Stunning Chamblee renovation with regional menu

Overall rating: 2 of 5 stars

Food: American with Southern leanings

Service: professional, but appropriately relaxed

Best dishes: rabbit and dumplings, buttermilk lemon chess pie

Vegetarian selections: salads, sandwich, veggie plate

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Price range: $$-$$$

Credit cards: all major credit cards

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays

Children: fine

Parking: yes

Reservations: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Smoking: no

Noise level: moderate

Patio: yes plus a lovely upstairs balcony

Takeout: yes

Address, phone: 5394 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 678-580-5579

Website: www.baconsnobs.com

Transformed into a local gem over a 25-month restoration period, this former mercantile-turned-Masonic lodge is now rustic, fresh and stunning. It gleams with brick, dark woods and reclaimed accoutrements, all in alignment with the character of the antique structure.

As captivating as this decor is, it promises a level of execution that the kitchen doesn’t yet deliver. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy some of the regionally accented fare. Consider a stewy, rib-sticking dish of rabbit and dumplings or boiled peanuts in pork broth. Fancy fried green tomatoes arrive dressed in a light cornmeal-rice flour batter and adorned with creamy chevre and a tropical pineapple-habanero jam.

Also of note: the intriguing wine list that features the likes of a fine $42 Aligote.

But you may also notice missteps along the way — dishes with a jumble of ingredients and muddled flavors that could be remedied with a little tinkering. If the kitchen could just provide a bold and unique statement, we could have a showpiece on our hands.