Overall rating:

Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
The new Joël menu has a more approachable brasserie look but also has a modern edge, with menu highlights that include Kurobuta pork.
Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Andalusian gazpacho, with a bright tomato flavor crowned with olive oil and tomato sorbet, is among the holdovers from Joël's previous incarnation.
Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
The new space includes a much smaller full bar but also boasts a standout wine selection overseen by sommelier Perrine Prieur.
Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Masterfully constructed dishes such as bluefin tuna tartar have earned Joël Antunes a reputation as one of the best chefs in Atlanta. Antunes' honors include the James Beard award for best chef in the Southeast in 2005.
MOST POPULAR STORIES Best-selling book brings back painful memories for Simon Ludacris returns to Banneker High with message of hope David Archuleta's dad loses 'American Idol' backstage pass New version of 1970s kids' `Electric Company' to air ABC-TV will have only 2 new fall shows
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
RELATED LINK: • More restaurants news

THE FEMININE VOICE on the other end of the phone line wants to know how my dinner was, the evening prior, at Joël.

Should I just gush my undying love into the phone?

No, no — it's important to maintain self restraint.

"It was freakin' incredible," I partially scream, unable to contain myself.

The restaurant, which opened in 2001, closed dramatically this past summer, reopening Sept. 15 with a completely different look and ambience. The once stunning, towering space, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, oversized checkered leather banquettes and massive dining area is gone, cut in half — literally. A new entrance follows a short path beyond a much smaller bar into a dining room that lacks all the glorious sophistication of the old Joël, but possesses something the former never attained: a close-to full room.

People. People eating and talking; people laughing and enjoying wine. The sounds of flatware clinking against the restaurant's bone white china. The wafting aroma of truffle oil, cheeses and chocolate. These are things a multimillion dollar price tag for design simply can't buy — and they give Joël what it needed all along — warmth.

Offerings have changed to reflect a more brasserie-like style, though many favorites such as the Andalusian gazpacho, with its silky smooth texture and bright tomato flavor crowned with a drizzle of olive oil and tomato sorbet, are still thankfully available. Ditto the mango pavlova, with its physics-defyingly light meringue shell wrapped around a creme patisserie that is part cloud, part cream, all contrasted with a precious quenelle of tangy mango sorbet.

The look of the menu, like the new space, has been changed, sporting a much more approachable brasserie look with, like the restaurant, a modern edge. Other than its large size, it looks very much like a brasserie menu you might find on a trip to Paris, including a separate sheet for plats du jour, which offered on one evening a succulent confit of duck leg, rich and smoky, with black lentils in a perfectly seasoned jus.

Chef/owner Joël Antunes, who won the James Beard award for best chef Southeast in 2005, is head-and-shoulders above almost any other chef in the city when it comes to precision and execution, especially now that Guenter Seeger has left the proverbial building.

Dishes such as the salmon sashimi (another holdover from the old menu) are proof: buttery pink salmon, beautifully sliced, rests over a small square of rice in a milky dashi broth, with a bright quenelle of mustard ice cream to offset texture, temperature and flavor. One small bite feels like a small, tasty firecracker wrapped in velvet went off in your mouth.

But then homier sides of buttered parsnips, beautifully dressed with salt and butter in a tiny copper pot, are unbeatable — and the grits? Made with cream and truffle oil, they're the height of indulgence — such a seemingly effortless dish elevated so simply to creamy, savory transcendence. A bowl of fleshy chestnuts with porcini ravioli in a light cream sauce seem like the evening's peak, until a tiny tian of meringue arrives swimming in a creme anglaise (like a tiny oeuf a la niege). With each bite, irrepressible oohs, ahhs and grunts were heard all around the table.

Lovely Perrine Prieur is poised to take over former Dining Room sommelier Chantelle Pabros's previous reign as the prettiest and most passionate sommelier in the city — she moves like a ballet dancer through the room, making suggestions and offering tastes, putting diners at ease. And the rest of the staff seems infinitely more content. The smaller space allows a more relaxed service attitude, where even tiny boo-boos like the forgotten name of a cheese or the wrong type of bottled water are easily forgiven.

Nothing else needs forgiving. The space may have changed for better or worse, but Joël is better than ever.

JOËL

Food: Modern French

Service: Comfortably imperfect

Address, telephone: 3290 Northside Parkway, 404-233-3500

Price range: $$$-$$$$

Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club

Hours of operation: Open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Best dishes: Bluefin tuna tartar, Andalusian gazpacho, chestnut fricassee with porcini ravioli, Kurobuta pork, duck leg confit with lentils, grits, parsnips, mango pavlova, floating island

Vegetarian selections: Many sides and dishes are served without meat, but check to make sure they are made with vegetarian ingredients

Children: Not entirely inappropriate for older children

Parking: Complimentary valet

Reservations: Yes

Wheelchair access: Yes

Smoking: Patio only

Noise level: Medium

Patio: Yes

Takeout: No

Web site: www.joelrestaurant.com

KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.
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.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. (The price code represents a meal for one that includes appetizer, entree and dessert without including tax, tip and cocktails.)