This is part of a series of restaurant reviews we are doing in anticipation of Michelin coming to Atlanta. We have been to several Michelin restaurants around the world (nothing in the US yet), so we consider ourselves somewhat of a Michelin snob. Michelin publishes their official criteria of earning a star (or stars), which are the 5 tenets. Here, we will try to talk about each tenet and see how the restaurant we predicted MIGHT be Michelin worthy, fared with these 5 tenets.
The Alden opened its doors in April 2018 by chef Jared Hucks. Alden is an old English word meaning “old friend” and it happens to be the chef’s middle name. How cool is that? The Alden has standard a-la-carte menu, but also a chef’s tasting menu that is 7 courses for $150 per person. The chef’s tasting menu also comes with a wine pairing that is $115. To fully experience what this restaurant has to deliver, we opted for the chef’s tasting menu, and shared one wine tasting. We both have some dietary restrictions which the chef happily assisted and altered the menu for us. For the chef’s tasting experience, we were given seats right next to the open kitchen, giving us a full view of the magic happening.
Course 0: Popcorn
First course was some homemade popcorn, served with a small glass of sake. The popcorn was covered in newly smoked salt and it was so good. Next, we were given a trio of bite sized amuse-bouche.
Everything was delicious here and the whole experience is feeling very Michelin-like.
Course 1: BGE Smoked Watermelon Salad
Talk about creative! Thin slices of watermelon was put in a big green egg for 6 hours. Some of the watermelon juice was used in the vinaigrette in the dressing as well. The watermelon slices were smoky and delicious. There’s also pickled watermelon rind – I was afraid it would be difficult to chew but it was very soft. The whole thing was topped with fried kale, which was crispy.
Course 2: Sea Scallops a la Plancha
The scallop was quite large and seared perfectly. The purslane was iced which made it crispy and delicious. The caviar on top was lovely with the scallop. The presentation was impressive.
Course 3: Basil Spaghetti “Pomodoro Fresco”
The spaghetti is made in house, and the green color came from basil. The flavor was good and the noodles were al-dente, but I usually like my pasta more cooked, even though I know they are supposed to be al-dente. This is definitely my least favorite dish but it was still very good.
Course 4: Jerk Virginia Flounder
This plate came like some abstract art. What’s crazy is that we watched the chef putting a raw piece of flounder in the pan, and in no time at all, it came to us on this plate like that. It was like magic. The flounder was delicious. It came with rhubarb, asparagus, sugar snap peas, amaranth, and meuniere sauce.
Course 5: Chatel Wagyu Flat Iron Steak
Chatel Farms is located in Augusta, Georgia and is the only farm that has wagyu steak in the state. The steak was very tender and it came with some delicious black onion jam and red onion marmalade. We ate this course way too fast.
Course 6: Lemon-Olive Oil Cake
The cake is served with vanilla bean gelato which had a piece of honeycomb on top. Just like all of the other courses, the presentation here is very nice and it reminds me of their restaurant logo.
Course 7: Lunar Chocolate
This was a chocolate course with two chocolate truffles, some chocolate cake and a strawberry sorbet. The two truffles were very different from one another – one was solid and cakey inside, the other was liquid that popped in your mouth. The strawberry sorbet tasted so fresh and delicious. The chocolate cake was brownie like and very good too.
Michelin Star Worthy?
So how does The Alden score against the 5 tenets of Michelin Star criteria? Let’s see.
1. Using Quality Products
The Alden doesn’t market itself as a farm-to-table restaurant, but it is. All of their ingredients are sourced regionally and the menu changes depending on the season and availability.
2. Mastery of Flavor and Cooking Techniques
We didn’t have any dish that we weren’t satisfied with. Honestly, we absolutely loved every dish. Every single dish used many different ingredients and cooking methods and it all came together like a work of art.
3. Personality of the Chef in the Cuisine
I think the chef’s tasting menu showed the personality of chef Jared Hucks very well. It also felt like he was an artist more than a chef. Every plate was inspected by him before going out to the table. You can also feel his world travels from the menu, the influences from Asia and Europe predominantly. Also the intimate setup of the chef’s table reminding me of a Japanese omakase.
4. Value for Money
This was a little more expensive than Bacchanalia, but it’s more courses and a more intimate experience. More courses doesn’t mean more food – which is why it’s called a chef’s TASTING menu, you are only getting a tasting of the chef’s best dishes. I tend to see this type of menu on the Michelin list quite often, so I think this is something the Michelin inspectors like. Remember, the value for money is not about how much the food costs, but about how much the experience overall should be worth. There is value in being able to watch the chefs making magic happen up close and being able to talk to the chef personally. This also felt very upscale because the host was dressed in a suit and we were escorted both for coming in and for leaving the restaurant.
5. Consistency of Food
Obviously we’ve only been here once but I believe this restaurant is very consistent in its offerings, because I watched chef Hucks personally inspect each and every dish before it’s taken to the table. I also watched him taste each dish before plating. Of course, the other restaurants on our list may be doing that as well – I just don’t know since I wasn’t a fly on the wall in their kitchen. I also noticed the bartender measuring his wine pour very carefully – another sign of consistency.
Conclusion
We had never heard of The Alden previously but it’s now our favorite restaurant in town. This is a restaurant we would come back over and over again – it’s just impressive. We watched the kitchen cooking each dish and everything looked amazing – not just the tasting menu. I had never even heard of this restaurant before but now I think The Alden will be the new Michelin restaurant. I believe it will receive one star.