At Lucian Books and Wine’s compact bar, sunlight catches Zalto stemware; fresh flowers sit nearby, and a rolling library ladder tracks a back wall of art books, cookbooks, and wine tomes.
Katie Barringer and Jordan Smelt, husband and wife, opened the Buckhead restaurant, wine bar, and bookstore at Modera Buckhead in 2021. Barringer’s shelves focus on art, design, food, and culture; Smelt’s cellar carries more than 450 wines by the bottle and 15 by the glass; executive chef Jason Paolini cooks to meet that program rather than sit beside it.
In 2025, the team earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nod for its ever-evolving program. Lucian remains a fixture on Eater’s Atlanta 38, and reservations for lunch and dinner are highly encouraged.
Why Lucian Books and Wine Holds Its Ground in Buckhead
Barringer and Smelt built Lucian around selection, not accumulation. A title has to earn its place; a bottle has to carry enough context for Paolini’s food; a dish has to hold its shape when the glass changes.
The room works because each discipline has a keeper. Books, wine, and cooking do not blur into a theme; they press against one another until the meal has a clear line.
The French Omelet Is the Bench Test
Paolini’s cult-favorite French omelet with caviar costs $35. The center stays gooey; caviar and crème fraîche provide the salt and fat, with no extra garnish pulling attention from the set.
Crispy-edged polenta bites with black truffle are $16. Order the $17 sparkling Verdicchio by Bisci from Marche, Italy, beside them; the wine cuts the fried richness.
Crispy fries come with a chef’s choice aioli, in versions such as horseradish or chile-spiced.
Jason Paolini’s Menu Works Beside the Glass
When white asparagus is in season, Lucian serves it with XO sauce and tarragon for $25, pulling the vegetable toward umami and herbs. A $21 skin-contact Gewürztraminer by Sons of Wine from Alsace, France, gives the plate grip rather than simple brightness.
The seasonal chicken, $39, comes glossed in oloroso sherry sauce, with tenderness and earthy richness at the center. Grouper with cassoulet beans, $45, moves from another direction: flaky fish supported by starch and depth underneath.
A rare $19 Burgundian Gamay by Domaine Didon can sit with either the chicken or the fish, keeping the meal in a lighter red-wine shape without losing structure.
The Cellar Keeps Moving
Lucian’s wine list is in its 30th iteration, built across classic regions and rising producers. Revision is part of the craft here: taste, cut, replace, then watch what survives service.
Half-glass pours are available on request, a useful measure in a room where the menu gives more than one route through the cellar.
Lucian hosts winemakers and authors for special dinners. The restaurant’s newsletter carries the dates.
How to Read the Room
The room channels a swanky London wine bar without letting mood become the point. Its better signal is how each discipline behaves: shelves narrow the gaze, stems sharpen the drink, plates give the bottle a job.
Read it as a working house for taste rather than a themed room. Food, wine, and books keep their separate standards, then meet at the table.
What to Watch as Sargent Approaches
In 2026, the Lucian team plans to open Sargent in Old Fourth Ward. The question is which working habits travel to the second address: selection before scale, collaboration between cellar and kitchen, and enough restraint to let the materials speak.
