French American Brasserie

This restaurant is located in the heart of Atlanta, and you have to pay for parking. Additionally, the servers and other staff members are very attentive. Although, my waiter told me he doesn’t read English, he knew the menu items well because he was French. I thought it was kind of funny when he said he couldn’t read English because I didn’t expect that.
The restaurant offers a diverse taste of French cuisine. The venue has a large wine list, and other types of alcohol. The Mussels under appetizers are really good. The white wine sauce used for this dish is very well done. There is a nice balance with wine, and it’s not bitter and very flavorful. The sauce used with the mussels makes you want to dip your bread in them over and over. The soups are pretty good here too and worth trying.
The entrees are very well portioned, and very well done. Do not expect to get portions like the Olive Garden because this is not your Olive Garden. When I say portions are good, it means, they are portioned like how they are supposed to be in Europe. Except for the mussels. The mussels can feed 4 people as an appetizer. The fish si really good here, and so is the pasta.
Dessert is really good. The desserts that I had such as the crème burlee was not too sweet or burnt. It was executed very well.
Overall, it’s a nice restaurant if you are looking for a good French experience. This is a place where you should take your hot match dot com dates to impress the heck out of. Make sure you’re ready to shell out some cash for your date! Do not take your blind dates here because you could be wasting a lot of your time and resources.

I had the pleasure of dining here for my boyfriends company dinner this evening.
What I loved most about FAB was the ambience of the restaurant. Very romantic feel to it and I think it’d be a great place for a date. :)
We ordered the French onion soup, filet mignon and tried both the crème brûlée and chocolate soufflé with hazelnut ice cream. These items were on the private dining menu so I am not sure if they have it on the regular menu.
So to start off — my boyfriend ordered the French onion soup which was delish. Very different from the usual dark brothy soups you get at other restaurants such as Fridays or Outback. It was creamy and slightly sweet. I ordered the caesar salad which I did not care for. You can definitely find better caesar salads elsewhere.
Filet mignon was so tender and juicy. Cooked perfectly. It was plated with potatoes and string beans which also complimented the dish well. Seasoned well too.
For the desserts, I preferred the chocolate soufflé over the crème brûlée but that’s just my personal preference. However, I will add that the crème brûlée was one of the best I’ve ever tried. :). The chocolate soufflé was moist and had warm chocolate inside of the cake. It wasn’t overpoweringly sweet which I loved. The hazelnut ice cream was good, but not sure if it was something I’d go crazy over. But it did have bits of hazelnut in it which made it unique.
Overall, I’d definitely go back and would recommend it to anyone for a nice and quiet romantic evening. The service was wonderful too.

FAB is really beautiful large space downtown. Two floors and a rooftop. Upon entering you will see fresh seafood on ice with a large bar area wrapping around the center of the first floor. We were quickly seated and soon after greeted by our server.
The menu has been revamped to a simple more budget friendly page. A little bit of everything and not overwhelming as sometimes French menus can be especially for French food novices.
We picked two soups. They came out in generous sized crocks. French onion soup was untraditionally delicious. It has a creamy texture with subtle on garnish makes it easy to eat with company.
White bean soup with truffle oil and bacon garnish. Silky smooth and warm smokey flavor. As good as any white bean soup I’ve had and in many instances, better.
I was an escargot virgin until this night. The shells looked so beautiful in the bowl and I could smell the delicious buttery garlic bath they were resting in from 2 feet away. Nicely flavored and balanced. Sip a glass of chardonnay with this treat.
The cheese course was pleasant as far as the diary assortment but the accompaniments were not quite as well received. The spiced apricot jam was just too perfumey and the apple butter like dallop was not doing the cheeses any favors. My companion commented, and I agree, the table individual baguettes were more crust than soft bread and while I appreciate the personal sized loaves they missed the mark.
The entrees were nice. We selected the rabbit and steak frite salad. I didn’t taste the rabbit (I don’t eat bunny) but the steak was delicious despite it being left on the pass too long. It was almost cold. The flavor was beefy and rich. cooked perfectly and the herby garlic butter melting over it was divine. The potatoes had a delicious light flavor and the spicy salad brought it all together nicely. I’d absolutely order it again.
I ordered a napoleon dessert but the waiter got word it was my birthday so I got more than I asked for and I wasn’t complaining. A plethora of desserts the restaurant offers was presented. The diplomat cream in the napolean is divine. scented with cognac and complimented with berries, it is all things French.
Freshly fried donuts were another unexpected treat. Crisp warm and cozy tasting.
Without question, and it’s not on the menu (yet), was the french cheese tart with dulce de leche sauce. I was a little at loss for words each time I took a bite. It’s an exquisite creation by the chef. Crème brûlée is as good as any. I’d say any dessert you order after your meal won’t disappoint.
Service was excessive (but incredibly accomodating) to the point of annoyance but overall it was a really pleasant experience. 8 out of 10.

This place gets four stars for the rooftop dining experience. I had oysters and rabbit and the sunset, tasteful rooftop setting and champagne did the rest to make the dinner a very peaceful and delicious experience.
The service is impeccable — nearly too friendly for someone who lives in New York. I asked for the food to be brought out at a French pace — which means lots of breaks between courses. They were happy to comply, and the timing was perfect.
The rabbit was cooked just right — light and tender, without as much of a game taste that many rabbit dishes have. The vegetables could have been a bit more sophisticated, but that wasn’t really a huge problem.
The Mille Feuille was not amazing, pass on that one.

Lovely atmosphere, great service, decent food. I’m giving a full extra star for the ambiance and overall experience. None of the food wowed me, but the Berry Florentina was amazing. It’s smart to have a great pastry chef. The last thing you eat should be memorable.
When we arrived, they gave us a choice of downstairs or the roof terrace. The main floor is pure Paris and the rooftop, Miami. We were in the mood for France tonight.
At first, I was annoyed by the massive, bright TVs over the bar, until I got sucked into the vintage movie: fab were the costumes and cars. It was a mobster theme though, and watching guys get shot in a meat locker is not the most appealing thing to see while you are dining.
It’s great that they have reasonable wine offerings on the menu, but I think they could step it up a tad. On the bubbles side, the Veuve de Vernay Rose is a $ 9 bottle in grocery stores. They have a better option at Trader Joe’s in that price point. They also have a section for Burgandy. Slight typo, but fairly severe in a French place.
Our server was very warm and efficient, and not at all stuffy.
If I come back, it would be to have champagne and dessert.
Cheers~

On a recent downtown excursion, I stopped into FAB with my husband and a friend for a late lunch. It had been a while since I’d visited, and things are not quite as good as they were a few years ago. But it’s still a worthy destination, and there are excellent dishes on the menu.
I will always love the interior design. The place exudes old world French charm, and the service is professional and attentive. But unfortunately, the food has gotten a little sloppy. My husband was interested in the duck confit, and after our server agreed it was one of the best items on the menu, he happily ordered two legs. Alas, the server returned to the table and announced the duck wasn’t quite ready. It was in the oven, and would not be finished in time for lunch service. He made do with the lamb sandwich, which was filled with heaps of aromatic, delicious, juicy lamb and served with crispy frites and a side of mixed greens.
The mixed green salad, so quintessentially French when done right, was a disappointment all around. The dressing was under-​flavored and the greens were wilted and brown in places. My quiche Lorraine was beautifully cooked, but the pasty crust was tough and unyielding, not buttery and flaky as I’ve had on other occasions. And my friend’s skate wing, usually so consistently good, was over-​seasoned and extremely salty.
My early forays to FAB were excellent, and I had a wonderful Bastille Day prix fixe dinner several years ago. I was a huge fan of Brasserie Le Coze, in Lenox Square, and I followed the team to the new location downtown. But my recent meal was slightly disappointing, and since I have Atmosphere just up the road from home, that’s where I’ll likely be heading when the urge for moules frites hits.

I love the atmosphere, the impeccable service, attention to detail, and their oysters. Oh, kumamotos and malpeques, you delicious morsels. If you’re hesitating to order oysters here, just splurge and go for it. I just love eating oysters here.
Enough about the oysters, I should probably talk about the décor. It’s a place where you feel pampered, and you get pampered. My boyfriend and I ordered rose champagne for aperitifs, I believe it was Veuve de Vernay. I wanted a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose, but I don’t think they carried it. So we ordered a bottle of white (the name escapes me and I just stared at the wine menu, as I sampled three whites before deciding, I know it was under other whites, but definitely not a muscadet, or a dessert wine variety).
We ordered 4 malpeques, 4 blue pointe oysters, and 4 kumamotos to start. I already told you how much I love their oysters so I’ll leave it at that. I was tempted to order the seafood tower though as I stared at the glorious tower sitting at a table across from us.
For hors d’oeurves, we ordered moules mariniere as I’ve always searched for moules mariniere that would compare to the one I had at Bouchon, a Thomas Keller establishment. They were delicious, but alas, Thomas Keller won. I wanted more of the white wine and cream to penetrate the mussels.
For entrees, my boyfriend, Kungfu, had Pasta du Jour, which was a bouillabaisse sauce with bucatini (one of my favorite pastas), and I ordered confit de canard (duck confit). The Pasta du Jour was good, we wished for more of the bouillabaisse, and I think we both agreed ordering pasta at a French restaurant probably wasn’t the best idea even though he loves bouillabaisse. It was good, but not mouth-​watering.
The confit de canard was good, I didn’t understand why I had spaetzel at the bottom of my plate though. The duck was delicious and I thought very well executed. What I had for sides and dessert escape me as I went to FAB about a month or so ago. That says something though, usually I remember what I ate at certain restaurants if it was memorable, and I guess the sides and the dessert wasn’t very memorable at all.
I thought it was good, but not quite what I expected. I think I expected much more on the food, but the service, the attention to detail, and the oysters made up for it more than anything. Maybe we made some errors in judgment on the menu items (but confit de canard with spaetzel really threw me off), but I would want to go back to this place just to try their other entrees and hors d’oeurves.
Overall, a great place with great ambience, but still leaves something to be desired.

Loved the atmosphere, I had expected the higher prices and being less people because we went for an afternoon rest and refresh after seeing this DEAD town (except at the major tourist attractions).
The FAB were out of the salmon bite appetizers but the artichoke spread was awesome. My house cab was a little old but I’m not snob enough to care. The waiter was attentive without being burdensome. I’d check out dinner if I get a chance.
I was more surprised how dead the streets of Atlanta seem to be on a workday. The traffic doesn’t match the lack of street usage and lack of pedestrians, especially during the abnormally mild May temperatures. One would think this town would be rocking.

This place is really beautiful inside. I felt like a 1940’s movie star. The service is great too, and the food is really good. We were greeted by warm and delicious bread rolls and butter. We then shared the charcuterie plate and ordered the scallops and the duck as our main courses. Everything was excellent except my scallops were too salty (and I love salt. I put anchovies on everything). But everything else was delicious.
One really unique thing about this place is that they didn’t push you to order. The service was attentive, that’s for sure, but they weren’t on top of you all night. You were allowed to take your time and relax. When we ordered our main courses, the waiter didn’t ask us if we wanted any sides. He trusted that if we wanted sides, we’d ask for them. Same with dessert — we were given dessert menus at the end of our meal but the waiter didn’t try to sell us on having dessert. I really appreciated this and it made for a very relaxing dining experience.
French American Brasserie is a must-​visit restaurant when you are in the downtown Atlanta area.

I went here for French onion soup and it was good but different. Carmalized onions in a creamy bisque with cheese melted in it. Besides that my steak was just ok.

There was a time when French American Brasserie was one of the most talked about restaurants in town. But, based on my recent visit, it’s lost some of its luster.
I was surprised there were so few people there on a Friday night. But, it was the first weekend after Valentine’s Day so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
We started with two appetizers, the assiette de frommage and the crab cake. Four small squares of cheese were presented, and when I say small, I’m talking about an inch by inch square, including rind on three of them. The four included cheese made from goat’s milk, sheep’s milk and cow’s milk, plus a bleu cheese. Everything, from the décor to the music to the very real French accents of the staff, screams French. Interesting then, that they would serve a bleu cheese from Wisconsin. Delicious as it was, it didn’t make much sense. The cheeses were accompanied by a dab of fig purée and anise flavored raisin compote. Perhaps the best part was the cranberry bread that came with the cheese.
I ignored the waiter’s suggestion of the white bean soup with truffle oil for my next course. I’ve tried it before and it was superb, but I was in the mood to explore a little and opted for the creamy onion soup. It tasted like French onion soup, but had a creamy base instead of the dark broth base of French onion soup. Not what I was expecting, but a nice soup.
The waiter informed us the chef was out of the Mediterranean sea bass and the rack of lamb. So, I opted for the Duck Confit. Oops, we’re out of that, too. What? On a menu of 11 entrees, you’re out of ¹⁄₃ of your menu? It wasn’t because of a big crowd thronging the restaurant either — I doubt there were 20 people in the restaurant that Friday night. So, I took the easy way out and got the skate wings with brown butter sauce, the signature dish that put F.A.B. on the map. It was an enjoyable, generous portion with crispy edges, although a tad overcooked, and not the flaky, fork tender fish I was expecting. Uninteresting bland spinach and halved new potatoes came along for the ride. A clove of garlic thrown in with the spinach while it cooked would have helped.
We wrapped up by sharing a generous portion of crème brûlée.
When a restaurant is not busy and out of so many entrees, it’s a red flag that something is amiss. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something felt wrong. Are they about to close? Are they struggling to attract a crowd like other fine dining restaurants? Is competition from the newer Bistro Niko in Buckhead doing them in? Time will tell.
My meal was good, but not the spectacular experience I’ve had previously. Service was as good as, or better than, most restaurants, but based on previous experience it has slipped. F.A.B. seems to have lost their edge.

This is a great place for a date. The service here is impeccably stupendous. Ate a pre-​set menu of ham & egg brioche, trout or rib shank, and finished off with a mousse… paired with Ta-​Dah! a bottle of champagne.
Our waiter was very attentive in keeping us toasted with our champagne. The red peppercorns on the brioche were overpowering (blah!)-I had to immediately avoid eating those. The trout was delicious with skin on which was paired with yummy polenta/​gnocchi bites and mushrooms. The rib shank was good, could’ve been more tender and the mash was a bit too salty. It was a lot of food, but I really wasn’t so enthused about taking it home, as I forgot the leftovers at my boo’s house. Comme-​ci Comme ca, too much hype over the food.
Great ambience, three stories of fine dining, and please heed the warning signs of holding on to the railing while scaling to the bathroom. I would love to come back to check out the patio scene and possibly try other entrees.
Valet parking available for $ 5 (2011)

First off, Happy New Year!!! Okay now then… back to FAB. After mulling over several restaurant choices… we finally decided FAB would be our NYE 2011 cuisine for the night. Because of ATL traffic, we arrived about 15 mins after our reservation time; however, we were pleasantly greeted by the host. We asked for a «scenic view» in our OpenTable instructions, and our needs were definitely accommodated.
I looove the atmosphere here… simplistic elegance. Plus…
I’m a sucker for hardwood floors… eh…what can I say lol. Moving on though…
Our server was extremely courteous and very attentive. We were going to try the prix fixe menu, but because we’d already eaten… we decided to try just a few items. I had the buttery wedge salad and the macaroni gratin. Small items… but can we say YUmmY! He had the steak and truffle potato purée. I didn’t try any of his food… but he made a «happy plate» so I’m guessing it was pretty good…
We will definitely be coming back to FAB… next time… in the Spring/​Summer months. I’m sure the rooftop is going to be FABulous. That was corny huh? okay… forget i said that.

The two dishes I wanted weren’t part of the $ 25 Downtown Restaurant Week Menu: white bean truffle oil soup and duck confit. Knowing the price of those two dishes together was less than $ 25 and knowing I shouldn’t order dessert anyway (and honestly, also knowing my friends would let me taste a few bites of theirs), the decision was very easy :) We had two people in our party order the white bean & duck confit, and two people ordered from the DTRW menu.
WHITE BEAN TRUFFLE OIL SOUP — $ 7
Wow, very tasty and very rich soup. Honestly I think just half the serving would be plenty for me but my friend loved hers so much she finished the entire bowl (and the portion was generous) :) I’m not a big soup person, esp. during the summer, but based on my friend’s opinion and several Unilocalers raving about it, definitely don’t miss out if you like soup. I’d definitely order this soup during cold weather.
CREAMY ONION SOUP — $ 7
Appearance looked very similar to the white bean but it definitely had a diff. flavor. My friend really enjoyed his soup.
DUCK CONFIT — $ 15
I got the dish w/​just 1 leg and it was plenty! I was also amazed by the variety of side dishes that come w/​the duck. First the duck — the flavors were great. I know the skin is bad for me but I loved the crispy skin :) It also came w/​garlic jus that had great flavor, too. But honestly the best food on my plate were the haricot verts — I’m thinking they probably cooked them in duck fat b/​c the flavor was just amazing, slightly smoky, and even slightly sweet. The glazed carrots were also good, garlic frites were pretty good, and wasn’t a huge fan of the two onion bulbs (but they looked good on the plate). As my dish cooled down, the duck did taste a little on the salty side but didn’t bother me b/​c of the sides that went with it.
NORTH CAROLINA TROUT «ARMADINE»
This dish was on the DTRW menu, and came w/​green beans, almonds, tomato, brown butter, and bayonne. While I thought the duck confit had more flavor, my friend thought her dish was the best. The trout did taste very good.
HANGAR STEAK «BISTRO»
This dish was also on the DTRW menu, and came w/​carmelized onions & garlic frites. My friend thought this was the best hangar steak he’d ever had. I tried it and thought it was kinda chewy but I guess hangar steaks are that way. I still liked my duck confit better :)
WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE
Wow — probably one of the best chocolate lava cakes I’d ever had. Yum. Balsamic chocolate syrup, hazelnut ice cream, & a strawberry. Perfect finish to our meal. Thankful too for friends who share :)
Restaurant was packed on Saturday night — who knows, maybe most of the crowd was there for DTRW. I’d definitely like to try their rooftop dining next time — great spot for special occasions. I’d also like to try their other desserts — they have a great dessert selection.
FYI — $ 5 valet parking is located in their parking garage on the W. Peachtree side of their restaurant.

Attention Unilocal: This is a hybrid review. a) for F.A.B. itself and b) for the party attended that night (First Friday June 4, 2010)
F.A.B. Itself — Get’s a B The set up inside is pretty nice. I like the layout when you first walk in and the fact there are some seating outside for a nice sunny day. The bartenders can make decent drinks so not too shabby with that. Location is in heart of downtown and easy to find. Parking right behind the building is ample — cool. The food was good with average service… The place gets a B
First Friday party — a Strong D — The best thing about this was paying in advance for $ 10. Other than that, I felt like raising a hell storm sorta like Madea. Why? I didn’t come out to watch motherf*ckers look at each other all nigiht. It’s a party! Dance, socialize. Get out of your circles and mingle with people. Parties in Atlanta aren’t what they use to be, it has lost its swag and ultimate purpose.
Overall grade when combining the two: C–

We ate here on a Tuesday night and the atmosphere was relaxed and the service attentive but not overbearing. We opted to begin with martini’s and a wonderful olive tapenade before moving to the soup. I got the creamy French onion, which was good, but my friend had the white bean with truffle oil and it was fantastic. I instantly wished I had chosen that instead.
For dinner I chose the duck confit and it was out of this world!!! I can not recommend this dish enough. My friend got the poulet rouge and it was good, but not as good as the duck.
Be forewarned: the portions are gigantic, something I’m unaccustomed to in French restaurants. I’m a big guy and I couldn’t eat even half of my dinner. Fortunately, it tasted just as good when I had the rest the next day.
All in all, a wonderful experience. We will definitely be back.

Solid, solid, solid. Very nice place indeed. The room is beautiful, with careful decorations and a warm, comfortable feel. When you walk in, you immediately feel like you are going to have a good meal. There is a nice bar by the entrance. The seating is arranged so that you have a feeling of a small restaurant just about everywhere, despite the large size of the room.
The food is awesome. The menu is basically traditional french with an American accent. The skate wing is excellent. The wine list is definitely expensive, but this is not a cheap restaurant.
Definitely worth it for a nice evening out.

The waiter drew a strange math related-​food-​equation on the outside of my to go box.. . something representing the food inside. I didn’t get it. But I for sure did the ‘smile and nod’ anyways. A connection between pi & the quiche that was inside the box. Thank goodness my coworker I was eating with didn’t get it either. But, of course, being the fine gentleman he is, he likewise did the smile and nod.
I had been outside of FAB before, but this was my first trip inside and it was way more grandiose than what I was expecting. I did indeed want to bust out some of my 11^th grade ‘Bonjours’ from French class and snap my fingers to ask for more Perrier. But I held back. Can’t have my coworker on his first visit to Atlanta thinking I’m all crazy.
We had the Ahi tuna carpaccio and Soy Marinated Lamb Tenderloin to start. Tres magnifique! «Oui! Oui!» says my palate! And as entrée, I went with the Quiche Lorraine, and was a less hungry person for it. Also veerrryy good.
You can sit in many, many areas.. there’s a rooftop (only open at certain times from what it looks like), a patio, a main dining room, another dining room up the stairs and what looks to be a room used for private dining. They are also open for lunch, so makes a good call if you work downtown or have meetings in the area. Light entrees and sandwiches run about $ 8.50 — $ 12, with the other entrees running from $ 14 — $ 30. For sure a reason to head downtown to try out your Francais!

The acronym for this place is so apt — FAB is exactly that (and if you know me, you know I use the word sparingly). Everything about this place screams, «I’m a rock star, and I know it.» Maybe it’s the cavernous open dining space with high ceilings. Maybe it’s the giant circular quasi-​sports bar with the large screen TVs. Or maybe it’s the attentive, entertaining service. It might just be some combination of all of the above at an extremely reasonable price point. Whatever it is, can we import one of these joints to the D Sizzle, pretty please?
My favorite HOTLanta CM was sweet enough to pick me up from the airport and bring me straight here after an early morning flight (well, we took the scenic route around most of Midtown/​Downtown to find it, but eventually arrived at our destination after almost giving up — tenacity pays off!). What a treat for lunch! Apparently quite the local businesspeople destination, everyone else seemed to be wearing business casual, so I felt nominally under-​dressed in shorts and a polo, but no one batted an eyelash. I’m classy like that.
Although everything on the menu sounded ridiculously good, we ended up settling on two appetizers to share, and an entrée each. Oddly enough, the apps (~$ 12) ran significantly more expensive than the lunch meals (~$ 9). one could easily come and drop a little over $ 10 for a sandwich plate and be completely stuffed — and it’s a steal for what you get!
The tuna carpaccio came with little rounds of crunchy crostini and a huge lemon half, which was all the extra flavor needed to top off this mildly salted fish. The natural pesce-​flavor was ideal. I thought that the lamb tenderloin was the star of the starters, though. Deliciously seared on the outside, but tender and pink inside, this incredibly well-​seasoned meat paired perfectly against the fresh crunchiness of the cucumber slices and sweet diced tomatoes.
My croque monsieur with emmenthal was absolute decadence. Who knew a grilled ham and cheese sandwich could be this amazing? Not only was there cheese –in– the sandwich, there was gooey melted cheese all over the top of the sandwich, too… yum! Served with a heaping mound of crunchy fries and a small side of lightly dressed salad, my lunch platter would have been plenty of food even without the incredible appetizers. Mysteriously, everything on my plate vanished. And –this– is why I have a personal trainer.
I don’t know if the ATL is known for its food, but this joint definitely has me wishing I could visit y’all’s city more often. For anyone heading down to this neighborhood, I can’t say enough great things about lunch at FAB.

Downtown Restaurant Week gives me an excuse to try all those places that I know I should but that I haven’t gotten around to yet. I should have passed on this one. It’s nice enough, but I don’t really feel that I got my money worth.
Honestly, I believe I chose poorly from the menu. I got the white bean soup, the sauteed skate wing, and the sorbet assortment. In hindsight, I should have gone with the salad and steak (at least by the look of those dishes and the comments and faces of the other diners).
The soup was very rich and starchy — almost too much so. The crutons and green onions were much needed to add texture and flavor — to balance out the starchy richness.
I should have read your review, Melissa S, you’re exactly right about the skate. They should have called it fried salted chewy skate with salty sauce and salty spinach. I asked everyone at the table who had it, and they all agreed.
Fortunately, the sorbet was excellent. The lemon was a little too tart to be eaten with the raspberry and orange, but each was delicious.
The service was decent, particularly considering that it was a group, but nothing exceptional, particularly considering it was restaurant week and we all had one of the same three choices.
Bottom line — not so FAB.