Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers" - Bar Margot at Four Seasons

This month Nikki and I visited Bar Margot at Four Seasons, my second visit and Nikki's first! A magical dining experience, evidenced by our three-hour stay!

Welcome back to our Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers", a monthly series by wanderlust ATLANTA and super-popular food Instagramer atlantafoodie! Our fourth stop on this 10-restaurant tour was Bar Margot at Four Seasons, on April 4th (See what we did there?), a place I hope more Atlantans will make a more frequent special occasion destination, and that visitors to Atlanta will treat themselves to.

What we believe is a unique spin on 'Top 10' lists, we're not counting down, but instead we're showcasing some of Atlanta's restaurants with numbers in their names! Some we've been to before and others will be a first-time experience. We're going to make all of them FUN!

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: @atlantafoodie

Nikki jokes that she's not the greatest driver, but somehow manages to beat me to nearly every destination when we're driving separately. I used to think I was traffic savvy, but now I wonder. We usually meet at the bar when we're on one of our "By the Numbers" outings, as we did this time.

Being a gin-girl, Nikki started with the Gin Margot, composed of Plymouth gin, lime cordial, amontillado sherry, tonic and Thai basil. She liked it! 

We'd arrived early so we enjoyed our time at the bar, delightfully entertained by the bartenders, our drinks, people watching, and stimulating conversation.

I love that Nikki and I seamlessly navigate morphing conversation topics. We go from cuisine to pop culture to philosophy to travel and back to cuisine in a most eloquent colloquy, of course filled with lots of laughs.   

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: @atlantafoodie

The complimentary bar snacks are fantastic! The bread flats and mixed nuts are crowned by the OMG-this-is-so-good beer cheese, featuring Samuel Adams cheese and cream cheese.

Since we had made great time getting to the restaurant, we enjoyed a leisurely stay at the bar, grateful for such delicious bar snacks, as well as the precision performance by the lady bartender who waited on us that evening. She makes Tom Cruise in Cocktail look like an amateur!

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I'd read about Bar Margot's partnership with Absolute Elyx. During the month leading up to the recent Earth Day, every purchase of this specialty cocktail, coupled with a posting and particular hashtag, resulted in a donation of a week's worth of water for someone in need via Water for People. Quite admirable.

The Royal Antidote--awesome name, by the way--has Absolut Elyx vodka, benedictine, sparkling wine, and pomegranate caviar. It's also a handsome libation.

I've had a long-time fascination with molecular gastronomy and love the dining experiences I've had that incorporated it, which haven't been often enough. But, I'd never before had a cocktail that used molecular gastronomy....but I did this night! 

Caviar is one thing--and I've enjoyed some of the best when visiting Moscow--but "pomegranate caviar", I'd never had. Great fun!

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Nina, the Supervisor that evening and a wholly delightful person, treated us to an order of the Crab Toast, composed with avocado coulis, rooftop garden herbs and radish. 

I'd heard about this dish, but hadn't tried it before. I've never really been a crab fan, but "Wow!", this dish is amazing...surprisingly light and refreshing with delightful flavors. We totally see why it's so popular at Bar Margot. 

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: @atlantafoodie

We were seated at a booth situated in the center of the restaurant, the perfect vantage point to observe everything happening in the restaurant--when we weren't totally fixated on the next dish about to capture our full attention. Our server, Rafaet (I think that was his name) was polite, professional, fun, and meticulously attended to our every need and want. Impressive, memorable service. 

I enjoyed a lovely sauvignon blanc with dinner and Nikki further explored the House Cocktails menu. When she ordered the Lady Victoria--composed of Hangar One vodka, lemon, cocchi americano, and rosemary--Rafaet told us that it and the Gin Margot were the two most popular cocktails on the menu, and standards for quite some time. Nikki evidently has a sense about these things!

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: @atlantafoodie

Nikki and I both highly recommend indulging in the Tasting Board, your choice of three each from the Cheese and Charcuterie menus, served with traditional garnishes. Bar Margot takes "traditional garnishes" to a whole other bountiful level! 

Everything on the board was delicious, but the star of the board--Nikki and I agree--was the Brillat Savarin, a triple crème French cow's milk cheese. It's silky, creamy, buttery, absolutely delicious and is followed by a "Yum!" or "Mmmmm!" after every bite. I want to say it's like brie on steroids, but it's really in a class all its own.

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

We were enjoying the Tasting Board as streams of sunset light etched their way across our table, so we took advantage of the opportunity to make a number of photos, as stealthily as possible, of course. 

We've enjoyed many conversations about photography lighting since starting "By the Numbers", as well as respective perspectives--you'll notice that the above photo is from the opposite side of the table from the one above it. 

I have a great time sorting through all the photos after a dining adventure--as does Nikki--reliving the dining experience. We both have histories in photography, but more on that another time. 

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: @atlantafoodie

While many restaurants have a "____ of the Day", Bar Margot offerings are so fresh that they're called a "____ of the Moment". Nikki enjoyed their Fish of the Moment, a branzino (we think...so sorry we didn't make notes this evening) in an amazing broth, mussels, and veggies topped with generous slices of grilled focaccia.

I mentioned earlier the rooftop garden greens. Bar Margot is a collaborative effort with Chef Ford Fry and Four Seasons Atlanta Executive Chef Robert Gerstenecker. Chef Robert, who I just found out is no longer with the restaurant, had maintained a chef's garden on the roof of the hotel from which he harvested greens for many of the restaurant's dishes, evidently a continuing practice. I love that!

I've never met Chef Ford Fry, but I have met Chef Robert on a number of occasions. He's an unassuming, pleasant and shyly charming person...and a magnificent chef! I've enjoyed his food at industry events, as well as at Park 75, the restaurant--across the atrium--at Four Seasons Atlanta.

I don't know who the new executive chef is, or will be, but General Manager Yvette Thomas-Henry says, "Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta is going through an evolution as we selectively align ourselves with people and brands that share our commitment to luxury, service and the local community." I can attest that they're on the right track!

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I had the Spicy Scallop Sugo, composed with scallions and toasted sesame. The flavors tickle the entirety of the tongue! 

Did you learn the "tongue map" when you were a kid? Have you unlearned that bogus myth? Great! Then you know when I say "entirety of the tongue" you know that its deliciousness fills your mouth, with the perfect amount of "kick"...a wholly amazing taste experience! 

Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers"
Bar Margot at Four Seasons | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Your wonderful experience at Bar Margot begins as soon as you pull up to the valet stand and increases as you ascend the broad grand staircase to Bar Margot. It's truly a special experience. 

Bar Margot at Four Seasons is situated in the heart of Atlanta's Arts District. A few of the nearby experiences include the High Museum of Art, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Design Atlanta, Rhodes Hall, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and Piedmont Park.

THINGS TO KNOW before going to Bar Margot at Four Seasons:

• A popular Internet search for Bar Margot is "Bar Margot dress code". I don't see a published dress code, but this is the Four Seasons, so I recommend resort, business or upscale casual attire. Just dress nice and then relax into your visit.
• Bar Margot will validate your valet ticket...so, what would have been $22 for parking is only $2. That's a sweet deal!
• Excellent for special occasions or just treating yourself!
• Bar Margot is in the heart of Midtown, close to a plethora of pre- or post-dining entertainment options.
• Bar Margot's "Late Nite" menu is as amazing as their lunch and dinner menus.

OF NOTE: Bar Margot's former award-winning mixologist, Joe Haywood, was so amazing--I'd read about him and had the pleasure of meeting him during a prior Bar Margot visit--is overseeing all bar operations, cocktail programs and events revolving around One-Ninety, the lobby bar at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore! The bartenders on our visit were amazing, too. Four Seasons obviously only engages superior cocktail talent.

Here's our planned Top 10 Atlanta Restaurants "By the Numbers", one per month in 2017:

ONE midtown kitchen
599 Dutch Valley Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

TWO urban licks
820 Ralph McGill Boulevard, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Local Three Kitchen & Bar
3290 Northside Parkway, NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

Bar Margot at Four Seasons
75 14th Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

5Church Atlanta
1197 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30361

Six Feet Under
437 Memorial Drive, SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Seven Lamps
3400 Around Lenox Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30326


Eight Sushi Lounge
930 Howell Mill Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Nine Mile Station
675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

10th & Piedmont
991 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Disclaimer: If you live in Atlanta or visit on a regular basis, you know how quickly the Atlanta restaurant scene can change. Our lineup is subject to change based on the Atlanta restaurant landscape over the first 10 months of 2017. Also, all opinions are our own and not at all influenced by the restaurant owners, staff or PR firms, whether we treated ourselves or were hosted by the said restaurant.

If you're enjoying this series, please follow:

atlantafoodie on Instagram
wanderlust ATLANTA on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Thank you for coming along on what we think will be a FUN food journey over 10 months in 2017. Our selection of restaurants is a subjective choice of what we think will be an exciting new way to experience Atlanta restaurants: "By the Numbers". Please, tell your friends and family what we're doing and invite them to also come along for the taste tour!

Atlanta Haas Four Seasons

At more than 15-feet tall each, Four Seasons—by American artist Philip Haas, inspired by 16th Century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo—is now on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden through October 2014.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I think I've mentioned before that I was in quite a few art classes when I was in school, before college. It's pretty amazing how much art I've seen as an adult that I'd only before seen in text books, including Four Seasons. 

Well, not the sculptures that are currently on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, but the Four Seasons paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Even as a kid I found them amusing and fascinating.

To now see Four Season, the 15-foot tall sculptures by Philip Haas, is wonderful. They're fantastic! You can see just how enormous they are in the photo above.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I've heard many, many visitors say, "Winter is my favorite," over the three or four times I've seen them already. I like him a lot as well. This is the kind of exhibit where you appreciate all the pieces, but will very likely have a favorite...they're so much fun!  

Speaking of fun, I hope you enjoyed the humor in this post's title, "Atlanta Haas Four Seasons"...I thought it was quite clever. Given our relatively short and mild winters—if you don't count the two crippling snow storms earlier this year—we do have four distinct seasons in Atlanta, it just seems sometimes that spring and fall are just as short as our winters.

I for one would rather have 90 degree weather than snow...I'm quite grateful for our short winters. I love the snow, I've even seen it snow in August when I lived in Wyoming, but being born in Florida, sunshine runs through my veins. I have a strong preference for warmer weather...one of the reason I moved back to Atlanta!

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

These guys have traveled the world! Including New York, Milan, and the Gardens of Versailles.

The sculptures are quite spectacular and I am glad to know that so many people have and are experiencing the joy of seeing these remarkable portrait sculptures.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I went to the Garden recently with my best friend Barry who told me that he had seen the Arcimboldo paintings in the Louvre while on a Paris vacation (photo below)...the same ones that I'd seen in textbooks decades before!

The photos of his vacation are phenomenal! And his recounting of the visit totally reinforced my having Paris at the top of my "places-to-visit" list.

Coincidentally, while we were scanning Barry's Paris photos in search of the Arcimboldo paintings, we ran across Bosio's Hercules Fighting Achelous Transformed Into a Snake, which we'd just seen at the High Museum of Art in November! He'd seen it before it came to the High, so for me, having not yet traveled to Paris, it was cool to see it in its home setting.

Four Seasons, Guiseppe Arcimboldo, Louvre | Photo: Barry Holland

To totally appreciate Haas' 21st Century Four Seasons, it helps to know a little more about Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Renaissance Four Seasons.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was the son of a painter. I'd always assumed that Four Seasons were the only portraits of their kind, but it turns out that Arcimboldo did others. At the time of the paintings, he came under scrutiny of other artists...they didn't consider the paintings "art". They were too "amusing".

Fortunately for us, the paintings survived and Arcimboldo is to this day a revered artist.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

While the portrait sculptures are phenomenal, I find the bases as fascinating as the faces. Each is fantastic, but I think I like the autumn base most. Who doesn't like a glorious glass of good wine? 

I've been on a number of winery tours, around the world, but I've not yet been on a multi-vineyard wine tour in Georgia. I hear good things about Georgia Wine Tours...which is on my list of things-to-do.

And I love that Winter features a humongous orange and lemon...it gives parents the opportunity to share with their kids that citrus is actually harvested in winter, even though we typically think of them as summer foods.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Details, details, details...

Don't be afraid to get close so you can really explore the sculptures, without violating the discernible boundaries of the exhibit, of course. Notice the details of each sculpture. The details of these, to me, are reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting...you can stare at it for hours and continually see something new.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The original Arcimboldo Four Seasons paintings are all profiles, as you can see in Barry's photograph earlier in this post. However, there was enough detail—even though the paintings are hardly excessive in size—for Haas to extrapolate great detail for the monumental 3D portrait sculptures, with little liberty taken.

There are small models of the sculptures (photo above) in the Fuqua Orchid Center. If you've not yet seen their 15-foot tall counterparts, they're an enticing prelude to the wonderment of the gigantic Haas sculptures.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

While you're in the Fuqua Orchid Center, be sure you visit all the display rooms and research areas. Even if you didn't pick up a map when you came in, you may not realize that there are distinct areas in the Orchid Center. 

There's the main 'exhibit' area immediately off the Fuqua Conservatory. Then there's the High Elevation Tropicals Display Room featuring plants and orchids  that grow 6,000 to 10,000 feet. And the main display room features plants and orchids that grow below 6,000 feet. There's also the art gallery (hallway), a classroom, and an orchid research center and orchid library. There's a LOT in the Center, actually! 

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I was sharing with you earlier the illustrious career of Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Among his experiences, he was a court portraitist of Maximilian II in Prague.

Look closely and you'll see an "M" in the base detail of Winter, believed to be an homage to Maximilian, who Arcimboldo worked for when the paintings were created.

Four Seasons, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Four Seasons is on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden now through October, in conjunction with Imaginary Worlds: A New Kingdom of Plant Giants. It's kind of cool that they're on display for three of the four seasons, but the Winter sculpture need not worry...it will get plenty of attention.

The kids are going to love these colorful sculptures, or if you prefer an adult evening out, perhaps enjoy a Cocktails in the Garden 'date night'! And may I recommend that if you go in the evening, get there early so you can see them in daylight, Garden's dramatic lighting, and moonlight.