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To his many fans and old friends, he's known simply as Chef Paul. Most of them got to know the Bavarian-born Paul Albrecht during the '80s and '90s, when he helmed the continental kitchen at the upscale Pano's and Paul's. More recently, at the über-sexy Spice in Midtown, Albrecht gained another following. But he finally opened a restaurant of his own in late 2005, taking over the former Philippe's space at 10 Kings Circle and renaming it Paul's.

It's a swinging kind of place, where people drink classic cocktails, crowd around the piano bar and crave Albrecht's old-school, signature dishes, such as fried lobster tails and veal chops. But these days, there's some new dishes and some younger regulars who seem to groove on the retro scene.

Joey Ivansco/Staff (ENLARGE)
Chef Paul Albrecht wanted Paul's to be affordable and a place where people could come to have a good time.
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Q: You grew up in Germany and trained as a chef there. Was it a big change coming to America with that classical background in the European culinary tradition?

A: I started training when I was 14 years old. At that time in Germany, being a chef was a real profession. In America, it was more like being a domestic. It wasn't until 1976 that the U.S. Department of Labor changed the definition of chef from domestic to professional, at the urging of the American Culinary Federation. But when I came to Atlanta with Pano Karatassos in 1978 to start Pano's and Paul's, no one was doing that kind of upscale European food here.

Q: You are still associated with Pano and Paul's, and you spent some time at Spice, but your place, Paul's, is much more personal, isn't it?

A: Yes. I really wanted to have a neighborhood place. I got tired of all the fancy stuff. I wanted to have a place that was affordable, and where people could come and have a good time. Peachtree Hills is perfect for that. I have customers I've known for 30 years, and they're coming here now.

Q: You have some real signature dishes, such as the fried lobster tails, but you're also doing sushi and small plates at Paul's — what's the idea behind that?

A: The younger people really like sushi, and on Friday and Saturday nights especially, we sell a lot of it. But our older, regular customers still want things like the lobster tails. We have some who are going to move into the retirement center close to here, so that will be really interesting.

Q: Paul's has become a family affair, with your sons, Chris and Patrick, working with you. Are you the boss at the restaurant or are you dad?

A: My name is on the sign, so I still have to come to work every day. But it's great to have my sons working with me. Patrick has surprised me. He's really running the back of the house now, and he's grown into a real restaurateur. I'm still having fun, and I like to stay busy. I have no plans to stop, as long as I'm healthy, though I may take a little more time and travel with my wife.

Q: You have a reputation as a pretty fair tennis player. Is that what you most like to do, when you're not working?

A: Yes. People ask me if I play golf, and I say, 'That's for old people.' I don't have time to spend six hours on the golf course. I play tennis two or three times a week.