I had been salivating over C&S Oyster bar ever since I first heard of them opening in Atlanta. I admit I was pretty jealous of Glen as he had been to C&S Oyster Bar on at least 3 business dinners without me. But I finally got to tag along on one of them and visiting C&S Oyster Bar was the highlight of my week. The downside of it being a business dinner? I wasn’t able to take any pictures, which is a shame because the presentation was beautiful.

The only thing that knocks them down a few pegs in my book is the valet parking. I mean, come on, this isn’t Buckhead. They are located in a strip mall that is anchored by a grocery store. I think the valet parking is a little over the top. Especially given the fact that this is a busy strip mall, I think its ridiculous for the valet to take up so many primo parking spots. The parking lot was just about full on the Thursday evening when I visited, so I can’t imagine how it must be on a weekend night.

But putting all that aside, once you get inside, and sip on a cocktail, you’ll forget you even are in a strip mall and feel like you’ve been transported to a 1920s speakeasy. There were 4 of us dining at C&S and it was a celebratory dinner for a project that had just been completed at Glen’s work, so I could almost hear the cha-ching as our gluttony continued on during the evening. Yeah, this is definitely a great place to go on an expense account.

The chef that evening started us off with an amuse bouche of Tuna Tartar. I quickly decided if that was the amuse bouche than I was in for a treat for my meal.

We all agreed that oysters were a must and started off with the a la carte option. Really like that they have this available. You can pick and choose which oysters you’d like to add to your order instead of ordering 6 of one kind and 6 of another, etc. Oyster selection, which varies from New England to Washington, were all extraordinary. I had some from New England and decided to try the Kumomoto ones from Washington which our waiter, Barrett described as tasting like cantaloupe. I don’t know if they tasted like cantaloupe but it was definitely a different taste with a sweet beginning and salty end. I highly recommend giving them a try on your visit to C&S Oyster Bar. Barrett even was gracious to bring us a palate cleanser of sorbet after our oysters.

Our sampling was not limited to oysters, oh no, we sampled about 4 different bottles of wine as well. Two whites and two reds. Glen and I are more red wine drinkers and our dining companions stuck with white wine. I did taste some of the second bottle of Pinot Grigio and it was amazing. Kudos to Barrett for being able to recommend some great wines.

So here’s how our entrees paned out:

• Lobster Tails – Our dining companion liked them but would have preferred if the shell had been cut back a little to get the meat out. She struggled with that. I don’t blame her, especially with the $50 price tag.
• Flounder stuffed with crab – That was my entree. I was torn as I really love Chilean Seabass but Barrett convinced me I would not be disappointed and I wasn’t. I loved the caviar butter sauce that it was in too. Really was a nice balance to the flounder.
• Tuna steak – Glen’s dish. I didn’t have a taste but he said it was delicious.
• Whole fish – I’m talking head, tail, and all. Cannot remember the name but our waiter described it as the “wolf of the sea” Dining companion #2 had this and cleaned his plate. Enough said.

I will say that although we consumed a lot of food I felt full, but not overly so. It seemed like a light meal overall. Not wanting to skip dessert, we got 2 orders of key lime pie. Dessert portions (at least the key lime pie) are large enough for 2 to share, but not gigantic to the point that you cannot possibly finish. I have to mention that one of my pet peeves when dining out is to have coffee with my dessert and we were done with dessert by the time the coffee came to the table which was a slight disappointment as everything else had been on point the entire evening.

The bottom line? C&S Oyster Bar is a great place for both business dinners and to celebrate a special occasion. Definitely for the seafood lover in you.

3240 Cobb Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339
770-272-0999
Website

Tags: Oysters, Seafood, Vinings