FAIRHOPE — Atticus, a new elevated restaurant experience, has opened in downtown Fairhope in a familiar place.

It is located at 61 N. Section St., where Plane & Level Coastal used to be before closing in September last year. The establishment is a new venture from owners Charles Mereday and Brittany Hadden. Mereday has more than 35 years of experience as a chef, including 25 years of restaurant ownership. He was also previously the executive chef at the Battle House in Mobile.

They currently live in Evansville, Indiana, where they own another restaurant, but came back to the area in November for a consulting project. They fell back in love with their former stomping grounds, where an opportunity arose to open Atticus, named in honor of Atticus Finch, the famed character from the classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which was Hadden’s suggestion.

“We love it,” Mereday said about returning to the South Alabama community. “That’s why we came here. It’s just an amazing place. It’s beautiful. The people are super nice. Everybody’s friendly, everybody’s always smiling and happy it seems. That’s just why we’re here and that’s what we’re looking forward to the most.”

Mereday described the menu as fundamentally French in its preparation but also with a global influence. Mackenzie Broquet, the executive chef at Atticus, specializes in Japanese-style preparations, which Mereday said is a key part of the restaurant’s cooking.

They have a four-course tasting menu, starting out with a choice of appetizers that includes foie gras and handmade dumplings. For entrees, they serve fresh fish and seafood from the Gulf along with prime steaks and chops, including a 36-ounce prime porterhouse, a 28-ounce ribeye and a wood-fired veal chop, with soup or salad to pair, such as vichyssoise soup, which is a chilled potato and leek soup. Patrons can finish it all off with desserts that include a banana soufflé, lemon meringue pie and a s'mores cheesecake.

Atticus is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you plan to dine in, visit www.opentable.com/r/atticus-fairhope to make a reservation. There is also seating at the bar on a first-come, first-served basis with a limited à la carte menu.