Foundation Social Eatery — Restaurant in Alpharetta

The vibe is energetic. When you enter the space, you see it is larger than you would expect from a casual drive-by. Moreover, the decor, lighting, and presence of the staff make you feel like you’re in a high-end restaurant that focuses on the comfort and experience for the customer.

My wife and I went to FSE for an early evening dinner, sitting at one of the regular tables. There are several seating options. The chef’s table looks interesting, as you can see all the activity in the kitchen. The bar is phenomenal, upscale, clean, and staffed by mixologists; not just your average bartenders. There was also a covered patio. We noticed a group of about a dozen teen girls having a private time of their lives out there.

It had been a while since we had some caviar. So, when our waiter, Sam, greeted us for the evening, I went ahead and asked for the caviar (Osetra) service and two glasses of either Prosecco or champagne to go with it. Now, this was an inflection point for me. As an example, my wife and I were at dinner at a very famous 3 Michelin star restaurant in Chicago. The sommelier there scoffed when my wife asked for Prosecco and basically said he would gladly condescend to bring her something else worthy of their food. In this case, I gave Sam the choice. I was pleasantly surprised to see him bring us two great glasses of Prosecco that went very well with our caviar.

On the caviar, it was simple and delicious. I appreciated that we received warm, crispy toast and that all of the other accompaniments were in a small tin bowl, so you could easily mix and scoop your crème fresh and other bits into an easy to apply base for your caviar. If you haven’t had it, try it at FSE. They only charged $80 for the service, while other restaurants would go much higher.

As we were enjoying our caviar, I asked Sam about the tinned fish. It is a unique offering on the menu. We tried the mussels and were not disappointed. It is presented like a charcuterie board, including a freshly baked loaf of bread, mustard, aioli, flake salt, pickled veggies, and your fish of choice. As far as bites go, it was very well balanced. Imagine taking a warm, crispy loaf of crusty bread fresh out of the oven, breaking off a bite, then adding the fat and acid from the aioli and mustard, the briny tinned fish, and the crunch of some of the pickled veggies. It was such a comforting bite that I plan to bring some of my men’s groups back for beer and tinned fish.

After our Prosecco we each had a cocktail. My wife opted for a gin drink and I had their Oleo Fashioned. Wife loved hers. I admitted to Sam that mine was a little sweet for my taste. To his (and the chef’s credit) Sam didn’t hesitate to offer to replace my drink. Instead, I opted to move to one of their Oregon Pinot Noirs (after my cocktail).

My wife and I split the mushroom ravioli as our pasta course. Just wow! This is a dish that the Michelin guide needs to try. The ravioli were stuffed to the brim with a beefy mushroom mixture and it was all swimming in a foamy bath of mushroomy goodness. As I looked at the serving spoon contemplating eating all the mushroom foam like a soup, I think our server Sam sensed it and came over. I apologized and asked for some bread to sop up the gravy, hoping it would not offend the chef. On the contrary, Sam reassured me that it was absolutely the right thing to do. In an instant, their expediter brought my wife and a some bread. Note another inflection point here: This was the third time they had brought bread to our table that evening. This bread was different from the first two, yet it was delivered with the same care as if it were already part of the menu. It was warm, having just been grilled, and crispy which made it perfect for sopping up the mushroom gravy.

For entrees, my wife had the scallops and I went for the hanger steak. Both were amazing, as was the dessert. I’m out of space, so I’ll finish with my final inflection: at one point, the head chef himself even stopped to refold my wife’s napkin as she had stepped away....

Foundation Social Eatery has the best food this side of Atlanta, and probably the best interior to boot. Mel Toledo, the chef and owner, seems affixed to the kitchen during open hours, and his devotion shows through. The seasonal menu plays to the inventive rhythm of a dynamic drum, easily making this establishment one of the city’s top 1%. The kaleidoscope of ingredients interrupts expectation by simultaneously using and deconstructing classic cuisine. To illustrate, FSE’s Meats by Linz is a seemingly ho-hum steak and potatoes dish on paper, but upon the first bite a riot of flavors reveals the clever sorcery of its creator. Not satisfied with recycling his laurels, the chef often changes or even removes popular, exquisite dishes that a less courageous cook would make permanent.

One might at first (mistakenly) label FSE as "hipster" or "bourgeois". Such an application quickly disintegrates after discovering the following; the menu is equal parts classy/sophisticated and irreverent/eclectic; both the food and overall presentation have virtually no comparison in the metro-area; and each dish is mysteriously underpriced for its caliber. Patrons might wonder how this freshman enterprise materialized inside an east Roswell strip mall and not on Peachtree in Buckhead.

One must imagine the author of this could only be an artist who has something to prove: a manifesto of how to cook in the 21st century. FSE equates to an eBook floating above a sea of print volumes. Customers will leave disappointed if—and only if—expecting the empty drudgery of typical American products they mistake as food. All...

Just had dinner here a couple of nights ago for the first time and had a fantastic time! It was mostly due to the exceptional service that we received, but I think that's fair since poor service can really ruin a meal experience as well. Right off the bat, we could tell that our server, Ally, was top notch - she was friendly and just so knowledgable about every dish on the menu, and that is important when the restaurant makes everything from scratch in-house, from the baking the breads to making their signature pate to churning their own ice cream! It just feels good to know everything on your plate is made with fresh ingredients, down to the butter! Their canele was sublime, and I'm not even a big desserts person! It's that incredible smell you smell wafting out of a pastry shop in the mornings, sitting right there on your plate, warm and sweet, garnished with a scoop of fresh churned ice cream! I love that Ally never tried to upsell us on items just to get a better tip. She really listened to what we liked and recommended dishes and portions that she thought would suit us. It turned out perfectly. She paid attention to little details like keeping crumbs off the table and our drinks topped off. We never felt rushed, yet she always seemed to be nearby if we needed anything as well. The only thing I wish I could change, that's not even really in their control, were the mosquito bites I got while on the patio, even with their fans on. Otherwise, it was beautiful setting, right at sunset, with a great atmosphere and great food. Will definitely be back (but maybe I'll...