Connoisseurs of mineral water will find friends at this museum restaurant.
At Elise, the High Museum's restaurant, chef Craig Richards of Lyla Lila elegantly fills a void at the Woodruff Arts Center.
The first thing that strikes you upon entering Elise is its eye-catching artistic décor, with velvety shades of pink, green, and red. The ambiance evokes a natural transition from the art of the High Museum, enhanced by a refreshing vermouth and tonic.
Craig Richards brings the sophistication of Lyla Lila to the museum public, with wine, saffron vermouth and fresh pasta.
The $16 Master of Light cocktail combines arak, a Levantine liqueur made from anise seeds, with saffron-infused vermouth. It tastes similar to a cardamom barfi. The saffron lends a vibrant yellow color and floral notes, while the arak enhances the flavor with herbal undertones. The $39 tagliatelle with rabbit ragu showcases the freshness of the pasta in the kitchen.
In the elegant dining room, several people in black turtlenecks converse in hushed tones, while a gray-haired woman in a leopard-print coat sits by the window. The two spacious dining rooms cater to both groups and intimate dinners. With an espresso or a yuzu tonic in hand, the atmosphere invites people-watching.
The drinks menu includes a selection of mineral waters. Wossa water, from Austria, costs $24 and tastes like wet stones. It's best to shake it and smell it, as you would with wine, to perceive floral and mineral aromas.