RECENTLY REVIEWED RESTAURANTS

Original El Taco

Fifth Group got an idea after it bought Sala, spruced it up, then closed it again: Why not hire a popular and respected local chef to design a casual menu, hire a talented sous chef to pull it off and goof up the surroundings enough to make Sala a lost memory? And that’s what they did: They hired Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park to design a Mexican menu with a tad of authenticity and lots of approachability, and got a couple of SCAD students to paint a mural on the back wall. Presto! Original El Taco was born. Doty’s menu, executed nicely by chef de cuisine Craig Sauls, is a mishmash of Mexican dishes, with an emphasis on tacos and Mexican “pizza.” Original El Taco tends to dumb down authentic Mexican for the masses, but makes its mark by being so darned likable. It’s the kind of place where families feel as at home as frat boys.

—- Meridith Ford

IF YOU GO

Overall rating: ***

Location: 1186 N. Highland Ave., Virginia-Highland

Phone: 404-873-4656

Web site: www.fifthgroup.com

Food: Mexican, Tex-Mex

Price range: $$

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The bar opens at 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Mercantile

Deli and specialty food shop The Mercantile in Candler Park features local and regional goodies along with produce from local farms and fresh flowers. Made-to-order sandwiches, a couple of daily housemade soups and takeaway dinner specials and sides are on the menu. The most popular sandwich is the Candler —- a Thanksgiving leftover-style melange of roasted turkey, crispy pancetta, cranberries and cream cheese on wheat or white bread. Rotisserie chicken is available every day. The “salt and pepper” basted birds are delicious, with moist meat and crispy skin. The rotating list of dinner specials (posted on the Web site) includes savory pot roast, crab cakes, pulled pork sandwiches, and grilled rib-eye steaks.

—- Bob Townsend

IF YOU GO

Location: 1660 DeKalb Ave. N.E., No. 150, Candler Park

Phone: 404-378-0096

Web site: www.themercantileatl.com

Food: Deli and specialty foods

Price range: $

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays.

Signature dish: Springer Mountain rotisserie chicken

KEY TO AJC RATINGS

***** Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.

**** Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.

*** Very good: Merits a drive if you’re looking for this kind of dining.

** Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit and miss.

* Fair: Food is more miss than hit. Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. The price code represents a typical full-course meal for one excluding drinks.