Atlanta - May 16, 2006

There’s No Place Like Ecco

Ecco Restaurant Opens

If Dorothy had landed in Atlanta, Kansas might have had to wait.

Like us, she’d be taken with Ecco, opening tonight at the old Atlanta Fencing Club building.

With chef Micah Willix (formerly of Fort Lauderdale’s Seasons 52, also rumored to be opening in Atlanta later this month) you won’t need a poppy field to convince you to linger. His Old World menu of meats and cheeses (goat cheese with honey and spiced ham), appetizers (fried duck eggs with truffles and potatoes), and late-night offerings three nights a week (grilled squid, crab-stuffed heirloom tomatoes, and crushed olive plates) should do the trick.

The decor mixes high and low elements: White linen-covered and oversize walnut tables, an open kitchen, a wood-burning oven, and stainless steel accents all add to the otherworldly vibe.

Somehow, we don’t think the lion, tiger, and bear sightings will be missed.

And just think: We still are in Midtown, Dorothy.

Ecco, 40 Seventh Street, at Cypress Street, Midtown (404-347-9555 or fifthgroup.com).