A few weeks ago, my guest & I were invited to a media sneak peek dinner at 5Church's newest location in the heart of Midtown Atlanta's Colony Square (a HUGE thank you & shoutout go to the sensational ML+A and 5Church teams). Since opening the doors of their first location in Charlotte, NC in 2012, 5Church has made some big waves in the restaurant game since then, opening a second location in Charleston, SC and their third latest & greatest location here in Atlanta, GA (okay, I may be a little biased because I'm a born & raised ATLien!). If you've read previous reviews of their two restaurants in the Carolinas, then you'll most likely uncover the fact that 5Church has made a name for and established themselves in the communities they serve with their ambrosial menu options, captivating environment and atmosphere and world class service. At the helm of the Atlanta kitchen is Executive Chef RJ Cooper, a Detroit native and graduate of the acclaimed Culinary School at Kendall College in Chicago. With years of experience in the restaurant industry, Chef Cooper has worked in and led the kitchens at notable restaurants from coast to coast including The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta, GA, Le Bernardin in New York City, Brasserie Le Coze in Miami, Florida and New Heights Restaurant and Vidalia Restaurant in Washington, DC just to name a few. In 2006, Chef Cooper received a Star Chefs Rising Star Award and then in 2007, won the James Beard Award for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef. If ya'll have never heard of this award, then I'll just put it in layman's terms---it's a pretty DANG big deal! To be nominated for such an award is already a huge honor, but to win one is an even BIGGER deal! If the restaurant industry had their version of the Olympics, the James Beard Foundation Awards would easily be it! From Chef Cooper's progressive style and innovative culinary approach to his creation of signature dishes incorporating both locally and seasonally inspired ingredients with a hint of French cooking fundamentals tossed in, he's got what it takes to hold down the kitchen & lead his team on the path to success! So after months of following updates on their social media sites and more, I knew this was one event where I absolutely had to beat the rush hour traffic and the crowds because I just couldn't contain my excitement any longer!
Let's get started:
☆5Church Side View
☆Exterior
☆Entrance
☆Main Dining Room
☆Dining Room
☆Bar Area
☆Grand Opening Celebration Cake
☆Preview Menu
☆Viper Cocktail (Patron silver, orange liqueur, lime juice, cucumber water, cayenne pepper)
☆Freshly Baked Breads and Spread (Rosemary focaccia, cornbread & sweet onion spread)
☆Cave Aged Cheddar Agnolotti (Sweet peas, lord's country ham, black pepper): I've yet to meet a carb I didn't like! This is especially true for pasta that's made by hand with plenty of love! The cheddar agnolotti here is seriously no joke! The agnolotti itself is cooked al dente with plenty of cheese oozing out from its little pockets, while the creamy carbonara-like sauce made with sweet peas, country's ham and topped with breadcrumbs could easily be our key to world peace, which we could certainly use a lot of these days! The various flavors (sweet-peas; savory-ham) and textures (soft-pasta; crispy-breadcrumbs) meshed together quite magically if I may say so myself!
☆Pastrami Cured Hamachi (Red mole, radishes, finger limes, corn nuts): It's probably no surprise by now that I absolutely adore seafood, particularly when served raw. Hamachi easily ranks up there as one of my top 3 favorite types of raw fish simply because of its versatility. Whether it's turned into poke, ceviche or some other way, adding the slightest ingredients brings out its freshness. So when I saw the pastrami cured hamachi, I knew nothing could go wrong! I love pastrami and I love hamachi-it's the best of both worlds & boy was I right! The moment you bite into the hamachi, a taste reminiscent of pastrami fills the air. Notes of garlic, allspice, coriander, black pepper and more slowly start to shine through. The savory mole sauce and tangy lime flavors help to mellow down and balance out the smokiness of the hamachi, allowing you to appreciate all of the various spices used in the curing process itself.
☆Prime "60 Second" NY Strip Steak (Fingerling potatoes, J-1 sauce): While I didn't get the chance to sample this dish since I typically prefer my steaks to be cooked at a medium or medium well, my sister was simply blown away by how perfectly this beautiful strip steak was grilled. All of the steaks she eats are either medium rare or medium, so I knew without a doubt, she'd jump on this the moment it arrived at our table! When asked how she'd describe the steak, she exclaimed "MOUTHWATERING!" Then when asked to elaborate, she stated that the steak itself was incredibly juicy, tender and paired well with the homemade J-1 sauce. By the looks of her clean plate, I believed every word.
☆Smoked Pekin Duck (Confit, cabbage pancake, duck egg, spicy plum sauce): I'll admit, when I originally saw Peking Duck on the menu, I was a bit hesitant since I grew up eating the delectable dish ever since I was in diapers. No steamed bun or Chinese pancakes----what?! I was so intrigued with the description of the dish that I knew immediately I couldn't pass it up! To my surprise, their take on this popular Chinese staple blew me out of the water! The cabbage pancake underneath, while different from what I'm typically used to, was absolutely delicious! It was crispy on both sides, so full of flavor and reminded me of an Okonomiyaki (Japanese style savory pancake) the moment I took my first bite. This worked surprisingly well with the succulent duck confit as the tender meat & slightly crispy skin added some great textures and notes of smokiness to the overall dish-I loved every single bite!
☆Peanut Butter and Jelly (Peanut butter mousse, feutillitine, milk chocolate, muscadine grape jelly, peanuts): Take everything you loved about a classic PB&J growing up as a child & add some adult flair to it and BAM, you've got 5Church's take on the ever so popular peanut butter and jelly! Silky peanut butter mousse, crispy feutillitine base, rich chocolate ganache and crunchy peanut toppings, this dessert has seriously got it goin' on! It's the perfect balance between sweet and savory and with most of the dessert being mousse-based, it's much more light and airy than it is dense and heavy!
☆Duck Fat Beignets (Burnt orange-rye caramel sauce): Served warm & fresh out the deep fryer, these perfectly round and poppable bites have easily given Café du Monde a run for its money! Crisp golden exterior followed by a soft, chewy interior, the powdered sugar & orange rye caramel sauce take it to the next level and add just the perfect touch of sweetness in every bite!
If you've been paying attention up to this point and/or have checked out any of the photos above, then the next step you should immediately be doing is making a reservation to this new Midtown hot spot ASAP! Without a doubt, 5Church played all of their cards right & pulled out all the stops to make this such an extraordinary preview dinner for its guest! Every team member, from the servers and bartenders to the chefs and owners, were on their A-games and cranking out handcrafted cocktails and elegantly plated dishes like clockwork. From the moment we stepped out of our vehicle at their complimentary valet stop and entered the restaurant through the revolving doors, we were immediately greeted by one of the many friendly hostesses right by the entrance. Since we had arrived a little earlier than expected since we decided to play it safe with Atlanta traffic, my sister & I got to chit chat with the lovely Morgan and Emily from ML+A while we waited for our table. As soon as the team was ready for us, we took our seats & glanced through the menu, essentially "oohing and aahing" at each and every menu item we saw. Within a few minutes or so of being seated, our server, Hack (from 5Church's Charlotte location), immediately welcomed us and took our drink orders as we continued to gaze through the menu. When he brought each of us back a signature Viper cocktail, he then proceeded to guide us through, in detail, the entire menu and made several recommendations of dishes in each course based on those that he personally enjoyed and those that were the most popular amongst their diners. With his help, all of the items that he suggested just happened to go hand-in-hand with the items that already caught our attention from the moment we sat down, so we went ahead and placed our order. As each course arrived at our table straight from the kitchen, Hack did an impeccable job with the timing and transitioning of our meal because we never once felt rushed & truly felt as if all eyes and focus were on us, which in reality wasn't the case since all of the other surrounding tables next to and behind us were slowly being occupied by the dozen. It's safe to say that throughout our dining experience, Hack was genuinely friendly, courteous and went above and beyond to make our night absolutely phenomenal! We honestly could not have asked for a better evening filled with mouthwatering food, remarkable service & to-die-for atmosphere, it really doesn't get any better than that, especially on a Thursday night! Moving onto the decor, the sophisticated yet modern and edgy feel of the restaurant's exterior in addition to its unique, eye opening interior is unlike one I've ever seen before. 5Church's black ceiling depicts the entire manuscript of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu in bold white lettering hand-painted by artist Jon Norris, which took a span of nearly four months to complete. In addition, the "neo-Victorian" inspired decor featuring black leather banquettes and furnishings, inventive light fixtures and artworks created by popular local artists including William Massey and J.D. Koth adorns the walls here in all of their shining glory. While I could legitimately gush over the decor here over the span of several posts alone because I'm just that absolutely head over heels in love with it (trust me, no one's forcing me to say this), 5Church is worth checking out by itself because no other restaurant in Atlanta can come close to comparison in terms of the detail and attention that went solely into the decor here. So whether you're meeting up with your closest gal pals (or fellow gents) over their vast selection of wines and handcrafted cocktails, grabbing dinner with your friends and family or are simply a food enthusiast wanting to check out the latest and greatest Atlanta has to offer, then 5Church is the answer! And you'll probably be happy to know that 5Church is working on opening for lunch & brunch soon, too-so keep your eyes out for that as well! Just one last note before wrapping up, I just wanted to thank the entire ML+A and 5Church teams, especially Hack, for inviting my guest & I ate for a spectacular evening! We loved every minute of our dinner and can't wait to rock & represent our fun 5Church branded New Era caps! Until next time, 5Church-I'll be back again soon!
Have a wonderful day,
-Sandy
FTC: Although this was a media event and my meal was comped, I will always provide an honest review & experience of the restaurant
If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere {at} gmail {dot} com-Thanks!
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