MICHELIN releases first Atlanta guide to fine dining

ATLANTA - Atlanta, our time has come. The first-ever MICHELIN Guide Atlanta has just been released, and it boasts 45 incredible eateries across the city.

The prestigious MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy.

Chefs, mixologists, sommeliers and crews alike were honored Tuesday night at the Rialto Center for the Arts.

MICHELIN one-star Atlanta restaurants

Here are the 5 MICHELIN one-star restaurants, a distinction given to restaurants with "outstanding" cooking. Inspector notes have been included in full for each:

Atlas (American cuisine)
When the night calls for a grand celebration, few places fit quite like Atlas. Order à la carte from Chef Freddy Money’s seasonal American menu with European influences or celebrate with the tasting menu for dishes like tender lobster plated with smoked paprika butter sauce and heirloom summer squash, and poached halibut composed with a trio of beet preparations. Wagyu beef from Australia is a decadent end to the savory courses. Impressive cocktails, a cheese cart and whimsical desserts complete the well-rounded experience.

Bacchanalia (American cuisine)
Chefs/Owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison and Executive Chef Kai NaLampoon offer a multicourse prix fixe that involves a bit of flair, with some dishes arriving on carts or nestled inside glass cloches, and the cheese course is a wonderful surprise. Rather than an expected slice, the team presents a clever take with a crumbly oat date cake and a dot of black garlic sauce surrounded by rings of parmesan. Chilled lobster in a ponzu sauce with bright English peas and horseradish oil is also memorable, but it may just be the delicate grapefruit soufflé garnished with spicy pistachio crumble and rose crème anglaise that takes the cake.

Hayakawa (Japanese cuisine)
A local legend for his Japanese cuisine on Buford Highway, Chef Atsushi Hayakawa has begun a new chapter in West Midtown. The meal is a procession of small courses and hews toward the structure of kaiseki. After items such as an appetizer trio with clear fish soup, scallop sashimi with miso-mustard sauce and simmered monkfish, it’s time for sushi. The chef crafts nigiri from imported fish that needs little embellishment and is amply sized in the tradition of Hokkaido style in deference to the chef’s hometown.

Lazy Betty (Contemporary cuisine)
Chef Ron Hsu and Chef Aaron Phillips oversee a contemporary tasting menu with clever flavor combinations that highlight regional ingredients. Causa is given a Southern slant with sweet Georgia shrimp, avocado purée and potato foam infused with aji amarillo pepper, while seared Hudson Valley foie gras is sided by Granny Smith apple, sweet potato and dots of pumpkin butter. From the pre-dessert lemon sherbet with a coconut crumble to the elegant rosewater panna cotta, they impress to the end.

Mujō (Japanese cuisine)
Mujō is an intimate setting with a moody elegance. This is the domain of Chef J. Trent Harris and his skilled team who make all feel well cared for. Here, tradition has been replaced with a rollicking good time, where the always-surprising interpretation of omakase begin with an array of zensai, like a morsel of Florida cobia grilled over binchotan, dressed with a red miso sauce and some local pattypan squash. After some cooked bites, it's time for the raw. Nigiri needs little to impress, while supplemental dishes offer the likes of Hokkaido hair crab, tosazu and mozuku.

MICHELIN Green Star Atlanta restaurants

The MICHELIN Green Star is a distinction honoring restaurants and staff who pride themselves on sustainability. Here are the two MICHELIN Green Star restaurants, along with their inspector notes in full:

Bacchanalia (American cuisine)
Chefs own and operate Summerland Farm in Cartersville, Georgia, where they grow much of their produce and harvest eggs. They also have a composting program, and they feed chickens with vegetable scraps.

The Chastain (American cuisine)
Chef Christopher Grossman’s menu changes often, depending on what’s available from local farm partners and in his onsite regenerative-farmed garden. The Chastain recently joined Georgia Organics to help quantify local and organic food purchases. The team composts on site and also uses a compost company to reduce landfill waste. They also recycle glass and use compostable carryout containers.

Atlanta restaurants with MICHELIN's Bib Gourmand distinction

Ten restaurants were given the Bib Gourmand distinction, which MICHELIN says recognizes a restaurant for great food at a great value. Here is the list:

1. Antico Pizza Napoletana
2. Arepa Mia
3. Banshee
4. Bomb Biscuit Co.
5. The Busy Bee
6. Estrellita
7. Fishmonger
8. Fred’s Meat & Bread
9. Heirloom Market BBQ
10. Little Bear.

The following culinary artists were given special awards during Tuesday evening's ceremony:

1. MICHELIN Exceptional Cocktails Award: Jason Furst and the bar team from BoccaLupo
2. MICHELIN Sommelier Award: Juan Fernando Cortés from The Chastain
3. MICHELIN Outstanding Service Award: Neal McCarthy and the front-of-house team at Miller Union
4. MICHELIN Young Chef Award: Chef Jarrett Stieber from Little Bear

For the address of each restaurant and more details, click here.