The salad days of summer are upon us, and these spots offer some crunchy refreshment, plus lots more.

Becky Stein/AJC special (ENLARGE)
Deviled eggs & pickle at Cakes & Ale.
Becky Stein/AJC special (ENLARGE)
Sunflower Salad at Parish Foods & Goods.
Bita Honarvar/bhonarvar@ajc.com (ENLARGE)
Crispy Sardinian flatbread with arugula, argon oil and parmigiano reggiano at Shaun's.
Charlotte B. Teagle/cteagle@ajc.com (ENLARGE)
10-Chop Veggie Salad served at Taurus restaurant.
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Cakes & Ale Resaurants
254 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur. 404-377-7994.
www.cakesandalerestaurant.com

Former Watershed sous chef Billy Allin and wife Kristin have sculpted a handsome place to gather and eat, sparsely decorated, but highlighted by an inviting bar, a fresh, seasonal menu and a wine list that is quite possibly the best while most affordable in town. Window boxes brim with fresh herbs, and welcoming afternoon light streams through the windows.

Cakes & Ale is a neighborhood spot destined to become a destination. And of course, there are the phatty cakes. They sit pristinely under a glass cake stand on the bar, as if jettisoned there by Martha herself, perfectly stacked into a pretty pyramid. What are they? Pastry chef Cynthia Wong makes ginger-laced cookie cakes, soft and pillowy, and fills them with a dreamily fluffy and tangy buttercream.

Allin comes by his simple approach honestly: he graduated from California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and spent an internship at famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He admits openly that the blackboard menu of daily specials springs from a craving of whatever he wants to eat that day and often offers the most interesting of goodies, including the butter lettuce from Allin's own garden, which produces the freshest, most scrumptious salad, lightly tossed in vinaigrette, I have ever eaten. Just lettuce, dressed in a bit of splendid tartness. Talk about virtuous.

Away from the blackboard, the main menu offers items that are sure to become signatures. Arancini are moist, deep-fried Sicilian rice balls served playfully in a papered cone like fair food, seasoned with hints of citrus and fennel pollen. Shoestring fries, hot from the fryer, are remarkable. And Parmesan cheese souffle, though too stingy a serving, is soft, cheesy and light, served with springtime asparagus spears. Allin makes his own pickles, and they accompany a trio of traditionally made deviled eggs; sometimes spicy mixed vegetables, other times bread-and-butters. Either way, they are a treat.

Gnocchi make a simple, yet grand appearance with fennel sausage and not-too-spicy tomato sauce, but it's chicken — yes chicken — that upstages everything but the arancini. A saucily roasted half-bird with braised cabbage practically steals the show. Until dessert, see phatty cakes, above. For other options, press Georgia rhubarb crumble with creme fraiche ice cream, or pistachio-strawberry baked Alaska (alas, no longer on the menu since Allin changes it so often). But this individually sized bit of ice cream, cake and fresh Georgia strawberries (nearly gone for the season) blanketed in swirls of sweet meringue will not be forgotten.

5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $$$

Parish Foods & Goods
240 North Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-681-4434.
www.parishatl.com/home.php

In Louisiana, what most of us would think of as a county is called a parish. It's a good name for a new restaurant from Bob Amick and Todd Rushing in Inman Park: split on two levels, the restaurant is home to three concepts — the New Orleans-inspired restaurant upstairs, a market with sundries, coffee, fresh juices, and pastries and a to-go counter in front of the kitchen with po' boys, sammies and such.

Parish Foods & Goods embodies the best of Amick as restaurateur: rich character and a fun, enjoyable menu wrapped into three concepts. Flawed, but never dull. And full of surprises and hospitality. He has a penchant for high design, and often uses the Johnson Studio to make a stylish mark on his creations. But at Parish, he and wife Rowina (a designer) placed the finishing touches on the building, the office structure of an 1890s pipe-fitting factory. The result is a hodgepodge of remnant-like pieces pulled together to compose a comfortable whole, with lots of sassy New Orleans panache. The effect is a pleasant sensory overload that feels as if the set of "Interview with the Vampire" clashed with a Garden District tea party.

It's here that big, black chalkboards advertise the menu — a rich mix of New Orleans favorites from chef Timothy Magee. Magee is no stranger to New Orleans, having done stages at Lueke, Bayona and Commander's Palace. He came to Parish from Concentric's Lobby at Twelve. Magee's cooking is honest, simple and when it is good — as in a salad of sunchokes with sunflower seeds and a springy vinaigrette, it is very good. This salad's taste and look define mid-summer. A bowl of fat, juicy shrimp, heads on, are drenched in a molasses-like sauce, rich with butter, spice and thick slices of lemon, with fresh, slightly toasty French bread served as a boat of flavor for dipping. Sausages are house-made, and served up in a trio made with chicken and laced with herbs and spices. Savory cheesecake layered with a bank of creamy filling juxtaposes minced crawfish and more of the fine sausage to create another standout; a slightly breaded broiled Gulf redfish is short on looks but long on fresh fish flavor, the kind that makes you wonder why you ever order meat.

If the din in the dining room makes for painful conversation toward the end of the meal, do yourself a favor: Have dessert downstairs in the market, where an oversized communal table strewn with the day's newspapers and a grapevine basket filled with lemons and oranges is too inviting to pass up. Flanked by a comfortable patio, the room serves as provender of an odd mix of soaps, funky houseware pieces and baby clothes. And it's also the showcase for pastry chef Jonathan St. Hilaire's larder — from buttery, house-made croissants filled with almond and chocolate to espresso tarts and brownies.

Ask for a coffee, have a seat in one of the worn leather armchairs and enjoy a slice of lemon coconut cake from the market, or the creamy, milk chocolate French silk pie from the dining room's menu. Apple tarts to go, tiny blueberry cheesecakes, frangipane and pistachio tartlets and loaves of Pullman bread make Parish one of the best bakeries in the city. And it's the downstairs market that's the most fun anyway — a take-away counter offers po' boys and muffalettas, as well as groovy sodas and chips. Biting into layers of meats and olives between the fat Italian muffaletta loaves while enjoying the breeze on the patio is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Restaurant: 5-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays; 5-10 p.m Sundays. Brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Market: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7 a.m.-midnight Fridays; 8 a.m.-midnight Saturdays; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays. $$$

Shaun's
1029 Edgewood Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-577-4358.
www.shaunsrestaurant.com

In chef Shaun Doty's Atlanta career, he's managed to move from hot-vibe hoedowns like Mumbo Jumbo to the tony spot of executive chef at the High's Table 1280. After a short-lived stint at that restaurant, he came up with Shaun's, a bistro with a modest menu in the spot that once was classic Deacon Burton's. Doty's menu is true bistro, a term that gets thrown around as easily in Atlanta as peroxide and Palm Pilots, though very few of those using it actually know what it means. It means small; down-to-earth; affordable. It's usually chef-driven, and the chef is usually the owner — that's Shaun's.

Shaun's creates a salad that is perfect anytime of year, but particularly special in the summer months — over a bed of crispy Sardinian flatbread lies a tossing of organic arugula, nutty and astringent, with argon oil and chile, shavings of Parmesan a willing and tasty companion. Want more? How about crispy, fresh iceberg tossed with Vermont feta, oregano, tomatoes and briny Kalmata olives?Jack up the calorie count with steak frites fried in duck fat with mussels in a white wine cream sauce or beautifully breaded Berkshire pork schnitzel with parsley and toasted peanuts. Doty is secretly one of the best dessert chefs in the city — and the down-home bistro gooey goodness of a sticky toffee pudding is proof.

The restaurant's posh yet understated style brings to mind world-class favorites like Chanterelle in New York and No. 9 Park in Boston, but certainly no other restaurant of this caliber in Atlanta. In a city glutted with glitz and glamour (and $7 million price tags), Atlanta needs a restaurant like Shaun's the way Bedford Falls needed the Savings & Loan. We need its simple, understated beauty if for no other reason than to have a fine place to eat that doesn't involve neon and sushi.

Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays; 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 5-9 p.m. Sundays. Brunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays. $$$

Taurus
1745 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-214-0641.
www.taurusrestaurant.com

Taurus' chef-owner Gary Mennie helped establish Canoe as the premier "special occasion" restaurant for Atlanta, a pre-Olympic boom spot with lots of staying power and an artful but unintimidating menu. His menu at Taurus is, for the most part, just as approachable, though large plates focus on bone-in meats such as the well-grilled delmonico (a favorite cut) and daily specials that include everything from an entire rack of veal to leg of lamb and prime rib. But lurking behind all that meat is a salad that will fill you up just as satisfactorily as a strip steak, conjuring memories of a chophouse favorite: a 10-chop salad, with vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, asparagus, corn and daikon radish in a large dice, splashed with a tart vinaigrette and blanketed with tangy shards of Parmesan. Need more veggies? Sides are reminiscent of the dishes at your last family reunion — cheesy cauliflower and twiced-baked eggplant. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 5-9:30 p.m. Sundays. Bar open later some nights. $$$

The Shed at Glenwood
475 Bill Kennedy Way, Atlanta. 404-835-4363.

The Shed at Glenwood, part of the development between Cabbagetown and East Atlanta, is as shiny and bright as a newly minted penn-y. It has all the right catch-phrase ingredients to make it the talk of the neighborhood — a hip, sparse interior with a vaulted ceiling that makes it impossible to hear the person next to you when there are more than four people dining; a beautiful side patio; a gorgeous chef's counter where diners can sit and watch the expedition kitchen buzzing away.

It's also got an owner and general manager trained in the Here to Serve Restaurants group, Cindy Shera, who's hired one of her brethren from that family, Daniel Atwood, to helm the kitchen. Atwood cut his culinary teeth at Murphy's and helped open Woodfire Grill. He's been the Executive chef at Prime for the last two years-plus. Their menu? Farm-to-table, of course, changing often. The attitude? Relaxed, come-as-you-are.

The menu actually does change regularly, and from week to week there may be several seasonal alterations — an offering of deep-fried softshell crab with a bright-tasting spinach and arugula salad was perfectly crunchy, but only for a few weeks. Nothing can alter the goodness of the beet salad, which is perhaps the best beet salad ever. In history. How good could a beet salad be? Good enough to change the way you think about beets. And goat cheese. Life in general. Roasted local beets, red and gold, tossed with white Balsamic (yes, there is such a thing and it tastes good), orange segments, and the freshest goat cheese from Georgia's own Sweet Grass Dairy, all topped with micro greens. It's not served cold; it's not served hot. It's ... magically room temperature.

From a list of "large plates," Atwood's skill beyond beets quickly becomes apparent: he's very good with whole fish (a snapper was glorious on the plate, head to tail, stuffed with lemon, rosemary, thyme and oregano). And he could batter and deep fry the sole of a shoe and make it taste good. Tempura vegetables, though mostly julienned red bell pepper, are wonderfully crunchy, and the flavor of the vegetable manages to push through batter and frying fat. This is most evident in the sliced spears of fried okra, a glorious thing no matter who's in charge. The only way it could be improved here is if Atwood would add a handful of cornmeal to his otherwise perfect batter. Shera has done her work training her staff, a group of go-getters who, though a little green, seem content and dedicated. The Shed may come off initially as just another "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" kind of place, but in reality there's lots more pith here than platitude.

11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Bar open one hour later. Brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $$$

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.)