Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The List

I am one - one of many, I'm sure - who claims that food is one of life's greatest treats. It is one of many factors that distinguishes countries, cultures, and people; it is also one of the only tangible distinctions, second only to physical borders. Yet, despite it's ineffable role in culture, it is really the only cultural aspect over which no one fights. Unlike land or religious beliefs or politics, food is benign; despite vast differences between people and locations, disparities in cuisine are accepted, even welcomed by outsiders. Cities across the world are renowned for their foods -Chicago has the deep-dish and the hot dog, Philly, the cheesesteak - yet the Atlanta dining scene is relatively esoteric outside of the perimeter. The truth, however, is that Atlanta has some of the best restaurants in the country - of the cities I've visited, at least. My goal is to discover those restaurants, eat at them, (hopefully) enjoy the experience, and share it with you.

Below you will find the list. It consists of 54 restaurants (I may add some more along the way), each chosen for a specific reason. A lot of research has gone into this list, and, as you will see, no pattern, random search, or algorithm was used to choose the restaurants on it. This list is, in the most basic form, a research project. After reading reviews (both user-generated and professional), studying menus, asking around, and (sometimes) passing by restaurants that have caught my eye, I chose 54 restaurants that, in my opinion, epitomize the diversity, class, and/or uniqueness of cuisine. Some are fancy, others just greasy spoons, but each is bound to be excellent, and I am ready to try them all.

--Dan

The List

Name Cuisine Attire Price
10 Degrees South South African Dressy $$$
4th & Swift American Dressy $$$
57th Fighter Group Restaurant American Casual $$
Anis French Casual $$
Aria American Dressy $$$$
Babette's Café Breakfast & Lunch/French Casual $$
Bacchanalia American Dressy $$$$
Bistro Niko French Casual $$
Bocado American Casual $$
Café Agora Mediterranean/Turkish Casual $$
Café Bombay Indian Casual $$
Cakes & Ale American Casual $$$
Canoe American/Seafood Dressy $$$
Chat Patti Indian Casual $$
Craftbar American/Bar Dressy $$$
Dogwood Restaurant Southern Dressy $$$
Ecco Modern European Dressy $$$
ENO by Zaza Italian/Wine Bar Dressy $$$
Enoteca Carbonari Italian Casual $$
Fat Matt's Rib Shack BBQ Casual $$
Feast American Casual $$
FLIP Burger Boutique Burgers Casual $$
Fox Bro's Bar-B-Q BBQ Casual $$
Hal's On Old Ivy Buckhead American/Traditional Dressy $$$
Haven Southern Casual $$$
Holeman & Finch Public House American/Gastropub Casual $$
Home Southern Dressy $$$
La Grotta Ristorante Italiano Italian Dressy $$$$
P'cheen International/Pub Casual $$
Panita Thai Kitchen Thai Casual $$
Papi's Midtown Cuban Casual $
Parish Cajun/Creole Casual $$
Park 75 American Dressy $$$$
Park Tavern American Casual $$
Parke'rs on Ponce Stakehouse Casual $$
Pasta Da Pulcinella Italian Casual $$
Pasta Vino Italian/Pizza Casual $$
Portofino Italian Casual $$
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill American Casual $$
Rathbun's American Dressy $$$
Ria's Bluebird Southern/Breakfast/Lunch Casual $
Room Stakehouse/Sushi Bar Dressy $$$$
Shaun's Southern Casual $$$
Sotto Sotto Italian Dressy $$$
South City Kitchen Midtown Southern Casual $$$
Straits Asian Fusion Dressy $$$
Sushi House Hayakawa Sushi/Japanese Casual $$$
Top Flr American/Wine Bar Casual $$
Toulouse French Casual $$$
Trader Vic's Hawaiian Casual $$$
Wahoo! A Decatur Grill American/Seafood Casual $$
Wisteria American/Southern Casual $$$
Woodfire Grill American Dressy $$$

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