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I've never spent $500+ on a meal for two including tip and wine...but then again I live in Atl and not NY, LV, CHI, or SF
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You came really close though. Which brings me to my review...
Quinones at Bacchanalia
Link
A lavish prix fixe multi-course restaurant which opened in the basement of Bacchanalia (established fine dining restaurant in Atlanta) by the same owners to accommodate more upscale parties. AEK and I recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary which included an amazing dinner here.
First of all, the restaurant only seats 11 tables. When we arrived, we were the first and only people there well through the majority of the meal (it was a rainy, freezing Thursday). You have the option of having a wine pairing with each of the ten courses, @ $165 per person. Once you add in the $ for the sparkling water we got (AEK's idea), tax, and tip, you have a pretty steep tab.
Chef's Taster
Complimentary pink champagne, and a crispy fried bite containing cod and potatoes that was creamy and delicious. On the side was a small shot glass of soup (I know this has a name - sorry, I'm not that sophisticated). I think it was cauliflower; also delicious.
First course - Foie Gras Terrine with Port Poached Pears & Blood Orange with Donnhoff Riesling Kabinett
Sadly I discovered I hate foie gras and consider to be comparable to spam. The presentation was beautiful, however, and the Riesling was to DIE for.
Second course - Slightly Cured North Georgia Rainbow Trout with Local Radish & Avocado Puree with Guado Al Tasso Vermentino
This course really wow-ed me as I wasn't too familiar with the practice of curing fish. Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the process which basically includes letting the raw fish sit in water, sugar, and vodka for several days which essentially "cooks" it. I was also happy that she was able to tell me where in North Georgia the trout was from, as that is where I was born and raised. The radish and avocado went perfectly with the cured fish. Made us vow to go home and try our hand at curing meat. The wine was slightly more full bodied than the riesling and incredibly delicious.
Third course - Pan Seared Nantucket Bay Scallop with Meyer Lemon, Celeriac & Perigord Truffle with Jurancon Sec
The scallop was served in a small bowl swimming in the rich celeriac sauce, which was creamy and complemented the flavor of the scallop (which was perfectly cooked). The truffle was cool only because I've always been amazed at the price of an olive oil that contains truffles. At this point the wines began running together a little bit.
Fourth course - Pan Roasted Gulf Red Snapper with Young Fennel, Leek & Green Garlic Broth with Marsannay Blanc
The flavor of this dish was my favorite thus far, and what made the presentation so good was that they spooned the fresh broth over the fish as they were serving it, so you caught the full aroma. The seasoning here was dead on - perhaps because I love garlic [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img], and the portion was just the right size to really prolong your appetite rather than filling you up so early on in the meal. This was the last course with white wine and of course the heaviest of the whites (which I usually dislike) but again it was so good I wanted to write down the name so I could buy a bottle later.
Fifth course - Veal Sweetbreads with Roasted Turnips, Cippollini Onions & Lacinato Kale with Barolo
I was a little freaked out about the sweetbreads just because "thymus gland" doesn't sound too appetizing, but this course was wonderful as well. The sweetbreads were baked into some sort of cake, or patty, which seemed like a mixture of many ingredients and flavors. I enjoyed the texture. This was atop the onions and kale which was DELICIOUS and reminded me of sauteed baby spinach. At this point I am still feeling hungry and looking forward to more food.
Sixth course - Braised Kobe Shortribs with Potato Puree & Crispy Fingerling Potatoes with Basel Cellars, Merriment 2002
Now THIS was the real treat. Served completely boneless, there were two piles of meat - one was bright pink and so tender you could cut it with your fork. The other was covered in the heavenly potato puree. Definitely the winning course, hands down.
Seventh course - Sweet Grass Dairy Fresh Goat's Milk Cheese with Savannah Tupelo Honeycomb Spiced Pecans
I love the combination of cheese and spiced pecans. It was a good pallet cleanser after the heavier meat courses.
Eighth course - Beignets with Warm Almond Milk
An amazing dessert, I would give anything to be able to recreate the almond milk.
Ninth course - Caramel Apple Cake with Apple Cream & Balsamic Sorbet with Chateau lafaurie-Peyraguey 2000
Every part of this dessert tasted great except the balsamic sorbet. It tasted like creamy vinegar to me. I think AEK liked it. Quite drunk at this point. The dessert wine was very sweet and almost seem syrupy if that is possible. I liked it but he didn't so I finished both of ours. Heh.
Of course after this they HAD to bring us a small plate of various cookies, pastries, chocolates, and toffees, which I personally enjoyed better than any of the desserts. Throughout the course of the meal we had two alternating servers who were very knowledgeable and friendly.
We also were entertained by the extremely flaming maître d', who, once we divulged that we live in the gay porn district in town, shared with us a story regarding expensive fur shawls and how they are only for "ladies and
queens" and gestured to indicate himself. It was hilarious.
Oh, and 2/3 through our meal another table came in, consisting of old, southern, good-ole-boy lawyers. Upon entrance one of them announced that he was "allergic to all seafood." Quickly after this another chimes in that he "doesn't eat the entrails of animals." Well, then why did you come to a prix fixe restaurant serving both, you idiots. Of course, they were accommodated.
I have been to a lot of upscale restaurants in Atlanta, San Francisco, SoCal, Boston, etc... and this takes the cake BY FAR.