| |
Be Our Guest
Atlanta's Finest Hotels Serve Up Exquisite Fare
It's Saturday night. Some friends are in town and you are looking for an evening meal to remember. Sure you could find a host of fabulous restaurants sporting trendy digs and colorful fare in the heart of Mid-town, or maybe even a favorite haunt will do. But let's not forget some of the finest dining and white-gloved service the city of Atlanta has to offer. It can be found in a place that makes a living out of making people feel right at home - hotel restaurants.
Don't let wayward tourists and Houston businessmen have all the fun, it's time to go exploring our city's culinary treasures hidden within (or even atop) some of the finest hotels where dining isn't an afterthought, but their secret ingredient. In this two-part hotel restaurant series, the Points North staff uncovers some legendary dining options and what exactly makes them such not-to-be-missed adventures for families of foodies. From bountiful buffets, to succulent Maine lobster for two, to exotic feasts of Russian vodka and the finest caviar, pack up a heavy appetite for a trip into town.
Park 75
Simply Sophisticated 
Start with an upscale dining establishment. Add a dash of sophisti-cation, a pinch of elegance - hold the pretentiousness - and then top with simplicity. This is just one of the recipes that has successfully planted Park 75, one of only two restaurants in Georgia to receive the coveted Mobil Travel Guide Four-Star Award in 2005, firmly into Atlanta's restaurant scene.
Despite being located inside the Four Seasons Hotel on busy 14th Street, Park 75 ensures that all the hustle and bustle of city life is checked at the door. In exchange, patrons are welcomed into a warmly lit room where the decor merely adds to the ambiance rather than dictates it, making the restaurant an ideal culinary destination for not only couples in search of a corner table and an intimate dinner, but also for after-hour business meetings and special family occasions. "We are happy to have the image where service and quality are the driving forces, but we also want to make the restaurant comfortable," said Executive Chef Robert Gerstenecker.
In fact, the atmosphere is so comfortable, that it's easy to forget you aren't dining at a friend's house. That is, of course, until the menu is presented. The menu changes daily, with hard changes revolving around the seasons. During our recent visit, the menu was met with pleasant indecision - so many great choices, so little time. Highlights of the evening began promptly with the diver scallop and Hudson Valley foie gras "sandwich" followed by a second course heirloom tomato salad that will undoubtedly please the palate of even the most discriminating Southerner.
Running a kitchen in the South is as simple as understanding that successful dishes, even menus, are nothing more than the ingredients used and the stories they tell. Originally from Canada, Gerstenecker has worked in Toronto, Hong Kong, New York, Florida and Atlanta during his 15 years with the Four Seasons company. As a result of his travels, he not only incorporates Southern flavors into the New American cuisine for which the restaurant is known, he also approaches his dishes with a global perspective, using different tastes, textures and flavors which he believes ultimately lends itself well to Atlanta. "I just fell in love with this [city]," he said. "There's a lot happening on the food scene here and people like to see the local aspect; that's going to be the next revolution - the revival of the neighborhood farmers' markets." Much like the vegetables used in his dishes and the dairy he gets locally, Gerstenecker, who is well-known for creative dishes based on ingredients indigenous to the region, has already aligned himself with apple farmers in Ellijay where, according to the chef, he can choose from 20 different varieties.
For the main entree, our group of four decided to run the gamut, ordering significantly different dishes. Coming to the forefront were the wild mushroom ravioli and the rack of lamb "A la Grecque," which included grilled asparagus and sauteed mushrooms with balsamic au jus.
Without a doubt, Park 75 is known for its impeccable service and quality. One year after taking the helm as executive chef, Gerstenecker has already put his stamp on the restaurant. "The impact I've had on the restaurant is by bringing the menu into a realm where it isn't a complicated mix of food," he said, adding that sweet, salty and sour are the three concepts he adds to every plate.
As you might imagine, the chocolate dessert plate dripping with sweetness won the hearts of nearly everyone at our table. Dig your spoon into four specialties: milk chocolate lavender souffle glace, strawberry chocolate crunch cake, fleur de sel caramel chocolate tart, and cherry chocolate truffle gourmandise.
Chocoholics will revel in the thought of having access to more unbelievable chocolate dishes with the return of Park 75's acclaimed Chocolate Buffet. Executive Pastry Chef David Jeffries whips up small creations with combinations and flavors ranging from passion fruit and white chocolate mousse cake to milk chocolate cardamon cheesecake and Southern peanut butter and chocolate pie. The buffet is the perfect cap to a night at the theater or out on the town. It's available every Friday and Saturday night from 9 p.m. to midnight through April 30, 2006, and is $17 a person.
By Heather KW Brown
Photo courtesy of Park 75
 Nikolai's RoofA Taste of the Exotic
Overflowing with decadent sophistication ripe with old-world charm, an evening at Nikolai's Roof is akin to feasting in the banquet hall of a Russian tsar. Perched atop Hilton Atlanta in the heart of downtown, the panoramic vista alone should be enough to tempt you skyward, however, the heady aroma of espresso-dusted antelope sirloin (one of the chef's favorites) will indulge your hunger for exotic lands.
The ambiance stirs up a mood so intox-icatingly romantic that you can nearly imagine Tolstoy's lovelorn heroine Anna Karenina sharing an intimate dinner with her adored Count Vronsky. Its interior d?cor is dressed in hues of ruby red and royal blue, while modern chandeliers drip with points of light that conjure thoughts of evening stars. On weekends, which are when most locals come for their evening dinner, a harpist strums in the background. But the biggest draw is its view, which offers one of the finest vistas of Atlanta's skyline. In fact, on a clear night, you can see all the way to Stone Mountain.
You could get lost in Nikolai's romantic allure, and we have yet to mention the menu, which serves up some of the most celebrated fare in the city. As the first restaurant in the Southeast to receive the renowned Four-Star Award from Mobil Guide, this AAA Four Diamond restaurant boasts a six-course menu with a penchant for organic greens and colorful fare, as well as a new a la carte menu created by the Chef de Cuisine Olivier De Busschere.
While its popular dishes of seasonal borscht, piroshkis and caviar give homage to mother Russia, the variety of dishes is as diverse as the chef who creates them. Mentored by culinary masters of his native Belgium, it was there where De Busschere flared his passion for sauces and dramatic presentation. In 2000, he found himself on American shores and accepted a position of chef de poissonier at Nikolai's Roof. Under the expert guidance of former Chef de Cuisine Johannes Klapdohr, De Busschere flourished and now marries the highest standards of a classical French kitchen with the delicacies of German and Russian cuisine. His first change when becoming chef de cuisine in January was to implement a seasonal menu that encourages culinary diversity and absolute freshness. "Food that is in season fits the mood of the evening making dinner that much more special," he said. In addition to the four basic seasons, the menu also changes weekly to ensure the freshest ingredients in every dish.
Your meal at Nikolai's should begin with a sip of their famous vodkas, which are chilled to perfection and available in a variety of flavors (we suggest the peach vodka). If you are a caviar aficionado, then be sure to indulge your craving. Served with a traditional display of cr?me fraiche, chopped eggs, cucumbers, red onions and capers accompanied by Russian blinis and toast points, the selection includes Roman-ian beluga ($289 an ounce), Siberian ostera ($189 an ounce), Russian sevruga ($129 an ounce) and paddle fish ($69 an ounce).
On our visit, a trio of piroshkis filled with beef tenderloin, pheasant and Maine lobster served with bearnaise sauce was a particular favorite of the evening. The chef himself recommends the herb-crusted rack of lamb on Chef Garden's bean variety and gratin potatoes in fern leaf lavender sauce. And for a sweet conclusion, one must scoop a spoon into Nikolai's Roof signature le souffle du jour, which, on our visit, was roasted pineapple with vanilla cr?me fraiche. With a gentlemanly bow, at the conclusion of your meal, the waiter bestows a single red rose to every woman at the table. Now is the perfect time to slip over to the adjacent Point of View lounge for some soothing live jazz.
Nothing quite spells romance like fine dining and a night at the theater, and to help serve that satisfying dessert, Nikolai's has teamed up with both the Rialto Theater and Theatrical Outfit to offer special packages from pre-show dinners to hotel stays. If you are looking to spark a romance, or for just a night out on the town, an evening with Nikolai will be sure to leave you - or your sweetheart - swooning.
By Julie Clark
Photo courtesy of Nikolai's Roof/Maizie Hale PR
The Palm
The Classic American Steak House
Sitting beneath kooky caricatures of Kathleen Turner and Newt Gingrich, you may have flashbacks of a memorable meal at Sardi's in the heart of New York's theater district. Movie stars, politicians and media personalities dress the walls right here on Peachtree, too. Flamboyant autographs and comical sketches of Dagwood and Popeye prove to be excellent conversation pieces over huge helpings of steak and lobster at The Westin in Buckhead.
The original Palm opened up shop in 1926 at 837 Second Ave. in New York. Three generations ago, John Ganzi and Pio Bozzi joined forces, armed with a cookbook of succulent family recipes. They intended to name the venture "Parma" after their hometown in Italy, but the clerk at the licensing office misunderstood their heavy accents and the legendary Palm was born. Hence the current-day surf-and-turf menu married with Italian specialties peppered with veal and linguine.
Legend has it that newspapermen from the Big Apple would draw a cartoon on the wall in exchange for a bowl of pasta. The charming, cheap d?cor quickly caught on, becoming a hallmark for the now 28 chains across the country, stretching from Los Angeles to Miami.
Then again, anyone with a taste bud would doodle for a mere noodle at this restaurant with a long-standing reputation of 79 years. It's one of the oldest family owned businesses in America, said General Manager Willy Cellucci, who's been at the helm since the Atlanta opening in 1995. The dining area and adjacent bar may sport hardwood floors, dim lighting and white tablecloths, but the ambiance is anything but stuffy or pretentious. Definitely don't let the large silver platters fool you. The waiters are jovial and court-eous, while Cellucci himself is a hoot. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is incred-ibly passionate about each and every dish, whether it's a 16-ounce filet mignon served with creamed spinach and a nice hearts of palm salad, or the veal Marsala with asparagus fritti and clams on the half shell.
Every summer, Cellucci offers a special lobster dinner for two priced at $85. Regulars wait for it all yearlong, he said with a smile. A massive 5-pound Nova Scotia lobster (delivered fresh daily) is split in two and presented as a tender, sweet, buttery feast. The best part is you don't have to wrestle with any cracking contraption. The waiter will do all the work, pulling the moist meat from the claw in one fell swoop. The result is hearty bites of lobster, not wimpy slivers that simply fall off your fork. (It's wise to steer clear of the green intestines lining the spine; the waiter admitted that only 10 percent of people who brave this delicacy actually find it tasty.) Couples also have a choice of salads and family-style sides. The Half & Half selection of cottage fries and fried onions (regularly $7 a la carte) is greasy, fried goodness worthy of a steaming hand towel and a squirt of lemon juice just before dessert arrives. Probably weighing in at a pound itself, the creamy New York cheese-cake is the best around, hands down, no dispute.
For those who are just now getting used to the idea of winter, why not ditch the kitchen this Thanksgiving for The Palm's Endless Turkey Dinner. At $29.95 a person, it's a steal, Cellucci said, with all the stuffing, cranberries and traditional fixins' you can eat. The family-style dinner will also serve dishes off the regular menu like steak and chops. Keep in mind that they'll even be open Christmas Eve and Christmas night, seeing as the holidays are an increasingly busy time for restaurants and a blessing for the basting weary.
Regulars can join the 837 Club, named for the original location, and earn one point for every dollar spent. Redeem points for prizes like gift certificates, cookbooks and even your own caricature. There's a $25 application fee, but members will receive a $25 gift certificate in the mail, so it's basically free.
By Suzanne Kayes
Photo courtesy of The Palm/KCRP
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Park 75
Four Seasons Hotel
75 14th St.
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-881-9898
Nikolai's Roof
Hilton Atlanta
30th Floor
255 Courtland St.
404-221-6362
Atlanta Palm at The Westin
Buckhead Hotel
3391 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-814-1955
|
