“Marvelous things will start happening to you, fabulous, unbelievable things" at Georgia Boy in Atlanta
Georgia Boy-1043 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
Welcome to my first musing, a starting point for what I hope will be many more. And what better way to kick things off than by sharing, without exaggeration, the best tasting menu (The Fall Menu-2024) I’ve experienced to date. I’m not even sad it’s over. It started, happened, and ended—like a whirlwind romance, one that leaves you slightly melancholic but grateful simply to have encountered it. I’m talking, of course, about Georgia Boy in Atlanta, GA, a well-kept secret of the Southern Belle.
There’s something magical yet so real about Georgia Boy that defies a simple explanation.
Maybe it’s the Southern hospitality, maybe it’s Chef Joey Ward’s joyful, visionary approach to food, or maybe it’s the raw talent and passion of his team that shows up in every dish. Whatever it is, run, don’t walk, to Georgia Boy, because “Marvelous things will start happening to you, fabulous, unbelievable things—and you will never be miserable again in your life.”
Autumn Root Vegetables-Sour Cherry-Szechuan Peppercorn-Sweet Potato Foliage
This is what dining should be. This is what going out should be like.
The evening left an impression so deep, it took two days just to process it all. Chef Joey’s floral arrangements, the Roald Dahl references on the walls, and other delightful surprises I won’t spoil added layers to the entire evening. Even the lovely company of the other three couples we shared the night with (shoutout to Meredith!) contributed to that rare magic. Each dish drew out memories, invoking a deep nostalgia, like the exact moment in Edge of the Earth by The Beaches when the guitar solo kicks in (at the 1 minute 51 second mark) or the irresistible hook in Grandaddy’s A.M. 180 (both now on my playlist for your listening pleasure). It reminded me of popping in Flight of the Navigator on VHS every Friday after school when I was five.
And then, there was the food itself. If you ever find yourself handed a bowl of Chef Grants Banana Soup, don’t ask questions. Just try it. It's extraordinary. I’m in love with banana soup. And the hotdog ic..—well, some things are better left experienced than explained.
Cereal & Milk-Poached Lobster-Parsnip-Banana-Macadamia
At Georgia Boy, whimsy and mastery rule the menu. It’s living proof that “a little magic can take you a long way.” Just two days after my visit, Michelin recognized them for a second year in a row. Unsurprising, but deeply deserved. There is a video on Youtube of Jesse Lacey from the band Brand New covering the song 'Trailer Trash' by Modest Mouse and 3 min and 46 seconds into the song he ad -libs something. This meal resonated vibrantly with those words. Chef Ward and his team have set the bar high. I look forward to future culinary adventures, to bites that will move me and leave me in awe—but I already can’t wait to return to Georgia Boy one day.
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