Hotel restaurants never caught on as a dining option for local Atlantans. However, that may change once Tiny Lou’s from the Charleston-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group (O-Ku, Donetto, Colletta, Oak Steakhouse) opens on the bottom floor of the iconic Hotel Clermont on Ponce de Leon Avenue later this spring.
The Hotel Clermont began its life along Ponce in 1924 and has been everything from a motor lodge to apartments before it fell into disrepair and was nearly razed in the late aughts. Its most infamous tenant is the Clermont Lounge—one of Atlanta’s oldest strip clubs—which resides in the basement of the building. The 94-room boutique hotel is currently finishing its multi-million dollar renovation, but its new restaurant may open before the first overnight guests even step foot inside the lobby.
Tiny Lou’s name is inspired by a popular dancer from the 1950s who performed at the hotel’s Gypsy Room and was said to have been “the girl who refused to dance with Hitler.” The restaurant serves classic French dishes such as steak frites, escargot, foie gras, and trout almondine finessed with fresh and familiar Southern flavors and ingredients.
Chef Jeb Aldrich (formerly 4th and Swift, Noble Fin) serves as Tiny Lou’s executive chef alongside director of restaurants Nick Hassiotis (Foundation Social Eatery). The pair developed the food menus for Tiny Lou’s, the hotel’s sleek cocktail bar, and the rooftop bar and patio, serving bites like hot dogs and crepes. Bar manager Jordan Moore created the cocktail menu for the lobby bar. The restaurant, lobby bar, and rooftop (open late nights) will all be accessible to the public.
Take a look at some of the dishes featured on the menu at Tiny Lou’s.
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The menu for Tiny Lou’s at the Hotel Clermont:
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Tiny Lou’s, 789 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta. tinylous.com.