Taste, a new American-style tapas restaurant, opened Monday in the former GAKS teahouse location off Dixie Trail in Raleigh.

Co-owner Edward Haag explained the "American-style tapas" moniker as "so we can put lobster mac-n-cheese on the menu and not have people hate us for not being Spanish."

They offer more than a dozen small plates, each costing $10 or less. The menu will change six to eight times a year.

Haag, who runs the bar and the front of house, says he and chef Alex Unger met while working at the same restaurant in Syracuse. When Haag moved down here two years ago, he decided to open a restaurant and convinced Unger and his wife to help him.

The kitchen hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The bar stays open later. The restaurant is at 3048 Medlin Drive, Raleigh, across from Crowley's

For more information, check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taste/144869475610846?sk=info