USA TODAY readers choose InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta’s restaurant, Southern Art, as top hotel restaurant in the nation.

Congratulations to Southern Art for winning USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award for Best Hotel Restaurant! 

A panel of hotel expert’s hand selected 20 nominees for the Readers’ Choice Award and then the winner was chosen via online voting that took place over 4 weeks.  Southern Art is located at the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta and is one of several concepts from renowned “Celebrity” Chef Art Smith.  Southern Art features Southern classics and an amazing “ham bar” with a rotating selection of regional hams.  The Bourbon Bar at InterContinental Buckhead is a great location for before or after dinner drinks as well with dozens of selections to choose from.

Chef Art Smith loves the idea of bringing people together through food. It’s partly what made him the success he is today. Art Smith has received the culinary profession’s highest awards and has cooked for some of the world’s most famous celebrities. In 1997, Smith became the personal, day-to-day chef to Oprah Winfrey, a position that lasted ten years. Smith now coordinates and cooks for special events all around the world. Smith is the author of four award-winning cookbooks: Back to the Table; Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. He contributed recipes and cooking advice to The Spectrum, the newest book by ground-breaking cardiologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Dean Ornish. In May 2013 his latest cookbook was released, Art Smith’s Healthy Comfort, with a focus on healthy cooking and healthy living. Smith lives in Chicago with his husband Jesus Salgueiro, their four foster children Azumy, Zucky, Brando and Angel, and of course three dogs, seven cats, 15 fish and a couple turtles.