Crispy fried flounder that was swimming in the Gulf only the day before ... a heaping platter of wild boar sausage, roasted quail and venison without even a hint of gaminess ... basmati rice flavored with truffles ... pork tenderloin with collards and spoonbread ... speckled butterbean succotash ... pan roasted duck breast flavored with bourbon ...

It’s a far cry from the Hungry Hunter, where Alan Martin got his first job in the kitchen, while studying engineering at Auburn University.

Martin, 42, is now the owner and chef of the Victoria Restaurant, which reopened in October after being shuttered for almost a year. Martin made a name for himself as a chef in Birmingham, working for many years under renowned chef Frank Stitt at the Highlands Bar & Grill and at Bottega, before becoming executive chef of Metro Grill and, for the past six years, of Standard Bistro.

Martin shares Stitt’s passion for contemporary Southern cuisine. “I love to take the simple, humble Southern ingredients we all were raised on, and use them in more interesting ways,” Martin said. “To have grits, collards and black-eyed peas rub shoulders with elegant things like truffles, foie gras and oysters.”

Martin was born and raised here. Anniston High School, class of ’85. He still has family here: his mother, a brother and a 97-year-old grandmother.

Growing up, his family had a two-acre garden, which is where Martin said he learned his appreciation for hard work, and for fresh vegetables.

Today, one of his priorities is buying fresh, and buying local, from produce to dairy to goat cheese.

In homage to Southern hunters, he also showcases game: quail, rabbit, venison, elk, duck.

His seafood is fresh from the Gulf, from a fisherman in Panama City, Fla., who calls from the boat to say what’s biting, then delivers Martin’s order the next morning.

The menu at the Victoria changes daily, depending on what’s available, but staples include seafood, pork, beef and chicken.

Four months after opening, the house favorites have become clear:

• Baked oysters “Victoria,” topped with a creamy spinach mix and bread crumbs.

• Roast quail, stuffed with cornbread, wrapped in bacon, served with a molasses vinaigrette.

• Shrimp and grits, with shrimp so fresh you’d forgotten they could taste that good, atop decadently creamy grits.

• Warm chocolate molten cake, served with candied pecans and cappuccino ice cream.

An extensive wine list includes the locally popular Unity Hill. The restaurant is also hosting wine dinners every month, with themes ranging from seafood to sweet corn, heirloom tomato to wild mushroom.

Again, it’s a long way from the Hungry Hunter, the country clubbish restaurant where Martin worked in college – and where he first realized he liked being in the kitchen. “I loved cooking for people. I loved the way food brought people together,” he said.

He left Auburn and moved back to Anniston in 1988, working as a server at, of all places, the Vic. “It was my first taste of fine dining,” he said.

Now he’s back, running his own restaurant, a dream of his for the past 20 years.

After that initial stint at the Vic, Martin moved to Denver and worked at a Bennigan’s, where he got a taste of bartending and management. But he missed the South – “very much” – and came back home to culinary school in Atlanta.

After graduation, he worked in several high-end Atlanta restaurants before moving to Birmingham and making a cold call on Frank Stitt.

Stitt didn’t have any openings, but he let Martin work ITALestage,UNITAL sort of an unpaid internship for chefs.

A few days later, Stitt called and asked him to fill in for a weekend.

A few days later, Stitt called and offered him a job. He started as a line cook, and a quick three months later had risen to sous chef at the Highlands, where he stayed for five years. “It was the best culinary experience of my life,” Martin said. “Frank gave me the ball and let me run with it.”

In 2008, the historic Victoria Inn had been donated to Jacksonville State University, and the university was looking around for a chef to reopen the restaurant. They found Martin.

The dining rooms are elegant and intimate, the fireplaces flickering to chase off the chill until spring gets here. Martin has also rebuilt the outside deck.

The restaurant is already attracting destination diners from Gadsden, Talladega, Atlanta and Birmingham.

Working with Martin are sous chef Mike Coots and restaurant manager Sarah Baker, who also worked at Standard Bistro. The pastry chef is Elizabeth Jackson.

Martin and his wife, Melanie Sher Martin, have two children, ages 2 and 6 months. Currently, he’s commuting from Birmingham, waiting for the house to sell.

Martin admits that, on its own, the community probably couldn’t support a restaurant like this. But he’s got the advantage of the hotel, which brings in guests who need to eat, as well as weddings and big parties. The connection with JSU is also valuable, as the Vic caters many university functions. The restaurant also serves as a training ground for students.

He has bided a long time to open his own restaurant. “We’ve been very conservative,” he said. “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t think it would last.”

The Victoria Restaurant

1604 Quintard Ave., Anniston

256-236-0503

www.thevictoriarestaurant.com HOURS: Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; reservations recommended. The bar/lounge is open 4 p.m.-closing Monday-Saturday.

PRICES: Appetizers generally range from $8-$12, entrees $18-$28, desserts $7-$9. On Tuesdays, chef Alan Martin offers a special tasting menu: $33 for three courses, $40 for four courses.

VALENTINE’S SPECIAL: In addition to the regular menu, a special four-course Valentine’s dinner will be served Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The menu includes baked oysters “Victoria”; salad with pears and bleu cheese; 28-ounce bone-in ribeye for two; and dark chocolate terrine for dessert. $58 per person (dinner for two plus a room at the hotel and breakfast in the morning is $180).

OTHER SPECIALS: This month sees the start of Martini Mondays ($5 martinis and snacks at the bar), and Wednesday Wine Night (some bottles half-price). Party on the Patio, with live music, burgers and barbecue, plans to return in the spring.