A Hothouse Flower

This weekend was Downtown Atlanta restaurant week, so you can get three courses at several restaurants for $25.00 a head. Not bad at all. So six of us headed downtown.

First we stopped at The Mark on Poplar for a drink. The website said it opened at 6p, but it wasn't open at 6 or 7 or 7:30...this sort of thing REALLY tees me off. Luckily, there was the Sidebar next door to it, which was open, and we ended up indulging in beers before and after dinner there in a very "just a bar" atmosphere. My kind of bar.

Then we made our way about a block on Forsyth to the Healy Building which houses Fleur de Lis cafe. The restaurant was very busy, very charming, and excruciatingly hot. Unfortunately, their air conditioning had broken, on a 104 degrees plus day, and they had a booked house. I definitely give the staff and owners kudos on their "cool heads" and ingenuity about how to work with the situation. The entire restaurant was gutted. The waiters moved every single chair and table out on to the street and into the vestibule of the Healy. It was still warm, but in a charming "cafe on the street in summer" way...the poor cooks and waitstaff still dealt with the blasting heat of the kitchen.

As for the food, we all adored it. Considering the circumstances, it is surprising that the chilled white gazpacho was still chilled and the endive, walnut, & gorgonzola salad deliciously rich, yet light. Though I have to note the odd use of the mostly inedible core of endive as a garnish; I though it was heart of palm, someone else hoped it was artichoke, but alas it was neither.

Main courses were just right in size and complexity of flavor. I had Cherry-Glazed Short Ribs with Sweet Corn Polenta, and absolutely hate fatty meat, but found myself happily letting the super tender meat AND fat melt in my mouth. It was extremely decadent. The Duck Leg Confit with Plum Risotto and Haricot Verts was pronounced superb by the boy, and duck is one of his favorites, so he has eaten a lot of it. Our semi vegetarian guest had the Wild Mushroom Risotto and said it was creamy and rich.

Dessert was Tarte Tatin with Rosemary ice cream, Pot a Creme, Chocolate Espresso Torte.
(Somehow the chipped dishes struck us as absolutely charming.)

I didn't order the wine, so not sure what houses we had, but the sauvingon blanc was refreshing and the malbec we had with the main course was wonderful...Thick, plummy, rich...I loved it.

At one point late in the evening, Amy Winehouse came blasting over the speakers. It was good timing. Everyone was full, slightly tipsy and happy. The bill reasonable, the service a bit slow, but tolerable, food great. Probably ***, I will definitely go back again.

Everyone held hands with their lover as we left the restaurant. The night air was perfect, and it was bizarre to walk through the quiet streets of downtown Atlanta at that hour. Bizarre, but perfect.