*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, 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 Restaurant
Atlas is an upscale dining experience inside the luxury hotel, St. Regis. From the moment you pull up in your car, you could tell this was going to be a wonderful place. The valet attendant was ready to help and direct us to where we needed to go, and the entrance to the hotel had heaters built into the ceiling for these chilly nights. The restaurant had recently undergone a renovation inside and everything was beautiful and felt very upscale. The tasting menu here is $220 a person and has 8 courses. Besides the regular tasting menu, they also have a vegetarian tasting menu, a vegan tasting menu, and a standard a-la-carte menu.
Course 0: Amuse Bouche
The amuse bouche here was some small bites provided from the kitchen – a foie gras cookie with jam, some homemade chip with homemade dipping, a soft and crispy cracker with some beet powder salt and a small ball of deliciousness I can’t remember exactly what it was. Everything was amazing and made me so excited of what’s to come next.
Course 1: Kristal Caviar
It does seem like if you want a Michelin star, then some form of caviar must be on the menu. I love caviar, so I’m not complaining. This is served with otoro (the under-belly inside the tuna), and ponzu creme. The ponzu creme is in the middle there. The flowers tasted like chocolate. The caviar was below the first flower, and tuna was below the second flower. I’m not sure how I was supposed to eat this whole thing but it was delicious.
Course 2: A Waldorf Salad of Sorts
Clearly, I can not do this justice. This was a deconstructed Waldorf salad, and they poured liquid nitrogen on top to create a beautiful white smoke. Everything in this salad was heavenly and I loved the presentation.
Course 3: Squash
They called this course Squash, but clearly there’s more lobster than squash here, but who’s complaining? There was also sea buckthorns in here and some kind of emulsion. Delicious.
Course 4: Hen’s Egg
This course was a hen’s egg, served with parsley, morels, and a pastry made with truffles. The two funny looking things towards the back of the photo is the pastry. The hen’s egg had the colors of a century egg, sitting in a gravy type of sauce. The inside of the egg was soft. I dipped the bread in the gravy. My mouth is currently watering as I’m typing this because it was SO good. This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.
Course 5: Poached Halibut
When I first saw the halibut presented in a biscuit shape, I wasn’t sure what to think of it, but once I took a stab at it, I realized it was actually very soft and tender. This came with beets three ways – pickled, fresh, and powdered. There was also some finger lime and regular lime in it. I never knew what finger lime was until I started dining at these restaurants recently. They call it the poor man’s caviar, and it is so fitting. If you ever get your hands on some finger lime, try it. I loved this course.
Course 6: Westholme Wagyu
Westholme Wagyu is from Australia and turned out to be the only dish I was disappointed in in the night. The beef was very tender as expected but it was also very fatty. I’ve enjoyed Wagyu beef from Japan and Georgia and they’ve never been so greasy. I’m glad this beef wasn’t too large because I could barely finish it without feeling nauseous. This was served with pickled watermelon, pickled onion, and a few other condiments. We were instructed to cut up the beef and eat each bite with an accompaniment which did help cut down how greasy the meat was.
Cheese Course
Now we were presented with an optional cheese course. I don’t eat cheese so I was not interested in it. I did enjoy the presentation and the server was very knowledgeable about the cheese that was on display.
Course 7: Lime, Vanilla, Pineapple
This was our first dessert of the night and it came in a wine glass. This was delicious and not too sweet or too strong of any flavor. I loved the combination of everything in here.
Course 8: FM Rocher
Similar to a Ferrero Rocher, the FM Rocher is named after the culinary director and chef, Freddie Money. Taste like a Ferrero Rocher with vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate, this was absolutely amazing. When you crack open the ball, the inside spills onto the delicious crunches below, covers them in a chocolate and hazelnut glaze. Very good.
Mignardise
Last course was an assortment of mignardises such as gummy bears, mini ice cream cone, and some chocolates. Based on our limited experience with Michelin restaurants, offering mignardise definitely seems to help with your odds of becoming a Michelin restaurant!
Michelin Star Worthy?
So how does Atlas score against the 5 tenets of Michelin Star criteria? Let’s see.
1. Using Quality Products
Everything seemed high quality except for the wagyu that was overly fatty, but the menu told us it’s from Westholme, which is a highly regarded source of wagyu beef. I don’t know how a Michelin inspector would feel about that beef…
2. Mastery of Flavor and Cooking Techniques
Chef Freddie Money has honed his skills all over the world, working with the famous Alain Ducasse Group in Europe. Alain Ducasse has held 21 Michelin stars since 2012.
3. Personality of the Chef in the Cuisine
Chef Freddie Money likes to create unique, stylish dishes that features items from around the world. He focuses on ingredients, provenance, and texture. He likes to say his dishes each tell a story.
4. Value for Money
This restaurant isn’t cheap, and the wine pairing is quite pricey as well. All of the courses felt upscale and service was top notch, but our server, who was kind and helpful, did feel unsophisticated. The way he stood and paced constantly just felt unclassy.
5. Consistency of Food
It’s obviously hard to rate the consistency of food without visiting the restaurant multiple times, but I believe the food is very consistent here. There were many people working and the staff seemed very familiar with the menu and what was supposed to take place.
Conclusion
Atlas is clearly one of the best restaurants in the Atlanta area. I think Atlas will get one Michelin star. If not, I have no doubt it will be recognized by Michelin as a restaurant to visit.