Reccomendations for Best Restaurants/Experience in Atlanta

Hi,

I am in Atlanta this week on business for the first time. I am staying at the Crowne Plaza on 4355 Ashford Dunwoody near the Ravina Perimeter Ctr. Could a local expert pls suggest several options for dinner??

Tks

Colleen

Toronto, Canada

Reccomendations for Best Restaurants/Experience in Atlanta

Across the street at Perimeter Mall are several restaurants or just north on Ashford Dunwoody are lots more. Your hotel can recommend at least a dozen good places less than a mine away. There%26#39;s also a new shopping center on the other side of Perimeter Mall with a new super Target that has another 6 or 8 places to eat. Bon Apetite.

Reccomendations for Best Restaurants/Experience in Atlanta

that%26#39;s less than a MILE away. sorry for the typo.

Close to you is a great Italian restaurant called Villa Christina. It%26#39;s just inside I-285 between Ashford Dunwoody and Peachtree Dunwoody. Some of the best Italian food I%26#39;ve ever eaten. (And I%26#39;ve spent a fair amount of time in Italy)

Check them out at http://www.villachristina.com/

scroll to the bottom and click on food and drink and check out their lunch and dinner menus.

Colleen - It%26#39;s not usually this cold down here in late March. I%26#39;m sure this isn%26#39;t cold to you. I remember being in TO mid May about 10 years ago when it was below freezing. Anyway, Villa Cristina is a wonderful dinner. I also enjoy Maggiano%26#39;s at Perimeter Mall for italian. I know it%26#39;s a chain restaurant, but it%26#39;s good. If you%26#39;re looking for a good deli for breakfast or lunch, there%26#39;s Goldberg%26#39;s Bagels(just one exit east on I-285)

If you%26#39;re interested in lucious desserts or a great after-dinner coffee or liqueor, try Cafe Intermezzo. It%26#39;s across the street from the mall in a shopping center (name escapes me). They literally take you on a tour of the dessert case so you can choose.

That same shopping center also has an Eatzi%26#39;s, which is a kind of gourmet grocery store/deli/rotisserie. It%26#39;s great if you%26#39;re tired at the end of the day and just want to pick up a great sandwich, soup, salad, etc. You name it, they%26#39;ve got it.

I%26#39;m also rather fond of La Madeline (although it is a chain), which is not far from the mall down Abernathy. They serve some of the best tomato basil soup I%26#39;ve ever had. They serve a variety of items, from salads to pasta to other French country items. It%26#39;s not a fancy place but it%26#39;s cozy and warm.

If you have transportation or will take a cab my absolute favorite restaurant in Atlanta is Rathbun%26#39;s, which is located east of downtown in Inman Park. I went for the fourth time Friday night and I can honestly say I have never eaten better. This place gets rave reviews for a reason.

If you are sticking close to the Perimeter area, in addition to the restaurants at Perimeter Mall and the Target shopping center on Perimter Place, I would recommend McCormick %26amp; Schmick%26#39;s or Checquers for excellent seafood and the restaurant in the W hotel for asian fusion (I think it%26#39;s called Savu or somethign like that).

my next in town atlanta restaurant visit is going to be rathbuns on that recommendation alone. it%26#39;s a new one for us to check out too. any menu advice? thanks for the tip!

BBQman, I don%26#39;t think you can wrong wrong with anything you order at Rathbun%26#39;s but I think they do meats really well. They also take a lot of care with their specials, and the servers are pretty knowledgeable about the food, so I would certainly take their suggestions into consideration. Friday I had the double boned pork chop special topped with caramelized onions, served with asparagus, and whipped potatoes. It sounds very simple, but the preparation was absolutely perfect. A friend had risotto, which she loved, and another friend had beef tenderloin, which looked amazing. They also do a great appetizer that sounds odd but tastes great - eggplant fries with tabaso and powdered sugar. Also, the crab cake was amazing. I usually order the simple arugula salad there, and the thai beef salad is also great. I LOVE dessert there - a dessert platter for $10 (they pick) or $12(you pick) comes with four small desserts that is more than enough for two people. My favorite is a banana peanut butter tart. If I were independently wealthy I would eat there every day. In the same building is Krog Bar, a wine bar that is also owned by Kevin Rathbun, which we tried for the first time before dinner on Friday. It was very cozy - sort of a mix between an industrial loft and a ski chalet - and had a huge wine selection.

What JAtlanta said! Rathbun%26#39;s is great!

If you%26#39;re interested in getting farther away than the places in the immediate area, I highly recommend your taking I-285 West to Ga. 400 North up to Exit 7A (Holcomb Bridge Road). Go about 1 mile east to dic k %26amp; harry%26#39;s.(named after the 2 owners who are brothers Richard %26amp; Harold Marmulstein) They have absolutely the best crab cakes. Better than any place up in New England. Our favorite dessert is the white chocolate pecan pie tart. To die for.