Omnivore Atlanta

LIKE BUTTAH: The slow-cooked salmon at Market

It takes a special kind of openhearted restaurant critic to see “Tuna and Wasabi” pizza on a menu and keep her cynicism under control. At Spice Market, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first Atlanta project in the W Hotel in Midtown, the menu focuses on Asian street food and avoids frivolity like wasabi pizza. But at Market, Vongerichten’s second Atlanta venture, it’s as if the chef and his staff are aiming to see exactly how far they can push our discombobulation. As I sat and stared at Market’s menu for the first time, I realized it was gonna take a lot of celebrity chef magic to overcome fusions this silly.

The theme of confusion begins as soon as you exit the bar area (which is basically the lobby of the new W Hotel in Buckhead) and funnel through the restaurant’s claustrophobic entrance. Step out of the tiny wooden passageway and into a room that hides its largeness around curved walls and partitions. Designer hot shot Karim Rashid created the interior, which consists of amoeba-shaped recesses lit with neon-colored lights, and large, screen-saver-esque lined walls that could be accurately described as “trippy.” It’s hard to get a handle on the space and how it’s put together, and therefore hard to decide how to feel about it.

The same is true for the menu. Tomato soup with sourdough and cheddar is followed by truffle pizza, with a detour for sashimi spring rolls before going back to crab cakes and then into the more solidly Asian-influenced entrees. Maybe it’s stodgy of me to ask, but Why? Why throw all these things together on a menu? Just to see if you can?

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If you haven’t heard, our economy is tanking and among those who are feeling the pinch big-time are restaurants, especially the more expensive ones. Opening my e-mail the last few days, I thought maybe I should write a post about the enormous glut of special, reduced-price, extra-indulgent Valentine’s Day menus, but I don’t have three days to record all of them.

These are an annual offer, but not typically of this year’s profuse and generous degree. And these follow the increasing number of incentives restaurants are offering routinely.

As it happens the New York Times‘ Frank Bruni wrote about the effect of the recession on restaurants a few days ago. His “Diner’s Journal” opens with this:

Has a restaurant hugged you lately?

Has it insisted that you can have it more cheaply than you thought possible and whenever you want, not just at 5:45 p.m., when your desire isn’t close to peaking, or at 9:30, when you almost can’t be bothered anymore?

Has it dropped its usual guard? Surrendered its typical reserve?

Yes, yes and yes. The only restaurants where I’ve had difficulty getting a table are Flip and the Original El Taco, neither of which take reservations. But I can’t think of a single other restaurant where I haven’t been able to reserve a table at the last minute or simply walk in. And, yes, I’ve noticed how staffs rush to tables to bathe the feet of diners and how perkiness has become epidemic among front desk folks.

But I have disconcerting news. Bruni’s piece mentions two NY dining-scene stars who have opened restaurants here recently. Both have begun offering super specials in Manhattan. One is Tom Colicchio, who has opened a Craft and Craft Bar here:

Craft, which in October opened its private room twice a month for 10-course, $150 dinners cooked by Tom Colicchio — called Tom: Tuesday Dinner — reached out in the other direction, to bargain hunters, last month. It opened that room once a week for Damon: Frugal Fridays, with a range of dishes cooked by Craft’s executive chef, Damon Wise, for $10 apiece.

The other is Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has opened Spice Market and Spice here:

Mr. Vongerichten, many of whose restaurants have always offered price reductions at lunch, is being particularly aggressive (by which I mean huggy). In October Perry St. instituted the option of a $35 three-course dinner menu during the slow hours of 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 to 11 p.m. In December, his restaurant Nougatine, a casual adjunct of his Columbus Circle flagship, Jean Georges, instituted its own $35 three-course menu, every night but Saturday from 5:30 to 6:30 and 10 to 11 p.m.

That same month he began to offer a $35 seven-course omakase dinner at Matsugen, of which he is a principal owner. There are no restrictions on the hours when it can be ordered.

Ahem! Unless things have changed recently, neither restaurateur is offering comparable bargains here in Atlanta.

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Last night Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his second Atlanta restaurant, Market, in the luxurious W Atlanta-Buckhead.

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This just in from the PR folks:

ATLANTA (October 28, 2008) – Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges will open the globally celebrated chef’s second Atlanta restaurant, Market, in the new W Buckhead in November. “With Atlanta’s expanding gastronomic scene,” says Vongerichten, “I am excited to open a restaurant in Buckhead’s vibrant and energetic neighborhood.”

…Emphasizing comfort and creativity, the menu will reinvent classic dishes with eclectic flair, allowing guests to try new flavor combinations and explore spices from other regions, all while remaining close to home. Traditional dishes crafted with seasonal market ingredients, from truffle fontina pizza to glazed beef short ribs, carrot puree and honshimeji mushrooms will enliven the senses and satisfy any craving.

Ian Winslade joins Market as Chef de Cuisine. Prior to his current work at Spice Market, Winslade was at the helm of Atlanta restaurants including BluePointe and Shout.

…Upon entering the restaurant, guests are greeted by a vibrant chandelier of mirrored Murano glass, which reflects teardrops of light on bamboo backdrops. Intimate nooks are throughout, and hidden lights cast a calming glow through ornate wall cut outs. The ovular-shaped foyer offers a glimpse into the cosmopolitan dining room, reflecting the charm of Buckhead’s vibrant personality. The outdoor patio will be an ode to al fresco luxury, with its skyline views and tranquil décor.

…The multicultural menu features French, Asian and Italian inspirations coupled with alluringly familiar cuisine.  From Maine lobster with crispy potatoes and spicy aioli, to bacon wrapped shrimp with avocado and passion fruit mustard, every appetizer and entree on the menu is an old-fashioned favorite with a modern twist.

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I heard some interesting news yesterday — the new W Hotel in Buckhead will also feature a restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It will not be Spice Market, but the theme is not yet known — apparently it will be revealed to the hotel’s PR people in two weeks (the guess was that it would somehow fit in with the “country club chic” theme of the hotel). I’ll keep you posted…

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