Hot spot on The Riviera

With the reopening of Fayetteville Street near and high rise condos sprouting up all over downtown Raleigh like shiitakes after a spring rain, the area has become a magnet for hip new restaurants and bars. The newest candidate for hot spot status is Riviera, which opened three weeks ago at 135 S. Wilmington St.

The restaurant bills itself as a "Mediterranean resto & lounge," which accurately reflects the spirit of the place. Presumably, "resto" is a coinage aimed at a young, hip crowd for whom "caffe" and "tapas bar" are so-five-minutes-ago. The narrow dining room's minimalist atmosphere, whose focal points are a long, well-stocked bar and op art portraits on mocha walls, certainly appears to be geared to the twenty-something and thirty-something crowd.

Chef Steven Pexton's Mediterranean-focused menu, on the other hand, should entice diners of all ages. Pexton, formerly executive chef at the Cardinal Club, has created a varied, seasonally changing offering of small plates, starters and entrees that is equally inviting to those in the mood for a traditional meal and those who prefer to nosh tapas-style with a group of friends. The lunchtime menu of soups, salads (I can vouch for the grilled tuna nicoise), panini and light entrees ought to appeal to the business crowd, too.

In the evening, the extensive offering includes pommes frites with applewood bacon mayonnaise, crab and scallop mousseline cake, chilled avocado soup with raw tuna, and foie gras profiteroles -- and that's just for starters. Entree options cover the spectrum of Mediterranean flavors with the likes of sweet potato manicotti with lobster Bolognese, whole roasted bronzini with anise jus, pan-roasted duck with an orange-ginger sauce, and grilled New York strip steak with Roquefort and duck fat-roasted fingerling potatoes. If the options seem overwhelming, there's always the option of chef Pexton's tasting menu.

Riviera is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner every night but Sunday. In the fall, the upstairs will open as a night club, with hours extended to 2 a.m. Now that's the Riviera spirit. Now you see it, now you don't

Two area restaurants were open for such a brief time that you may have missed them. In Brier Creek, Elod's European Bistro has closed its doors practically before selling out of its first batches of strudel and goulash.

And on Glenwood South, the tapas bar is empty and the multi-colored lights have gone dark at Crazy Vine. Cryptic signs on the door have hinted at reopening with a changed format (which I was able to confirm with a hurried sneak peek), but the owners are remaining tight-lipped. I'll keep you posted when they're willing to spill the beans.

Greg's Hot List: Meister Burgers

Last week, I shared my picks for that all-American summertime nosh, the hot dog. This week, burgers get equal time.

Abbey Road, 1195 W. Chatham St., Cary

Barry's Cafe, 5851 Holly Springs Road, Cary

Char-Grill, 618 Hillsborough St.; 4621 Atlantic Ave.; 3211 Edwards Mill Road; and 9601 Strickland Road, Raleigh.

Melvins', 2508 Hillsborough St., Raleigh

MoJoe's Burger Joint, 620 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh

Papa Lou's, 2 Raleigh locations: 3904 Western Blvd. and 2401 Wake Forest Road

Players Retreat, 105 Oberlin Road, Raleigh

Sawmill Tap Room, 7701 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh

Spanky's, 101 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill

Wimpy's Grill, 617 Hicks St. at Hillsborough Road, Durham