Fs/Tec Dining Guide: Eating Out In Atlanta

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 16, 1998 by Andy Battaglia

Hedgerose

LongHorn Steakhouse

2151 Peachtree Road, Buckhead, (404) 351-6086. This is the original location of George McKerrow's 109-unit Texas-themed steak-house concept. The atmosphere is so laid back and casual that diners are welcome, in fact, encouraged, to throw peanut shells on the floor at the bar. Menu specialties include Flo's Filet and baby back ribs. Dinner and weekday lunch.

Mumbo Jumbo

89 Park Place, (404) 523-0330. Mumbo Jumbo is noted for its modern American cuisine as well as some alphabet soup: patrons here include VIPs ranging from CEOs to members of rock bands R.E.M. and U2. Owned by former nightclub operators, the restaurant is a bastion for the arty and the chic. Colorful and vibrant, the decor is funky and theatrical, to say the least. Menu items include calamari with caramelized garlic, ginger and chili sauce and Mumbo Gumbo shrimp with Cajun sausage, shrimp and crayfish. Lunch and dinner.

Nava

3060 Peachtree Road, Buckhead, (404) 240-1984. Pano Karatassos and chef Kevin Rathbun teamed up to open this chic upscale Southwestern concept in 1995. Since then, Nava has been showered with awards and has become a regular haunt for Atlanta's fashionable crowd. Notable chef Rathbun's menu features such highlights as chili-cured lamb rack with red pepper chiliquiles and sun corn-crusted snapper with Southwest whipped potatoes. Dinner and weekday lunch.

103 West

103 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead, (404) 233-5993. A member of the Buckhead Life group, 103 West is one of Atlanta's foremost fine-dining establishments. Known for meticulous service and luxurious surroundings, the restaurant has become a headquarters for special-occasion dining. Chef Gary Donlick's menu includes rosemary and garlic-roasted lamb chops and vegetable shepherd's pie in red pepper jus. Dinner. Closed Sundays.

Pricci

500 Pharr Road, Buckhead, (404) 237-2941. Pano Karatassos replaced his Capriccio Ristorante with Pricci in 1991, opting for a more contemporary bistro-style Italian concept. Menu items include twin grilled marinated quail and polenta gratinata and grilled fresh salmon with risotto frutti de mare. Dinner and weekday lunch.

Prime

3393 Peachtree Road, Lenox Sq. Mall, (404) 812-0555. Prime is a hot spot for Atlanta's chic set, who seek out the restaurant's combination of steaks, sushi and seafood. Owner Tom Catherall, who also owns Tom Tom and Indigo Coastal Grill, has created a stylish Asian-inspired modern steak house in Prime. Menu highlights include soy-marinated sea bass steak over miso broth, shiitake mushrooms and shrimp wontons, as well as a Kansas City steak and the popular crunchy fried shrimp sushi roll. Dinner and lunch Monday through Saturday.

Seeger's

111 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead, (404) 846-9779. Chef-owner Guenter Seeger opened his namesake restaurant after a stint at the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room. Noted for a cuisine he calls modern-classic served in a contemporary fine-dining atmosphere, Seeger's offers a prix fixe menu with highlights including foie gras roulade with red-wine apple puree and grilled lamb chops with eggplant caviar and fried sage. Dinner only. Closed Sundays.