To be Two-Sided Southern is to be both high-brow and down-home. Five-star and dive bar, baby. If you find yourself as comfortable at Umi as Waffle House then you are TSS. Because Southern hospitality is in my bones, I did y’all a favor and hit up some of the newest high-end, fine dining restaurants in Atlanta. And a few other new spots that aren’t quite down home, but still have that casual vibe we love in the South. If you’re like me, you’ll find joy in the cuisine and ambiance at both kinds of places. Maybe you’ll discover a new restaurant that fit both sides of your personality. Here you go…
High-End Home Runs:
1. The Americano – Buckhead
This is one of the chicest recent additions to restaurants in Atlanta. This summer, Scottsdale’s famed chef Scott Conant opened this stunning fine-dining spot in Buckhead. After you ogle the interiors—dark walls, bold art and eye-catching light fixtures—slide into a cozy oversized booth. Start the evening at The Americano with the Drunken Wifey, a cocktail made with housemade limoncello and Milagro tequila.
Since The Americano is an Italian steakhouse from an award-winning Italian chef, expect some of the most indulgent pastas in Atlanta. The steaks are top-notch as well. Appetizers such as burrata with pea salad, toasted ciabatta and Parmesan sit well next to meatball pomodoro with straciatella. When it comes to the main entrees, take a big swing and order either the tagliatelle Wagyu Bolognese or campanelle with King crab and Calabrian scampi. Simple palettes will find utter grace in the pasta al pomodoro. It tastes like Conant’s Italian grandmother passed down her beloved spaghetti recipe.
2. Hartley Kitchen & Cocktails – Midtown
Tucked into the lobby of the brand new Kimpton Shane Hotel, Hartley Kitchen & Cocktails is a jewel box of a fine dining restaurant. The decor is opulent and the ambiance is sweet and sophisticated. A colossal sweeping white stairway hovers across a dining room where romantic banquettes are mixed with tables and a private dining room. It’s an impressive first date spot or anniversary reservation y’all.
TSS folks will love that it’s elevated Southern fare with items like skillet cornbread with tomato jam, pimento cheese fritters on the menu next to a smoked trout salad with johnny cake, radish and trout roe. For entrees, there’s everything from Southern faves such as shrimp and stone ground grits as well as roasted sweet tea-brined chicken and sweet potato agnolotti. At Hartley, those Dixie faves are side-by-side with more traditional grilled dry aged NY strip loin, roasted Berkshire pork chop with apple butter and a Wagyu beef burger. Hot take: It makes it the perfect lunch or dinner for out-of-town guests or colleagues who want some upscale Southern cuisine. I highly recommend booking a staycation at Kimpton Shane Hotel, exploring Midtown all day and having dinner or brunch downstairs at this charming little resto.
3. 5Church – Buckhead
If you’ve been to the Midtown location, you may wonder if this is truly a fine dining restaurant, but stick with me! The Buckhead version of this restaurant is decidedly fancier than its Midtown counterpart. The decor is different, the large art installations give it a refinement and the glass menagerie atrium area lends a much more elevated dining ambiance than the trendy Midtown spot. Separate rooms give different vibes to each area and you will spot the hautest Atlantans dining on cacio e pepe, A5 Wagyu NY strip or risotto with chopped lobster and butternut squash here.
I know this is sacrilege but my true favorite dish on the menu at 5Church was the Caesar salad. It was this addictive mix of baby gem lettuce, anchovies, cured egg yolk, shaved Parmesan and Caesar dressing—but the Parmesan was torched to create a crust on top. #Truth: I could eat this salad every day.
4. Mujo – West Midtown
Those who love Edomae-style sushi will not be disappointed by this world-class West Midtown spot. Reservations are a must at Mujo for seasonal nigiri and a series of small plates. Executive chef J. Trent Harris is behind the 15-seat sushi bar where the elite omakase experience is $225 per person and worth every penny. Harris describes the culinary experience as “inspired by the concept of omotenashi [Japanese hospitality], but rooted in Southern hospitality.”
It also has a Two-Sided Southern vibe—high-end, but with that down home charm. There’s a fantastic small stone cocktail bar and everything is minimalist to let the sushi and the service speak for themselves. The menu changes daily and depends on what kind of fish is flown in from Japan that morning.
Fab Casual Date Spots:
1. The Ashford – Brookhaven
Three words: Vidalia. Onion. Dip.
While it’s seasonal and only on the menu in spring and summer, The Ashford’s Vidalia onion dip is one of my new fave apps in town and highly addictive. It comes whipped inside a hollowed out Vidalia onion with housemade peppered potato chips. (I’m now considering writing a story about my fave Vidalia onion dips around the city. Stay tuned!) Now that the weather has turned, Gulf shrimp artichoke dip has taken its place on the menu for the time being. Since I’m kind of a dip addict, I’m not mad about it. But, honestly, I can’t wait for its return this March or April. The cold salmon dip is an app mainstay and another winner and served with spiced rye crackers.
The Ashford is owned by locals and feels like a true neighborhood spot. The boutique restaurant specializes in small bites and apps. While there is always a range of entrees featuring chicken, fish, beef and pasta, the appetizers are a rowdy bunch of crowd pleasers and hard to ignore. The fondue made with Thomasville’s Sweet Grass Dairy cheese and served with sourdough and pears is ideal for a chilly night. The grass-fed beef tartare comes with turnip, shiso and shinko pear and was lovely. You definitely can’t go wrong with the heritage pork bao buns. It’s a twist on a Southern fave with international flair.
2. Kitty Dare – Inman Park
So far I’ve been to this Mediterranean gem for both a date night with my husband and for a girl’s night out. Both were delightful. On the corner of a tree-lined street in Inman Park sits this quiet, low key spot that packs out early. Expect Mediterranean fusion and don’t sleep on the labneh with pomegranate seeds. The bowl of fried olives is another rich, warm delicacy. I could eat the Caesar salad with anchovies every time I walk through those glass doors and onto that back patio. If crisp Romaine, Parmesan cheese, grilled pancetta and Caesar dressing doesn’t entice you, a big bowl of paella or pasta Bolgonese will.
I adore that they have frequent wine dinners with Shop Vinoteca and others. I had my first glass of Israeli wine at Kitty Dare. It was a kosher Chardonnay, Viognier, Muscat blend from Upper Galilee in Israel. Exquisite! They have a Lebanese Sauv Blanc and a Turkish Pasaeli “Marama” that I want to try next time.
3. North Italia – Dunwoody
Burrata, carpaccio, ricotta, bruschetta, arancini—the whole Italian gang is at North Italia. I stopped into this new Dunwoody spot for a dinner meeting and had an absolute blast. There’s a truly communal feeling throughout the space and the small plates at the top of the menu are extremely sharable. Inside, it has a lot of warm woods and glass with black iron bars so you can see the chefs in action. There’s a big wooden bar that bridges the inside with the outside. The windows open up on both sides so guests can walk up to the bar on either side. Big banquettes and long tables are conducive to big groups.
Almost everyone in our group got a bowl of pasta and we all spent time spooning tastes onto each other’s plates. The squid ink tonnarelli with Tiger shrimp and calamari was a hit. But the Bolognese with tagliatelle and braised short rib lumache with Parmesan fonduta were stand outs. Next time I’ve promised myself I must try the spicy rigatoni vodka with crispy pancetta and Italian sausage.
4. Postino – Buckhead
Benvenuto to this bright, shiny addition on a main corner in Buckhead—Roswell Road and Piedmont. Postino opened earlier this fall and is the flip side of its restaurant neighbor, the beloved steakhouse Hal’s. Postino is light with huge windows, big yellow umbrellas and an enormous yellow neon sign out front. It’s packed with people of all ages, but feels like it belongs along the Adrian sea overlooking the Italian coast more than looking over Buckhead traffic. For those Atlantans who’ve been around for a while, the space used to be a Blockbuster video in the early ’90s. The new owners were inspired by its past and created an Instagram-worthy VHS video wall along the back of the dining room. It’s a cheeky nod to the new resto’s former tenant.
The menu skews Mediterranean holiday. Start the meal with The Bounty board. It comes with an abundance of irresistible seasonal vegetables. A round of roasted heirloom carrots, roasted artichokes, watermelon radish, broccolini, cauliflower and more arrives with an addictive green goddess dressing. It was a fave among my group. The butter poached jumbo shrimp with chili and artichoke comes with focaccia for dipping and scooping. Another fab sharable is the Maitake mushroom that comes with a tangy lebni yogurt for dipping. If you’re eating a little less clean, snag the OMG grilled cheese with goat cheese, white cheddar, layered Gruyere, whipped brie and a creamy tomato soup dip. It’s pretty ridic.
