Dining Out: Buckhead/Atlanta, GA The Atlanta Fish Market

A few weekends ago, I had the distinct pleasure of dining at The Atlanta Fish Market in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. You will know you have reached your destination when you see "The Big Fish" out front!

Now to give you some perspective of the Big Fish.....I'm 5 feet tall.  Here I am with the Big Fish!

From the moment we walked through the revolving doors of the restaurant, I knew we were in for a special night. The energy level was high which to some people could be a negative. But we were in town for the Van Morrison concert the next night and we were ready to have fun. Every table was lively and fun and it was definitely contagious.  No pictures of the starting cocktails, but around the table we had a pomegranate martini, a Long Island Iced Tea, a bourbon on the rocks and a cucumber martini (Me!).

We started with a small sample of Nigiri Tuna Sushi. Any restaurant that claims to be a  "fish market" restaurant will surely have the absolutely freshest fish.  Doesn't this look amazing? It tasted so clean and fresh.  Perfection. Oh, see that "dent" in the middle? I stopped the sharing of the piece mid-cut so I could snap a picture!  lol

I love trying different restaurant's versions of Oyster Rockefeller. The menu indicated we would receive five oysters as the order. As you can see, we received six. They arrived still bubbling from the broiler. Again, freshness abounds here. These were delicious.

Our dining companions LOVE PEI Mussels. How could we not try some? Served with garlic, shallots, cream and white wine, the sauce was amazing and I will admit, I could have slurped every drop. Lots of fresh bread was served alongside which made for a great dipper.

And, yes, with these starters, we could have finished the meal right then and been perfectly full, content and satisfied. But we couldn't do that!

Harold was very intrigued by the description of the Stuffed Flounder Casserole. Now sometimes the stuffing in these dishes is a lot of stuffing and little seafood. Not at The Atlanta Fish Market! Their version is loaded with shrimp, crab, scallops, mushrooms and scrumptious white wine sauce. Served piping hot from directly under the boiler, this dish was amazing. He chose wisely.

Dining Companion #1 couldn't decide between the Scottish Salmon and the Peruvian Sea Bass. No problem! There is a combination dinner on the menu. Prepared "Hong Kong Style" which translates to a sherry broth, scallions, ginger, spinach, and sticky rice. One again, the presentation is lovely and the sample bites I enjoyed were delicious.

Dining Companion #2 decided the Sea Bass alone would be perfect for her.  A nice serving of vegetables accompanied these dishes.

I agonized over my dinner selection. I wanted to try a bite of everything. After much deliberation and debate, I chose the Florida Grouper "Francese". A wonderful fillet of grouper served with a lemon butter, capers, and spinach. I had tried a bite of everyone's dinner, but I will tell you truthfully, I believe mine was the BEST!  

I love capers and spinach and there were nice pieces of asparagus, carrots and mushrooms mixed in with the sauce. Oh, this was the perfect meal. I so wish I could duplicate this at home!

Alright...NOW we could have finished the meal right then and been perfectly full, content and satisfied. But we couldn't do that!

On to DESSERT!

We knew we really needed to share and not order individually. So after much group discussion, we chose the following:

New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Italian White Raisins, and Vanilla Cream Anglaise. Yummmmmm.

And how could we turn down an opportunity for Crème Brulee flavored with banana liquor and white chocolate. We chose wisely with both selections.