In Elise, Atlanta Finally Has the World Class Museum Restaurant It’s Always Deserved
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Every world class city deserves a beautiful museum with an equally beautiful restaurant to dine in and in Elise, Atlanta finally has one. The creation of Craig Richards, who also owns Lyla Lila, Elise technically resides in the Woodruff Arts Center which also houses the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance Theatre, and Refuge Coffee.
“I’ve always been a big fan of the space itself and the architecture and design. I ate there when Sean Doty was an opening chef in 2005,” Richards says, who felt compelled to open Elise when the space sat vacant for two years. “I think it’s an iconic space in the city, and I always felt like it deserved a great restaurant.” It was a natural fit for Richards, who patronizes the symphony and has also worked with the High Museum over the years through their wine auction.
The name is a nod to Beethoven’s “Für Elise”, a song that Richards learned how to play on the piano as a kid. “I just felt like it sounded beautiful, and it’s easy to remember and pronounce,” he says. “It has an elegant sound to it, an elegant feel to it. I just feel like it really worked for the space.”
The original restaurant, Table 1280, was designed by the renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano and was a minimalist work of art in its own right. Piano is perhaps best known for his work on modern masterpieces like the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Shard in London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. In 1999, Piano designed the High Museum’s expansion which doubled the museum’s size and showcased his modern sensibility, including light scoops in the roof that amplify natural light. As a result, the restaurant has an “art gallery feel,” says Richards, who worked with local firm Smith Hanes Studio to refresh the space.
Of course, Richards looks to put his own art on the plates. Here’s what you can expect at Elise.
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Richards’ vision breathes new life into the space.
Richards wanted to honor Piano’s original design while giving the space a new life. Working with designer Smith Hanes, he “introduced some color, while maintaining the simplicity of the space and the clean lines,” says Richards. The bar seating area is “an exploration of red,” says Richards, including its relatives like fuchsia and pink. A lush green fills the main dining room, a reflection of the trees lining the courtyard just outside.
The cuisine will lean towards seafood cookery.
While Richards is best known for his iteration of Italian fare at Lyla Lila, his menu at Elise will be more seafood-forward. “I’ve been joking that it’s more butter than olive oil. I think it draws inspiration from French and Italian cuisine, those coastal cuisines, but there’s nothing traditional really on the menu, either,” says Richards. “At the end of the day, it’s my food, and we really have tried to differentiate it from Lyla Lila.”
Dishes to look out for on the opening á la carte menu include scallop curd with melon and bronze fennel, chicken liver mousse with strawberry hibiscus jam, and charred Persian cucumbers with pistachio chili butter. Pasta still shines on the menu with four options including linguine with clams and langoustines and tagliatelle with rabbit ragu.
With cocktails, six is the magic number.
When describing the cocktail menu, Richards says that it leans on the classics but also reflects what’s in season. Beverage director Eric Potrikus, formerly of Marcel, will offer a menu of six staple cocktails — including a “killer martini,” says Richards. There’s also a vermouth menu with six expressions to be enjoyed at the start of the meal.
A tasting menu is coming soon — so is lunch.
Elise is opening with an á la carte menu, but in the coming weeks guests can partake in a tasting menu, too. When the five-course tasting menu ($95) debuts soon, it’ll be at dedicated chef’s tables. “I think that tasting menu will share the same spirit as our á la carte menu, but it’ll also give us an opportunity to try out some new things and maybe some different techniques and different ingredients,” says Richards. Lunch is coming in the next six to eight weeks for those who want to extend their museum visits.
It’s worth visiting for the art alone.
If you’re going to open a restaurant adjacent to an art museum, you have to have art worthy of the space, right? Richards took that to heart and installed three pieces by local artists befitting the space. He purchased a piece from Athens-based artist Chrissy Reed, known for her abstracts called “Blobbies” while Atlanta-based artist Sonya Yong James created a sculptural wall hanging of horsehair for the entrance. In the dining room, a stunning 34 x 10 abstracted painted by Tommy Taylor sets a whimsical backdrop for the room. “They built the frame and everything, and he painted it here in the space. It took him about a month, and it was really fantastic to watch happen,” says Richards. “It’s already become kind of the centerpiece of the restaurant for sure.”
Elise is open and accepting reservations now.
Lia Picard is a lifestyle writer who has called Atlanta home for more than a decade. She writes about food, travel, and design for publications like the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Atlanta magazine. When Lia’s not writing, she can be found on an Atlanta adventure with her husband and daughter. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
