Lazy Betty — Restaurant in Atlanta

How we ended up there: Good friends recommended it as the best quality food they had had in Atlanta since Seeger's closed 10+ years ago

Final tab: $507 for two at chef's table, three glasses of wine (wife) and two whiskies (me). Celebrating wedding anniversary.

Other favorite Atlanta spots: Marcel's, Restaurant Eugene Other "best" meals I've ever had: French Laundry, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Jack Rose

My Review Perspective: $500 price tag, possibility of future Michelin stars

Arrival: Clunky. Arrive in a sports car. Valet is at the stand. Empty parking lot. He did not help with my wife's door (really annoyed me as it was about two steps from the stand). I got out of the car and stood waiting. He just stared at me. He finally came over, handed me a ticket and took the keys. I asked him if he knew how to put the PDK trans in park and shared with him that the car was lowered (watch scrapes). He said he had it. He then proceeded to drive my car out of the park lot to the right, 180, then come back to the stand and back in the car in next to the Tesla all of about 6 feet from where I handed him the keys. The whole experience was weird and threw me off walking in the door.

Once inside we were warmly greeted and they were ready for us at the Chef's Table. Chef Table was 10 seats at a high top counter. The set up is 3 chefs working in front of you (plating), 3 chefs really cooking behind them and 3 waitresses. The vibe was very chill. I felt very comfortable and welcome.

Drink: I am a bourbon and rum guy. Their bourbon selection is fairly good. In stock and available: 4R 130th, WFE 5yr Rye, M10 Rye, ETL, Blantons. On the menu but sold out: Blade & Bow 22yr, WFE 6yr Bourbon, GTS. I complimented the waitress who greeted us on the selection and asked who pulled it together. Chef Aaron had so I tried engaging him in a discussion about bourbon. He said he didn't drink (recovering? idk) so that was a dead end. It was strange to me to have such a great selection of bourbon and rum (and it appeared scotch too) and no one who could talk about it, their future plans for the bar, why they picked what they picked, what to pair with the food, etc.

Wine: My wife did about half the suggested wine pairings. There were some very well selected wines that went phenomenally with the food. (For example, the Tempranillo had a great earthy funk on the nose that went awesome with the steak and eggs. However no one could/would talk about it.) I contrast this with French Laundry where every wait staff could explain Thomas Keller's thinking on how flavors fit together, what he was trying to achieve and what you might experience as you ate and drank things together. Again, the wine was absolutely delightful and well paired. It was like a top notch sommelier consulted and did some amazing work but isn't there day-in, day-out nor is the wait staff trained to handle it. Multiple questions about the wines were unable to be answered (but we are on the hunt for some of the bottles!)

Food: Absolute world class quality. Favorites were chilled shimp, avocado, potato puree and Ronald's take on Waffle House Steak and Eggs. Every dish was served with a quick memorized introduction by one of the Chefs. Everyone wanted to engage the chefs in dialogue but they generally needed to get back to work so there wasn't much time for that. Dialogue was mostly handled by the three wait staff. They were all very nice and welcoming but conversation consisted of "Isn't that good?" or "Non-food and drink topics: where do you live? what do you do? kids?" I was left really wishing the wait staff could speak on behalf of the chefs so I could really better understand the food and the art behind it.

Pastry: The pastry chef is a ROCKSTAR. She did not come over and interact but her creations definitely impressed.

Overall: Rooting for Lazy Betty. The drink, food and pastry quality is there for the making of something great. They have to translate food quality into a total experience to...

Lazy Betty – Tasting Menu Restaurant When creativity, ambiance, and service meet, but without the WOW factor. Since we love this tasting menu restaurant, we were very excited to taste Chef’s eight courses tasting menu. Located in the Candler Park Connection shopping center, this restaurant has a contemporary & casual look and ambiance. The beautiful open kitchen/bar is a catch for anyone who loves to see Chefs and bartenders in action. If you are not that person, the patio or a separate and more quiet dining area are your two other options. The contemporary/casual concept also applies to your dining table set up and restaurant personnel. Bar, wine, and beverages: A A lovely cocktail menu can seduce you to try one of their creations. ‘Busy Betty’ has an exciting combination of refreshing flavors that might surprise you. The wine menu displayed vintages from California, Europe, and Australia. Surprisingly, nothing from South America. We choose the wine pairing. A very nice gentleman came to the table to provide a detailed explanation of all wines selected for our dinner. To keep in mind, one of our guests asked for juice. Unfortunately, the only alternative was pomegranate juice. Quality of Service: B If the restaurant offers a tasting menu as the only menu alternative, the service must be in sync with the kitchen, bar, and wine pairing. Because of the menu sequence and the variety of Chef’s creations, silverware and plates must be replaced before the next dish is presented, same with your wine pairing. Casual service should not imply losing focus on the service. The expectation of the food must match the flow and excellence in the dining room. Food and Menu: B Flavors, aromas, presentation, and cooking techniques, did was it was supposed to be done, well done executed. For each creation, you must start tasting sauces or broth, then side dish and/or garnishes, following by the main ingredient, and finally combine all three elements in one bite. Let them stay in your mouth for a second, slowly mix textures/ingredients, close your eyes, and let the flavors explore all the receptors on your tongue. A deep breath will capture all the aromas, making that moment a complete culinary experience. • Seared Hudson Valley Foi Gras, Pecan Toast, Pumpkin-Hoisin Marmalade • Georgia Shrimp cause, Avocado Mousse, Aji-Potato Emulsion • Lotus Flower Dumpling, Turnip Medley, Shitake-Black Vinegar Broth • Poached Halibut, Spring Succotash, Green Tomato, Ham • Smoked Squab, Popped Surghum, Fondant Cippollini, Red Wine Jus • Lemon Sherbet, Coconut Crumble, Crystalized Basil • Rose Water Panna Cotta, Vanilla Sable, Raspberry Paper, Lychee Sorbet • Petit Fours Some observations, three of the courses have duck base ingredients. In the case of the Squab, this bird has such a unique and delicate flavor that was not needed to be filled with duck sausage. Atlanta deserves culinary attention and be part of well-recognized international restaurant guides. Lazy Betty Restaurant is one of...

Beautifully crafted little plates and great service. However, this is not for people with allergies. (with a little rant about that)

They serve from a 7 course tasting menu. You get about 10 little plates of meticulously crafted food. Each one is delivered with an appetizing description of the layers and processes in that dish. Although the meal is 7 courses, there are also some other presentations like the amuse-bouche or the pallet cleanser.

The servers are great. They are attentive and gracious without being intrusive.

It is 2 or 3 hours of fantastic culinary delights and the time passes quickly. I've included photos of the really beautiful plates. This would be a 2000 word essay if I describe each dish but let me say that they were amazing. One dish had three layers of different preparations of onion reductions with some herbs. It was a revelation.

This rivals the sort of meal I ate at Michelin rated restaurants in Switzerland and France. If you are that kind of foodie, don't miss this experience.

Rant on allergens:

When I told the server that I needed to avoid dairy, wheat, soy and nuts, She looked a bit surprised. I told her that I had read the website says that they will listen but may not be able to accommodate. She sent out the chef.

The chef explained that he may not be able to serve me some courses but would reduce my bill, if he could not present courses. I explained that I was not worried about oils like soybean oil and butter. I also explained that I was not concerned about cross contamination.

Btw, I've been dealing with allergens since 1993. IMHO, if you need to avoid oils and cross contamination, you probably shouldn't eat out.

There were several courses that were different from my wife's food. And, there was one course of pasta that I didn't get. So, they were paying attention. However, those courses had components that were on my list. My dessert was on a bed of crushed almonds. Another course was garnished with leaves made of parmesan. I just avoided the nuts but didn't realize the parmesan problem until I ate it. I'm sure the server explained it but it's a noisy restaurant, the explanations are expensive and I didn't get all of it, until it came out a second time. There were other problems.

These are meticulously crafted plates in a meal that cost over $300 per person. I'm paying for attentive service from the chef too. Those were not an essential ingredient in a sauce or something like that. These are examples of just not paying attention to my concerns. They didn't take the missing course off of my bill but offered a tiny portion (less than an ounce) of a bourbon selected for their restaurant.

This was an early Valentine's dinner for us. My wife loved this and carried on to me and others about how great it was. I'm happy for that. Meanwhile, I'm an itchy, irritable mess who popped Benadryl before bed...