Letter from an Atlanta chef
Nick Oltarsh
Yesterday I published my open letter to Atlanta chefs, asking them to up their game. While there are some amazing chefs here making memorable food, I wrote this letter because I feel that the overall standards in the city have slipped in recent years. I love dining in this town, and I want it to be as good as I know it can.
Now a chef has written back with a letter to Atlanta diners. Nick Oltarsh oversees the kitchens at two restaurants — Lobby Bar and Bistro and Room at Twelve.
By the way, I’m thrilled to see he mentioned the spinalis steak he serves at Room. It’s one of my favorite steaks in town.
Here’s what Oltarsh has to say:
Open letter to Atlanta diners
Mr. Kessler and all the Atlanta dining folks:
In response to your open letter to chefs, as a local Atlanta Chef the message has been heard and truth be told, I concur. I think we chefs and restaurateurs have acquiesced to the challenges of the Atlanta dining scene and have done so without much fight. We need to regroup and accept this open letter challenge. But we need help from our partner, the diner, in two key areas. One, we need your financial support. Last year was tough. Please dine out! Two, the more adventurous our diners are, the more we can express our creativity. Here are my suggestions for how the Atlanta community can help us become a more dynamic restaurant town.
1) Take a chance on some new flavors or foods you have never tried before. How about celery root puree instead of mashed potatoes? Consider farro in lieu of rice. Really, these items don’t taste weird; they are simply a little out of the ordinary. In fact, I had chicken hearts for the first time recently and I could not believe how yummy they were. I am happy to serve broiled ribeye and seared trout but I also take deep pleasure in exposing my guests to new tastes such as tuna belly and spinalis steak. The list of wonderful ingredients is endless; let us chefs manipulate them to create new dishes. Support our creative endeavors by choosing innovative menu items.
2) Calamari doesn’t have to be fried to be good. You can’t imagine how delicious calamari tastes before flour and oil intervenes. Squid can be roasted, braised and grilled as well as fried and honestly, the results are quite remarkable. Trust me when I proclaim that one bite of steamed calamari fresh from the sea with ripe tomatoes and fruity olive oil will expel any future desire to order the fried version; you’ll marvel at what you have been missing. Help break the cycle whereby we silly scared chefs feel obliged to serve the same boring dishes to our customers. Take a chance and order the steamed cockles instead of the fried calamari or the grilled lamb sandwich rather than a grilled chicken breast sandwich.
3) Please don’t ask for or expect tomatoes on your sandwiches in January (i.e., don’t expect food out of season). Out of season tomatoes are mealy, tasteless and bloody expensive as well! And the same holds true for all out of season produce. It is costly and doesn’t taste good. As for tomatoes, be patient, wait until the summer and you won’t be disappointed: August thru September they are sweet & acidic, dripping with juice and bursting with flavor.
4) Sustainable fish varieties are delicious; give them a chance. Don’t get me wrong, grouper and snapper are tremendous fish but so are mackerel, sardines and barramundi. When well prepared, these mouth-watering species drive culinary variety and innovation and furthermore, their use is right by the environment. I can’t sell sustainable fish if my clientele are not willing to at least have a go at them. Moreover, I prefer to preserve our oceans and leave behind some fish for future generations
5) We restaurateurs need your fiscal support during the week. Restaurants cannot survive on Friday and Saturday business alone. We need patrons in seats Sunday thru Thursday. If we promise to do out part — serve great food in a hospitable environment with friendly service — will you come join us?
6) Good product can be expensive. I like to provide good value. I do suspect, however, that what I consider good value is not what many customers consider good value. I really want to do the right thing and serve local food, seasonal food and use animals that are treated humanely. I want to provide my guests with ingredients that are special and delicious and varied. This approach can be relatively expensive. I promise most all of us are really not trying to gouge you. The fact is restaurants are labors of love and our margins are extremely slim.
7) If the kitchen makes a mistake, please let us correct it. Kitchens screw up. We overcook meat; we over-salt food; we are slow. We try to keep these issues to a minimum but alas we fail to do so occasionally. Please, rather than writing a scathing blog about your experience two days later, give us a chance to fix the problem while you are still dining in the restaurant and let us earn your positive tweets.
8) There is a world beyond burgers and french fries. Don’t get me wrong. I eat burgers and I love them and any chef who says otherwise is a big, fat liar and a Judas to the profession. Yet, I also love exhilarating, innovative, tricky, witty and daring cuisine. Yes, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but isn’t it fun as a diner to be part of the process? So go to your favorite burger joint, where you could very well see me, but also support your local independent fine-dining restaurant. Both of us deserve your business.
Bring it on 2011! Who’s in?
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140 comments Add your comment
Brazen Unicorn
January 18th, 2011
10:08 pm
Great letter and chef, I’m in!
Brazen Unicorn
January 18th, 2011
10:13 pm
P.S. I so want to try spinalis steak now.
nativeAtlantan
January 18th, 2011
10:20 pm
Oh, my….
fooddude
January 18th, 2011
10:21 pm
Go!
Chef Z
January 18th, 2011
11:20 pm
Thank you, Nick! Reading your response reminds me of why I have so much respect for you.
rebelliousrose
January 19th, 2011
12:29 am
@Carla- “If I feel special and well cared for” – when did the person serving your food become a nanny and a therapist? All I care about from a waiter is a relatively pleasant demeanor and my food showing up as I ordered it, in a timely fashion, and a full glass. I don’t need my waiter to coddle or enable me.
Mike M
January 19th, 2011
2:41 am
I travel a lot and dine at great restaurants all over the country. Just returned today from San Francisco and I was in New York 2 weeks ago. I am an entrepreneur so know something about correct pricing when it comes to business, and I also am a partner in a local restaurnat in Atlanta so I feel qualified to make the following observation: Pricing in Atlanta restaurnats is way out of wack. I say that becasue I see restaurnats in San Fran, New York, and other big name restaurnat cities do great and are packed, but Altanta is not. It has a lot to do with incorrect pricing. A lot of better Atlanta chefs and restauranteurs feel like they are in New York city and price their menu as if this is New York city. We don’t pay New York rents, we don’t pay New York salaries, we don’t pay over $4,000 a month in garbage collection fees, and so menu prices should not be even close to New York city, but, in many instances, they are. If our customers income was similar to incomes at New York city then may be that would not be an issue, but incomes in Altanta are also lower. I just looked the menu for Ecco, Aria, and Rays on the River. All appetizers are between $10-$20. Entrees typically around $30 or more. No chef can justify to me why an 8-oz filet entree with mashed potato should cost $34 in the Atlanta market when we only pay $10-12 per pound for that filet. That is New York city pricing. You wonder why customers are not coming to your place as often as yo would like them to? Take a hard look at your pricing and you will find the answer.
I think a lot of chefs and restauranteurs need to take a class in correct pricing. It will serve them well.
N-GA
January 19th, 2011
5:45 am
John & Nick,
Thanks for letting your readers/customers share in this dialog. It is very healthy and may even result in some changes. That said, I would like to add to the discussion. I owned a liquor store here in Georgia so I know very well what the cost of wine really is. The average mark-up on wine in a retail liquor store is 25%. So if a bottle of wine retails for $25, the wholesale cost was $20. It is very troubling when you look t the wine list and see that same wine for $55-$60. Not only does it offend you (me), it makes me wonder about the price of the food. The wine (using the above example) should cost no more than $30 at any restaurant…that’s a 50% mark-up and certainly covers glassware, profit, etc. If the wines were priced more fairly, I expect people might actually order a bottle instead of drinking overly sweetened iced tea.
Another suggestion is to carry more half bottles of wine. There is a small premium in cost, but not much. Diners could then order a Sauvignon blanc for their oyster appetizer and a nice Amarone to go with their Osso Buco. While the majority of the wines in my cellar are standard 750 ml, I have about 60 half bottles and perhaps a dozen magnums for suitable occasions.
Chef's Wife
January 19th, 2011
5:59 am
Mary – No, you can’t buy that steak at Publix. It surely wouldn’t be only $15. Yes, it was an extremely hard year for us restaurant folk. Seems you have a big old fork up your butt because you can only afford McD’s. We don’t price food to be “posh”, we price it according to what we pay for it. Maybe if you understood how a business runs, this would make more sense. Until you’ve been there, you and your Publix stead need to shut it.
Chef's Wife
January 19th, 2011
6:03 am
N-GA – Your math is incorrect on wine in restaurants. They are taxes and fees out the wazoo. This is not a huge money maker. Again, we are not trying to gouge the customers, just make a living. And most of us are struggling just to keep the lights on.
Searching for yak and other Tibetan offerings at Shangrila Bistro | Food and More with John Kessler
January 19th, 2011
7:01 am
[...] the spirit of chef Nick Oltarsh’s suggestion #1, I trekked it out to Shangrila Bistro in East Cobb last night hoping to sample some authentic [...]
It's About Service
January 19th, 2011
7:25 am
You go to the restaurant for the FOOD the first – you go back because of the service.
Got to be kidding
January 19th, 2011
7:28 am
It all comes down to $ and value…. period…. all the ideas in the world will not effect a persons judgement to try new foods…I have been disappointed as recently last night at Mary Mac’s of all places…Food was not great even for the landmark Tea Room…. Yes, I voiced my concern, they comped a desert, and still dropped 65$ on dinner…..Big disappointment…only thing that was great was the sweet tea….
Manager
January 19th, 2011
7:31 am
Mary – restaurants have a term called “Penny Profits.” That’s because you literally only get about $.01 for every item you sell…that once cent by the way. You’re not going to be wealthy in the restaurant business. Put it another way – you have to sell 100 items to make a dollar. It costs money to make good food and Publix doesn’t sell restaurant quality steaks unless you’re talking about Golden Corral. On top of overhead, the alcohol tax is double the regular sales tax. Add that up in your head if you can and figure out where the term “Penny Profits’ comes from.
jim dipert
January 19th, 2011
7:34 am
My wife and I enjoy eating out often,and I want to be able to eat what I want to,not what someone else
says I should like and try with our money.We are not in the Alanta area so we will not be able to support
you, However we do travel to different places and try new things. A reasonable price is also something
to think about as well as great service.
JoeV
January 19th, 2011
7:58 am
Chef’s Wife…
You come off as bitter and arrogant. Maybe that is why you are struggling to keep the lights on.
Diana
January 19th, 2011
8:05 am
Thanks for writing your response. You really enlightened me on what some of the things chefs and restaurant owners go through. I did not realize a lot of what you said and it is true. We need to be more patient, open and honest. I do not mind paying more for good quality food and good service. However, I think more incentives need to go into getting us to eat out more during the week. I am a financial advisor and I try to tell my clients, watch what they are spending in eating out. There must be some type of trade off for week day dining. (Example, a free meal after 10 purchases, etc>0
ihorizon
January 19th, 2011
8:16 am
I’d recommend watching Avec Eric….I started watching Chef Eric Ripert recently and was very, very impressed at how he teaches a lot about how the restaurant, farmers, customers, kitchen, front room, dining room all interact and work together to bring the meal to the table. He even takes the time to discuss and explain what it takes to do a dish patiently and very calmly how to make that perfect meal at home…He even goes to visit other places to improve or introduce new flavors on his menu…a very good show!!!
I am guessing that many of the professional chefs can only cook so many meals a night and not have enough time or personnel to sample his or her dishes to make that same meal perfect repeatedly and heaven forbid the chef have an off night and the food is not to par….how many times have you gone to any restaurant and order the same meal and tasted the food and it did not have the same flavor that brought you into the establishment before? Happens a lot….Maybe the chef was out of town that night and food was delgated to his sous chef…guess what food is subpar and write a letter to the chef saying that the food did not match up to his previous servings. I even let the chef know that we paid full price for a meal that was not cooked properly…Turned out he was off that night and in his absence, his cook burned packaged rolls instead of presenting his homemade bread, served incorrect fish instead of the one listed on menu, and among other things. I then decided if the chef is not in the kitchen himself, do not eat there!!!! So of course, yes, I know that sometimes chefs and personnel cannot always all taste the meals beforehand and use the pinch salt method hoping that will suffice in flavor, but remember the old adage customers are right (and sometimes we are not! WOW!), but look at where the money is going. Out of the door and somewhere else!!!
I have a vision and hope that maybe one day, all or many of the chefs and cook staffs and culinary students can go around local towns (not just inside ATL!) and set up kitchen booths at local fairs, or grocery stores, and have customers sample the food that may be introduced in the restaurant…how about using local food markets and set up kitchens there to teach us how to make that special meal at home using local ingredients….hint:use GA grown peanuts, peaches, pecans, and coca cola or sprite drinks in cakes or pies. Surely something new can come out of this!!!!
As much as I like to try eat out in Atlanta, I must point out that I no longer feel safe driving midtown and downtown anymore after four due to bad traffic and crime and my unemployment. That perfect night out is deligated to eating close to home so those are saved for special events….which reminds me that I am expected at Cheesecake Factory this weekend. Anyway, just a thought.
God Bless everyone!!!
MCB
January 19th, 2011
8:35 am
Well done to both John and Nick. News agencies, take note — this is called constructive dialogue between two qualified parties.
Robert
January 19th, 2011
8:35 am
Excellent letter with fair points brought up. I actually couldn’t find one point that I could heartily disagree with. I’m glad to see that he brought up my particular pet peeve about tomatoes in winter. I don’t know how many times I’ve said to my wife “if I owned a restaurant there is no way I’d serve a tomato in winter!” I guess I’m just used to pulling them out of my garden in summertime. Congratulations, chef, on a well thought out letter.
Nothankyou
January 19th, 2011
8:38 am
Everyone is so quick to stomp on Mary, but I’m in her corner. I think all of you food-snobs need to listen up. Mary and I are the diners you won’t ever have to see. We can’t afford to go out except on special occasions and then we’ll go to Applebee’s because if we do we can afford a movie afterwards and still be able to pay to keep the lights on. We go out to be catered to, plain and simple. We cook dinner every night and have Publix steaks when they fit into our budget. The economy is extrememly hard on us middle-class wives and mothers and we must stay within our budgets. Slamming us because we won’t pay $75 for dinner just makes us stay away more. Personally, I’m not eager to rub elbows with anyone who looks down on us for this.
So ya’ll go on and enjoy your $75 dinners and $50 bottles of wine. We’ll stay home and open a bottle of $15 wine and whip up our own creations in the kitchen. I’ve been cooking for over 30 years and love it just as much as any chef. But when that $125 will feed my family for a week, I’ll stay home and cook up some love for them.
When Atlanta restaurants go back to the old-school days of good food, good prices, good times, I’ll come back. Anyone remember going to the downtown Rich’s tearoom? Some of the best, truest Southern fare around and served by smiling faces who were eager to make a good tip and a good impression. I don’t need some snobby priss looking down their nose at me because I can’t afford desert and a bottle of wine.
Ya’ll keep it. I’m staying home. No, I’m NOT in.
adventurous
January 19th, 2011
8:45 am
I checked out one of your menus, one suggestion is that you carry one “vegan” entree on your menu. Being “vegan” is the upcoming subculture. Vegans get online before traveling and while traveling to see where they can eat out. I suggest that all nice restaurants rise to this challenge, it is a heart healthy choice and gives the chef another realm to be creative in. THANKS
Mark S
January 19th, 2011
9:10 am
Good luck to you. I personally found that is tough to even get people to try something as harmless as Pho. Start talking about eating offal and just about every face in this town cringes. Anchovies, forget it. Even getting someone to eat a Beef Cheek is like pulling teeth.
Having European parents left me exposed to these types of foods but good luck getting someone who dined on Mac and cheese and ground beef their whole life to do anything more adventurous than sushi (even getting that accomplished is awful).
Just look at other cities that can support this type of creativity and the use of “different” ingredients, they all have one thing in common, massive immigrant populations. If there is ever a massive influx of Europeans / Russians and their families your wish will come true. They are all used to eating mackerel, beef cheek, Tripe, Octopus, squid, ramps, or whatever. Until then, continue the monotony. It is what will pay your bills, sad but true.
Long-time Atlantan
January 19th, 2011
9:20 am
Thanks Chef for your great comments. And mostly thank you for your commitment to Atlanta dining. I think this city does have some of the best restaurants in the country, but yes, I feel that they can be much improved.
And yes, I’m more than willing to pay a higher price for organic meats that were humanely raised. The restaurants that employ these practices are the restaurants that will get my business and where I’ll be bringing family when they’re in from out of town.
Long-time Atlantan
January 19th, 2011
9:23 am
One more thought…I think you can have all the adventurous diners in the world, but if the wait staff isn’t really educated on the menu, it hurts the overall experience. Many times I’ve wondered about a couple different dishes and asked my server about the dishes and they have said they don’t know because they haven’t tried it. I think servers should be able to describe the nuances between different dishes to discerning customers. So I’ve opted for something less than exciting thinking it’s a safe choice and I end up with something that’s pretty ordinary and that isn’t going to bring me back to the restaurant.
Vic
January 19th, 2011
9:34 am
@Nothankyou I understand your point. One question. Why are you reading this column?
Mark S
January 19th, 2011
9:35 am
Sorry Long-time but you are a minority. Like most creative atlanta chef’s the balance is between food the want to cook and the price they want to charge vs. food a majority of people want to eat vs. what they want to pay. Throw in the frequency of eating out of those said diners and chefs are faced with a massive challenge. On top of that, most of these chefs are occupying high-rent spaces in areas that have a larger percentage of diners that MAY want to be more adventurous and it is even more challenging.
Just like the great depression, people are becoming reacquainted with budgeting and wasteful spending in the great recession. Hence the “tough year” for the food service industry.
I always like looking at low cost models when building businesses. Working in this traditional high-rent dining space / high overhead model is becoming really obsolete. Just look at buford highway, even in an area with massive competition they seem to sustain a large amount of Asian ethnic cuisine.
It is just a matter of time before someone wises up around here and starts the gourmet food cart trend and starts putting out quality food (mackeral / squid / etc.) at a low cost to the diners. You don’t need a fancy location to put out high-quality adventurous food. You just need to do it well and at a price point that people can swallow.
WSPJamDawg
January 19th, 2011
9:51 am
“5) We restaurateurs need your fiscal support during the week. Restaurants cannot survive on Friday and Saturday business alone. We need patrons in seats Sunday thru Thursday. If we promise to do out part — serve great food in a hospitable environment with friendly service — will you come join us?”
-WHATEVER! I go to Taco Bell every freakin day! Why don’t you try making more food like Taco Bell!
Mark S
January 19th, 2011
9:53 am
LOL, just read the original letter to Atlanta Chefs. Seems someone else agrees with me, yet from a slightly different viewpoint.
Better execution with lower overhead = survivability. You must be accessible to the masses.
Imjustsaying
January 19th, 2011
9:56 am
Mary and Nothankyou are right on point!
If the restaurateurs take a second to read what they’re posting, 50% of why they struggle to fill a restaurant and keep people coming back for more is right there!
These women control the purse strings, and I’m sure, in this economy, they represent a huge segment of Atlanta diners. Asking them to grab their family back the collar and come running to your establishment to try $75 plates of sauteed chicken hearts, served by rude wait staff aint gonna cut it.
Listen to them, serve them well, price it right and their husbands will worship the ground the chef walks on.
Nothankyou
January 19th, 2011
9:57 am
It was something to do and I hate restaurant critics. So pretentious and pompous. The chef seems like a stand-up guy and I liked his response. While I probably won’t be able to go to his restaurant I still have the word of mouth thing going and someone might come into town and ask me about a good restaurant. I’d probably recommend his based solely on his response and his obvious love of cooking.
johnny fontane
January 19th, 2011
10:05 am
I sat at the Chef’s table at Commanders Palace in New Orleans once and it was the most fantastic dining experience that I’ve ever had. Just to sit there and watch that well oiled machine of a kitchen at work and sample some of everything that they were preparing was awesome. Do any of the fine dining resturants here offer that?
Rodney
January 19th, 2011
10:13 am
I say raise prices so high I don’t ever have to worry about the Mary-and-NoThankYou’s of the world darkening the door of the resto.
Actually, I’m kidding. But I couldn’t help get one dig in against “those people”.
As many others have posted, I too don’t mind paying for quality – be it quality ingredients or a talented hand that’s cooking it. I dine out often, probably more often than I should, but it’s the social activity that I enjoy most. I used to enjoy going to bars until the wee hours, now, I’d rather spend an hour and a half (sometimes two) in a resto with friends eating and talking.
I think both John and Chef Nick made excellent points (especially that sassy “friend calamari” quip – loved it). And I, for one, am willing to try ANYTHING once (in case there’s a secret tasting panel being formed somewhere – hit me up).
Here’s my final point, and it’s basically the one rule I have when dining out with anyone. Regardless of where we go, be it Fast Food or Fine Dining, please don’t poo-poo something you’ve never even tried. I don’t care if you decide you don’t like it, but you have to at least try it to determine that!
Frank
January 19th, 2011
10:14 am
Nice guy and a good cook but it doesn’t make the food at Room and Lobby any better given what they have to work with (food cost budget). Supported both a few times around, just not that memorable. But like all sheep, Room will probably get a little spurt of business from this article. Let’s take a guess where the next review will be.
Cooks: Start writing back to JK if you want to keep your lights on til March! Except you, Tom Colicchio.
imjustduckie
January 19th, 2011
10:18 am
BRAVO – well said! I’ve not yet dined at Lobby but I sure will try it now.
Joe
January 19th, 2011
10:18 am
So, it’s the consumer’s responsibility to make dining better in Atlanta?
Atlanta athlete
January 19th, 2011
10:37 am
As one of the relatively small number in the Atlanta area who can afford to dine regularly at the high end places, I have found that there is not much difference in them, when it comes to food taste and preparation. They all depend on hype, rather than dining quality, and cater to patrons who feel that dining in the more hyped, and more expensive, places is a way of showing their wealth and importance.
The fancy menu names and preparation quirks only increase the price they affix to them and has nothing to do with the taste or quality of their offerings.
I will continue to patronize them simply because it makes me feel good that I can afford to, but realize their prices have placed them out of the ability of enough diners to fill their places every night..
kmb
January 19th, 2011
11:04 am
One solution to the chef’s problem is for there to be more tasting menus offered. Let the public see what you can do without having to order a full course and finding out you hate it.
@Chef’s wife. You are both right and wrong. The beef served in most top restaurants is of a better quality than is offered at most supermarkets. Although Costco is selling prime beef. The difference in price of dry aged rib eye versus what Publix has is both noticeable in flavor and the cost per pound. Hence, the price differential between a restaurant and the supermarket. However, at some restaurants (I don’t know about your husband’s) the mark up is hard to swallow (pun intended). These restaurants appear to cater to the expense account diners. With regard to wine, you are not being fair to the objections. Many restaurants I’ve been told by reliable individuals who would know market up a bottle 200-300%. Now on a $5 bottle that is reasonable. On a $75 bottle that is price gouging.
$225 for a bottle that costs them $75! Liquor licenses make or break many restaurants. That’s why so many restaurants go for them. Also, from reliable sources, many restaurants generate their profits from the liquor and wine sales and break even on the food.
Nothankyou
January 19th, 2011
11:10 am
@Rodney – so glad I don’t have to rub elbows with the likes of you. “Those people?” Please, try to be a little more condescending and snobby next time. Bet you’re rather a priss-pot too. I’ll bet he has a platinum credit card too. Bet he feels important. (pulleeze)
@JoeV – eloquently put. My sentiments exactly.
Jim Warren
January 19th, 2011
11:12 am
Thanks Chef! Please ask the front house managers to insure readable menus and sufficient lighting to enable us to actually read it.
John Gibson
January 19th, 2011
11:20 am
My fiancee and I try to dine out 2-3 times a week and do like to try innovative itmes. Many people cannot afford that and when they do go out they want something they KNOW they will enjoy, thus same ol’ same ol’. No one wants to spring for 25-35 dollars for something that is unpleasant and / or unsatisfying, and makes them want to drive through Krystal after the meal to pick up something they KNOW they like. I suggest when chefs hit upon new menu items they think SHOULD BE popular but are yet unknown to most diners, either offer occasional free samples or make a tapas dish out of the item so that if it is a disappointment you did not empty the customer’s pocket to find out they did not like it. In the meantime – please keep innovating and somehow let people experience the best of that innovation.
Jane
January 19th, 2011
11:22 am
Sign me up. You are so right, I experiment at home with new food ideas, now I need to do it in my local restaurants. Thank you for taking the time to say what we diners need to hear – Be Brave, Be Bold, Be Hungry!!!!
SteveO
January 19th, 2011
11:31 am
Thank you for providing greater varieties of fish. Down with Chilean Sea Bass!
And is there anyplace in ATL where I can get a whole cooked fish (pan fried or grilled) besides Buford Highway… or my backyard?
Margaret Lisi
January 19th, 2011
11:31 am
Folks–my husband and I couldn’t agree more about the high stakes (steaks!) Atlanta chefs face and surpass–there is truly excellent, diverse food out there. And even better, if you have well-behaved children, bring them with you! Sample multiple dishes, teach your child to be an adventurous eater (my 5-year-old son now loves Holeman & Finch brussels sprouts) and how to behave properly in a restaurant– the payoff for our generation of diners and the next is huge!
Hannah
January 19th, 2011
11:41 am
This dude is awesome. I want to hit up all of his restaurants in the next couple of weeks, now.
suwanee guy
January 19th, 2011
11:46 am
A very well written letter. I have often told my wife that I find it odd that people in the Atlanta area seem to only go to restaurants on the weekends. I do find it annoying that most restaurants do not accept reservations.
Hannah
January 19th, 2011
11:48 am
Is it just me or is there nothing interesting on the Lobby menu?
LOL
January 19th, 2011
11:55 am
Remember when going to a restaurant wasn’t another way to be a pretentious douche? Yeah, i miss those days. Nobody cares about your restaurants. If I am hungry and in the area I may hit one of these places up on a rare occassion, but I otherwise don’t care. This is why this country is so fat. Quit obsessing over food.
Frank
January 19th, 2011
11:55 am
Looks like the era of the $30,000 millionaires are long gone. Leveraged up to their necks and broke from a lifestyle of spending money they don’t have on large homes, cars, designer clothing and dining out. GA ranked #3 in personal bankruptcies and #7 in foreclosures.
Bottomline: People are cut off and the trickle down effect hits businesses hard, especially higher end restaurants but bars not as hard. This trend will continue and no matter how many people say they will eat out, only a small percentage actually will. Reality is a bitch. Treat every customer as if they are your last. Yes, there are cheap charlies out there that want a comped meal because of this or that, but if you cook consistently as if it’s your first or last dish, these d-bags won’t have a reason to send the food back. For the people who are fiscally responsible, go out there and eat!
JD
January 19th, 2011
11:59 am
Chef, I loved reading your commentary. We’ll be visiting soon!