Phipps Plaza in Buckhead has long been
known as a boujee place to shop with the super high-end stores but other than a
couple of restaurants that have stood the test of time, many, including most
recently a James Beard award-winning chef has come and gone, unable to deliver
the kind of experience that would be worth dealing with the mall traffic and
parking challenges.
The new Agency Restaurant & Bar seems ready for primetime and offers a lot of good reasons to make it a destination. First, Chef Jeffrey Gardner formerly of South City Kitchen, Alma Cocina and the East Cobb's Common Quarter is churning out some great sophisticated comfort food dishes like "Atlanta"-inspired crispy duck wings with lemon pepper wet sauce, BLT sliders with griddled pork belly, heirloom tomatoes, a double-stack burger with American cheese, Faroe Islands salmon with bunch spinach and shrimp and lobster spaghetti with roasted tomatoes, sofrito and basil. For dessert try the Georgia peach shortcake or lemon pot de crème with whipped cream and vanilla shortbread.
The restaurant feels like a total escape from
the mall-a mid-century modern design with lots of sofa seating and a roaring
fireplace. It is now open for lunch,
dinner and brunch on the weekends but at night it transforms into The Agency Socialthèque (social.tek) that
includes the restaurant and bar component of the location, and Socialthèque
Lounge which is seeking to become a staple in Buckhead nightlife scene with
live music and entertainment on the weekends.
And the thing that I really love is the parking.
Go down into the covered parking deck and find a spot as far toward Peachtree
Street as you can. There you will find
an exclusive elevator that takes you up directly into the restaurant, so you don't
have to schlepp a quarter mile to get there!
About Agency Socialthèque
Agency Socialthèque (social.tek), a Daniel
Reed Hospitality concept, is located at 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA
30326, in the front of Phipps Plaza. For additional information and
reservations, call 404-900-7799 or visit AgencyATL.com.
For more visit follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram