8 of 9

Write now Article Tools

From Raw Bar to Chocolate Fondue, Atlanta's Restaurant Scene Has it All

Atlanta is a city with several hot spots rather than one central heart. Each neighborhood - Midtown, Buckhead, and Little Five Points among them - offers unique sights and scenes, as well as sizzling nightlife and savory cuisine that often go hand-in-hand.

Not far from CNN Center and Olympic Park, for instance, McCormick and Schmicks is a white-tablecloth restaurant specializing in seafood, including a raw bar menu offering shellfish from eastern and western shores. The waitstaff is also friendly and accommodating, and quick to recommend Atlanta's signature drink the Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea), named for the legendary golfer.

With pages from the Atlanta Restaurant Guide in hand, however, the entire city and its eateries are as navigable as CNN Center's tourist friendly sidewalks. Houlihans, although a national chain, is a popular watering hole for Atlanta's downtown crowd. Its lunches and dinners have a bit more flair than the average brew pub, such as a great ahi tuna and banana salad.

The city has plenty of restaurants and bars unique to Atlanta, too; Gladys Knight has her own restaurant the inexplicable Gladys Knight and Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles on Peachtree Street, but for a more upscale irreverent dining experience, Dantes Down the Hatch is a popular draw. Dantes is a fondue bar modeled to look like the hull of a ship, and serves as a popular spot for visiting celebs, often requiring reservations at least four hours in advance (and 48 hours in advance if you plan to have the chocolate fondue dessert.)

One of Atlanta's hippest hang-outs, Shout, is part of the Here to Serve Restaurant Group, which also owns and manages the equally well-known Twist, Prime, Noche, Goldfish, and That's a Burger, all in the city. With its rooftop bar and central location Midtown, Shout is fast becoming the place to be.

Atlanta-based restaurant critic and blogger Steakhead, who edits Atlanta Eats and has been featured in National Geographic Traveler, said Shout is indeed a draw for the beautiful people.

"It's probably best known foodwise for its sushi," he said, "but the crowd is definitely the in' party crowd well dressed."

.

Steakhead also suggested checking out some of Atlanta's trendy tapas bars. "Loca Luna, tucked away just off Peachtree and 6th, is not far from Shout," he said. "It's the best tapas in Midtown and also a very fun place. There's live music, and an open-air dining area."

Finally, Table 1280 at the Woodruff Arts Center allows for great drinks and inspired dishes like fried plantains and revamped cucumber sandwiches, served within the elegant surroundings of the arts center's galleries.

Resources -

AtlantaEats.blogspot.com

Resta urantguideatlanta.com

Heretoser verestuarants.com

Learn more about this author, Jaclyn C. Stevenson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about A review of the top fine dining restaurants in Atlanta?
We want to hear your view. Write now!