Courtesy of CatMax Photography
Chef Craig Richards knows how to cater to a theater crowd. His pasta-driven restaurant Lyla Lila is located a mere two minutes from the Fox, and regular show-goers know to make reservations in advanced. Now Richards is capitalizing on that experience, taking over the Table 1280 space on the Woodruff Arts Center campus. Come 2025, he’ll open a fine dining restaurant called Elise, offering both a la carte options and a tasting menu.
“I love the idea of a restaurant being around all the arts—the symphony, the High Museum, the [Alliance] theater. I love the idea of the culinary arts being represented. To me, it just makes sense,” Richards says.
Named for Beethoven’s Für Elise, a song Richards played on the piano as a child, Elise will lean French in cooking technique with an Italian approach to sourcing seasonal ingredients. “Nothing will be traditional,” Richards says. “There will be several raw and cooked fish preparations, choice-cut steaks, and about five pastas.” The tasting menu will feature five to seven courses and require full table participation and reservations. Wine pairings will be available.
Lyla Lila general manager Christopher Blackman has been promoted to director of hospitality for both Lyla Lila and Elise. He’ll oversee a beverage director in selecting six or seven classic cocktails and creating an expansive wine program, more robust than Lyla Lila. Expect a focus on French and Italian Old World wines, in addition to those from some lesser-known regions. Select bottled beers will be available.
Richards hired Smith Hanes Studio to lead a refresh of the Table 1280 space, which closed in 2022 after 17 years. It’s a space Richards has admired since he first visited in 2005. “I want to bring it back to its original glory,” he says. “We’re drawing inspiration from the original design of modern minimalism. We’ll warm it up a little and add some color.”
The space features a large bar room with red elements, lacquered wood, and a turntable to spin vinyl. There will be floor-to-ceiling windows and an open kitchen. In contrast, the dining room will have a more soothing atmosphere with green accents.
“I find a lot of inspiration in music and design, and I want Elise to be an extension of the energy guests experience when hearing the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, seeing a performance in the Alliance Theatre, or experiencing art in the High Museum of Art,” Richards says in a press release.
Elise will serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday with a “more approachable” lunch menu offered Wednesday through Saturday.
