Your New-Old Favorite Restaurant

For the past 15 years, Van Gogh’s has been a standard on the short list of North Fulton’s finest dining destinations. So when owners Christopher and Michelle Sedgwick decided to transform their flagship restaurant (other restaurants in the Sedgwick family include Vinny’s and Aspens), it may have left many long-time patrons curious about the change. The good news is that Bistro VG is more evolution than change, a solid and organic transformation into what could easily become your new favorite restaurant (or your new-old favorite restaurant as the case may be).

Signs of the Bistro’s new soul greet you within inches of the front door. The whitewashed walls and subtle lighting lend the space an aged European ambience, but there’s a distinct urban-organic vibe at play here as well. As was the case in Van Gogh’s, local art plays a major role in the wall decorations. The bar and lounge area, with its glass-tiled fireplace and prominent wood fire oven, are inviting and comfortable, the perfect place to unwind or simply meet with friends. The antique linens used throughout the restaurant add an unexpected layer of texture to the already striking décor.

Our meal began with a striking salad layered with paper thin slivers of celeriac, crisp green apple, and fragile shards of ricotta salata. Delicate fennel fronds and sprigs of flat leaf parsley reinforced the salad’s fresh edge, making us wonder if the ingredients even paused in the kitchen on their way in from some secret garden. Another salad with butter lettuce echoed this sensation of ultra-fresh with a light, but tart, Pommery mustard vinaigrette. In both preparations, the salad dressings were polite but assertive, enhancing the natural freshness of the ingredients rather than masking them.

The menu sports a collection of “Small Plates” that range from grilled lamb to calamari, from chicken livers to ratatouille. The skewered lamb tips were   perfectly charred with a warm, pink, meaty center and dressed with a light balsamic tomato concassé. An olivade of feta and tart black olives brought a smooth, Mediterranean touch that played nicely with the slight crunch of the kebab. Next, came a brandade, a comfort food not seen often in the States. Salt cod and potatoes form the base of this Old World classic, which is finished with melted Gruyere and served with toasted crostini…smooth yet substantial, unique yet comfortable. A glass of Hoegaarten on tap and a Small Plate or two would mark a perfect end to a long day of shopping or a casual meal at the end of day’s work.

The entrées at Bistro VG are largely French inspired with decidedly regional punctuation. The skate wing with butternut squash and spinach could dance toe to toe with any of New York’s current culinary hot spots. The fish was delicately moist under its thin, pan-seared crust and the spinach and squash were its perfect earthy counterparts…a subtle contrast of earth and sea. Gems from both land and sea can be found throughout the menu with such items as Kobe Beef Brisket with root vegetables, Diver Scallops with goat cheese-spinach risotto, and Roast Rack of Pork with caramelized apples and stone ground grits. The menu’s steak section should not be overlooked, and features a Sea Salt Crusted Bone-in Rib eye as well as a classic Filet Mignon.

The Bistro’s three main dining rooms are perfectly suited for large or small gatherings, and the tufted-leather walls of the intimate Lotus room would be the ideal setting for a special occasion. Whether you’re visiting the restaurant for a special occasion, an unforgettable meal, or simply to unwind at the fireplace with a Small Plate and a glass of wine, Bistro VG delivers with aplomb. The atmosphere that the Sedgwicks have created is an upscale-casual that makes both suits and blue jeans feel at home.

Bistro VG is located at 70 West Crossville Road in Roswell. For more information call 770.993.1156 or visit www.knowwheretogogh.com.  Hans Rueffert, food editor for North Fulton Living, is a self-proclaimed food freak. Raised upstairs above the Woodbridge Inn Restaurant in downtown Jasper, Georgia, he has spent his entire life with food—more than a dozen years as the Inn’s chef and now host of his own cooking show in north Georgia called “Hans Cooks the World.” In 2005, Hans was selected out of 10,000 applicants to be a finalist on the show “The Next Food Network Star” and finished third in that competition. He currently teaches classes at Whole Foods. Find out more at www.hanscooks.com. Photography by Jack Tuszynski.