BELEZA

905 Juniper St., Atlanta. 678-904-4582.

Concentrics Restaurants (ENLARGE)
Room at Twelve Centennial Park, which serves a 'cowboy ribeye,' has been open since Sept. 17.
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www.belezarestaurant.com

Beleza means "beauty" in Portuguese, and has the same connotation to Brazilians as "pura vida" has to Costa Ricans and "joie de vivre" has to the French. From Sotto Sotto and Fritti owner Riccardo Ullio, the food here focuses on the natural, including a variety of fresh juices and smoothies, as well as raw desserts. Fruit-inspired cocktails are a real draw, plus there are organic wines and small-plate options like crudo and ceviche, as well as poached fish. The chef, Michelle McKenzie, has a background in nutrition and chemistry as well as experience in culinary arts, and she worked in the pastry kitchens of Woodfire Grill and Muss &Turner's. Early impressions? Zebra wood tables amid a wall of hydroponic tropical plants are backdrops to a menu that still needs a little tweaking — some of the dishes lack the vibrant flavor expected from such well-sourced ingredients. But there are marks of greatness: crudo Florida snapper with a passion fruit salsa crowned with micro cilantro tastes bright and fresh, and an açai berry sorbet tastes like it came straight from the Rainforest. 5:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 5:30 p.m.-midnight Sundays. $$$

THE HIL

9110 Selborne Lane, Palmetto. 770-463-6040.

www.the-hil.com

Serenbe is busy these days: its third restaurant, The Hil, opened Aug. 8. Executive chef and owner is Hilary White, a former Buckhead Lifer from 103 West. She'll be creating a menu of "classic American cuisine with a French twist," utilizing produce from Serenbe Organic Farms. Look for farm-to-table goodies such as chicken pot pie, quail and peaches and oven-baked pizzas, as well as a down-home-just-got-it-from-Pottery-Barn look inside the dining room, with a working fireplace and lots of classic rustic touches. No wine or beer yet, so feel free to bring your own. Dinner: Sundays-Wednesdays 5-9 p.m. Brunch: Saturdays-Sundays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $$

MGR PALACE

1825-14A Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. 770-413-1415.

Madras' former chef, Najunda Ram, opened his own restaurant, MGR Palace (the MGR stands for Madras Sri Ganesh Ram), Labor day weekend at the Walmart Shopping Center at Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain. Expect a dosa fix from this South Indian vegetarian restaurant — nobody makes these giant spongy pancakes better than "Ram." 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. $

THE NATIONAL

232 W. Hancock Ave., Athens. 706-549-3450.

thenationalrestaurant.com

James Beard nominee and chef-owner Hugh Acheson of Athens' Five & Ten (this year's AJC Restaurant of the Year, see Page 30) has opened his new venture, The National, in downtown Athens. Peter Dale, Acheson's sous chef from Five & Ten, is at the helm in the kitchen, with a menu that strays from Five & Ten's modern mix of Southern-inspired plates. Instead, the focus is traditional tapas, focusing on dinner and late-night options of small plates inspired by northern Africa and southern Spain and France — patatas bravas, chorizo and hummus with sumac, pine nuts and warm flatbread for "snackies" and larger plates of seared scallops with brown butter, lemon and whipped white beans. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5-midnight Fridays-Saturdays. Bar open later. $$$

ROOM AT TWELVE CENTENNIAL PARK

400 West Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-418-1250.

www.roomattwelve.com

Room at Twelve, the dining concept inside the Twelve Hotel Centennial Park, is the latest concept from Bob Amick's Concentrics Restaurant group. Amick describes Room as a "modern American steakhouse" serving prime cuts of meat, sushi, slow-roasted meats (there's even a tandoori oven for skewered meats and fish). The look, designed by ASD (also the designer of Piebar), is bathed in charcoals and grays, with a giant mirror as a focal point and big splashes of red. Chef Nick Oltarsh, from Lobby at Twelve, is designing the menu and will helm the kitchen as executive chef. The restaurant opened Sept. 17. Breakfast: 6:30-10:30 a.m. daily. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Brunch: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Bar serves light fare between lunch and dinner Mondays-Fridays. $$$

VALENZA

1441 Dresden Drive, Suite 100, Atlanta. 404-969-3232.

www.valenzarestaurant.com

Viva Italia! The owners of Haven in Brookhaven have opened this cozy Italian eatery where failed M!X was, with Matthew Swickerath (former M!X chef) as executive chef. Amid weathered wood and iron candle chandeliers, the menu focuses on Northern Italy, featuring freshly cut and stuffed pastas, risotto and polenta, plus house-cured meats and salami. 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; Fridays-Saturdays 5-11 p.m. $$$

VIA

262 Pharr Road, Atlanta. 404-214-5404.

www.viarestaurant.net

More Italian! Brava! Just when Buckhead was starting to get boring comes this million-plus dollar upscale Italian eatery with a hot new chef, Andrew Sheridan, who appears to have all his little culinary ducks in a row: A Johnson & Wales grad, he worked with famed chef Allen Susser of Miami's Chef Allen's and helped open Cafe Boulud in Palm Springs. In Atlanta, he's worked with Richard Blais, Todd Emmel and Shaun Doty (who also consulted on Via's menu). Look for fresh insalata Caprese, pastas, pizzas and even shrimp and grits (that last dish must be from southern Italy). Lunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Sunday brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner: 5-11 p.m. daily. Bar open later. $$$

AND WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR ...

Have we been bitten by an Italian mosquito or something? Allegro, a new Italian restaurant — this one focusing on the central Italian regions of Tuscany, Umbria and Marche — was scheduled to open Oct. 3 on the ground floor of the Belvedere condominium complex in Midtown. Chef Jose Rego, who graduated from Johnson & Wales University Providence and worked at Sotto Sotto and Fritti, will cook up traditional items with a few modern twists — tuna carpaccio, milk-braised pork shank and pheasant in cream. Doesn't sound all that up-tempo ... Allegro, 560 Dutch Valley Road, 404-888-1890.

Cuerno, also from Riccardo Ullio, next door to Beleza but an ocean away in concept and menu: while Beleza is all about Brazil, Cuerno's menu boasts authentic Spanish cuisine, with classics such as paella and mariscos alla plancha as well as an all-Spanish wine list. Cuerno, 905 Juniper Street, www.frittirestaurant.com.

Linton Hopkins is still planning to open his new concept this fall, located in the Aramore directly across from his Restaurant Eugene. Holeman & Finch Public House is partnered with Hopkins' wife, Gina, his bartender at Eugene, Greg Best, and bartenders Andy Minchow and Regan Smith. Charcuterie will be the showcase, with house-made hams, sausage and salumi on the bill of fare, plus savory tarts and crispy chit'lins with mustard sauce and even Coke floats with cane sugar Coca-Cola. Designed to accommodate folks in the restaurant industry, the plan is to keep the kitchen open until 1:30 a.m. www.restauranteugene.com

Rosa's Pizza, the downtown model of mozzarella, is opening a satelite restaurant in Cobb County. After 18 years in business on downtown's Broad Street, owners John and Tony Rosa have decided to expand closer to home. The venture also gives Tony's son Joe an opportunity to learn the business, ya know what I mean? Forgettaboudit. Scheduled to open the first or second week of October. Rosa's, 3605 Sandy Plains Rd., Marietta, no phone yet.

Saravana Bhavan, the newly designed Indian restaurant that was formerly Madras Saravan Bhavan in Decatur, is now scheduled to open Oct. 18. Now part of a franchise from Chennai, India, the company operates franchises worldwide. The chefs are purportedly being brought directly from India. www.saravanabhavan.com

Stats, Bob Amick's casual take on the sports bar, will have three levels with a heavy slant towards high-tech audio/visual, including live broadcasts from 790 the Zone. In true Amick fashion, each bathroom will be designed for a different decade. Chef Nick Oltarsh, from Lobby at Twelve and Room at Twelve, is designing the boys-are-back-in-town menu. Stats, 300 Marietta Street, 404-855-1472, www.statsatl.com.

And restaurants inside the Terminus Building on Peachtree Street are beginning to open — Bricktop's, the casual chain/franchise from Nashville, opened Aug. 23 and serves casual American fare such as sliced New York strip, rotisserie chicken and ahi tuna burgers, along with a full bar and children's menu. Houston industry veteran Joe Ledbetter is a partner, with other locations in Naples, Fla., and Charlotte. 3280 Peachtree Street in the Terminus Building, 404-841-2212, www.bricktops.com.

Tom Catherall's first Italian concept, Lola, came next. Still to come: AquaKnox and a second location for MF Sushibar.

And we'll all have to sit tight while waiting for the battle of the best hotel restaurant to begin: 2008 will bring chef Tom Colicchio's Craft, Maxim Prime from illustrious owner Jeffrey Chodorow and BLT Steak from Laurent Tourondel. Pull up a pillow and let the games begin. ...