two points:
Athens is not Atlanta. Inclusion of any restaurant from outside the metro area renders the entire list a joke.
Anybody else bothered by the fact that not a single restaurant south of I-20 made the list? Is this a list of the “50 Best Restaurants for Pretentious Suburban White People”? And this isn’t about race - I’m an upper middle class suburban white person myself. Did the writer even venture outside her cocoon of exclusivity to sample any restaurants on the south side? Fancy sounding foreign names, white tablecloths and menus with frilly scripts and prices without decimal points and dollars signs shouldn’t be the first filter for consideration as a “great restaurant”. I’ve always felt that the best food can be found in the places that don’t put on airs.
By Scott
October 5, 2007 4:10 PM | Link to this
Rathbuns…End of Argument
By jimdawg
October 5, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this
Gee, a lot of you guys are hostile. Chill out. A top 20 or 50 or whatever list is supposed to be fun, a source of debate and conversation. Favorite restaurants, like everything else in life, is a matter taste. Good grief.
By Jenny
October 5, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
Haven. My favorite restaurant in Atlanta.
By GDB
October 5, 2007 6:25 PM | Link to this
Sorry, but the choice makes me cringe. It’s a cop-out. This is supposed to be Atlanta’s best, not Athens. Make a choice, defend it, assume that many will disagree, but don’t weasle out by picking a restaurant that’s not even in Atlanta. Another example of the AJC’s lack of any backbone at all to stand up to the powers-that-be.
By geonuc
October 5, 2007 6:28 PM | Link to this
Given the criterion for ROTY - a destination restaurant that exemplifies all that is new and fresh in the industry (if I may summarize) - Five & Ten may well be a good candidate. Ms. Ford is certainly not claiming that her choice is superior to say, Bacchanalia or the Dining Room, just that it is leading the charge to the future of dining in the region. Her 2005 choice of Pura Vida was brilliant in that regard.
But I do take exception to choosing an Athens restaurant as Atlanta Restaurant of the Year. I mean, it should at least be within reasonable driving distance from the metro area, don’t you think?
By AJC
October 8, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this
AJC “AtlantaJC”. Not athens. What UGA alumni paid for this advertisment??? We need John Kessler back. AJC should fire your a* for voting a Athens restaurant. Merideth go cover Waffle House and Varsity you red neck!
Pound for Pound best restuarant “MFSushibar” Cant’ wait for the new one in Buckhead!!!
By Kat
October 8, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
*And what’s with some of the readers picks? I thought this was Restaurant of the Year; not What’s the Closest Place I Can Wear My Flip Flops to.*
Mean. But hilarious.
Athens is way too damn far from Atlanta for this to count. Next!