NAM
Midtown
931 Monroe Drive, Suite A-101. 404-541-9997

I'm not sure what's more hip: Owner Alex Kinjo's shades or his elegant menu of nouvelle Vietnamese cuisine. I'll go with the latter, since it's the restaurant's shaking beef and rice flour tamales that are among the grooviest, and tastiest, offerings this city has to offer. Flavors here are fresh. Clean. And thoughtful < they allow for Vietnamese traditions while embracing an unmistakable modernity. Bask in flowing, organza-like sheer panels between tables and a muted, modern atmosphere while noshing on the buttery texture of shaking beef seasoned with garlic and onions. Its exquisite flavor is made bright with a lime-and-pepper slurry for dipping. The banh nam (rice flour tamales) are a lesson in understated elegance, wrapped in a banana leaf and filled with pork, shrimp and mushrooms.

Lunch:
11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 6-10 p.m. Sundays. $$$