My sister and I had the pleasure of dining at The Epicurean Restaurant last weekend. All I can say is this: Oh. My. Gosh. This. Is. The. Best. Dinner. Ever. In fact, my sister begged me not to write about it for fear that it would make people come in droves. Too late. In fact, a steady stream of diners kept coming in while we were there — some for a quick bite; while others lingered over good food, wine and conversation. Like us.
You (or your parents) might associate the name Epicurean with catering and that’s quite accurate. In fact, Epicurean has been a leader in the catering business in Atlanta for 30 years. Located in an obscure plaza on Clairmont Rd in Decatur, it’s fairly easy to overlook this French bistro. But step right in and you’d be amazed by the inviting atmosphere the minute you walk in. And within seconds of setting your foot on their black and white tiled floors, you’re transformed into a cozy Parisian ambiance. Couple that with a well-thought-of menu with inventive items prepared by famed Chef Peter Golaszewski formerly of The Ritz Carlton and you have what’s guaranteed to be the perfect dining experience.
Our dinner reservations was at 6pm which was still very bright and sunny outside and we were worried that it’ll just be us and the servers but we were pleasantly surprised to see the place already bustling by the time we got seated. Dashing restaurant manager and sommelier Andrés Loaiza (formerly of Mitra — sister restaurant to Sia’s which also happens to be a favorite of mine) made wonderful recommendations including a Domaine Saint Claire chablis to go with our meal.
Our almost three-hour dining experience started with several appetizers. First, came the skewered Boursin cheese balls, blueberries, and raspberries. I liked the contrasting flavors and textures of the mild soft cheese with the sweet and slightly crunchy berries. Next came a plate of Sweetgrass Dairy’s Tomme cheese with Georgia strawberries and sweet onion marmalade. It was fantastic — I’ve never had tomme cheese paired with onion marmalade before and the sweetness of the strawberries and the onion marmalade really went well with my favorite mild cheese. The Arugula Salad with super sweet tomato slices drizzled with a fennel-bacon vinaigrette and truffle oil topped with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese was an explosion of flavors in your mouth: sweet, salty, and bit of sour. It’s a light, clean tasting salad that will not overpower your main course. The Crab and Corn cake (another chef’s specialty) was simply outstanding with perfectly seasoned lump crab meat and corn with a very light panko crust. I loved that the you can really taste the crab meat in the foreground and the corn in the background with nothing major added to interfere. It came with a very complementing side of grilled red onions and blood orange sections under a drizzling of honey-mustard dressing.
The Fava Soup garnished with skirt steak was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a curry Indian flavor but it was nothing like that at all. It tasted very light which is not typical of pureed bean soups yet it was full of flavor with the pieces of steak adding contrast to the smooth soup. Last came the Faux Caprese salad made with balls of goat cheese and grape tomatoes swimming in basil oil and tomato water served in a wine glass. The presentation alone is enough to make your mouth water. I had the mistake of eating the tomato and the cheese separately and I thought, well, I’m sure this wasn’t how Chef Peter intended this to be. At first, I thought it was unimaginative, and quite frankly, ordinary. Until, I ate the tomato and the cheese together, biting the tomato first, followed by the cheese, and voila, it’s like an epiphany — a medley of flavors and textures exploding in my mouth: first the sweet crunch, then the mild and soft with the oilines of the basil oil toned down by the tomato water. It was great.
Our main course also consisted of several items. First, we sampled one of the chef’s specialties, the Seared Pork Loin on top of coarse mashed potatoes with red wine reduction sauce. It was refreshing to see this dish not accompanied by some kind of apples or some citrusy sauce. Instead, the red wine-based sauce added flavor to the moist, tender pork. The Butter-poached Skate Wing served with Asparagus and Hazelnuts in a thyme-veal reduction sauce was a refreshing take on an otherwise ordinary fish. The fish was very flavorful with a slight hint of butter and lightly grilled adding crisp while the inside stayed moist. It was paired well with the crunchy whole hazelnuts and tender asparagus. The thyme-veal reduction sauce balanced the clean taste of the fish.
Lastly, the pièce-de-résistance, the one course that made me want to weep: Anson Mills Risotto with English peas, Bay scallops, and White shrimp. It was simply magnificent. The risotto was just perfect; not soggy, yet not starchy hard but with just the right amount of chewiness. It was creamy yet not overly rich, with the scallops and shrimp adding additional wonderful saltish flavor to the dish and the peas taking care of the sweetish side. If there is one word to describe this, it would be heavenly.
For dessert, (and yes, we still have room for dessert despite literally consuming every single morsel of food on our plates), I settled on the Molten Chocolate Cake with a side of homemade Ginger ice cream. Though it takes 10 minutes to prepare this cake, it was well worth the wait as the delicious, not overly sweet moist cake oozed with glorious melted dark chocolate. I would have loved to have this paired with a toned-down ice cream such as creme fraiche, possibly even just Chantilly cream would suffice as both the cake and the ginger ice cream were competing with each other. Perhaps, it was daring of me to select a bold dessert after having everything I’ve had and a lighter dessert would have been adequate. The sister chose the Ginger Biscuit with Creme Fraiche ice cream with a strawberry garnish and a dollop of sugar water. It was a clever take on the usual strawberry shortcake. The biscuit was slightly gingery and a good accompaniment to the delicate tasting creme fraiche ice cream. It was a perfect period to a wonderful meal.
Our dining experience at The Epicurean was simply magnificent. Chef Peter Golaszewski’s dishes are ingenious and inventive. He combines local ingredients that both balance and blend exciting flavors and textures bringing about dishes that are clearly superb. The service from both Andrés and our exceptional server Julia (who was always two steps ahead of us, thus, ensuring we never had to ask for anything) elevated our visit to an even more pleasurable one. We were clearly blown away.
Insider tip:
Closed on Sundays and Mondays but will open Sunday, May 13 10:30am-2:30pm for a special Mother’s Day Brunch.
Their wine shop sits next door.
Menu changes monthly. Check their website for details.
Six-course tasting menus available on Friday/Saturday as well as a 3-course Prix-Fixe Tuesday-Thursday.
Service is outstanding.
The scoop:
The Epicurean Restaurant
1361 Clairmont Rd.
Decatur, GA 30033
Telephone: 404.321.0530
Open Tuesday to Saturday
Lunch: 11am to 5pm
Dinner: 5pm to 10pm
Technorati Tags: The Epicurean Restaurant, Chef Peter Golaszewski, Decatur, French bistro, French-Southern Cuisine, wine shop
