Omnivore - Newbie roundup

Here are some newcomers getting a good bit of buzz:

Pacci, in the Hotel Palomar, 866 West Peachtree in Midtown is open for lunch as well as dinner now. It's steaks and Italian fare.

Five Seasons Brewing, 1000 Marietta St. (at Howell Mill Rd.), is open. Check out some pictures of the new Westside restaurant, spawn of restaurants by the same name in Sandy Springs and Alpharetta. Designer brewskies and contemporary American fare.

WaterHaven, 75 Fifth St., will open Friday in the space formerly occupied by the Globe in Technology Square. FoodieBuddha features a report on a preview dinner.

Verde Taqueria, 1426 Dresden Dr., has prompted some strongly worded email to me, but is getting mainly positive reviews on Yelp.

Taipei Restaurant, 3940 Buford Hwy., in Duluth is now employing the longtime chef of Little Szechuan, according to Christiane Lauterbach in the latest issue of Knife and Fork. Besha gave the restaurant a very positive mention last summer, when Christiane also first reviewed it. But now, according to Christiane, it is even better and she accords it a three-star rating.