Macon Magazine

58 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 Visit guide.michelin.com for the full 45-restaurant lineup. Click through the links for reservations. When you go, share a photo with the hashtag #MaconMagMichelin so we can find your photo for Faces. Southern hospitalit y ain't done yet The dizzying array of great chefs is worth the occasional trip north to check out every food story nestled in the guide. The achievement proves this region can stand up to the best culinary minds in the world. As Phillips puts it, "Atlanta has really stepped up its game." Many ATL foodies have mused that Michelin's arrival will inspire the food and beverage community to accelerate its development – for a given restaurant to make the guide next year, or to turn one star into two. But this moment in time may be best captured by Hsu, whose upbringing means Atlanta food is in his blood. For him, Southern cooking is not a flavor, it's a feeling, one that Maconites can relate to: "It's a feeling that you can impart onto the guests while they dine and once they leave. And for me, that's Southern hospitality. How do you make them feel? You make them feel like part of your family." ABOVE Co-owners and chefs Aaron Phillips and Ron Hsu take a relaxed atmosphere to fine dining at Lazy Betty. At right, a dish from their tasting menu. Photos by Andrew Thomas Lee and courtesy of Lazy Betty. L az y Bett y If you're looking for newer digs, try Lazy Betty, owned by chef partners Aaron Phillips and Ron Hsu, former colleagues at the lauded Le Bernardin. Hsu is an Atlanta native who grew up working in his mother's kitchen, Hunan Village. She was Lazy Betty's namesake. Phillips is an innovative New York- trained transplant who thought Atlanta's food scene was "on the precipice of greatness" when he moved, he shared. If you catch the duo's last dinner in their Candler Park location, they're serving up a special Valentine's Day meal before moving to Midtown, precisely five years after their Valentine's Day 2019 opening. "We're doing a lot of old classic dishes to commemorate the beginning, the end, and the transition," Hsu enthused. Lazy Betty wants each plate and beverage pairing to send a message. "We are not thinking, oh, let's try to be French, or Asian, or whatever. At the end of the day, how are we putting our own spin on it, and does it hit the mark? Is it better than the last dish? If it's not, then there's no point in putting it on the menu," Hsu said. The atmosphere is meant to feel unstuffy – no dress code or white tablecloths here. Phillips adds, "When I talk at lineup, I say, 'it's very simple. It's what they eat, it's what they drink, and how we treat 'em.' What I'll be very proud about is, it's a known thing that the Lazy Betty staff as a whole, both front and back of house, work together better than anybody else in the city."

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