Social distancing is easy at Ett: The one-seat restaurant is located in a forest just outside Atlanta, and you’re the sole guest.
Each month, Chef Jessamine Starr invites six guests to dine at Ett, which means “one” in Swedish. A short, quarter mile hike into the forest leads to a babbling creek; beside it, a three-course meal (under cloches) with wine and wildflowers awaits. Using locally-grown and foraged ingredients, Starr sets the table with plant-based dishes just as her guest arrives, then disappears into the woods like a stealthy faerie/ninja. You won’t see or interact with her—or anyone else—for the entirety of the meal.
Previously, Starr operated a busy food truck that was booked for weddings and events through 2020. She created Ett in May 2020, during the height of COVID quarantine, in an attempt to embrace solitude through culinary art and encourage others to do the same. Ett is for one person only; the point is to embrace solitude.
There are no prices at Ett; guests pay what they can or leave offerings such as flowers, handwritten cards, or other gifts in exchange for the hospitality. Visitors are encouraged to stay as long as they like—the only requirement is to depart by dark.
Not only is the food incredible, the flow of the water, glimpses of woodland critters peeking at the new visitor, the fragrance of the wildflowers, the bouquet of the wine, and the crunch of leaves underfoot all contribute to the sensory experience that is Ett.
I snagged one of six coveted monthly seatings and ate there on Sunday, October 18, 2020. Menu was as follows:
Persimmon salad with herbs and radish
Coconut pea shoot sauce with roasted sweet potatoes, delicata, long beans, Brussels sprouts, curry leaf and beet parcels
Buckwheat pancakes with sautéed apples and honeycomb
There was also a “walking snack” halfway through the trail—a handful of Scuppernong grapes and a homemade fig leaf soda served in an 8-oz mason jar. The fig soda was one of the best things I have EVER tasted!
Guests are invited to take the wildflowers with, so I did, and regifted them to a friend in Atlanta.
I left a handwritten note, some cash, preserved Meyer lemons and iced green tomatoes for Chef Starr 🙂
My experience at Ett was truly magical and it was one of the best meals of my life. I even ran into Starr’s flock of chickens, who roam freely in the surrounding woods, on my way out.
Have you ever experienced a meal set in nature like this? I’d love to hear it about it in the comments.