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My Top Five New Restaurants So Far
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CUERNO OWNER RICCARDO ULLIO KNOWS HOW TO HAVE FUN : here he drinks cava from a peron
Photo: Becky Stein/Special to the AJC
The AJC’s fall DIne Guide has arrived, and with it my picks for the top 50 restaurants of the year and my pick for Restaurant of the Year 2008, Tierra. You can read all about it here.
This year was the toughest ever for picking the top 50: in addition to old favorites, Atlanta had a watershed of new openings in 2008. I had to remove a few spots that warrant high praise to give some of these newcomers a chance to shine.
Here are my favorite new openings, so far:
Holeman & FInch — the meat-centric team from Restaurant Eugene has finally brought Atlanta its very first gastropub, no souse barred. From the well-crafted drinks to the very last smear of house-made BBQ sauce over your pig’s feet, Holeman & Finch brings the British movement home to roost. And neh. And moo.
4th & Swift — what an opening for this grand spot in the old Atlanta Dairies Building. Chef Jay Swift seems to have found his place, cooking better than ever from a seasonally inspired menu with a hint of Southern drawl.
Dogwood — look for the review of this new Southern gem in Friday’s Living section and online. Chef-owner Shane Tuohy has brought a fresh, new Southern accent back to downtown.
Cuerno — finally, Riccardo Ullio has brought real-deal Spanish to the city, and what a feast it is, from paella to pata negra this place hits the Spanish spot.
Cakes & Ale — a sweet romance of a restaurant from former Watershed sous chef Billy Allin, who grows most of his own vegetables and makes his own pickles and brawn.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Comments
By Robert
October 1, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
Tierra?…seriously?…Meredith are you part owner of Tierra? It is clearly a personal favorite of yours because you praise and reference it so often but I have been twice and was far from impressed. My job affords me the luxury of working in New York, San Francisco, Montreal and Dallas regularly…I have been to good restaurants. Locally I enjoy Kyma, Rathbuns, Joel etc…with that said I just don’t get your hype about this toxiferous pit I found the wait staff to be pleasant enough but the management/owners were horrific. Pretentious Rude Uncharismatic Overcompensating Faux Foodies—that is what I got from them and their restaurant.
The food was predictable and average slop served overcooked yet ironically cold.
The atmosphere was comparable to dining in a storage shed and the foul language coming up from the kitchen was only overtaken by the foul aroma.
To each their own, and obviously this one is yours but jeez the bias in your writing about this place is so blatant you have an obvious personal tie there.
By MOT
October 1, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Wow, Robert, what you say about your experince makes me wonder if you and Meredith are talking about the same place. And if so, I will find it hard to trust Meredith’s reviews/choices and stick to my own.
By Robert
October 1, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
MOT, My extreme distaste for Tierra was not intended to discredit Meredith. For the most part I agree with her choices. Some restaurants we definitely agree on are Floataway Cafe, Bacchanalia, Rathbuns, Kevin Rathbun Steak, Restaurant Eugene, and Kyma. Those are tops in Atlanta in my humble opinion. My rant was merely to point out that for Meredith Tierra must truly be tops because she sticks by it and regularly hypes the place. My experience there was so bad I feel an obligation to counter her praise.
By Dan
October 1, 2008 5:58 PM | Link to this
Been to Tierra once and thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it, but was surprised it hit #1. So many wonderful restaurants in town that have the ability to wow you. I thought Cuerno was very good and filled a needed nitch. Stopped at Cakes and Ale in Decatur and read the menu while waiting for a table and simply decided there was nothing on the menu worth waiting for. I may go back and give it a whirl on a slow night, but the meny was uninspiring
By Meridith Ford
October 1, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
For the record: I am not part owner of Tierra. Don’t be ridiculous.
By Kevin
October 1, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
I have been to Cakes and Ale. Service was average to weak and I ate at 7:00 on a Friday evening and they were out of almost everything. What I had was very good and very fresh. I get the local supply idea but they need to at least support the menu. I will say this and I am sure all of the “foodies” will balk-but the food at Seasons 52 was equally as fresh tasting and far superior in quality. I know that Seasons 52 is a chain but it is a quality chain with very high consistant standards..I loved it. Cakes and Ale reminded me of that concept (I know corporate vs local organic yadda yadda)
By scott
October 1, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this
congrats on the nupitals btw….you know your stuff, and have extrememely well defined taste buds which we are forever grateful for, so no matter what you may hear, keep up the good work!
By Beth
October 2, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
You continue to miss out on what is really a great culinary treat at Dantanna’s!
By Beth
October 2, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
You continue to miss out on what is really a great culinary treat at Dantanna’s!
By Beth
October 2, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
You continue to miss out on what is really a great culinary treat at Dantanna’s!
By BPJ
October 3, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this
I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Ford’s praise for Tierra; my only complaint is that our “neighborhood gem” will now be harder to get a table at! We have eaten there many times over the past several years, and it’s always an adventure, and delicious. I am baffled by the comment above (“storage shed”…”foul language”). Everyone who has ever gone with us has liked the ambience as well as the food. (And yes, we travel widely and have eaten at great restaurants in many countries. Which reminds me - last year, when we were about to make our first trip to Argentina, the owners of Tierra were generous with restaurant and other suggestions for Buenos Aires.)
By Jon Randall Nix
October 10, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
My opinion on the posts above: Tierra-Over seasoned food, bad staff. Cakes and Ale-Will be closed by fall of 2009. Dantanna’s food is too pedestrian and the restaurant depends too heavily on the theme not food. Bacchanalia-Can not be matched in Atlanta. Food Studio-best atmosphere in the city amazing food. Kevin Rathbun Steak-Excellent food but obviously a chef run restaurant, it could use a strong GM. Season’s 52-won’t get a better deal for the money, quality food good service. Holeman and Fitch-pretentious, but good food, it tries a little too hard but its ok. Cuerno-more wow than yum, but overall enjoyable. Dogwood-Good food, not sure it merits its prices. 4th and Swift-Typical foodie joint, good food no definitive identity, culinary 101 any trained chef could prepare the dishes, Kyma-Awesome food, service is not as good as it was when it opened but food is great.