Tag: review

The moment the Shrimp Toast Menbosha hits the table, it’s clear Mirae operates at a different level. Mirae doesn’t just argue for modern Korean cuisine’s place in Atlanta’s upscale dining scene. It’s helping define it.

Buckhead has no shortage of restaurants built for spectacle, but few manage to deliver substance with the show. Luella, the new restaurant from brothers Jamey and Benjie Shirah, executes both. The Roswell Road space has had many lives—including Carbo’s Cafe and The Ivy. Perhaps it was time to grow up.

Brian So built a loyal following at his Marietta Square restaurant Spring. When he announced the restaurant would close for renovations, he didn’t deprive Marietta of his cooking for long. He opened his first Korean restaurant, Spring 2nd Branch, blocks away from his first location. Spring 2nd Branch is an entirely different restaurant from Spring—open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, and takes no reservations.

Aria has all the right ingredients: an experienced kitchen, a talented front of house, and a loyal audience willing to pay for the experience. What it currently lacks is a clear sense of risk. That could be the natural tension of a restaurant in transition that’s trying to respect its legacy while daring to redefine it. But Atlanta doesn’t need another temple to nostalgia. It requires restaurants that reflect our current state. Aria could do that—if it just got the nerve.

Chef Nan Niyomkul is a towering figure in Atlanta cuisine with her signature restaurant, Nan Thai Fine Dining. But there’s a new Nan Thai in town where Chef Nan’s daughter, DeeDee, is walking in her mother’s footsteps with her newest restaurant, Nan Thai Buckhead. The restaurants have similar names, similar menus, and the same core aesthetic: fine dining, Thai style.

Yeppa & Co.’s new Beltline outpost has been open since May, but it seems as if it’s been there much longer—perhaps because of the name recognition from its wildly successful Buckhead Village location (an offshoot of Storico Fresco fame). The restaurant’s name pays tribute to a beloved figure from cofounder Stephen Peterson’s childhood: a family friend and restaurateur known for his charisma and for shouting “Yeppa” when excited.

Ryokou, a new kappo-style restaurant in Adair Park is owned by chef Leonard Yu who also owns Omakase Table. The restaurant builds its identity by sharing its passion for knowledge and exploration. It doesn’t try to outdo its peers, and it is not about chef worship. It’s more like hanging out with a friend who is a total nerd about Japanese food and wants to tell you about it while feeding you.

Atlanta is a steakhouse town. As a result, such restaurants find differentiating themselves challenging, and newcomer Il Premio faces that obstacle head-on. The restaurant offers a distinct twist from the American or French-leaning steakhouses we’ve come to know and love. It’s a prize, indeed.

A playground for Serenbe dwellers and destination diners alike, Austin’s Cocktailery & Kitchen looks for reasons to party: oyster happy hours, Saturday jazz. It offers cutely named original cocktails and a heady list of classics.

The arrival of chef Zeb Stevenson’s Redbird—which has landed in the former home of fine-dining bastion Bacchanalia—signals a new era for the Westside’s restaurant scene.