<a href="http://www.accessatlanta.com/dining/restaurants/148184/DetailedList.jspd?activity=148184">Vine</a>

I first reviewed Vine back in 2004, when new owners had taken over the spot from Tiburon Grill. To say I didn't like it is a bit of an understatement. In the last four years as the AJC's dining critic, I've given a no-star rating to only two restaurants: Vine is one of them.

Located off Amsterdam where Virginia-Highland turns to Morningside, Vine's neighbors basically told me to stuff it. Serving up a mix of California wine country and Atlanta bistro, Vine was their spot and they liked it.

It's been a while since I've been back, and lots of changes have taken place since. For starters, Vine has gone through three ownerships under the same name (not that I'm counting). This says two things to me: 1. New owners usually want to change the name of a restaurant they've just invested loads of money in; when they don't, it means they know the neighbors identify the name as a brand, and they don't want to lose that instant ID. 2. This kind of topsy-turvy turnover is a sign that something's up with the locale, the management, or both. One is a big positive. The other, well ... not so good.

So when chef-owner Stephen McGuffin blew back into town after working in Nashville, I wasn't sure what to think. McGuffin, who was chef de cuisine for two years at another beloved Va-Hi spot — Dish, now closed — had plans to buy that restaurant but bailed (Dish is rumored to be reopening the end of May as a new American bistro called Diesel). Instead, he, his mother and his brother David have put their efforts into Vine, changing the menu but not the name. According to McGuffin, the restaurant's name recognition and wine awards were well established and he didn't want to mess with them (see number 1, above). And he feels the failures before him lie with the fact that Vine has never had a chef as owner (see number 2, above).

Yada yada yada. So much for the restaurant installment of "How the World Turns." What really matters is how the restaurant is doing now.

Other than a few bumpy starts, Vine is doing just fine.

An early meal, about four weeks after the turnover, was spotty. Seared day boat scallops with braised pork belly were swimming in salt. A salmon tart was an odd — and I mean odd — tower of sliced smoked salmon over a mushy tartlet dotted with goat cheese and a lovely lemon-scented vinaigrette. Buttermilk panna cotta was so gelatinous it was other worldly. Really, it was like biting into a breast implant. Georgia white "prawns" were tough to chew and paired with slimy lemon grits.

McGuffin is a chef who is clearly talented and smart enough to know how to capitalize on the popularity of ingredients and trends. But his use of certain terms on the menu notes bothers me: to call a Georgia white shrimp a prawn is downright blasphemous. There is a difference between a shrimp and a prawn (it's in the two crustaceans' gill structures). And are those scallops really "day boat" — which is basically the term used to describe diver scallops brought in by the end of the day (rather than the usual 10-day outings most scallop boats troll for)?

Am I being a picky so-and-so? Yes. But McGuffin should realize that the dining public in Atlanta didn't fall off the shrimp boat yesterday — he should describe things for what they are. Trumping things up makes the menu seem like a culinary school project.

But first impressions aren't always what they seem, and menu notes aside, a later visit to Vine was a pleasing turn around.

The kitchen seemed to have done a complete about face — mussels were clean and plump in a rich, luxurious curry laced with coconut and lime; "prawns" were succulent and tender (even though they were actually shrimp), the risotto beneath pearls of soft rice with hints of lemon and garlic and lots of tasty spinach. Grilled lamb chops were thankfully missing the too-oft characteristic gaminess, instead a perfect soft pink smeared with a cippolini puree and the sweet-tart contrast of fig relish. And a braised beef short rib was like eating caramelized velvet over leaves of Brussels sprouts and scrumptious little black trumpet mushrooms.

Even the panna cotta was better; in fact, its smooth texture was a hit all around the table, winning the night's favorite dessert award over a cornmeal shortcake served with incredibly sweet Georgia mountain-grown strawberries.

And the wine list, cherry-picked by sommelier Chris Reid (who has managed to survive all three management changes), is a wonderful example of global selection and affordability. Service was stellar, but it was obvious to me that the staff knew I hadn't just dropped in because I was in the neighborhood.

Vine, with all its reincarnations, has ended up exactly as it should: a local spot serving dishes we all want to come to know and love; a place to hit for a nice glass of wine and a bite before a Friday night movie; a neighborhood restaurant we want to be able to slip into as easily as a pair of worn-in penny loafers.

That's what I said I wanted from Vine back in 2004. In 2008, that's what Vine has become.

Food: Globally influenced American
Service: Succinct, friendly, prompt, informative. It was obvious they knew why I was there, though.
Address, telephone: 1190 North Highland Ave., 404-892-2393
Price range: $$ - $$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Hours of operation: Dinner daily beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Best dishes: Braised short ribs with Brussels sprouts leaves, PEI mussels in a coconut curry, shrimp and lemon risotto
Vegetarian Dishes: Grilled vegetable "Wellington" with a smoked tomato coulis
Children: Early evening hours only
Parking: Adjacent lot and on-street
Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking:
Noise level: Medium
Patio: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Website: www.vinerestaurant.com

KEY TO 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 or miss.
Fair: The 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 meal for one that includes appetizer, entree and dessert without including tax, tip and cocktails.)