After Much Ado, The Lawrence Opens Tonight

The wildly anticipated Midtown hotspot The Lawrence opens tonight after numerous exclusive prix fixe dinner parties. Spearheaded by Top FLR and The Sound Table Executive Chef Shane Devereux and former Rathbun’s Chef de Cuisine George Brooks, along with Dinner Party Atlanta Founder Patrick LaBouff, The Lawrence has attracted big names across the industry. Even Steven and Nick Carse of King of Pops fame are in on it.

Touted as a neighborhood restaurant with innovative American cuisine, The Lawrence is both intimate (warm woods) and social (communal tables and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Juniper Street). The menu features everything from crispy pig ear with fennel salt to trigger fish with potato, curry leaf, smoked tomato and aerated herbs. There’s also salt and pepper tofu with radish, cilantro and Serrano pepper, dry aged strip with Yukon gold, Vidalia bulb, dehydrated carrot and espagnole. For dessert, Thai tea crème brulee and golden raisin butter cake, well, take the cake.

On the beverage side, there’s a decent-sized wine and champagne list with options from both big and small producers, by the glass, half carafe and bottle. Beverage Director Erik Simpkins (formerly of Drinkshop) worked with T. Fable Jeon (The Beverage Network’s one of “10 Mixologists to Watch’") to create the list of handcrafted cocktails, many of which are gin-based. But until The Lawrence gets its liquor license, the restaurant is BYOB. However, Counter Culture Coffee and In Pursuit of Tea caffeinated drinks are available.