Sweetwater was one of Atlanta's first micro brewers founded by two college buddies back in the mid 1990's. Slowly expanding, they moved from their original production facility on Fulton Industrial Blvd, to their current, state of the art facility in midtown.

As with most breweries, Sweetwater offers tours of the brewery Wednesday through Saturday starting at 5:30pm. Again as most brew tours do, Sweetwater offers 8 samples with each ticket. This configuration has created one of the most popular happy hour destinations in Atlanta. Crowds pack in the entrance, fitted out to feel like a very hip bar in metro Atlanta, and belly up to the bar for the extensive array of Sweetwater brews.

For $8, you receive a souvenier Sweetwater glass and 8 tickets. Each ticket can be redeemed for a beer of your choice from the many tap stations behind the bar. Each station is staffed by several eager Sweetwater employees helping the lines move quickly. They only fill the 20oz glasses 2/3 full, but even with that amount, 8 servings will make most beer afficiandos very happy. Some nights the brewery has live bands and cooking/food demonstrations. The night of our visit Publix was there handing out relatively nothing. With kegged beer only, the crowd looked one semester removed from the college frat scene. This was an excellent way to support the local business, enjoy an inexpensive happy hour ($8 won't even buy one martini in most buckhead establishments), and mingle with the young and the beautiful. You might even learn something about the brew business !

Atlanta is extremely fortunate to have the chef duo of Anne Quatrano, and Clifford Harrison. This husband/wife team have given Atlanta some of it's best food destinations. They also combine an unrelenting pursuit of all things local; being one of the first chefs in the country to use their own farm just south of Atlanta to supply their flagship restaurant Bacchanalia and provision market, Star. Star, is an everyday market allowing the average diner to purchase arguably the finest list of ingredients in the Southeast. Bacchanalia on the other hand, consistently rated and voted the #1 restaurant in Atlanta, is a fine dining destination ideal for any special occassion.

Relocating on the westside of Midtown back in the late 1990's, Bacchanalia set the stage for what is now considered a full fledged neighborhood with eateries, shopping, and residential. Housed in an old supply warehouse, the interior is stark and minimalist. Entering through the market, the hostess greets you by name and the occassion specific salutation. With just a few free standing tables, the majority of the restaurants seating is along a beautiful banquet running the length of the rear wall. The bar area is backed by a glass wall showing the entire kitchen and staff with 8 bar stools that stayed ghostly empty.

On the night of our visit we saw owner and chef, Ms. Quatrano, expiditing food from the kitchen. We always like to see the proprietor on premise - shows committment to the concept. The rest of the staff were exceptional as well. Cocktails came mere minutes after ordering and were mixed perfectly and measured generously. With no bar customers to tend, the bartender did not have much volume to maintain and therefore had plenty of time to manage the dining room's orders.

And then there is the food. Using seasonal products, the menu changes accordingly and is designed to be ordered prix - fixe (priced fixed) for $75. Wine  pairings are also available for each course and priced separately. One of the best things about Bacchanalia is that you can also order all items separately. This is the same of the wine pairings - order one glass, or each recommended pairing - whatever suits your tastes. The staff is very knowledgeable, and will mix and match food items and wine choices to your specific desires all with an unpretentious approach that is refreshingly unexpected in this type of setting.

Bacchanalia must have first dibs when it comes to the food chain in Atlanta. No other restaurant seems to get the most perfect cut of fish, meat, or cheese that Star/Bacchanalia seems to procur. The Ahi tuna appetizer was so fresh and buttery that it only needed a crispy pickled radish slice to accompany. The kuomoto oysters were briny and cold, topped with beluga caviar. Again simplicity reigned supreme, with the food being the star of the show.

TFL has eaten at restaurants from NYC to Paris to Rome, and Bacchanalia delivers one of the finest meals anywhere. The tasting of locally raised heritage pork was umami heaven. Creamy stone ground grits served as a base for grilled pork tenderloin, house made andouille sausage, and braised belly. The sausage was smoky and spicy with a creamy texture never before experienced in a standard nitrate filled andouille. The tenderloin was clean in flavor, and with light seasoning. The belly was bliss - smoky bacon flavored with mouth melting crackling skin. Enjoying each bite of protein with a spoonful of cheesy grits was by far the highlight of the meal.

The repeating theme of a meal at Bacchanalia is quality. The finest ingredients are sourced as regionally as possible and there is no tolerance of inferior products. The menu will be changed before integrity is relented. The lamb chops were the perfect example of locally raised minimally processed food. With very little gamey flavor, cooked to perfection, and again lightly seasoned - this was one of the best lamb preparations every sampled. Pure and clean lamb with little fat or greasy aftertaste.

With everything being prepared in house including the charcuterie and all baked goods, Bacchanalia delivers on every bite. The bread and deserts are phenomenal - and also available every day through Star Provisions. TFL usually singles out the top five items not to be missed at each specific restaurant. Unfortunately this time, every item sampled was worthy of the top five. When you have the privilege of dining in a restaurant of this caliber, one should trust the vision of the proprietors and follow one's preferences. Sometimes prix fixe menus are conceived to maximize profits; at Bacchanalia the menu is designed based on balance of taste, flavor, and satisfaction. Like driving the finest built automobile, a meal at Bacchanalia will transport you to a higher level of satiation.

In the end, this is truly a restaurant for that special occassion. Flawless from start to finish, Bacchanalia serves ethical food that should only be enjoyed on occassion. Rich and luxurious, the meal hits on all tastes without experiencing gluttony.

TFL Ranking 4.8 out of 5 Stars.

Some might think there has been a recent glut of burger joints to descend upon Atlanta. While TFL certainly agrees, getting a quality burger and excellent fries is not so easy. For some reason beyond us, we have Five Guys being the fastest growing franchise of 2009. We now have Doty's Yeah Burger looming, celebrity fave Flip, and Sweet Auburn's anamoly Grindhouse. We have yet to sample Doty's burger, hyped out over Flip, and a huge fan of Grindhouse - but still believing Houston's to be the best burger in Atlanta. 

Into the burger madness enters Farm Burger, sister enterprise from Athen's Farm 255. Localist and sustainalist (is there such a word?), Farm 255's proprietors, much like are own Bacchanalia, take the farm to table organization seriously. Owning and operating a couple of local farms, Farm's owners provide the majority of beef, pork, and produce to their growing restaurant group. 

At TFL, we like to eat the best available. When we shop, we buy what looks best, not what we saw on TV yesterday. Burgers are no different. Locally sourced makes a huge difference in the burger wars. Once you have had freshly ground beef, cooked immediately, other burgers begin to resemble hockey pucks or worse. Farm Burger recognizes this as well; their house temp appears to be a nice warm medium rare (pic). Most other burger joints smash and flatten leaving no temp opportunity other than well done. This is what truly makes Farm Burger's product superior to most, and comparable to our benchmark - Houston's.

And then there are the fries. For us, the fries are the lynchpin of the Burger restaurant. We don't really care how they are prepared, we simply want, in order of importance, Hot, Crispy, Seasoned, Creamy Centers, and served to maintain all of the above. We have yet to discover fries that compare to McDonalds except at the rare occasion when all the necessary steps are taken to deliver the exceptional french fry. Unfortunately, Farm Burger is no different. Offering fries, sweet potato, and onion rings - Farm Burger appears to not cook to order, and the end result is apparent. Soggy, luke warm, and sparingly seasoned - we hardly saw any parmesan cheese on our order, FB's fries need some work.

At the end of the day, the burger at Farm Burger is one of Atlanta's best. The sides may need some work, but serving tall boy Miller's (the Champagne of beers) and Abita Root Beer, Farm Burger is here to stay and clearly an industry leader.

TFL Overall Rating:  4.1 out of 5 Stars.