THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Dining Room Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Dining Room Restaurant Review:

THE DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, BUCKHEAD HAS CLOSED Chef Arnaud Berthelier comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead's Dining Room after a stiff international competition for the position vacated by Bruno Ménard, who, enticed by a magnificent offer, returned to Japan. Berthelier's dishes capture the lightness of being that squares with the requirements of a good tasting menu, which here runs through seven courses. Seasonal special menus could include, for instance, a white truffle menu. Berthelier certainly has the rigorous technique required of high-brow contemporary cooking down pat. But have all the flavors been thought through? An aromatic soup of sugar snap peas with perfect tiny gnocchi is fine for an opener, but the grace note of a cheese-topped toast bears down hard on the soup's flavors with a cheese that is entirely too strong for the intense silky soup. A cauliflower-filled scallop suffers from the same conflict of interests. But the veal loin, set aside a square of chickory-rubbed veal breast, stands tall as a star attraction. A creamy, almost frothy goat cheese is disciplined into a lovely shape for presentation, and the attached shavings of white truffle serve as a fine counterpoint. But the intense white truffle oil that anoints the dish overwhelms the cheese. On to dessert, and balance restores its hand to the dishes, with a melding of hazelnut and chocolate that serves as the perfect end-of-meal sweet. Technology and technique are mastered in this kitchen; it remains for a sense of balance in flavors to find a place at the table. The extensive wine list has been carefully crafted over time, and ranges through good values as well as pricier choices from all over the wine world. Restaurant manager Claude Guillaume and staff perform with art and warmth, crafting an experience that is correct but never stuffy.