I'm still trying to catch up on how the dining scene changed while I was out on maternity leave. Here's another new restaurant:

Mandolin opened the day before Thanksgiving in the space previously occupied by EVOO in Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood.

Chef-owner Sean Fowler spent the last six years cooking at the Fearrington House in Pittsboro. Fowler describes the restaurant's cuisine as contemporary Southern with classical French influence. An example of that on the menu would be the salmon cake with carrot, celery and fennel salad, pickled beets and a farm egg Hollandaise sauce.

The restaurant serves dinner Tuesdays to Sundays. While they initially served lunch, Fowler says they will stop lunch service during the week but will start serving brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

The restaurant is located at 2519 Fairview Road. For more information, go to http://mandolinraleigh.com/