*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.
Aria is an upscale fine dining restaurant located in the Buckhead area. When Aria opened in 2000, it was a place with strict dress codes and a stuffy interior. However, times have changed and Aria now has a complete new look with white oak tabletops and grey walls. Chef Gerry Klaskala has won many awards for this restaurant.
Aria has a regular menu, as well as a tasting menu. For our Michelin “experiment”, we chose the Tasting Menu, which is currently 8 courses. Unlike most tasting menus we’ve had, Aria’s menu didn’t come with any amuse-bouche. The Tasting Menu cost roughly $100 a person, with the option to add a wine pairing for an additional $150 a person.
Course 1: Yellowtail Hamachi Sashimi
It was a little interesting to not start with some kind of chef’s gift, but here we go. The first course was the Yellowtail Hamachi Sashimi. It had a good amount of yellowtail, and it was accompanied with fuji apple, avocado, radish, jalapeno, cilantro and ponzu sauce. The radish helped cool down the heat from the jalapeno, which wasn’t terribly strong to begin with. The ponzu sauce was sour and sweet. Everything came together perfectly for this dish.
Course 2: Ruby Red & Golden Beets
You know what I’ve noticed? I’ve noticed that fancy restaurants love to serve you beets. I think it’s because most people think beets are horrible, so these chefs want to have a chance to prove you wrong. It’s still weird to admit it, but I think I’ve enjoyed every beet dish I’ve been “forced” to eat at all these nice places. (I wouldn’t let it go to waste since the meals are so expensive at anywhere fancy!) The beets are served with crispy quinoa and Meyer lemon yogurt. The beets are both in chunks and thin sheets, and it was interesting that the chunks were juicy and soft, but the sheets were very crispy. All of it was delicious.
Course 3: Lobster Bisque
A simple lobster bisque with Chantilly. There was a few chunks of lobster and the whole thing was amazing.
Course 4: Chilean Salmon
The Chilean salmon was served with cauliflower mousseline, cauliflower crisps, lemon and capers. Trust me, you have never tasted cauliflower this good. Of course the salmon was amazing as well.
Course 5: Tenderloin of Berkshire Pork
The pork tasted very good, perfectly cooked and pretty tender. It was served with carrot sauce and natural jus, as well as some thin crisps of carrots. While the dish was very good, it kind of reminded me of those Food Network challenges where you had to make something amazing with only 2 ingredients…
Course 6: Short Rib of Painted Hills Beef
Painted Hills is an all natural beef farm located in Oregon. This beef rib was so soft that it was impossible to use a knife – a poke with a fork was all that was needed. Snow peas, Tokyo turnips, leeks and whipped potatoes round out the dish.
Course 7: Passion Fruit Sorbet, Crisped Meringue
This course was more like an intermezzo. It was a nice cold sorbet that cleaned the pallet to let you get ready for the dessert course. This was SO refreshing and delicious.
Course 8: Short Cake, Vanilla Roasted Plum, Vanilla Ice Cream
Just like all the other courses, this was delicious. The plum under the vanilla ice cream was infused with yumminess. The juicy plum dots were sweet and the whole thing was just perfect.
Digestif
I wasn’t expecting this, but at the end of the meal, we were each given a small glass of digestif. That was rather nice!
Michelin Star Worthy?
So how does Aria score against the 5 tenets of Michelin Star criteria? Let’s see.1. Using Quality Products
I believe Aria’s ingredients are very high quality. From Berkshire pork to Painted Hills Beef, it’s clear they spared no expenses for the highest quality products. The menu changes seasonally and the tasting menu is a great representation of what the restaurant does best.
2. Mastery of Flavor and Cooking Techniques
Clearly I think the flavors of every course were amazing, however, it did feel like each course had few ingredients in it, which is not typical of any Michelin restaurant. I worry this is going to hurt their chances.
3. Personality of the Chef in the Cuisine
Chef Gerry Klaskala used to be an art student. I wonder if that’s why every dish comes on a white plate – it’s like a white canvas for his artwork. He talks about environing 4 ingredients for each dish. Even though it’s only 4 ingredients, he wants to have a combination of textures, flavors and tastes. I’m not sure how Michelin inspectors would feel about this – is this ingenuity or does it making it boring?
4. Value for Money
Out of all of the restaurants we’ve been to, Aria might have the best value for money factor. The 8 course tasting menu has some nice ingredients – lobster, fine beef, sashimi. With a price tag of right under $100 a person, the value is definitely there, but may still be too high for a Bib Gourmand star.
5. Consistency of Food
Aria wins on the Consistency of Food. I say this because Aria has been around for over 20 years, offering the Tasting Menu since day one, without the requirement of a reservation, yet, somehow, the courses flow very nicely. Each course comes promptly after the last one, without feeling rushed or taking too long. Majority of the time, two chefs come out together so each of us could get our plate simultaneously.
Conclusion
Aria was a very nice restaurant and the experience was amazing. Out of all of the restaurants we’ve tried so far, Aria and Falling Rabbit are the two I plan to go back to REGULARLY. That should tell you something. However, due to the simplicity of the dishes and the lack of “chef’s gifts”, I don’t think Aria will receive a Michelin star.