 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Oceannaire Seafood Room ~ upscale casual **** 1100 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 (404) 475-2277 Smack in the heart of midtown’s legal district, this seafood palace has a swanky, retromodern feel, thanks to the spanking new interiors. Although part of a national chain (not unlike McCormick & Schmidt’s), Chef Adam Newton has the freedom to customize his menu to Southern tastes. MENU: **** The menu is expectedly light on dishes for the landlubbers, but wistful landlocked seafood lovers will rejoice: the print is tiny on the menu which is printed twice daily for lunch and dinner (everything is shipped in, sometimes four—yes—four times a day) and there must be nearly a hundred choices from shellfish to specialties, caviar to oysters. FOOD QUALITY: **** Top-notch. It the scallops don’t look pristine, they won’t be on the menu. There are some interesting, not-often seen offerings, including skate wing, Dungeness crab and arctic char. You’ll get a complimentary platter of crudités and pickled herring to stave off hunger. FOOD PRESENTATION: ***1/2 Maybe it’s just me, but I am a bit put off with the gargantuan servings (do we really need a platter of hash browns or a 12-ounce piece of fish?). Otherwise, everything looks appealing and is simply presented with monstrous sunny lemon wedges. The tables boast Old Bay seasoning, oyster crackers, Tabasco and sea slat as both still life and condiments. ATMOSPHERE: ***** Love the big band music and the gleaming, captain-of-industry interiors that evoke a stateroom on a yacht. The huge space is somewhat awkward: shoot for a cozy curved booth or the sexy glass-windowed room that faces Peachtree Street (but beware the temperature fluctuations). And the bathrooms are nothing short of spectacular: gleaming pedestal sinks, fresh cut flowers, mouthwash, fluffy white towels, even a shoe polisher—I could have moved in. The blue-lit bar should become a watering hole for forgetting the weekday’s exhaustions. SERVICE: **** Very, very coddling, as befits a restaurant that charges an average of $30 per entrée (and that’s a la cart.) It’s not uncommon for the manger and the chef to stop by your table. For some, the attention may be too intrusive. Kudos to our waiter John: when I joked about needing a magnifying glass to read the menu’s tiny type, he produced one. MENU RECOMMENDATIONS: Generally, I preferred the simpler preparations which let the seafood shine. On my visit, the New Brunswick beau soleil and Washington Kumato and Oyster Bay oysters were stellar” fresh, clean and grit-free. The Chesapeake bay jumbo lump crab cakes are swoon-worthy: buttery with not a smidgen of filler. The Hawaiin pumpkin marlin with its pretty peach blush gets an appealing Asian treatment of sesame, ginger and soy and the poached Alaskan ivory salmon is more delicate than it’s more common, blushing cousin. Among sides, the shoestring sea salt and vinegar fries are addictive. The turbo-sized desserts (possibly save the key lime pie, described as mousse-like, but sold out) aren’t worth the calories or price tag. OVERALL RATING: **** Atlanta is in sore need of restaurants that specialize in seafood. This seemingly desirable location has proven a challenge for previous tenants, which included a tony steakhouse that failed. I hope the high-rise’s lawyers and those who don’t mind springing for fine fish, will flock to Oceannaire. review by Suzanne Wright |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oceannaire is stately and upscale with a stellar seafood selection. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Above: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
