Atlanta Brasserie

Like many Baton Rougeans, I find myself in Atlanta from time to time casting about for a good place to eat. After a disastrous, disappointing meal at famed Bacchanalia a few years ago, and having made subsequent ho-hum restaurant choices, I got serious this time around and drilled local fellow food journalists and poured over the blogosphere. I ruled out the enchanting Watershed simply because it was too far from my hotel, vetoed Chops because upscale steakhouses are never in short supply and passed on BluePointe because I didn’t want my un-foxy wardrobe to wither under the glow of long-legged Atlantans. What shone through the noise was Joël, the recently retooled French restaurant that earned five stars from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last fall.

Once a chi-chi, classic French restaurant, Joël is now decidedly brasserie. The renovated space is warmer and cozier than it apparently once was, according to AJC restaurant critic Meridith Ford, although it’s still sophisticated and urban. What it wasn’t on this particularly Friday night, was crowded, which I suspect is more a function of its uninspired location — tucked deep in an upscale office park — than of its food, which was terrific.

Captained now by Chef Cyrille Holota (namesake Joël Antunes is now at the Oak Room in NYC), Joël features a huge wine cellar, gorgeous renditions of bistro fare-like steak-frites and onion soup, and creative takes on classic fare, like poached lobster, served here with organic polenta, seared endive and Thai coconut sauce. The ethic at this eatery is that dishes are anchored by wild caught fish, poultry and meat from specialty farms and organic produce when possible.

That night’s plat du jour included pork osso bucco, which I found to be incredibly tender and strewn with brothy, sturdy flavor. The accompanying mashed potatoes were like silk; they disappeared in the mouth faster than cotton candy. Beforehand, the Nicoise salad sung with its tangy balance of crisp butter and frisee lettuces, tender, mellow white anchovies, hard-boiled quail eggs and basil-citrus dressing. We sampled 10 dishes that night, and had nothing mean to say about any of them.

My crew included three of my oldest buddies, one of whom is a brainy neurologist who has perfected the dopey food question (“Can you bring us some nuts?”). Still, both our patient waiter and Joël’s charming sommelier were attentive, pleasant and helpful. The well-delivered service was the icing on the cake — a comforting accompaniment to a stellar evening. joelrestaurant.com.

Maggie Heyn Richardson’s food writing has appeared in EatingWell Magazine, Taste of the South Magazine and on the public radio program, On Point. She is a regular 225 contributor.