Welcome Spring. We've waited so long for you. We've waited for your warmth; you bring us longer daylight hours, walks outside and bare legs. You bring us budding color and blossoms of beauty. And you bring us the beginning of the garden.

This year's Spring Dining Guide is dedicated to Atlanta chefs who embody the spirit of spring by embracing the philosophies of sustainability and slow food. They cook locally, and sometimes with organic ingredients, whenever they can. In doing so, they promote the health of their customers, the environment and their communities. Don't know what slow food is? No prob. I'll tell you all about it.

Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
Swiss Chard 'bright lights' in the herb garden behind the Farmhouse.
On our map, 15 places our dining critic goes when she's not wearing her critic's hat and just has a craving.
MOST POPULAR STORIES All is forgiven; McCain returning to Letterman Lisa Marie Presley gives birth to twins Jolie says Pitt changed her mind about pregnancy Boxed set shines light on legendary Cash prison show What's the weirdest thing Angelina Jolie has done?
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
RELATED LINKS Atlanta chefs go back to the farm Atlanta chefs who are embracing fresh, local, seasonal Bartenders also are part of the freshness trend Photos: Wanted: Local ingredients for Atlanta menus Map mash-up: Meridith Ford's fave 15 spots New and notable restaurants to hit the scene Local crowd pleasers from here to Athens Intro to the Spring Dining Guide Search our Restaurants database See Our Critic's Reviews index See our Neighborhood Nosh index What's For Dinner? Find out in Evening Edge 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.)

I'll also share the work of five exciting bartenders (two in transit) who are partnering with the chefs they work for to bring the farm-to-table concept to their bars.

Instead of offering you my usual springtime list of the top 10 restaurants in Atlanta, this year I've put my pen down, stepped away from my role as critic and instead provided a list of my personal, though not necessarily critical, favorites. There are so many, but I've winnowed them to 15.

And of course, we always want you to know where to go in your own neighborhood, so our Nosh writers have gathered some favorites to let you know what's best in your neck of the woods. What's new? We want you to know that, too. So take a peek at what restaurants are opening in the months to come.

Pull up a chair and slow down Atlanta. Celebrate spring on the farm.

WAITING ON THE FARM

Our cover highlights two of the area's chefs who exemplify the slow food movement, Nicolas Bour of the Farmhouse at Serenbe and Hilary White of the Hil — both restaurants are a part of the tranquil community of Serenbe in Palmetto, Ga.

Eating at the Farmhouse at Serenbe is more like being invited to dinner than making reservations at a restaurant. Bour is no stranger to the Atlanta restaurant scene, cutting his culinary teeth at his much-loved Iris, then Midcity Cuisine, then Spice.

Settling down on the farm must feel like a pleasant change for Bour, who can be as wild as the mint growing outside the Farmhouse's back porch. But no one's ever denied his ability to cook, and here he gets to build his larder from Serenbe Organic Farms, right on the property, providing the goodies for offerings of chilled jumbo asparagus, chopped farm eggs and mustard vinaigrette. More good news is that the Farmhouse now offers beer and wine.

Chef Hilary White came from the city, too, culinary-wise anyway, having paved a pretty path for herself in the Buckhead Life restaurant group as executive chef for 103 West. To truly experience her and husband Jim White's restaurant, the Hil, it's best to take it with Serenbe as a whole, rather than piecemeal. It's a lovely place to eat and much of the menu relies on the farm. White is mindful of keeping things simple, and her charms work best with meats — braised Berkshire pork shoulder has the luminous qualities that meat, braised well, always possesses: almost candied around the edges with caramelization, the center meat pulls apart with practically no effort, making it part roast, part barbecue. Her vegetables, procured from Serenbe's farm, often deserve center stage.

It's really worth the trip if you take in the rest that Serenbe has to offer — the B & B, walking trails, farm (and the pool and in-ground trampoline for use in warmer weather) — and include dinner as part of the package.

Underneath a mantle of simple pleasures lies two kitchens with tons of farm-to-table possibility. Coupled with a starry night at Serenbe, the pairing is hard to resist.

— Meridith Ford

IF YOU GO
The Farmhouse at Serenbe
10950 Hutchinson Ferry Road, Palmetto. 770-463-2622, www.serenbefarmhouse.com.
5-9 p.m Thursdays-Saturdays; 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. $$-$$$
The Hil
9110 Selborne Lane, Suite 110, Palmetto. 770-463-6040, www.the-hil.com.
Dinner: 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. Brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $$$