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Chef-owner Hugh Acheson has a gloriously detailed tattoo of a radish on the inside of his left forearm. "I borrowed the image from Alice Waters' "Chez Panisse Vegetables" cookbook," he says in a kind of mock explanation, since it's easy to surmise from talking with Acheson about food, tattoos and the restaurant business that the tattoo is more about Acheson than Waters.

A self-made chef, Acheson is likely to answer "why not?" whenever he is asked why. "At least I know no one else will ever have a tattoo like mine," he quips over the phone.

Joey Ivansco/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
Chef Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens.
Joey Ivansco/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
Chef-owner Hugh Acheson is not afraid to take chances, and he puts his individual stamp on dishes such as veal sweetbreads with Red Mule grits custard and a succotash of field peas and okra.
Joey Ivansco/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
Grilled Berkshire pork chop shows Acheson's flair for presentation, but his main emphasis is always on product. The results have earned him a James Beard nomination this year for best chef in the Southeast.
Joey Ivansco/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
Frogmore stew is another dish that has made Five & Ten one of the best dining destinations in the Southeast.
Joey Ivansco/ajc staff (ENLARGE)
Hugh Acheson is giving Atlantans plenty of good reasons to drive to Athens, especially if they're looking for a sweet fix of sticky date pudding.
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His restaurant, Athens' Five & Ten, is one of the best destinations in the Southeast. Acheson's take on modern American cooking has loads of classical French influence with a heavy slant toward all things Southern, and it's this year's pick for Restaurant of the Year. Most Atlantans looking for a dose of his house-made pickles (okra, green tomatoes, bread-and-butters), frogmore stew and sticky date pudding don't find the 45-minute to an hour drive to Athens a hurdle — Athens has become a backyard to Atlanta, and folks are willing to drive for a fix of this kind of thoughtful, approachable cooking.

That's what Restaurant of the Year is all about — a chef-owned, chef-driven small spot that puts food first. There's no wait for the unisex bathrooms; the design didn't cost more than a Lamborghini and a mortgage off Tuxedo Road. It may not even show up on a critic's top 10 list. But after several years of proving itself, it has become a destination. A place people will go out of their way for, simply because the food — and the attitude — is worth it.

This defines Five & Ten, a simple spot Acheson opened in March of 2000 with Athens' restaurateur rigour Melissa Clegg (who is behind the city's successful Last Resort Grill). Acheson, who helped open Gary Danko's Danko in San Francisco, also chefed and managed Last Resort for Clegg for two years. He bought out her claim to Five & Ten several years ago, and it's been smooth sailing for this little restaurant that could.

Acheson has the two finest qualities that make a great chef: He's curious and he's not afraid to make mistakes. He may push the envelope from time to time, but he creates a stable of well-prepared menu items that his regulars — and Athens loves him— can always rely on. The culmination of his efforts resulted in a James Beard nomination this year for best chef, Southeast. (The award went to fellow Georgia chef Scott Peacock of Watershed.)

Acheson is a big believer in using well-sourced products — he procures Allan Benton's bacon from Madisonville, Tenn., and serves Red Mule grits from a local miller in Athens. He gets Tybee Island shrimp when they are available. His influences range from Paula Wolfert (his new restaurant, the National, opened in downtown Athens last month and has a notably Spanish-North African theme) to Alice Waters.

When his menu says local tomatoes, expect big, ripe fresh fruit simply combined with yummies such as arugula, fresh basil, shards of Parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of balsamic with some olive oil. Fresh. Pure. Simple. No reinvention of the wheel. Yet when he cooks veal sweetbreads, expect tender meats dredged through a batter of cornmeal, over a bed of hedonistically creamy Red Mule grits custard and a succotash of field peas and okra — an offering that turns any classic rendering of sweetbreads on its Southern ear.

The agreeable attitude of the kitchen is expressed throughout the restaurant: in the bric-a-brac décor — fuzzy umbrellas hanging from the front room, pressed tin ceilings, chunky wooden tables and fun blackboard toward the bar that espouses the daily specials — to the affably affordable wine list that offers everything from Old World reds to whites such as a grenache blanc-roussane from Tensley Vineyards.

"The best restaurants are the kind I leave and say, 'Man I wanna come back tomorrow,'" explains Acheson. Five & Ten is just that kind of destination.

Five & Ten, 1653 S. Lumpkin St., Athens, 706-546-7300, www.fiveandten.com.

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