Sun Dial Restaurant Bar & View Review

It’s the stuff romantics live for as sight and ambiance trump whatever’s left of taste at the Sun Dial’s Bar.
by Meredith Ellis

          At 723 feet, I experienced the best kiss of my life with a block of white cheese. And similar to most spectacular kisses it’s not really about the taste. It involves a combination of things.
          And seduction came first.
          This isn’t my first date with the Sun Dial Restaurant Bar &View on top of the Westin Peachtree Plaza. So I’ll forgo the formalities and go straight to the bar, which is entirely separate from the restaurant. Roughly 35 feet above the main restaurant, the bar feels like another world.
          The appetizer arrived at the low wooden table, neatly circled with fresh grapes and strawberries. An assortment of cheese rested dominantly in the center with toasted crackers sprinkled with light garlic. The large plate carried a variety of visual delights with oranges, reds, greens and yellows jumping out of the chocolate-colored lacquer dinnerware. The smooth textures of the various cheeses clung delightfully to my mouth as they left a subtle taste behind.
          By the time I finished my appetizer, the floor I dined on rotated one full circle and Atlanta’s beautiful array of glass and lights seemed to reach the edges of our table through the restaurant’s large windows. So what makes the Sun Dial so seductive?
          Maybe it’s the Mose Davis Trio lacing our souls with smooth jazz. Their classical sound smothers the air like the restaurant’s sweet Soy sauce over their peppery chicken. Perhaps it’s the metro-Atlanta and surrounding areas sparkling with lights like fireflies trapped in interweaving black webs. The lights delight your eyes even more than the seasoning on the five spice chicken wings. But whatever it is, the ambiance and view contributes immensely.
          To be honest, without it the restaurant would be only average. Most of the dishes at the bar are middling at best. The food is mildly satisfying but the martinis are richly blended to perfection. The Georgia Peach is a divine concoction of peach schnapps with orange juice and Absolut Mandarin while the French Cosmopolitan boasts a smooth Grey Goose Vodka with Cointreau and cranberry juice. The Peach costs a decent $9.50 while the cosmo reaches $10.25.The bar has an $8 minimum.

Sun Dial Restaurant Bar & View

210 Peachtree St.

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 589-7506

www.sundialrestaurant.com