Sunday, December 28, 2008
Food, In this Issue...

To Market you must go

A look at Market at the W

By Katie Kelly Bell

The W hotel and Jean-Georges Vongerichten seem to have chanced upon a very successful symbiosis. They open beautiful if slightly edgy hotels in Atlanta, and he brings culinary heft to the dining aspect. We’ve been enjoying Spice Market at the Midtown W location for well over a year. Now the Buckhead W makes its culinary debut with Market, a more mainstream concept (read: very little lemongrass on this menu) for JGV.

Located just across the street from yet another New York concept, Craft, this area of Peachtree has evolved into a premium wedge of the Big Apple. This corner is that last straight line you’ll see once you enter Market. Indeed, everything from the place mats to the walls is curvilinear. The atmosphere oozes harmony and style. Shapely walls are paneled in soft-toned wood with occasional amoeba-like shapes carved out and backlit in soothing tones of blue and salmon. Off-white banquettes, cream tables and chocolate brown carpet (with more wavy lines) finish out the room, which is rather small but feels open and fresh because of the two-story ceiling. “The designer was amazing,” says A.D. Allushi, manager of Market. “He wore a pink suit and pink shoes, and had a beautiful girlfriend. I thanked him for designing such a beautiful place for me to work in every day.” It’s a killer combination of a beautiful space and a crowd-pleasing menu.
At Market, Vongerichten turns his attention to simple fare with an emphasis on clean, pure flavors such as fresh herbs, truffles and citrus. During an interview, he points out that “Seventy percent of what I do is about great ingredients. You don’t have to do much to make things great if you start with high quality.”

His attention to quality shows in dishes such as spinach and ricotta ravioli, warm asparagus salad and warm goat cheese custard. The peekytoe crab cake over a celery root slaw is genius; the crunch of the slaw adds a nice balance to the pile of pure crab. It’s easily enough for two, and at $12, that’s a steal these days. But if you’re in the mood for sharing, you’d better order the black truffle pizza with fontina cheese. A gorgeous bubbly pizza crust is spread with a paste of back truffle and olive oil, and topped with a sprinkle of cheese. It’s finished with a handful of frisée dressed in a truffle vinaigrette. The earthy aroma of truffle is surprisingly not overpowering but rather just pitch-perfect; add in the crisp crust and the tang of the vinaigrette, and this pizza must surely be one of the most elegant pies in town.

Basil makes a grand entrance with my entree of red snapper. The basil sauce is so vivid that it fairly glows on my plate. Accented with a just-plucked-from-the-ocean saltiness, the fish is slowly steamed so each bite is utterly tender. I struggle to stave off the temptation to just lick it off the plate—if only because I want to avoid green lips for the remainder of my evening. (But if I were at home… .) Occasionally during the meal, a spicy kick or two sneaks up on us. For instance, on the snapper is a ribbon of cucumber that I stuff into my mouth. Expecting cooling freshness, I’m surprised to get pickled cucumber spiked with heat. Ask if you want to be sure about anything; Vongerichten likes to have fun with heat.

The menu is heavy on seafood (five choices) accented with some of Vongerichten’s signature style, such as the lobster with crispy potatoes and a Sriracha citrus emulsion or the steamed skate with chili tea. The short ribs are lacquered with intense flavor and a helping of honshimeji mushrooms (very cute, delicious little things). A rack of lamb gets a chili crust, and the tenderloin is served with pickled chilies. A simple Market burger with Russian dressing and crispy onions keeps the whole experience on the informal side. No need to bust the budget here.

Of course, dessert must include Vongerichten’s signature warm chocolate cake. The word is that JGV was readying to serve chocolate cake to a large party, pulled it out of the oven and the center was still soft. Making lemonade from lemons, he worked with the soft center, adding ice cream, and molten or warm chocolate cake was born.

Vongerichten notes that he strives “to make the first bite as interesting as the last.” I’d say he’s more than met his goal at Market. SP