Recently opened at the Modera Buckhead, Lucian Books and Wine is the clever creation of Cover Books founder Katie Barringer and former Cakes and Ale and Bread and Butterfly sommelier Jordan Smelt.
The name is an homage to Barringer’s favorite artist, Lucian Freud. The shop side of the corner space is lined with tall shelves that display books on art, architecture, music, food and wine. And a library ladder serves a dual purpose, making the wine shelves around the bar more easily accessible.
Smelt’s sophisticated bar program features over 300 wines, plus aperitifs, digestifs and classic cocktails. Executive chef Brian Hendrickson — who worked with Smelt as chef de cuisine at Cakes and Ale, before taking a job as chef de cuisine at Ninety Acres in New Jersey — designed the concise, but classic bistro menu, offering dinner service Tuesdays-Saturdays, and lunch Thursdays-Saturdays.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
“Brian, who has been a good friend of ours for years, was who we wanted,” Barringer said. “It took a little bit of coaxing to get him back to Atlanta, but his food is beautiful, and it is so wine-friendly. It is simple, yet flavorful. We say it’s smart wines, beautiful books, and thoughtful food. And it is.”
Lindsay Miller and Ed Seiber of Seiber Design guided Barringer and Smelt though the design and build-out. But the couple had been thinking about opening a concept that focused on books and wine for a long time — going back to a holiday pop-up at Cakes and Ale, dubbed Wine Stop Shop, where customers could buy books off the bar, and order wine by the glass.
“I would say it’s been a good five years in the making,” Smelt said. “I think we knew early on that we wanted to collaborate on something together. Our creative areas align very well. And our vision and the things that we love align very well.”
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
“We’re both very visual people so we’d been thinking about the aesthetics for a very long time,” Barringer said. “It was a beautiful collaboration with Seiber Design because Jordan and I are fairly particular people, and we had a very specific vision, and they got it, and even surprised us with some really beautiful details.”
Hendrickson explained that he designed the menu at Lucian to balance the acidic nature of wine with other flavors.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
“The menu starts with some snacks, and goes into some smaller plates you can share, and then it goes into some composed larger dishes, and finally a cheese plate, and a couple of desserts,” he said. “Everything is just simple, clean, with nothing crazy, or too complicated. It’s familiar flavors for everyone.”
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Recent items include speck, schiacciata, and artichokes a la grecque; a Gem lettuce salad with fava beans and ricotta salata; black bass with kohlrabi and mushroom broth; roast duck with chanterelles and corn; ricotta gnudi sauteed with oyster mushrooms and truffle beurre monté; and a Pearson’s peach panna cotta.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
“The menu is seasonal, obviously, and I think just keeping it simple is doing it right,” Hendrickson said. “I’m over fancy food. We make it pretty. But there are no more than four or five ingredients on a plate. And we want to make sure everything goes great with the wine.”
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
While Hendrickson strives to make food that’s elemental and beautiful, Barringer and Smelt don’t want Lucian to be seen as a casual place. And they’ve made service a priority.
“We sought to build something nice,” Smelt said. “We felt like the dining experience in the city had swung very casual for about a decade. We thought maybe we can try to do something a little bit elevated.
“Our favorite restaurants are all small restaurants, and we always said we wanted to do something bistro size — a true neighborhood wine bar and bistro. We’re 40 seats total. Nine tables, a seven-seat bar, and that’s it.”
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Asked how people had been navigating the triple nature of the concept, from wine bar, to bistro, to bookstore, Barringer and Smelt smiled and looked at each other.
“It’s been really wonderful to see how many people come in for food and wine, and then after looking at the bookshelves during their meal, they end up on that side, and take home books,” she said. “I’ve missed that since closing Cover. And I’ve missed that during COVID.”
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
“Whether it’s books, wine or food, there’s nothing like helping someone discover something that they didn’t know was out there, and when they love it, there’s no better feeling,” Smelt said. “I think that’s really the essence of what we’re trying to do here.”
DINING OUT
3005 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-549-2655, lucianbooksandwine.com.
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Dinner: 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.
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