A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Food Finds: Buckhead, Georgia" is from the December 2006 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

Bright and open, Joël isn't too stuffy. It even offers free pizza at the bar on Thursday nights.

Antica Posta
Tuscan plates of arugula and rabbit, beef carpaccio, handmade pastas, and fresh fish come flying out of the small, unpretentious kitchen at Antica Posta. With dishes that begin at $7, you can't go wrong with dinner at this tiny Buckhead cottage. Finish with a simple panna cotta, served with wild berry sauce. 519 East Paces Ferry Road NE.; (404) 262-7112.Entrées: $15-$30.

Top-Rated: Joël
The lofty dining room creates a spacious and airy restaurant. Chef Joël Antunes, who also helmed The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, cooks with a French and Mediterranean twist. Outstanding entrée: Georgia trout over tender gnocchi, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a tart vinaigrette. An appetizer of peekytoe crab cake doused with a sauce of curry and apples had a delicious, salty crust. If you want a bargain in Buckhead, here you go. Three-course dinners begin at $39 on weekdays. 3290 Northside Parkway; (404) 233-3500. Entrées: $29-$37.

The Dining Room
The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, far from just another expensive hotel restaurant, is the spark that set the area's culinary scene ablaze. The restaurant's current whiz in the kitchen is Arnaud Berthelier, whose radical food stands in stark contrast to The Ritz's Second Empire formality and tinkling classical music. Hideous combinations, meant to impress, lurk here and there on the menu (example: asparagus-bacon ice cream). Fortunately, a lot of good choices abound too. My favorite was a creamy and dense risotto with wild morels and Parmesan. A blockbuster-laden wine list completes the experience. 3434 Peachtree Road NE.; (404) 237-2700. Three-course dinners begin at $88 per person.

End your meal at Antica Posta with panna cotta (think creamy pudding).

EDITOR'S NOTE: Seeger's closed in December 2006.

Seeger's
Spare, elegant, and expensive, chef Guenter Seeger's eatery housed in a modern cottage one block from the luxe Cherokee Country Club may be Buckhead's most popular restaurant at the moment. Seeger's toyed with closing its doors this year but has remained open, mostly due to a loyal local following. Why? The service is efficient, serious, and stealthy--they won't interrupt to ask if you want more water. Plates such as the smooth, cool California foie gras and tarte Tatin with Vidalia onions and a sweet pecan sauce have made the restaurant's reputation. A focus on seasonal foods and fresh, local cuisine shows in dishes such as the venison loin marinated in apple flavors and sautéed--the result is a rich dish without venison's telltale gaminess or chew. 111 West Paces Ferry Road; (404) 846-9779. Four-course dinners begin at $108.

Local Classic: Bone's Restaurant
Ask any native of Atlanta what the best steak house in town is, and I'll bet you a porterhouse ($34.95 per pound here) that Bone's will be on the list. Exceptionally friendly service and a clubby atmosphere have kept this restaurant jumping. You'll find the steaks to be simply prepared, cut to reasonable servings, and cooked exactly to order. Note: Lunch and dinner prices for steaks are the same. 3130 Piedmont Road; (404) 237-2663. Dinner entrées: $25.95-$42.95.