When flash-fried just right, oysters are an art form. And in this town, Scott Serpas is the chef holding the paintbrush — or, in his case, fry basket. I remember first tasting Serpas’ oysters five years ago when he was chef at Sia’s, the venerable restaurant in Duluth that belies its strip mall surroundings with a menu that wows with Asian and Southwestern fusion.

I can still taste them as if it were yesterday: a bit of ocean that pops into your mouth, then lingers, curled around your tongue with a smattering of musky cornmeal and a drop of perky Creole tartar sauce.

Serpas, who honed his skills in New Orleans long before coming to Atlanta, proved his mettle here: After Sia’s he eventually landed with Concentrics Hospitality as the chef of one of the city’s hottest spots for dining and mixing it up, Two Urban Licks. A crash-up of Creole and just plain crazy, the menu was a perfect palette for showing off his talent for fusing flavors.

He was handpicked by Concentrics leader Bob Amick to head the kitchen at Parish, the group’s Inman Park New Orleansian restaurant that opened last year, but Serpas had other plans: Last January, he announced that he would open his first restaurant, inside a building within Studioplex in the Old Fourth Ward. And in spite of the usual delays that come with restaurant openings (fall turns to winter … then late winter) and an economy that has even the most popular chefs in town shaking in their kitchen clogs, Serpas True Food opened just a month ago in space that was once a cotton storage facility.

A green and orange neon sign beckons to an open loft space highlighted by concrete floors, exposed brick and a wall of windows. A giant close-up of a blooming cotton boll adorns one wall, and the bar is a smooth, sleek mix of concrete and crushed oyster shells.

Ah … oysters. I tried not to seem anxious as I took a preliminary glance at the menu. I ordered a glass of Cava in anticipation (a very nice oyster accompaniment) and was gratified when just a few lines down on the menu I saw “flash-fried oysters” listed as an appetizer with “mirliton” (which is a Louisianan’s way of saying chayote squash).

Not too big, not too small, perfectly fried until the oyster plumps and the edges crisp, these are truly a gift that only Serpas can give, served with thin slivers — no, shavings — of pickled jalapeño peppers and that goofy squash with a bit of creamy, spicy sauce that’s part tartar, part remoulade.

Serpas True Food’s menu is a true amalgamation of good Southern cooking, with lots of Louisiana influence thrown into the pot. Creamed collards intrigued and didn’t disappoint — fresh greens creamed as spinach would be, only with less muck but with fat bits of bacon. Creamy yellow grits mixed with whole corn kernels become a blend of grits and creamed corn. Andouille sausage wrapped with soft, biscuit-like bread moonlights as pigs in a blanket.

The menu has changed the times I’ve eaten there, a sign that Serpas is tweaking things to a fit that’s just right. Perhaps the only item I’d like to see go is his take on eggplant hush puppies (which bear no resemblance to Kevin Rathbun’s eggplant fries). Gummy and cold, their flavor is burdened with a heavy blue cheese cream sauce and red “gravy,” which is basically tomato sauce.

And a tower of onion rings, beautifully presented over a chopped Caesar salad, is all talk and no action; the salad seems more like a chopped heap of romaine with little flavor, though the onion rings are darned tasty.

Smoked ham chopped with feta and tossed with white beans in a perky guajillo-sherry vinaigrette is that perfect mix of tart vs. sweet, with a textural array that only an inventive salad can offer. It’s one of the best dishes on the menu.

Jumbo sea scallops in penang curry are oddly out of place, but beef short ribs satisfy boldly, pulled tender from the bone to be served with a potato-and-celery-root gratin so gooey and fun it may top Serpas’ oysters as his best effort.

The young, eager waitstaff will steer you toward fried apple pie for dessert, and though you won’t be disappointed, it’s the pecan-chocolate pie that is truly remarkable. So often this pie wilts with too much chocolate, but Serpas’ version offers a true hybrid of two flavors that taste so good when married.

New restaurant, new beginning. Oysters and all.

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SERPAS TRUE FOOD
Overall rating:
Food: American
Service: Young, willing and able
Price range: $$-$$$
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Hours of operation: Open for dinner 5:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays
Best dishes: Fried oysters, pigs in a blanket, smoked ham and white bean salad, pork chop with fennel relish and grits, creamed collards, chocolate-pecan tart
Vegetarian selections: Many sides and salads, but check with servers since some may be made with nonveggie stock, etc.
Children: Yes
Parking: Complimentary valet inside Studioplex
Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking: No
Noise level: Medium
Patio: Yes
Takeout: Yes
Address, telephone: 659 Auburn Ave., Atlanta, 404-688-0040
Web site: www.serpasrestaurant.com

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.)