ATL Restaurant Round-Up 2007

Mirage (6631 Roswell Rd Ne # B-C, Atlanta - (404) 843-8300)

Pastis (936 Canton St, Roswell, GA - (770) 640-3870)

The Oar House (Dahlonega, GA)

re:past (620 North Glen Iris Drive at North Ave, Atlanta, GA, (404) 870-8707)

Atmosphere Bistro (1620 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30324,(678) 702-1620)

Arriving on a late night flight into the chaos of Atlanta's Hartsfield airport, Cafe Drake was famished from a stormy Delta experience; so turbulent were the stormy skies all cart service was suspended for the entire in-air duration. Luckily the flight attendant Call Button still functioned, but several Bloody Marys and a pack of cheese crackers were insufficient to quell our hunger pains. As restaurants closed down around the city Cafe Drake's mother pulled up at Mirage, a longtime favorite Persian eatery tucked away in a bland-looking strip mall, the outside appearance betraying a warm and colorful interior. The last guests of the evening, we were nonetheless well catered to as strands of holiday lights dropped to low flicker.

A complimentary plate of warm flat bread with butter and sabzi (piles of fresh herbs, sliced onions, butter and yogurt cheese) kept us content while we sipped a dry California Shiraz ($22 for a full bottle) from an extensive, well edited wine menu. Roasted eggplant mashed with feta and onions ($6) proved a soothing post-flight starter, but paled in comparison to glorious entrees. Wedding Rice with Chicken Kebabs ($15) soared above its prosaic title, the buttery grains mixed with golden raisins and pistachios, the poultry marinated to peak flavor and buttery soft. Equally divine was a Beef Stew with Pickled Limes and Turnips ($12), served with crisp discs of butter-fried rice cakes.

The mountain town of Dahlonega was our home base for a tour of North Georgia wineries, and on the charming town square sits . Essentially a pub/bar with food, at The Oar House a nice burger (smothered with grilled onions, peppers and creamy sauce) and fries ($8 for the platter) was turned out alongside good quality wines by the glass (local Pinot Noir for $5 a glass).

re:past is destination dining to be certain, nestled in a modernist co-op complex on a dodgier stretch of downtown's North Avenue, and visited by Cafe Drake and Mom on a chilly, drizzly December night. Whisked through the doors into the sparsely elegant dining room and greeted by the most proficient of staff, one feels instantly at home and comforted on all levels. Adding to our ease were textbook perfect Cosmopolitans and Sapphire Gimlets ($11 each), followed quickly by a starter of house-cured and local meats ($12) - homemade duck prosciutto, artisinal country hams, Georgia-cured cappicollo and pickled stringbeans and onions. Entrees were memorable - rare seared duck breast a la plancha with escargot risotto ($22) and sea scallops nesting on braised pork belly ($25) - as was the legendary service. Oh they know it, but kudos aplenty to a flight of waiters so adept and polished one suspects talcum powder behind the ears prior to opening. Banana Bread Pudding with Candied Pecans ($8) was beyond description!

Less inventive but matching in kitchen perfection is Piedmont Road's Atmosphere Bistro, a paean to old school French cuisine housed in a warmly-lit 1920s bungalow. Again, cocktails straight up were professional and potent ($10 each) and accompanied by warm sourdough rolls and sweet butter. A salad of red wine-poached pears, endive, frisee and Roquefort ($12) was palette cleansing and lightly dressed to just highlight the various components of the starter. Mother had a butter-poached skate wing ($23) that remained firm yet yielding, while Cafe Drake's Moules Frites ($19) ranked amongst the best of both worlds: crunchy double-fried potatoes smacking of beef tallow and moist, plump shellfish swimming in luxurious pools of butter and sweet cream. A Creme Brulee ($8) rounded out an excellent dinner bolstered by good espresso ($3).

Prone to shopping malls and chain restaurants, the historic town of Roswell, GA actually houses three house museums and a quaint town center. At an eatery in said center, the drunkenly dubbed Pastis, we cozied up to a raging fire Cafe Drake had a holiday brunch prior to said house tours. Bloody Marys ($7) were strong if not exceptionally spicy, but a ratatouille draped with broiled chicken skewers ($12) was bland yet soothing. One small bite of Mother's Croque Monsieur ($11) convinced us of the best dish in the house.

More reviews to follow shortly!