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Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Who has the best sandwiches?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WE WANT TO KNOW: Who serves the best sandwiches in town? Include your name and neighborhood.
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Brasserie returns, like an old friend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to let go of an old friend when they need to move on. You want them to stay just as they are, encapsulated and timeless — just for you.
I felt this way about Brasserie Le Coze, the wonderful French brasserie inside Lenox Square so beloved by the Buckhead Betty crowd for its crusty French rolls, mushroom soup and brown-buttered skate wing. Lunch here was the perfect mix of chardonnay and Chanel.
The space was gobbled up more than a year ago by Neiman-Marcus, and Brasserie closed. Lots of distraught readers have e-mailed to ask me: Why? How? When will it reopen?
Francophiles fret no more. Profiteroles await you.
French American Brasserie, the new venue from Brasserie owner Fabrice Vergez, has opened in the Southern Company building.
Here’s how our old friend has moved on: The space is too big to come close to the cozy comfort of the old Brasserie, and the vaulted ceilings give the corporate feel of a high-end steakhouse chain. But look more closely. There, at the far end of the dining room, is Brasserie’s giant Metro clock. The lamp lights that bedeck tables and booths are the same as they were at Lenox. Brasserie buffs will recognize the original tiles, too.
And the menu? Skate wings galore — rich in their buttery lemon-ness, with all the capers and crispiness of before. The cheese course soars; the watercress salad is fresher than ever. A gleaming raw bar at the front of the dining room offers oysters on the half-shell, brought with tart mignonette. Lemon crepes and clafoutis are just as good here as they ever were at Lenox. Sure, there are lots of steaks and seafood to satisfy the conventioneer crowds, but we can slip into a booth, sip a glass of Chateau Haut Rian white Bordeaux and never even notice them, can’t we?
Ah, it’s so nice to have this restaurant back.
And speaking of French restaurants, Green Olive Media confirms changes that Joël will undergo later this summer to transform the eponymous, award-winning chef’s restaurant into two: a high-end eatery with 30 or so seats and a less formal French brasserie. The Johnson Studio is slated to design the redo. No word on the menus for either … I just want to know what will become of that marvelous bathroom.
What’s your favorite restaurant bathroom? Tell me about it.
