Eden, a restaurant striving to offer simple, fresh American cuisine using plenty of local ingredients, is slated to open by late July or early August. (Hat tip to our own Dana Lange and her daughter, Carter, for the scoop!)

The restaurant is in the former home of Starlu in South Court off Shannon Road.

Owner/Executive Chef Adam Smith spoke with me yesterday about the new venture.

He said his food won't come with many bells and whistles. Just "recognizable food" done well, he said.

"Our food and our technique is going to drive the business," Smith told me from the hostess stand inside the restaurant, which is receiving its final renovation touches.

"We'll do an herb-roasted chicken, but it's gonna be a wow kind of thing."

The sample menu Smith provided is all of one page and definitely is sticking with the keep-it-simple model: Seared scallops on wild mushroom risotto, red snapper with grilled asparagus and roasted garlic potatos, and pasta jardin with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, veggies and goat cheese over linguine, etc.

There was also a lighter fare menu that featured four entree salads, including a seared tuna salad in a ginger soy vinaigrette. As you might have gleaned, seafood will be at the center of much of what Smith does at Eden, a nod to his Northern California influences.

The menu will change seasonally, Smith said.

A 14-year restaurant industry veteran, this is Smith's first stab at owning one. He has spent the past five years as executive chef at Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill. He was named Best Chef in the Triangle by the March of Dimes in 2006.

Eden will be open for lunch and dinner. A grand opening is tentatively scheduled for July 22, though a press release said it would be open "by the 1st of August."