Tag: Circa

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

On the Move

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Circa is moving to Regalia Shopping Center, and the current location on South Main will slip into something a little more comfortable.

“The new place is going to be [like] the one downtown,” says John Bragg, owner of Circa. And the downtown location?

“It’s loosely defined at this moment, but let’s call it a casual wine bar and lounge. We’re going to have affordable and fun gourmet food and drink but hold the reservations. It’s not so much a formal dining experience.”

The downtown Circa will eventually be renamed. Expect to see a larger bar and more space for gathering, as well as more wines by the glass and a lot of seasonal and local food items. Bragg is still sorting out the specifics, but the project will be under way once the new Circa in Regalia is open, sometime in early December.

The menu at the new Circa location will have a similar seasonal and local mien.

“There will be changes to the menu but in the same vein as the Circa we have now,” Bragg says. “There will be some upgrades to the dessert menu with homemade ice creams and sorbets and specialized pastry items. More local items are going to find their way on there. But that’s as far as I’ve decided on. There are certain core items we’ll keep up with, like our sorghum-cured rack of lamb with sweet potato flan, our bananas Foster soufflé, and crawfish beignets.”

Beer and wine offerings will be more or less similar at both locations, with just a few items catering specifically to each location.

“The wine list is going to be more global with a lot of Italian and Spanish wines by the glass. You’ll probably see more big-name California Cabs at Circa, and we’ll have an assortment of domestic and craft-type beers, probably with more draught beers downtown.”

Circa, 119 S. Main (522-1488)

circamemphis.com

Loyal patrons are already aware that Jim’s Place East, a staple in Memphis’ restaurant industry for almost 90 years, will be leaving its Shelby Oaks Drive location for a new space at Poplar and Perkins.

“We felt like moving to a better location with more traffic,” says Costa Taras, who co-owns the restaurant with Dimitri Taras and will bring on his son Bill to help run the new location.

“We had to make a move. We hate leaving here; we’ve been here since 1976. But we felt for the best interest of the business, we should close this one down.”

Taras says that 90 percent of the menu will stay the same: “We might add a few items here and there, some more Greek and Mediterranean, but it will basically be the same menu we’ve had all these years.”

The restaurant won’t have the same “old-world” feel as before, as Taras plans on leaving the antiques behind. But a more modern Jim’s Place is something he hopes will bolster the restaurant’s appeal for younger people. “We’ll keep the same client base, but I think we’ll pick up some new, younger customers in that location.”

The old Jim’s Place East location closed on Saturday, and the new location should open the week of November 15th. “It’s going to be a change, but we feel like it’s a change for the better,” Taras says.

Jim’s Place East will be moving to 518 S. Perkins Ext.

Categories
Best of Memphis Special Sections

Best of Food & Drink

CREDIT: Alex Harrison

Alex Harrison

Buttery tikka masala, tender tandoori, spicy vegetable dishes, and all other manner of Indian specialties are served at Midtown institution India Palace in its airy, comfortable Poplar Avenue location.

We’ll admit we find it adorable when, in the “Best Chef” category,
you write in “My Wife,” “My Husband,” or, better yet, “My Mom.” (The
answer “Your Mom’s House” for “Best Romantic Restaurant” is not so
cute.) Chef Boyardee didn’t stand a chance with only two votes for
“Best Chef,” but at least he’s got bragging rights over Mrs. Winner
who, despite the name and the chicken and biscuits, got only one
vote.

Justin Fox Burks

Kelly English, Restaurant Iris, 1st place: ‘Best Chef’

Best Chef

1. Kelly English, Restaurant Iris

2. Erling Jensen, Erling Jensen the Restaurant

3. John Bragg, Circa

Last October, Food & Wine magazine named Kelly English
one of the Top 10 “Best New Chefs” for 2009. That was quite the honor.
Now Flyer readers have vaulted English to the top spot for the
first time.

Best Lunch

1. Huey’s

2. Soul Fish

3. Lenny’s

Hey, you know all those other restaurants that were in the running
for “Best Lunch” in Memphis? Stick a toothpick in ’em. They’re done.
Huey’s gets the nod for lunch nosh this year.

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Blue Plate Cafe

3. Bryant’s Breakfast

Oh Brother, Wherefore Art Chow? Sorry. Brother J. has won “Best
Breakfast” many times, and it’s because they offer delicious,
innovative, homemade food in an eclectic space crammed with interesting
people, especially on weekend mornings.

Best Romantic Restaurant

1. Paulette’s

2. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

3. The Melting Pot

Maybe it’s the desserts. Or maybe the soft tinkling of the ivories.
Or maybe just the wonderful menu, nice wine list, and warm ambience.
Paulette’s is a classic.

Best Sunday Brunch

1. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

2. Boscos Squared

3. Peabody Skyway — tie —

Beauty Shop

Owen Brennan’s sits at the cusp of Germantown and East Memphis, but
it draws Memphians from all over for its New Orleans-themed Sunday
brunch: the best in town for 2009.

Best Wine List

1. Le Chardonnay Wine Bar & Bistro

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Le Chardonnay moved across Madison Avenue a couple years ago, but it
has retained its dark, ski-lodge-y charm, its extensive wine list, and
first place for “Best Wine List” in your hearts.

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House

3. The Butcher Shop

Folk’s Folly valets meet you at the curb. Once inside, you hear
sweet piano-bar stylings and the sound of cold drinks and cocktail
chatter. But who are we kidding? It’s all about the steak here, and
Folk’s Folly’s steaks sizzle!

Best Barbecue

1. Central BBQ

2. Corky’s

3. The Bar-B-Q Shop

Central BBQ takes top honor in what is probably the toughest
category in this poll: “Best Barbecue.” No matter how you spell it
— barbecue, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, whatever — Central’s on top
again.

Best Ribs

1. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous

2. Central BBQ

3. Corky’s

The Rendezvous is sometimes derided as a place where tourists go to
eat Memphis’ most famous food group (16 barbecued ribs), but the
Flyer‘s poll makes it clear that locals love the Rendezvous as
much as people wearing Elvis T-shirts. And well they should.

Best Burger

BOM 1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. The Belmont Grill

That “BOM” designation means Huey’s has won “Best Burger” for so
long that it’s not even fair to anybody else in the running. Lots of
places in Memphis make good burgers, but only one takes the top spot,
year after year after year.

Best Hot Wings

1. Buffalo Wild Wings

2. D’Bo’s Buffalo Wings-n-Things

3. Central BBQ

With five Memphis-area locations, 14 sauces (ranging in heat from
“Blazin'” to “Sweet Barbecue”), and TVs set to sports everywhere you
look, Buffalo Wild Wings is leading the city’s wing scene.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s Fried Chicken

2. Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits

3. Jack Pirtle Fried Chicken

If you want to eat lunch at Gus’s, you’d better get there early.
Folks line up for the crispy, smoky, spicy uniqueness that makes Gus’s
fried chicken better than anybody’s in Memphis. Or in the world.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

3. Pearl’s Oyster House

The Bayou, like its sister restaurant, Le Chardonnay, hasn’t missed
a beat by moving across Madison. It’s bigger, but it still has a nice
patio, cold beer, stellar gumbo, and lots of other Cajun
delectables.

Justin Fox Burks

Petra, 1st place: ‘Best Mediterranean’

Best Mediterranean

1. Petra

2. Casa Grill

3. Petra Cafe

What’s more Midtown than this: Greek-Korean fusion in a restaurant
housed in a former gas station/garage, with patio seating right next to
the pumps? Spanikopita, moussaka, falafel — Petra is Greek
delicious. And the Korean soups and kimchi are fabulous too.

Best Dessert

1. Paulette’s

2. Beauty Shop

3. Kooky Canuck

Restaurants come and go, but Paulette’s “K-Pie” is a constant. Rich
coffee ice cream in a pecan-coconut crust, topped with whipped cream
and Kahlua, the Midtown institution’s Kahlua-mocha parfait pie is a
classic but not their most popular dessert. That designation apparently
belongs to the restaurant’s hot chocolate crepe. With crème
brûlée, Key lime pie, and other desserts dotting the menu,
Paulette’s is where Memphians go for post-dinner sweets.

Best Italian

1. Ronnie Grisanti & Sons Restaurant (now closed)

2. Pete & Sam’s

3. Bari — tie —

Ciao Bella Italian Grill

Long synonymous with Italian dining in Memphis, Ronnie Grisanti’s
closed its doors in August after a 25-year run at its Chickasaw Oaks
Plaza location on Poplar. But Memphians won’t be without the Grisanti
family’s authentic Tuscan cuisine, which has delighted local diners for
generations. Most of the restaurant’s staff — including Ronnie
himself — will relocate to the family’s Germantown location,
Elfo’s, which will be renamed simply Grisanti’s.

Best Mexican

1. El Porton Mexican Restaurant

2. Happy Mexican

3. Taqueria La Guadalupana

In an increasingly saturated local Mexican food scene, El Porton
maintains the top spot with five area locations, quick, reasonably
price lunches, a diverse menu, a full bar, and happy-hour specials.

Best Chinese

1. P.F. Chang’s

2. Wang’s Mandarin House

3. A-Tan

National chain P.F. Chang’s became a big local hit when it opened
its lone Memphis location — on Ridgeway in East Memphis — a
few years ago. In P.F. Chang’s large, opulent dining room, patrons can
feast on a diverse array of Chinese classics such as Mongolian beef,
ginger chicken, and spicy dumplings.

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Jasmine

Located in a large, converted Midtown house (the former home of
restaurant Maison Raji), Bhan Thai offers intensely flavorful Thai
dishes — masaman curry, pad thai, crispy duck, coconut-milk-based
soups, etc. — in an elegant atmosphere full of character, from
its small, intimate dining rooms to its popular patio in the back.

Best Vietnamese

1. Saigon Le

2. Pho Saigon

3. Pho Hoa Binh

This no-frills Midtown eatery has a loyal clientele because of its
focus on the food, which includes authentic Vietnamese specialties
— fresh spring rolls, great pho soups, vermicelli and tofu
dishes, and plenty of vegetarian options.

Best Japanese/Sushi

1. Sekisui

2. Blue Fin

3. Sekisui Pacific Rim

Restaurateur Jimmy Ishii has come to define Japanese cuisine, and
particularly sushi, in Memphis. The local chain is celebrating its 20th
birthday this year, first opening its Humphreys Center flagship
restaurant in 1989 and now covering the city with five locations.

Justin Fox Burks

Soul Fish, 1st place: ‘Best Home Cooking / Soul Food’

Best Home Cooking/Soul Food

1. Soul Fish

2. The Cupboard

3. Blue Plate Café

For exquisite catfish and hush puppies and a big daily selection of
veggies, it’s hard to order anything else off of Soul Fish’s menu. But
try their smoked half-chicken, and you’ll be doubling up on meals to
satisfy all your menu urges.

Best Vegetarian

BOM 1. Whole Foods Market

2. The Cupboard

3. Jasmine

Whole Foods Market, a foodie oasis on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis,
is more than a grocery store. Its large prepared-foods section —
pizzas, sandwiches, salad bar, bakery, coffee and juice bar — and
dining area make it a popular lunch and dinner spot for vegetarians and
health-food enthusiasts, in particular. Whole Foods also offers cooking
classes to help you find interesting things to do with the fresh and
healthy items they sell.

Best Seafood

1. Tsunami

2. Bonefish

3. The Half Shell

The anchor restaurant of Cooper-Young does it again, taking “Best
Seafood” for the millionth year in a row. Scallops, sea bass, mussels,
you name it, Chef Ben Smith and crew deliver a ship full of great taste
in a sophisticated atmosphere.

Best Pizza

BOM 1. Memphis Pizza Cafe

2. Garibaldi’s Pizza

3. Old Venice

Memphis Pizza Café was an instant hit when it opened in 1993
and has since expanded its local pizza empire to five locations, all
serving tasty, crispy pizzas, including such faves as the white-sauce
“alternative” and the zesty Cajun chicken.

Best Deli

1. Fino’s from the Hill

2. Bogie’s Delicatessen

3. Young Avenue Deli

What says Midtown more than the intersection of Madison and McLean?
And what says a great deli sandwich better than Fino’s from the Hill,
on that very Midtown corner? In addition to the popular made-to-order
sandwiches — cold cuts, cheeses, toppings, all on good crusty
bread — Fino’s offers pasta dishes and grocery items. That’s
Italian!

Best Server

1. Jeff Frisby, Restaurant Iris

2. Michele Fields, Calhoun’s Sports Bar

3. Jean Pruett, Bardog — tie —

Brent Skelton, The Kitchen

Jeff Frisby at Restaurant Iris must be doing something right. Last
year, he was named one of the city’s best servers in our Best Of poll.
This year, he’s done it again. Must be that Frisby knows not only how
to serve, he knows what to serve when it comes to vino: He’s Restaurant
Iris’ wine manager. (Factoid: All our winners in this category work in
Memphis’ new or newish restaurant/bars. Good to see Flyer
readers appreciate the city’s evolving food scene.)

Best Service

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Texas de Brazil

3. Houston’s

Drive-thru or in-store, the crew behind the counter at any of
Memphis’ Chick-Fil-A locations have it down pat: your order in your
hands — fast. More amazing (and given the volume of business),
they do it, hands down, with the friendliest service in town.

Justin Fox Burks

Chick-Fil-A, 1st place: ‘Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant’

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Chick-Fil-A

2. Chuck E. Cheese

3. Huey’s

We forgot to mention (see “Best Service”) that the crew at
Chick-Fil-A must have nerves of steel. As a new winner in the
kid-friendly restaurant category, these folks have what it takes when
children combine with fast food. Call it grace under pressure.

Best Local Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

And we mean late. We’re talking, at several of Huey’s
multiple locations, a kitchen that’s open until 2 a.m. Don’t deny it.
At that hour and after some damage, what your body’s craving is a
burger and onion rings.

Best Place for People-Watching

1. Flying Saucer

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Celtic Crossing

The corner of Beale and Second: The wide-open windows at downtown’s
Flyer Saucer aren’t there for no reason. Whether you’re in the
restaurant or passing on the sidewalk, this place was tailor-made for
people-watching. Evidence: During the Memphis Music and Heritage
Festival a few weekends ago, the place was jamming, inside and out.

Best Patio

1. Celtic Crossing

2. Boscos Squared

3. Cafe Olé

In a word: trivia. Celtic’s popular Wednesday-night tournament this
past summer had the patio packed. Any night, any season, though, will
do for a Guinness and some major hanging-out in Cooper-Young. Bonus
attraction: On this patio, you’re only a few steps from the scene on
the street.

Best Local Place That Delivers

1. Garibaldi’s Pizza

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Camy’s

Another new winner in our Best Of poll: Garibaldi’s Pizza —
established 30 years ago by owner Mike Garibaldi — has three
locations for handmade pizzas, pastas, salads, wings, sandwiches,
sweets, and more. Garibaldi’s caters to not only what you’re hungry
for, according to readers, it really delivers.

Justin Fox Burks

Muddy’s Bake Shop, 1st place: ‘Best Bakery’

Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. La Baguette

3. Fresh Market

Again: a new winner. And, according to Muddy’s website, if you’re
rude, whiny, impatient, or otherwise unpleasant, forget stepping inside
this bakeshop. If you’re green-minded and egg-headed (Muddy’s uses eggs
from cage-free, free-range hens), you’re welcome! Plus, who’s to argue
with a cupcake called “Prozac?”

Best Local Coffeehouse

1. High Point Coffee (now closed)

2. Otherlands

3. Café Eclectic — tie —

Republic Coffee

High Point Coffee just closed. (It’s the economy, stupid.) But
Otherlands, Cafe Eclectic, and Republic Coffee — the hotshots
rounding out your picks for best local coffeehouse — havestill
got their vibe going and the caffeine coming.

Best Restaurant

1. Restaurant Iris

2. Tsunami

3. Huey’s

Iris: It’s in the eye of the beholder. Restaurant Iris, “Best
Restaurant,” according to Memphians who value fine dining. In the space
of a year, nationally recognized chef Kelly English has succeeded in
turning Restaurant Iris into the city’s go-to address for exceptional
French-Creole-inspired cuisine. Doesn’t hurt that the restaurant also
features first-rate service in an intimate, romantic atmosphere.

Best New Restaurant

1. Flight

2. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

3. Overton Park Pizze Stone

The interior’s gorgeous, but it’s the food at Flight that has
Flyer readers hooked — and voting. Flight’s “flights”
— a trio of tastings from the entrée, dessert, and wine
menus — make it a wonderful way to sample what’s cooking in the
kitchen. What’s on your table: small plates but great taste. Or you
want regular-size portions? No problem. You can order that way too.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Circa To Host 2nd Anniversary Party

CREDIT: memphismagazine.com

“Nice is nice,” says Circa owner/chef

johnbragg.jpg

  • memphismagazine.com

John Bragg of his approach to the restaurant business. “It’s nice to drink wine, to be with friends, to be at a place where people take care of you. You can’t get that at work or at the bank or at the oil-change place.”

So here’s to nice, and here’s to Circa, which is celebrating its second anniversary, Thursday, August 27th, with a special dinner and art auction.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The Beer Is Near

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Grab your beer stein: Two local events will be keeping beer enthusiasts busy in the next couple weeks.

During the Memphis Zoo’s first Zoo Brew on Friday, August 31st, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., visitors can sample beers from around the world. On tap for the evening are more than 20 beers from Southwestern Beverage Distributing, including Avery White Rascal, San Miguel, Singha Lager, Yazoo, and Murphy’s Irish Stout.

The evening will also include live entertainment from Jeremy Sharder’s Quintessentials and a sale of mixed-media paintings and sculptural clay pieces from local artists Susan Inman and Skippy Gronauer. Proceeds from the art sales will benefit the zoo.

Tickets for the event are $15 for zoo members and $20 for non-members. All guests must be 21 or older to attend.

Art on Tap at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens started 10 years ago with only 100 guests and 20 beer varieties. Today, the event has become the Dixon’s second-largest fund-raiser.

At this year’s Art on Tap on Friday, September 7th, from 6 to 9 p.m., more than 125 beers — microbrew, import, and domestic — will be provided by local beverage distributors as well as Boscos Brewery and the Bluff City Brewers and Connoisseurs. Blue Coast Burrito, Elfo’s, and Jimmy’s Chicago Style Pizza, Dogs, & Beef will supply the food.

Tickets are $25 for Dixon members, $35 for nonmembers, and “Young at Art” members are admitted free. All guests must be 21 or older to attend.

Fresh Slices Sidewalk Café & Deli, a popular neighborhood restaurant on Overton Park Avenue will open a second location in Cordova in September.

The deli is a family affair, started by Ike Logan and supported by his wife Willie and daughter Tasha. Although Fresh Slices is Logan’s first venture as a restaurateur, he’s been in the business for 35 years. “My dad started as a busboy at Bennigan’s, worked his way up to cook, [then] manager, and eventually became area director,” Tasha explains.

Ike Logan’s desire to have his own restaurant was strong, but it took the whole family to finally make it work. “We were trying to find the right location, and then one night at 2 a.m. after a party, I drove down Overton Park and saw this beautiful space,” Tasha remembers. “I called my dad immediately and made him get out of bed to look at the building right then.”

Fresh Slices has been on Overton Park for four years now, serving an extensive selection of sandwiches, burgers, entrées, and salads. While Willie Logan will reign over both locations, Tasha will lead the Midtown restaurant as her dad gets the slightly larger Cordova Fresh Slices off the ground.

Fresh Slices, 1585 Overton Park Ave.(725-1001). Opening soon at 8566 Macon

Circa is offering a special treat for diners who plan to take their family to see The Lion King, which is playing at the Orpheum through September 16th.

Between 5 and 6 p.m. on show nights, guests can enjoy Circa’s three-course Lion King Prix Fixe Menu for $30 per person plus tax and gratuity. Kids can select from the three-course Cub’s Menu for $12 per child plus tax and gratuity. In addition, valet parking at Circa is just $5, so you can walk to the Orpheum after dinner.

Your choices on the menu: lobster and crab bisque, the chef’s soup du jour, or a petite mixed salad for the first course; a six-ounce filet mignon bordelaise, grilled blackened fish du jour, or Tasmanian King Salmon for the main course; and fresh strawberry sponge cake or Circa’s “Il Diplomatico” (dark chocolate mousse layered with coconut rum cake) for dessert accompanied by a selection of teas or coffee. The kids can start off with a selection of fresh vegetables and fruit and then choose between chicken à la Lion King with potato purée, macaroni ‘n’ cheese, or a pair of beef sirloin sliders with pommes frites. They can end the meal with a choice of homemade sorbets or ice creams.

Circa, 119 S. Main (522-1488)

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Sticking His Neck Out

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

It’s déjà vu all over again. In the midst of transforming the former Holiday Ham store on South Main into his latest venture, Circa by John Bragg, chef/owner/entrepreneur John Bragg is busy preparing to cater an event. It’s the same scene from almost a year ago — down to the catering job and a hard-to-pin-down Bragg, who was then transforming the former Cockeyed Camel at Poplar Avenue and I-240 into River Oaks by John Bragg.

The “John Bragg” part of River Oaks lasted about six months. “When you open a new place and it takes off like that and is instantly successful, it’s like winning the lottery, with all the good and the bad stuff that comes with the jackpot,” Bragg says. “I was part-owner of River Oaks, and my partners and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on some issues, so we decided to part.”

Bragg, who attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris and has worked for several well-known local chefs such as Karen Carrier, Erling Jensen, and Gene Bjorklund, spent eight years as a CPA in the corporate sector. After he left River Oaks, some people thought he might have returned to accounting. But instead, Bragg, who had transformed the well-worn vegetarian-friendly La Montagne into a more upscale eatery in 2004, decided to put to good use what he had learned from his two restaurant solos and his work as an accountant.

“The people I worked with as an accountant were mostly entrepreneurs,” Bragg says. “I realized that all of these people had stuck their neck out at one point or another. There’s always a risk, but you’ve got to be willing to stick your neck out every once in a while if you want to have a successful business.”

By that measure, Bragg warmed slowly to the idea of risk. With La Montagne, he kept the name, brushed up the interior, stayed in a modest neighborhood, and tested the waters with his cooking skills.

“I knew I had a good product if people from Germantown were willing to drive to Park and Highland to eat my food,” Bragg says. “They had so many opportunities to stop and eat a fabulous meal at Fleming’s, Ruth’s Chris, the Grove Grill, you name it. But instead, they drove all the way to eat at my restaurant. I just needed a better location.”

So Bragg stuck his neck out a little further, gathered investors, and opened River Oaks. Much more effort went into this restaurant, but passionate chefs tend to be passionate about every little detail in a restaurant — something some partnerships can’t withstand.

This time, Bragg is ready to stick his neck out as far as it will reach. Circa is all Bragg — food, design, money, name, concept. “My experience with La Montagne and River Oaks inspired me,” Bragg says. “What I learned was that if I put my mind and the right amount of money on a problem, I can come up with a great answer.”

With Circa, Bragg wants to “provide a culinary taste adventure centered on the freshest food ingredients and a very interesting, welcoming, and sociable atmosphere,” Braggs explains. “It’s not just the need for nice ambience or good food that I want to satisfy. When people leave Circa, I want all their bells ringing.”

Circa, for Bragg, is not only the restaurant’s name but something that can be developed into a brand, starting with an easily recognizable logo and an association with time. For the restaurant’s interior, he hired the internationally known architecture and design firm 3SIX0, based in Providence, Rhode Island. The design for Circa is a system of screen walls that will create patterned areas for diners and keep the overall feel of the restaurant open and airy. There will be a private dining room near the kitchen and a back-lit bar in front.

The menu is modern American: no surprises, nothing fussy. Steaks, chops, and fish dominate the entrée selections, and some of Bragg’s signature appetizers, such as crawfish beignets and wild-mushroom and goat-cheese crepes, will be available as will as an assortment of artisan meats and cheeses. Desserts range from the classic (sachertorte and Gateau Opera) to the simple (lemon and berry tarts). The restaurant is scheduled to open in late April or early May and will start out with dinner daily from 5 to 11:30 p.m. and lunch Monday through Friday, starting at 11 a.m.

Circa by John Bragg, 119 S. Main (522-1488)