It’s worth booking passage at Paper Plane

Service: surprisingly efficient considering how few of them there are

Best dishes: lamb rack, short rib, pickles, any cocktail on the menu

Vegetarian selections: nearly half of the dishes

Price range: $$

Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover

Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays, closed Sundays-Mondays

Children: not that kind of bar

Parking: downtown Decatur, so wherever you can find a spot

Reservations: parties of three or more via the website

Wheelchair access: yes

Smoking: no

Noise level: moderate to loud

Patio: yes, in the alley

Takeout: no

Address, phone: 340 Church St., Decatur. 404-377-9308

Website: www.the-paper-plane.com

Other options

Holeman and Finch Public House

While most widely known for the infamous “10 o’clock” burger, Holeman and Finch offers some of the best late-night dining in Atlanta. The kitchen, renowned for making nearly everything in house, serves fantastic small plates like farm egg carbonara or hand-chopped steak tartare until 1:30 a.m. six nights a week. 5 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. 2277 Peachtree Road, Suite B, Atlanta. 404-948-1175, www.holeman-finch.com. $$-$$$.

Krog Bar

Kevin Rathbun and company opened this small wine-centric shack in the same lot as his flagship Rathbun’s, and it makes for a great spot for wine and small plates. With more than 40 wines by the glass, this intimate spot offers a wide range of varietals to sample, alongside your choice of cheeses, cured meats, tapas and pressed sandwiches. 4:30 p.m. to close. 112 Krog St., Atlanta. 404-524-1618, www.krogbar.com. $-$$

The Pinewood Tippling Room

Decatur’s newest craft cocktail lover’s watering hole pours some impressive drinks while serving Southern-inspired small plates. Don’t leave without sampling some of head mixologist T. Fable Jeon’s creations, like the rye-based Day That I Die, including house-made roasted Georgia pecan tincture. Memorable snacks like the fried bologna sandwich with fried green tomato and egg salad wash down well with the drinks. 6 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays, 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. 254 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-373-5507, www.pinewoodtr.com. $-$$

This is a review I’m almost reluctant to write, for I have a serious conflict of interest.

I'm not sure that I want you to know just how good Paper Plane in Decatur really is, because it might make it harder for me to get a spot at the bar.

The newest venture from the team behind Victory Sandwich Bar, Paper Plane is difficult to categorize. Ian Jones and Caleb Wheelus partnered with mixologist Paul Calvert in late 2012, bringing him on as beverage director for Victory. But the real end-game for Calvert was Paper Plane.

Starting with the entrance — down the service alley between Cakes & Ale and Victory Sandwich — Paper Plane has a feel unlike any other restaurant in town. Sitting in the tiny underground space beneath Victory, I couldn’t shake the feeling that at any moment a mod waitress with beehive hair would round the corner, carrying pots of fondue, or perhaps a giant fishbowl half full of keys.

The feel is decidedly swank-retro, like the hip basement you’d have if you could hop into a DeLorean and jump back to the swinging ’60s. With wood-paneled walls, chrome and glass globe lighting, and clean, white countertop booths, this is a bar in which Don Draper would be all too happy to down an Old-Fashioned or two.

I say this without hesitation: Calvert’s cocktail program is not only steps above anything he has done previously in Atlanta, but Paper Plane easily could be mixing the best drinks in the city right now. While the following he garnered at the Sound Table and Pura Vida was well-deserved, they now feel like a warm-up compared with the work he is doing in Decatur.

My first drink, the Splendid Splinter ($11), nearly became my second and third, as I struggled to order anything else. The tart and sweet blend of High West double rye, casoni 1814, lime and Calvert’s homemade liquid Cracker Jack goes down smooth and never fails to elicit moans and wide eyes from the lucky friends I deem worthy of allowing a taste.

While sipping the light and fruity gin-based Screen Door ($10), I couldn’t help but wish I’d taken a seat at one of the alleyway tabletops outside, as it is a perfect complement to a warm early summer evening.

But it wasn’t until I tasted the beautifully complex Lover’s Lane ($10) that I was truly taken aback. The tastes unfold over the course of what feels like minutes, a progression of sharp Dickel rye, sweet then sour lemon and honey, whispers of smoky mescal, and a slight buzz of spicy habanero on the exhale. All of these flavors are tempered and tied together by a splash of Langunitas Lil’ Sumpin-Sumpin pale wheat ale.

Unlike many cocktail-driven spots in town, Paper Plane puts just as much thought into the beer and wine selection, assembling a list that is as exciting as it can be obscure. Only the most dedicated hop-heads will have trouble discovering a new pint among the 17 craft beers offered. Similarly, the wine list is small but eclectic, with most selections available by the bottle or the glass.

Paper Plane the bar has already earned a stellar reputation around town, but Paper Plane the restaurant is just as impressive.

Chefs Melissa Allen and Josh Sample have crafted a tight yet dense menu of surprisingly refined cuisine that defies classification. Rest easy, Paper Plane is not yet another Southern-inspired farm-to-table or upscale pub grub kitchen. Inspirations here seem to come from all over the globe. And with only 10 dishes, a small cheese selection, a couple of sides and a pair of bar snacks, there is little room for mediocrity.

The menu changes so frequently that, by the time you read this, most of the dishes will have rotated out or evolved. One exception to that seems to be the stunning beet salad ($7) encircling a medallion of goat cheese and topped with crumbles of hazelnut and rye. A cup of pickles ($4) comes as a lightly brined mix of everything from okra to wedges of super-ripe Georgia peaches and black cherries.

While most dishes are small-plate portions, many are more than sufficient to satisfy, especially when paired with one of the sides. The first words out of my wife’s mouth as we dug into a bowl of the roasted Brussels sprouts ($7) with bacon and blueberries were, “Oh, we are totally stealing this idea!” And no meal can be considered complete without at least one side of the gooey gratin ($6), a simple but crave-worthy stack of potatoes and Gruyere.

You should hope the succulent pistachio-crusted lamb rack ($18) remains unchanged by the time you make it to Paper Plane, as the earthy, roasted maitake and hen of the woods mushrooms flanking the meat are reason enough to order this dish. Complaints about the portion size of braised short rib ($16) quickly ended after the first bite — with so much flavor packed into each mouthful, much more would be too heavy. Make sure to slip a piece of smoked peach onto your fork with the beef — the sum is certainly greater than its parts.

Although it goes against every selfish bone in my body, I have to admit that Paper Plane is worth the trek into Decatur. Just promise that you will save me a seat.