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"Top Chef" contestant Eli Kirshtein is leaving his job as head chef at Eno By Zaza to become a "guest chef" at Solo restaurant in Manhattan. It is a temporary position, and he hopes to return to Atlanta afterwards.

According to its Web site, Solo is an eclectic Kosher restaurant, serving Mediterranean- and Asian-inspired food. Former "Top Chef" winner Hung Huynh has also done a tour as guest chef.

According to Kirshtein, he will be leaving in mid-January "for at least a month" at Solo where his sole duty will be preparing a five-course tasting menu to supplement the standing offerings.

As for his decision to leave Atlanta, the 25-year-old Kirshtein says, "Cooking in New York is a fantastic proposition. Plus, I've been at this job for a year and two thirds, and I feel like I've outgrown what Eno by Zaza is becoming."

Kirshtein's sous chef, Justin Cox, will take over the kitchen at Eno by Zaza. Cox has formerly worked for some of the country's top talents, including Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud.

Kirshtein hopes to eventually find operating partners and open his own restaurant. "I'm looking for people who I'm on the same page with," he says. "I'd like to have a food-based bar - something like Holeman & Finch or Abattoir."

And he imagines this will happen in Atlanta. "I've moved away a couple of times," the Atlanta native claims, "but I keep coming back. This is where I want to be."