DINING
Market
3377 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, 404-523-3600
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
One bite of a certain something and it becomes ingrained in memory forever. Perhaps it was the fish you ate, fresh-from-the boat and grilled with achiote, on a beach in Mexico. Maybe it was a bowl of fresh summer cherries in Paris.
Becky Stein / Special
Steamed Shrimp Salad, Avocado, Mushroom Champagne Vinaigrette.
Or maybe it’s the steamed shrimp salad at Market in Buckhead.
Dressed lightly in buttery champagne vinaigrette, the shrimp are so perfectly steamed they melt, almost like an oyster, making chewing barely necessary but oh so rewarding. A simple salad of soft lettuces dances on the plate around them, and to cap off the sensory experience, slices of velvety avocado.
Market is the second of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s openings in Atlanta, inside the W Buckhead (the first is Asian-inspired Spice Market, inside the W Midtown). Top name, internationally known chefs such as JGV are making it easy on themselves these days by striking deals with hotels; it enables them to open outposts of their restaurants (Market is a mirror of another JGV bistro in Paris) in areas far and wide with big money behind them. The restaurant draws the kind of culinary attention the hotel can’t; the hotel fronts the whole operation; everyone supposedly wins.
That is, if the restaurant can hold its own. In Market’s case, it does. The modern dining room design looks as if it were inspired by a Spyro Gyro play set, with super-designer Karim Rashid’s crowning jewel a Murano glass chandelier over the main dining space.
The menu is like a JGV playlist of his greatest hits, including that buttery shrimp: thin, individually sized pizzas covered in fontina cheese and black truffles; warm goat cheese foam dotted with pistachios and pickled beets. And of course, the ubiquitous molten chocolate cake, which JGV claims to have invented.
All is inspired by other kitchens in the Jean-Georges realm, which spans the globe, but Market’s dishes, in addition to mimicking its sister in Paris, seem most like those at Mercer Kitchen or Perry Street in New York. There’s an almost passé ’80s feel to them — large quenelles of mashed peas and smears of passion fruit mustard harken to days when French style reigned supreme over the culinary world.
Ian Winslade, as chef de cuisine of both Market and Spice Market, cooks here better than he has ever cooked in his career in Atlanta. He’s able to use premier ingredients while showing off his smart way of combining flair with flavor — something for which JGV is famous.
I’d rather stay in the appetizers than move anywhere else on this menu: grilled shrimp wrapped with bacon and served with avocado combine a subtle smokiness from the grill with the refined flavor of passion fruit and mustard in that all-too-’80s sauce mentioned above. The combination cannot be argued with. Creamy tomato laced with basil, or velvety butternut squash, redefine what soup is — the essence of a vegetable, distilled into a cup.
Vongerichten is noted for his treatment of fish. Here, generous tufts of Maine lobster rest easily over crisped potatoes; the flavor is almost overwhelmed by a foam of siracha blended with citrus fruits, but just before that happens subtlety rules out. Cod is perfectly roasted to the kind of firmness only cod can achieve, served with a masala-like quenelle of English peas. Skate is the only wilted lily in a bouquet of beauties — its mushiness makes it a tough sell.
Veering from fish, the menu gets mundane, with a crispy-skinned chicken and sweet potato mash or sweetly glazed short ribs topping the list of perfectly acceptable, yet hardly noteworthy, offerings.
Manager A.D. Allushi and Winslade grew up together at Bluepointe, down the street, where they received the best training from Atlanta’s king of restaurateurs, Pano Karatassos. Their wine list is short, affordably priced and full of delightful options.
Pastry chef Deborah Craig manages to shine on her own, out of the shadow of that warm chocolate cake, which, by the way, is exactly what you’d expect: a small, muffin-sized cake with a gooey center served with house-made vanilla ice cream. Blah …
I’d much rather indulge in a tiny circle of cheesecake paired with port-poached cherries and a red wine sorbet — winter’s perfect antidote. A tiny lemon meringue tart is crowned with beautiful swirls of meringue, though the lemongrass ice cream needs a few more passes before perfection — it tastes like soap.
An evening at Market begins with a walk through the hotel’s groovy lobby, designed by “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s” Thom Filicia. Stop at Market’s lovely bar, which is actually part of the lobby, too.
Or end there. Either way, Market brings Buckhead, once the haven of fine dining in Atlanta, back to its former glory.
MARKET
Overall rating:
Food: French fusion
Service: Sometimes spot on, at other times the trains don’t run on time
Price range: $$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Hours of operation: Open for breakfast 7 a.m.-10:30 a.m. weekdays; 8-11 a.m. Saturday- Sunday; lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; dinner 5:30-10 p.m Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Best dishes: Steamed shrimp salad, butternut squash soup, fontina and black truffle pizza, cod and lobster entrees, creme fraiche cheesecake
Vegetarian selections: Many dishes are served without meat, but sauces may contain meat products, so ask
Children: For breakfast, lunch or early dinner
Parking: $6 validated valet
Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking: No
Noise level: Medium
Patio: No
Takeout: Yes
Address, telephone: 3377 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, 404-523-3600
Web site: www.marketbuckhead.com
KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region. Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area. 
Very good: Merits a drive if you’re looking for this kind of dining. 
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss. 
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.
PRICING CODE: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ 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.)
