Inside The Georgian Terrace Hotel, Livingston Restaurant and Bar gets a worthy redesign and a talented chef to take the kitchen in the right direction.

Let me begin by saying that I’ve never gone to a restaurant to revel in its interior design; I’m all about what’s on the plate. To me, evaluating the décor is like trying to pick out clothes for a woman–I don’t know (or care) what makes it look good, I just know when it works and when it doesn’t. But here I took notice, because in renovating the old Savoy restaurant at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, the designers at Puccini Group have brought structure and elegance to Livingston Restaurant and Bar, transforming a previously oversized, blasé and outdated space into a place with character.

Livingston emerges from its cocoon as a combination of what this historical landmark on Peachtree Street was 70 or so years ago–when the hotel hosted the premiere of Gone With The Wind–and what it should be today. A sophisticated setting of marble, metal and glass makes for a perfect pre-show dinner and a place to find a proper cocktail after the curtain closes. At the top of a curving white staircase, the upstairs area provides private dining options as well as lounge-like tables overlooking the main dining room.

The bar area is swanky without descending into snobbery; casual diners in jeans don’t seem out of place among cocktail-attired patrons having a nip before heading across the street to The Fox Theatre for Jersey Boys. My litmus test for a bar is twofold and may seem simple, but it definitely weeds out the pretenders: Prove you can build a classic cocktail, and make it as requested. I can honestly say my extra-dry gin martini (stirred) is among the best I’ve had in Atlanta, and it set the tone for things to come.

Gary Mennie is the executive chef and a man Atlanta gourmets should know by now. He spent 10 years at Canoe before opening the under-appreciated and recently shuttered steakhouse Taurus–a fine restaurant that likely suffered from its somewhat forgettable location. But Mennie’s skills in the kitchen cannot be overlooked. For the menu at Livingston, he chose a variety of proteins to accompany seasonal vegetables with a somewhat Southern influence.

A brief glance at the entrée section of the menu sealed my fate, and with condolences to the litany of furry protagonists from my early childhood fiction, I ordered the rabbit. Since it’s not a common menu item, I assumed there was a good reason Mennie decided to include it. As it turns out, the man makes one mean bunny. The Louisiana rabbit appears in two forms on the plate: The loin is wrapped in speck–a cured ham similar to prosciutto–which helps keep the otherwise extremely lean meat succulent; on the other side of the plate, sans speck, boneless, braised leg meat gets topped with a syrupy reduction. Presented with a potato purée and garlic “chips,” this is comfort food that, due to both the fluffiness of the purée and the leanness of the rabbit, won’t leave you feeling gorged–it’s perfectly suited for a summertime meal. An even lighter entrée was the fresh and flaky Atlantic halibut with red onion marmalade, a preparation that, although quite good, can’t top the rabbit.

As an accompaniment, I chose the Brussels sprout and sunchoke hash. Arriving at the table in an All-Clad saucepot, the presentation is playfully home style. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, taking on a hint of smokiness from rendered bacon. The grilled asparagus was a bright, emerald green with the requisite char marks and a pleasant amount of crunch.

I finished with a selection of desserts that included a true standout, the coconut financier, which amounts to a re-interpretation of the classic American pineapple upside-down cake. The last course was paired with dry sherry following Assistant General Manager and Sommelier Othman Belkadi’s declaration, “I’m bringing sherry back–everybody does port with dessert.” I love port, but the balance between sherry and sugar was a fitting end to the meal.

Of course, it’s also an interesting start to the night.