ATLReview
photo credit: Cameren Rogers
Georgia Boy
Included In
Expensive tasting menu dinners can feel snobby. And while a 13-utensil dinner (with steak knives that have their own oral histories) is an experience worth having once, we prefer a special occasion dinner where we can let our hair down while still feeling like hoity-toity VIPs. Thankfully, Georgia Boy in Poncey-Highland effortlessly fuses those worlds together with a lavish tasting menu and playful ambiance, where the food is phenomenal, but above all fun.
Planning ahead is essential to get in on the action because there are only eight-seats (with four time slots per day). Reservations fill up faster than the downtown connector at rush hour, but snagging a seat is only the first part of the thrill.
There’s no signage for Georgia Boy, which is tucked away in the back of Southern Belle (run by the same chef and an excellent restaurant in its own right). The night begins with the hushed whispers of the Southern Belle hostess, who will direct you to wait on the couches in front of the bar. Prepare for the regular diners to make curious glances your way as a glass of wine is automatically placed in your hand. The night moves on to private curtains, hidden doors, and a front row seat to tweezer-wielding chefs plating dishes with surgical precision.
photo credit: Cameren Rogers
And if you think hidden entrances are fun, just wait until you dive into the incredible 12-course dinner. It's a blind menu, but rest assured that when the final course arrives, the $255 per person price tag will feel like a wise investment. Ever-evolving, whimsical dishes like sweet potato topped with savory bacon-flavored cotton candy come between more traditional plates like roasted duck with wild mushrooms and black truffle.
And Georgia Boy is a feast for your eyes, too—like when buttery cinnamon raisin toasts sit on a glass box that looks like a pond surface with fog wafting up ethereally. Or plan to bathe in childhood nostalgia as you lick batter off beaters and enthusiastically eat with your hands (the best utensil, really). Georgia Boy is as unpretentious as it is elite, and it's one of the most creative dining experiences Atlanta has to offer.
photo credit: Cameren Rogers
Food Rundown
Maine Lobster
The pile of bite-sized lobster bits are obviously the main draw of this dish. But crunchy dehydrated cauliflower pieces aren't just decorative. They provide a fun contrast to the tender lobster. And hints of coffee and vanilla mix sweet and savory flavors, so every bite is a thrill ride.
Look What I Found!
What we found in this dish is a renewed appreciation for juicy duck breast, black truffle, and wild mushrooms—oh, and an understanding of why the exclamation point is appropriate. So good.
Eggs On Toast
Simple, straightforward, yet good. But if they can’t make a circle of toasted brioche topped with yolky egg, truffles, and caviar taste good, we’d lose all faith in their kitchen skills.
Venison Tartare
After your fork sweeps through a pile of thinly shaved sweet potatoes shaped like leaves, you’ll unearth this delicious venison tartare. It’s juicy, rich, and has zero gamey flavor.
Fried Green Tomato Sorbet
This savory dish features a Southern staple in sorbet form. And coming later in the meal, the bitter taste is welcomed as a transition to the dessert portion of the dinner.
