Aria — Restaurant in Atlanta

Great food, but poor service.

My girlfriend surprised me with a birthday dinner at the Aria this past weekend, and I was super excited. There is complimentary valet service, and the restaurant interior is well-decorated (although not well-lit). Overall, a great place for a romantic date - there is also bar seating available.

Let me start with the good part: food. We ordered the Brie and Crab Cakes to start, the Angus Filet Mignon (medium rare) to share, and an Ice Cream Sandwich to finish. We both don't eat a lot, so one appetizer and one entree is usually enough food for the two of us. The order came with a complimentary side of delicious focaccia bread. Brie: The plate comes with a cut of brie, apricot preserves, and toasted bread. I honestly can't distinguish the quality of cheese after a certain threshold. To me, there's cheese I want to eat and cheese that I don't. It's not that difficult to fall into the first category. The brie at Aria is definitely a cheese I want to eat - and finished. It was delicious with the apricot and toasted bread (very crispy crust but soft center). It was a great starter. However, the apricot preserves taste just like Smuckers apricot preserves (which is my go-to at home, so I'm very accustomed to the taste). Nothing wrong with that. Crab Cakes: This was my favorite part of the meal. The crab cakes are an appetizer, but it's enough to be an entree for those with smaller appetites. The order comes with 2 small crab cakes and a side of apple pecan salad. There is no shortage of crab meat in the cakes, and I love the fried exterior that adds the perfect crunch. The sweet and fresh apple pecan salad pairs well with the cakes in both texture and flavor. I would definitely order this again. Angus Filet Mignon: Pretty straightforward - steak with a side of brussel sprouts and butternut squash puree. The steak was tender and cooked to my liking (medium rare), and the brussel sprouts were amazing (not overcooked or overseasoned). A classic choice. Chocolate-Espresso Ice Cream Sandwich: Obviously dessert. The espresso ice cream (with specks of chocolate) is sandwiched between chocolate biscuits (?) with a side of hard hazelnut toffee. It is a dessert with a variety of textures and flavors. Not too heavy, and delicious!

So service... There could be many reasons for the poor service from our server that night - our race, age, sexual orientation, his mood, miscommunication, etc. Who knows? He could honestly be the best server who was in a terrible mood. We are both Asian and in our early/mid 20s, and this doesn't work in our favor with servers that stereotype (regardless of restaurant). We had a few issues throughout our dining experience: Few check-ins, and extremely difficult to wave down the server throughout the meal (not a huge issue in general) Requested a box for our leftover steak, but the person clearing the tables (not our server) took our leftovers and never brought it back Asked, "Do you guys do anything for birthdays?" and the server replied, "Yeah, you have to choose a dessert though." Thus, we ordered a dessert. Turns out it's not complimentary. This would be completely fine - classic miscommunication - but the server was extremely rude and replied with an attitude when we asked about the charge for the dessert. The server returned with an updated check where he comped the dessert. An action that would have completely redeemed him, if he hadn't continued to explain the situation with an attitude - emphasizing how we shouldn't have gotten it for free, but he did us a favor (repeated this 2-3x to us).

I assume this is a one-off scenario based on the other reviews. However, I never plan on going back. I can find food and service of better...

Aria is a fine dining restaurant in Buckhead featuring modern American fare. Their daily changing menus showcase great ingredients and simple preparation. It was a 2017 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Outstanding Service.

I finally had the opportunity to participate in one of Aria’s periodic pop-ups (join their distribution list or follow them via Social Media to receive updates). This particular Wednesday featured a fried shrimp event; recent pop-ups include chicken parm, burgers, and grouper sandwich nights. They also host special Monday Night Dinners from time-to-time.

Aria is cozy and intimate. They truly maximize seating in such a quaint spot, although you don’t feel completely packed in like a sardine. Due to the seating, this isn’t the quietest restaurant, as there is constant chatter from happy, well-fed patrons.

I sat at the bar and received outstanding service from the bartender. He was really attentive, especially considering the restaurant was packed.

I ordered the: Gumbo Fried Shrimp with Cole Slaw and Cucumber/Tomato Medley Mango Sorbet with Raspberry

The Gumbo was solid but not memorable. It is very okra forward, which may have impacted my perspective (I am not an okra fan). There were nice peppery notes and the diced sausage was tasty.

The Fried Shrimp was also good. While the batter was well seasoned, I would have liked it crispier and binding to the shrimp more. I enjoyed the homemade cocktail sauce, but wished the tartar sauce had more tang. The cole slaw was very tasty and well seasoned. The cucumber/tomato medley lacked salt and acid.

This is a restaurant to save room for dessert. The Mango Sorbet with Raspberry Sauce was delicious. The shortbread cookie accompanying the sorbet was very flavorful yet so delicate.

Update: After finally participating in one of Aria’s periodic pop-ups (join their distribution list or follow them on IG for updates), I made sure to visit during Buckhead Restaurant Week.

The 8-course tasting menu was way too tempting to pass on. Here were the courses: Cocktail: Howitzer Yellowtail Hamachi Sashimi Ruby Red & Golden Beets Lobster Bisque Seared Salmon Tenderloin of Berkshire Pork Short Rib of Painted Hills Beef Passion Fruit Sorbet Valrhona Chocolate Cream Pie

I loved the Howitzer, as the spiced pear paired well with the brandy, and everything is better w/sparkling wine.

The hamachi was subtle, but you could taste the sweet, spicy, & salty notes of the accompaniments. I loved the pairing of Fuji apples & sashimi.

I loved the beets. The tender ones were divine w/the tangy, smooth Meyer lemon yogurt. The crispy quinoa sprinkles elevated the dish. The lobster bisque was velvet.

I wanted to take the crispy sunchokes home w/me for a snack. I felt the salmon and cauliflower mousseline lacked salt & I wanted more lemon.

I loved the pork tenderloin & the mixture of the carrot puree w/the natural jus.

The short rib plate was a comforting elevation of a Sunday dinner. The beef was so tender that I did not need a knife.

I experienced their heavenly sorbet at the pop up. So I was delighted that it was again a meal highlight. The merengue was ethereal.

The chocolate pie was good, but I was still...

My wife and I came here for our anniversary expecting a romantic evening and fine dining experience.

We had a reservation and even arrived 5 minutes early, but we ended up waiting 30 minutes in the lounge before getting to our table. Annoying considering we had limited time out and a sitter at home. What's the point of a reservation if we're going to wait so long?

When we finally sat down, the main dining room was one big open area, like a large living room. Due to the acoustics or something, everyone basically had to talk very loudly to be heard. Even our server had to come closer just to hear us. Once half of the people left (due to closing time), the talking was down to a regular dining level.

We opted for individual dishes instead of the tasting menu, but it probably would have ended up costing the same as what we ordered: 2 starters, 2 mains, and 2 desserts. You get eight dishes with the tasting menu.

We ordered the sashimi and duck confit to start. The sashimi was alright, but I felt like there were too many things on the plate. The avocado, jalapeño, and cucumber worked best and everything else could have been left off. The duck was by far my favorite dish of the night. We were served a thigh with the leg attached and the skin was nice and crispy while the meat itself was tender and juicy; I cleaned the bone. The Asian sauce served with the duck was nice, but nothing special.

Next was the slow cooked beef and fried sole. The beef was so tender you could cut it easily with a fork. The jus was good, but the veggies were not cooked much. I had carrot squares that required some effort to pierce with a fork; one actually flew off the plate while I was trying to pierce it. We substituted the mash for their truffle version and it was well worth it. It was a bowl of smooth whipped spuds with that decadent hit of truffle. I had a bite of the fish and honestly it tasted like fried cod which isn't a bad thing but I was hoping it would have a distinct taste.

Lastly for dessert we got the panna cotta and a blueberry upside-down cake. Never had the former but it was set perfectly (had a little wiggle) and came with a sorbet to contrast the sweetness. I hate to say it but the cake reminded me of instant muffin mix my mom used to make as a kid. It was okay but felt out of place in this type of restaurant. Both desserts came with a dark chocolate-written message from the staff which was a nice touch.

Overall, it was a romantic place with good food but the noise volume kinda detracted from the ambiance. The servers were very attentive and made the experience delightful. The food was mostly good, but considering the price, I was expecting a home run for each dish. Still, we enjoyed ourselves and will probably come...