Atlanta Restaurant Recaps, Part 1

Kyma (3085 Piedmont Rd., Atlanta, GA 30305)
Fanoos Persian Cuisine (6125 Roswell Rd., Atlanta, GA 30328)

The multi-course tasting menu at Buckhead's luxuriously appointed Kyma is the way to go, allowing diners to sample a wide variety of Greek specialties, tweaked variations on classic peasant fare gussied up to reflect the sleek and elegant restaurant interior (a traditional color scheme of chalk white and sea blue evokes the Aegean islands in an unexpectedly modern interpretation).

Equally modern is the preparation and presentation . . . dollops and artfully streaked sauces, reductions and dribbled foams immediately indicate this won't be the rougher Greek fare generally encountered in over-lit eateries decorated with Parthenon wallpaper murals and general banquet hall blahs.

After cocktails our astute waitress (Bulgarian but heartily acknowledging a legitimate national culinary kinship with the Greeks) vehemently warded us away from a customary bottle of retsina (the pine essence-spiked white wine Cafe Drake so associates with Greek food) in favor of a pricier but excellent dry Riesling. Then came the multiple courses, all excellent actually but standouts included: eggplant, red pepper and white bean purees served with toasted pita and warm sesame bread; marble-sized lamb meatballs over a navy bean stew and drizzled with yogurt; a quirky preparation of mussels, steamed in a creamy feta and slivered leek broth; braised lamb shank with yellow split peas and fried tapioca pearls; fork tender braised octopus legs and the crowning glory, a whole Dover sole, filleted table side with brown butter and fried capers.

The northern Atlanta neighborhood of Sandy Springs seems to be a mecca for Iranian eateries, so carefully labeled in all signage now as "Persian". Perhaps overly nostalgic and historically inaccurate in their geographic moniker, one can hardly fault the survival tactics of a nation still demonized by a significant portion of the U.S. population (thanks, Fox News). Maybe even if America continues to dismiss the factual statistics of a planet comprised of a Muslim majority, they can at least appreciate the centuries-old cuisine. Cafe Drake and our mother certainly did at Fanoos restaurant, a sprawling indoor complex of dance floors, banquet halls and traditional low tables (for reclined dining and relaxation)  and erstwhile opulent rugs. We loved a Sunday afternoon brunch buffet with a Byzantine maze of choices both sweet and savory and yet none of the pastry board /fruit bar /roast meat carving station fluff of the pseudo-posh hotel equivalent.

Particularly good:  a pickled salad of cukes,carrots and eggplant; tah dig (crispy rice cakes); boneless chicken kabobs with saffron rice; gheimeh (beef and peas in a tangy tomato sauce) and more lamb dishes than you could shake a shank at.