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Dressed in floor-to-ceiling drapes and walls with art that’s teetering between contemporary and whimsical, the restaurant formerly known as Posh looks very much the same — but that’s about where the similarities stop. When the doors reopened last spring, Tom Catherall, whose Here to Serve Restaurant Group consists of popular hotspots Twist, Shout, Prime, Strip, Noche and Lola, had changed the restaurant’s food concept, its name and, perhaps most importantly, its chef. In doing so, the restaurant that is now called home also has a palpable buzz factor and a bit of swagger. While it could be attributed to lingering excitement from its recent transformation, odds are the buzz is celebrity related — not the patrons, mind you, but for the executive chef, Atlanta’s own Richard Blais, who was perhaps one dish away from winning culinary bragging rights on Bravo’s popular TV show “Top Chef.” Personally, I think buzz is great as long as it doesn’t get between a hungry gal and her food, so I put aside all further reflection and focused my attention on the menu. Printed in black and white on an ordinary piece of paper, the menu appears simple at first, offering guests a number of Southern-inspired dishes, beginning with the unexpected, but always hospitable welcome of warm biscuits brought to the table. Yet such simplicity belies the playful ingenuity that Blais integrates into each dish. Proof of just how much thought goes into his modern approach to cooking was evident when my chilled oysters with hot sauce arrived. Rather than the expected pool of hot sauce swimming above the oysters, several Dipping Dot-sized garnishes sat atop each one. The waiter was quick to explain that these “pearls” were in fact Tabasco sauce that had crossed paths with liquid nitrogen in the kitchen. Only a handful of chefs are skilled in the ways of liquid nitrogen, but Blais uses it frequently like other chefs use frying oil. The result is a delicious dose of creativity for his diners. Another “Starter Plate” worth the internal To-Share-or-Not-To-Share debate is the roasted foie gras perched on mini-buttermilk pancakes, served with pickled berries. Following our starters and palate-pleasing salads came the two entrées: “fresh bacon” — a pork belly marinated in coffee barbecue sauce — served with collard greens and local peaches, and duck breast with acorn squash, leeks and Florida orange reduction. And so it was that one creative dish after another left the kitchen and found its way to us, including farm-to-table fresh vegetables served family style. Finally, we couldn’t resist anymore … it was time to order dessert, something that’s never up for discussion, especially given such options as Moon Pie (half of which was dipped in chocolate) served with a liquid-nitrogen infused Coca-Cola float, and the sour cream pecan cake with sweet tea ice cream. As a good Southerner, I was truly torn between the Moon Pie dessert and the sweet tea ice cream, but ultimately, I felt it was my duty to try the chef’s new twist on sweet tea. Needless to say, neither mouth-watering choice was a disappointment, and nary a crumb remained on either of our plates. Rarely will you have the opportunity to experience dishes created by a chef who is part mad scientist and part culinary genius, unless of course, you get cozy and settle in for dinner at home, where you can start and end your meal in such ingenious fashion. —Reviewed by Heather KW Brown home
There is nothing to me as good as the simple dishes of Italy, where minimal ingredients like a little olive oil, a fresh Roma tomato, a spring of basil and some homemade pasta melt in my mouth while sharing a glass of Prosecco and a lot of laughter with good friends. If you want to find me these days, I’m often dining at Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano, where no matter how many times I return, I can never make up my mind as to what to select off of the dinner menu and overindulge to get a taste of everything. Luciano’s is a casual Italian restaurant, which means it can be a little noisy and kid-friendly even on a Saturday night. But it’s good enough to share a white-clothed, candlelit table for two when gussied up for date night, as well. Sure, the waiters are in jeans, but they are attentive and know not only the menu but also the best wines to accompany your courses. (Ask for Sia, by far the best waiter I’ve encountered in Georgia, who remembers me and all the wines and meals I’ve eaten in the past.) The dining room features a cozy fireplace for nights when the weather begins to chill, as well as an intimate bar for quiet conversations over an after-dinner Grappa. Keeping casual with prices hovering in the low teens, the decadence begins with the breadbasket, which is accompanied by a tomato-garlic-olive oil dipping sauce so good we requested more and more bread until every last drip was devoured. Antipasti like Carpaccio is shaved so thin it nearly melts in the mouth, and the addictive homemade potato chips tossed with truffle oil, parmesan and garlic aioli is a guilty pleasure, but by far my favorite is the shrimp oreganata sautéed in garlic and white wine, topped with bread crumbs and baked (again, request more bread to soak up the extra sauce; it’s that delicious). Standard dinner favorites aim to please: spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, and sauces like fra Diavolo, Carbonara and Bolognese. The gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cream sauce with prosciutto di parma is something grandma would bake, while I can’t resist the ravioli al forno, ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and resting in a light bed of Alfredo sauce. A wood-fired oven produces both Neapolitan pizza and flatbreads with toppings like soppressata salami, shrimp arrabbiata, and of course, pepperoni. Fish, chicken, steak, veal, eggplant? They all make an appearance. Homemade desserts like Crostate di Mele, a warm puff pastry topped with Granny Smith apples and caramel gelato, is perfect for fall, and faves like tiramisu, cheesecake, panna cotta, gelatos and sorbetti round out the final course. Luciano’s also serves lunch, with brunch, a special family-style dinner, and half-priced bottles of wine on Sundays. Friendly and attentive staff, simple yet delicious fare and an extensive wine list filled with reds, whites and bubbly from around the world and Luciano’s will surely become one of your favorites, as well. Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano
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No Place Like home 
Luciano’s Italian Indulgence