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December/January 2009
Fresh From the Sea
Perhaps you’re thinking that since you didn’t relocate to a seaside city, the seafood options will be lacking. Think again. Seafood indeed has its place in landlocked Atlanta. The area is home to plenty of worldclass restaurants that serve up some of the freshest seafood creations—fresh, meaning flown in daily. The following are just some of Atlanta’s incredible restaurants guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s seafood craving.
Try the seafood cocktail trio of sweet shrimp, lobster and jumbo lump crab, or the lobster bisque with caviar and crème fraîche. For the refined palate, there is also a selection of fine caviars with traditional garnish. Clam steamers and Mediterranean mussels that are served up in big kettle bowls make you feel as if you’re in Cape Cod. The John Dory fish, something you don’t see on menus very often, is sautéed to perfection and plated with lobster succotash and sweet corn broth. Chequers Seafood Grill Chequers goes deep into the blue waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to find nothing but the finest “global aquatic cuisine” and serves it in a modestly elegant setting decorated sparsely with ornate nautical images. There are alcove tables for privacy, open tables for groups and private rooms including the signature “dome room” that features an eye-catching stainedglass ceiling. For starters, the famous sweet biscuits live up to their reputation. Many guests rave that the Maryland-style lump crab cakes are simply the best, especially for an inland town such as Atlanta. The tuna tartare is also recommended, with pickled cucumbers, wasabi vinaigrette and house-made sesame crackers. Entrees include the chipotle shrimp enchiladas made with sweet corn jalapeno crepes, and grilled Bay of Fundy salmon with Montrachet goat cheese, soft croutons, tomatoes, spinach and balsamic onions. Chequers also boasts a nice wine selection and 21-day prime aged steaks. Goldfish
Appetizers of fried blue crab fingers and tempura lobster tail with wasabi honey mustard and small plates (3 for $15) such as mussels in Thai curry sauce, fried Ipswich clams, and Old Bay peel-and-eat shrimp stand out as pacesetters for a nice wine or cocktail. Entrees include fresh catch—Atlantic salmon, tilapia, catfish, swordfish, redfish, blue cod and more—served pan-roasted, grilled, blackened, steamed or fried. Chef specialties include barbecue salmon with pepper-jack cheese grits and jicama salad, as well as parmesan-herb crusted haddock with pesto ravioli. Legal Sea Foods Conveniently located near the Georgia Aquarium, Legal Sea Foods is an attractive, casual 9,000-square-foot space with an oyster/lobby bar on the first floor and main “open” restaurant on the second floor. Legal Sea Foods is a Boston staple, founded 60 years ago with the idea of offering freshly shucked shellfish, state-ofthe- art wine bar and a “Top of the Catch” fish entrée flown in daily.
Oceanaire You will find a sense of place and time at Oceanaire, which resembles a sleek 1930s ocean liner. Classic cherry wood paneling and red leather booths are welcoming, and the feel is more classic steakhouse than modern fish house. First thing you should do is visit their Web site and click on “School of Fish” for a quick education (region, texture, taste) on various species they may serve on a given day. The menu is based entirely on market availability; seafood is flown in daily from around the world. The raw oyster bar provides samplings of the finest varieties, impressively categorized by East and West coast. Entrees are prepared with simplicity to bring out the natural flavors of the sea and the chef’s commitment to seasonal and regional inspirations. You will find hardto- get delicacies such as true whole Dover (England) sole or Sea of Cortez bluefin tuna. “Meatier” favorites include dayboat Alaskan halibut T-bone and “black and bleu” blue marlin steak. Featured
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