From London to Atlanta: Freddy Money Puts a British Twist on Southern Hospitality

Defining Atlas on His Terms

Atlas marks Money’s first time running a fine dining restaurant with full creative authority, and he has crafted an experience that feels celebratory but comfortable, with warm service to balance the imposing dining room, defined by high vaulted ceilings, white tablecloths, and dark wood paneling. Even when surrounded by paintings by Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, Money wants guests to relax and enjoy, and his British classic rock playlist sets the tone. “All the creatives – chefs, artists, musicians – are fun eccentrics, so the environment should be a little bit of that as well.”

A wine service station with dozens of open bottles adds to the restaurant’s celebratory mood, and a series of finger food snacks hits the table immediately with a splash of champagne, including a cheeky smiley-face sandwich cookie that is Money’s savory foie gras-stuffed version of British Jammie Dodgers.

“I always like to open with a caviar dish for a sense of luxury,” Money says. “I like the second course to be vegetables because they are so versatile.” For winter, a rainbow mosaic of beets, radishes, endives, and edible flowers is a refined riff on the familiar beet and goat cheese salad. “I’m not drifting too far from what people know.”

Money has also been impressed with the fruit in Georgia, especially stone fruit and figs. “Everyone knows about Georgia peaches, but the best figs that I’ve ever had are coming out of Georgia,” he says. Brown turkey figs, tiger stripe figs, and many other varieties are available beginning in late summer.

While the menu changes seasonally and Money is often inspired by fleeting ingredients from farmers and foragers, one dish that has become a menu staple is his green eggs and ham. A soft-boiled egg glazed green with parsley gel is garnished with smoked potato mousseline, crispy ham, and morel mushroom sauce. “This is delicious real food with a simple whimsical twist,” Money says. “It’s real cooking without a thousand techniques.”

Money is also proud of his butchery skills. “In the U.K. we are experts with game meat,” he says. “There’s a lot of British nuance in the meat preparation.” Early in his career, he learned both seafood and meat butchery, and he loves working with whole venison, making bacon with the belly, pressing the shoulder, and cooking the filet à la minute over charcoal. “With British food you’ll often hear meat and two veg. And that’s a composed main course. For me, designing an entrée, if there aren’t vegetables on the plate, my brain can’t comprehend that.”