The Look Rock Bakery and Pizzeria just opened today in the space formerly occupied by the Atlanta Bread Company in Alcoa at 133 Associates Blvd, which is near the SunTrust Bank and the Alcoa Municipal Building.

They don't have a website yet, but they were kind enough to fax a menu which I have attached. The breakfast and lunch menu is similar to the Atlanta Bread offerings but with more variety, and bonus, they have some great sounding pizzas. And beer!

Lemongrass (across 321 from Target) is a real gem. It's a nice little white tablecloth place, so it is good for a date, but not too fancy a place to go with children if that's more the stage you're at. They serve "good" Thai food (it may not be the most authentic on the planet, but it IS good) and I enjoy their sushi. They don't have much turnover with their wait staff, so they remember each member of the family, inquire about the ones who are missing, and already know what you're going to order when you walk in there. The staff are very friendly and put everyone at ease.

I don't know if they will ever do it again, because they had an unbelievable crowd, but tonight was Wednesday $2 Sushi night at Lemongrass. They had 3 sushi chefs, so they ticked through the orders in an amazingly efficient fashion. Apparently, it is available for take-out as well.

If anything, I would love to see this restaurant double in size, with about quadruple the parking spaces available.

We visted Hana some time ago and I'm just getting around to posting it. We were very pleased at our "find".

The sushi was terrific, as were the other dishes we ordered. They were attractive and generous portions. Very cleverly put together. Nice drink selections, too.

It is among the 3 or 4 smaller restaurant buildings across the street from the library. I don't know anything about the management, but thought they must have gotten a professional decorator. It is done in minimalist, modern, Asian style that matched the building perfectly. I would never have dreamed that a restaurant there could be so nice.

Very nice "date restaurant." You'll enjoy it even if you don't like sushi.

Hana, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, opens Saturday, Aug. 18th. They are located at 501 N. Cusick St., across from the Blount Co. Public Library. The menu features authentic Japanese sushi, sashimi, tempura, and more.