Livingston Restaurant + Bar
After undergoing a multi-million renovation, The Georgian Terrace, an Atlanta institution, now sports a more grand, more modern appeal while still retaining its Southern feel.
Included in the face lift is the beautiful Livingston restaurant and bar headed by Chef Gary Mennie. The stylish space includes snakeskin-covered furniture, chrome and leather seats, and floor-to-ceiling windows, among other things. A revolving door was retained from the original design and now stands as a stationary place to showcase wine bottles. It seems out of place, really.
On a recent visit with a regular lunch buddy, we decided to get items from three sections of the menu. We started off with the Wellfleet Oysters Gratin. Served on a bed of rock salt, whole peppercorns and star anise, the oysters are plump, fresh, and briny. The spinach, cheese, and bacon added just a tiny hint of flavor and texture. Great execution on this simple dish.
Next, we went with the Pick-3-for-$15 martini lunch: peeky toe crab salad, white truffle chicken salad, and grilled hangar steak. While the presentation was superb (using stemless martini glasses), the flavor of each item was lacking. As my friend, I also noticed a considerable amount of lettuce in each serving. The peeky toe crab was under-salted which focused on the taste of the mayo instead of the crab. Sad. And such a waste. The white truffle chicken salad tasted about the same. I did like the texture of the chicken which was grilled before being tossed in dressing. The hangar steak was cooked perfectly but sadly, I couldn’t discern any stand out flavor. Meh.
For our mains, we went with the Georgia White Shrimp and a good ol’ burger. First off, five medium pieces of steamed shrimp doesn’t justify $14 in my book. Especially if it’s devoid of any flavor. Although fresh, the shrimp’s simplicity couldn’t be saved by the bland fava bean puree. The bits of ham hock did add a tiny hint of flavor but not enough to elevate the dish. I was totally disappointed with it.
The burger was mediocre at best. I wasn’t too keen on the crumbly, flavorless, dryish bun. Honestly, I’ve had better fast food burgers. Worse, I bit several pieces of hard rock salt in the patty. This just didn’t do it for me.
Overall, a disappointing meal — both in taste and in value. I was hoping Chef Mennie would be more inventive with the food. I’m pretty sure his menu is a work-in-progress.
Insider tip:
Complimentary valet parking — however, you must have your ticket validated.
The scoop:
Livingston Restaurant + Bar
659 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 898-8316
Technorati Tags: Georgian Terrace, hotel restaurants, bar, Midtown, Atlanta
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Livingston Restaurant + Bar | Georgia Today // Jun 3, 2009 at 4:37 am
[…] Read the rest here: Livingston Restaurant + Bar […]
2 Is that all? | Omnivore Atlanta // Jun 6, 2009 at 11:09 pm
[…] Chloe Morris has the shocking photo evidence of the itty bitty shrimp dish I ordered on her blog, Chow Down Atlanta. Generally, her lunch didn’t measure up to my earlier ones. Bookmark […]
3 Livingston Restaurant Review: Best At Disappointing – Midtown, Atlanta, GA [First Impressions] | Atlanta Restaurant Reviews | Atlanta Food Blogs | Dining in Atlanta // Jun 8, 2009 at 8:51 am
[…] ChowDownAtlanta On Livingston (06.02.09) […]
4 Livingston Restaurant + Bar « Great Chefs // Jul 27, 2009 at 12:09 pm
[…] Restaurant + Bar Syndicated from Livingston Restaurant + Bar.Included in the face lift is the beautiful Livingston restaurant and bar headed by Chef Gary […]
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