NEW AND NOTABLE: What's new on the menu

> H & F Bread Co., the artisan bakery from the folks at Holeman & Finch Public House, has opened at 2255 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, just down the street from sisters Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch. The bakery is pristine, with French pastries of frangipane-and-fruit tarts, croissants and danish, as well as classic hearth breads such as pan de mie and French-style baguettes. Blackboard specials of soup and sandwiches are due to be ready for retail this week; the bakery also provides the baked goodies for the group's restaurants. 404-350-8877, www.hfbreadco.com.

> Concentrics' old Piebar space has a new name, Eros World Tapas Bar, and concept from restaurateurs Nikita "Nik" PanagoPoulos of Fishmonger fame and George Karameros, who owned several restaurants in Greece. It's lodged inside the former Trust Co. Bank space designed by Henri Jova in 1962. Small plates from Italy, Spain, India, Britain, Greece, Japan and Jamaica —- from paella to prawns in peri peri sauce —- are highlights of chef Rafael Mendoza's menu. Terry Barbu, who transformed eleven50 into Opera, is the interior designer. 2160 Monroe Drive N.E., Atlanta. 404-549-2433, www.erostapas.com.

> Seeger's alums Nick Rutherford and Molly Gunn opened the Porter Beer Bar in the heart of Little Five Points. Rutherford recently left his post as co-chef at Decatur's popular chocolate palace, the Chocolate Bar, to open this new concept, one of several gastropubs opening in the area. Porter is boasting 25 beers on tap and more than 120 varieties in bottles, as well as "amazing cuisine de la biere" —- food that goes well with beer. 1156 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. www.theporterbeerbar.com, 404-223-0393.

Still to come

> Aja, Tom Catherall's new Asian concept in the old Emeril's space, is inspired by the Here to Serve Restaurants head honcho's experience at a Chinese restaurant in Newcastle, England, where all the chefs were from Hong Kong. Recalling his first restaurant, Azalea, Aja professes to be more authentic, with Thai, Chinese and Japanese offerings on the menu. Catherall went to Thailand to find an executive chef, and plans are for Chinese cooks to make dumplings and fresh noodles. Dim sum carts will roll through the dining room and lounge, featuring siu mai dumplings, har gow, steamed buns, fried crispy spring rolls and salt-and-pepper shrimp. Designed by Holeman & Finch and 4th & Swift designers ai3, the look will be modern and edgy, featuring a dramatic entrance tunnel, a 12-foot Buddha (procured on Catherall's recent Thai trip) poised on a candlelit stone pedestal, and an outdoor bar and dining area illuminated with Chinese lanterns. The lounge area will convert to a dance floor with a DJ after 10 p.m. Plans are to have this Asian party palace up and running this month. In the Alliance Center at 3500 Lenox Road, Atlanta.

> Super mega uber chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten isn't stopping his foray into Atlanta at Spice Market. The W Buckhead, scheduled to open in November, will house a concept from the chef who would be king of all kitchens called Market, fashioned after his restaurant of the same name in Paris. Atlanta plans are still in the works, but think "global diner" and you'll have a good idea of the "hotel and home" concept and menu, similar to JGV's Mercer Kitchen in New York —- comfort food from around the world served in an atmosphere that sports a modern, almost space-age look.

> Rumors to the contrary, New York transplant BLT Steak from chef Laurent Tourondel is still set to open inside the W Atlanta Downtown Hotel & Residences. The modern American steakhouse (with French inspiration, mais oui!) has operations in New York, Washington and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Atlantans can expect a streamlined menu that includes beefsteak tomatoes, with grilled onion vinaigrette and Stilton cheese, and Kobe strip steak, American Wagyu and prime Black Angus paired a la carte with sauces and sides such as roasted tomatoes and hen of woods mushrooms. The restaurant is scheduled to open in early 2009.

> Craft, Tom Colicchio's jewel of modern American dining in Manhattan's Flatiron District, is scheduled to open an outpost at the Mansion on Peachtree "in time for the holiday season." Craftbar, Colicchio's more casual concept perfect for a quick lunch, snack or casual dinner, opens in the same building, just in front of the hotel. Both are designed by Bentel and Bentel architects, designers of all Craft restaurants. Expect to be greeted at the two-story space by an open woodfire grill clad in copper and steel leading to a walnut staircase that winds its way to the dining room. Chef Kevin Maxey has been cherry-picked from inside the Colicchio empire, having worked for the super chef during Colicchio's Gramercy Tavern days and as the chef at Craft Dallas. 3376 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, 404-995-7580, www.mansiononpeachtree.com.

> Creative director Richard Blais' and owner Barry Mills' upscale burger concept Flip, a modern "boutique" burger joint at 1537 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, is scheduled to open this fall. "Top Chef" runner-up Blais and Mills have fashioned a menu that sports a variety of slider-sized burgers. There's a po' "boyger" with grilled shrimp, fried lemon and spicy tartar sauce; a lamb burger with green olive relish and raisin ketchup on a rosemary bun; and a kobe burger with herb butter, red onion marmalade and blue cheese. The restaurant will grind a signature Flip beef burger using short ribs, hanger steak and brisket, and condiments including ketchup and mayo will all be housemade. An emphasis will be placed on an array of vegetables as side items. There also will be a rotation of molecular milkshakes, including a Krispy Kreme flavor. Chef Mark Nanna has worked with Blais at Home, and will helm the kitchen. The design is by ai3.

> Chef Scott Serpas, who put Two Urban Licks' kitchen in the "hot" light, will open his own restaurant, Serpas True Food, in December. Serpas' food will focus on seasonal products prepared to "reflect the true essence of the flavor of the ingredient, " from creamy oyster stew with leeks, celery, bacon and poblano to braised short ribs with cast iron potato and horseradish cottage cheese. Located in the Pavilion at Studioplex in the Old Fourth Ward, the building was once a cotton storage facility.

> Fifth Group and chef Shaun Doty of Shaun's have teamed to open the Original El Taco in the group's Sala space in Va-Hi. In addition to Doty's menu (executed by chef de cuisine Craig Sauls), Fifth Group, with designer firm Peace Design, has gone to extremes to create an environmentally friendly space with bright orange walls and a mixed media mural from SCAD students Gerardo Rios and Zachery Goodson, who won the owners over from an ad on Craigslist. Expect a self-serve salsa bar and lots of top shelf margaritas. When? The restaurant is scheduled to open "the end of October."

And there's more ...

Look for the owners of the Brick Store Pub to open a culinary-minded concept in the old Rue de Leon antiques store space in downtown Decatur. ... Legal Sea Foods, the fish house from Boston with great New England clam chowder and lobster rolls, has opened downtown. ... Joli Kobe will open a second location on Peachtree Street in Midtown. ... 5 Seasons Brewing will finally open its third location on the westside sometime next year. ... Muss & Turner will open a second location in Buckhead. ... Bakery Cafe Maum has opened another location in Duluth. ... With two locations specializing in Cajun cuisine in Athens, Harry Bissett's will open its first Atlanta spot on Pharr Road.