Selig’s Culinary-Driven Hotel Stuns in Midtown

Selig Enterprises is to Midtown like cats to cream … recognized for its 1105 West Peachtree 80-acre, mixed use project, including the Southeast headquarters for Google, 40 West 12th luxury residences, sizable law firm Smith Gambrell & Russell, all adjacent to Atlanta’s first Epicurean Hotel, a 178-key, full service, culinary-driven hotel concept operating under the Marriott Autograph Collection.

Steve Selig was the overarching developer and is a partner in the hotel. In addition to business meeting spaces and ballrooms for mitzvahs, this writer ventured out for an overnight to experience just what an immersive, culinary-forward experience Epicurean could offer.

The Epicurean brand is a collaboration between Mainsail Lodging & Development and the legendary Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, founded in 1956 by Jewish husband-and-wife restaurateurs Bern and Gert Laxer. Bern’s Steak House is world-renowned for its food, and extensive wine cellar featuring 500,000 bottles.

Epicurean Atlanta has more than 11,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor adaptable function space, accommodating from 10 to 140 attendees. Hotel amenities include the Sky Terrace with sweeping ninth-floor views and events lawn, and the innovative Epicurean Theatre where guests can watch and learn from a lineup of chefs, winemakers, mixologists, and artists.

To earn its moniker, Epicurean Atlanta features three restaurants and bars:
1: Reverence is named for its respect for the beauty and flavor of nature’s ingredients. It’s located in the hotel lobby, exposing a show kitchen which is all the rage — displaying the culinary team at work. With a street-side outdoor patio, Reverence serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, with weekly specials like Wine Down Wednesday.

What we sampled:
Beet It! Salad ($13) beet gel, roasted beets, frisee, baby kale, Chioggia (heirloom candy cane-striped beet), herb soil (a modern whimsical touch using edible ingredients to mimic the look of soil)
Romanseco Steak ($20) white bean puree, red chimichurri, harissa roasted carrots, beet gastrique (our night subbed broccoli)
Brussel Sprouts ($14) sweet chili, crispy rice paper, crispy shallot. Small plate
Calabrian Striped Bass ($24) not small – but enough for a meal; Calabrian tomato bisque, parsnip puree, parsnip chips, pickled mushrooms lent a zingy touch. Calabria is the boot region in Italy bordered by the Ionian Sea.

Large Plate
Farro Rissotto ($38) trout, Swiss chard, herb oil, smoked trout roe, Espelette pepper (mild heat from the Basque area of France).

2: Closed during our autumn visit, Aerial Kitchen & Bar, which has an urban garden with poolside and skyline views, is atop the ninth-level Sky Terrace. Alfresco dining with Latin American-influenced food and drinks is open seasonally with private poolside cabana service.

3: The Office Bar is for collaborative lunches, happy hour cocktails, casual business meetings, and dinner dates. The setting transitions from midweek business professionals to upscale sports bar for weekend fans. The menu has shareable small plates, handhelds, and fresh salads, inventive cocktails, local craft beers, a monthly zero-proof cocktail, and a large whiskey list.

To further develop its theme, on each floor across from the elevator is a “cork” wall named after a variety of wine. This writer’s room overlooked the resort-style, zero-edge entry pool with luxury cabanas surrounded by lush greenery with partial views of the skyline.

A unique amenity is the Epicurean Theatre, 1,780-square-foot theatre equipped with a state-of-the-art kitchen providing the ultimate platform for culinary discovery. The immersive space features multiple 86” LED TVs with space to accommodate 45. The cutting-edge venue also acts as a customizable event space offering teleconferencing, hybrid meeting capabilities, and hands-on classes for up to 20 where food, wine, and art are the stars.

This writer attended a Hillel event which began outdoors in the garden and segued into the ballroom with full A/V support. Grand Cru Ballroom has 3,096 square feet (divisible by two) and would suit a mitzvah event.

The hotel also features six indoor meeting rooms, four of which can be transformed into hospitality suites. All hotel outlets and venues are available for private events.

Think back to George Bernard Shaw’s adage, “There is no love more sincere than the love of food.”

For more information, please call 470-283-2000 or visit EpicureanHotelAtlanta.com.