One of parts of town I regret not having time to explore more is Buford Highway. However, since writing my book, I have had several treks up and down Buford Highway exploring the many diverse restaurants. And I’m trying to make it a point to hit up restaurants on that side of town even more frequently. One restaurant I’ve made several trips to is Crawfish Shack Seafood restaurant.

As far as ethnic cuisines go, this is one of the less intimidating restaurants (ie easy to communicate with staff, English menu, recognizable menu items) on Buford Highway. Crawfish Shack has developed quite a following, especially since it was written up in the New York Times. It can be hard to locate, so make sure you use your GPS as you could easily drive right past the strip mall in which it is located. Once you do find it, you’ll like the seafood-esque decor.

The menu is a mix of both steamed and fried seafood, Po-Boys and of course Crawfish. Although I’d wanted to give the Po-Boys a try, I haven’t been able to resist their meal combos. They come with choice of Shrimp, Crawfish, and fish (Grouper, Catfish, Tilapia, Snapper) and two side item choices. At under $10, they are a deal!

The fried shrimp and fish are quite tasty. Sides of fries, potatoes and corn on the cobb were equally delicious. However, don’t pay the $2.00 upgrade to get eggrolls with your meal – totally not worth it. Each time I’ve been to Crawfish Shack, I’ve hoped to get their house made Beignets, only to be told they were sold out. The cashier told me they tend to run out of them every day. Hmmm, here’s and idea, maybe you could, I don’t know, make more?? No matter, I’ll still make the trek over to BuHi to have that tasty Cajun fare.

4337 Buford Highway Map
Atlanta, GA 30341
404 929 6789
Crawfish Shack Website

In the week prior to opening, Ocean Prime had several events for media and bloggers. We attended and sampled a bevy of delicious of cocktails (Cucumber Gimlet = magic!) and appetizers. We loved the Truffled Mac ‘n Cheese, Lobster Bisque and Chocolate Peanut Butter pie the most. Check out Atlanta Restaurant Blog’s video on Ocean Prime below.

3102 Piedmont Road
Atlanta GA 30305

Fishook Grille, with locations in Roswell and Atlantic Station, is the reincarnation of Boneheads, although I really can’t see much difference in the two. The menu remains pretty much the same and the fast-casual approach remains intact at Fishook Grille. As of the time of this post, everything on the menu is under ten dollars.

They really seem to be into technology here. There’s a small display where you place your order to input your cell number to keep with their deals via text messaging. The card stand (where you display your number so they know where to bring your food), doubles as a QR image display. When you scan the QR code you can be taken to their Facebook page.

Me and my two cohorts ordered varied menu items: tacos, snapper and fish n chips. I didn’t try them but I understand the fish n chips were only so-so, pretty salty and according to my friend “not much better than Captain D’s.”

The snapper came with rice and choice of a side. Mr. ARB, went with the healthy option, zucchini. The two pieces not only had pretty grill marks on them but were seasoned nicely. Although the snapper piece was rather thin – I think they must have access to the same meat slicer that Arby’s uses to cut it’s roast beef – it was very tasty. In fairness, what kind of slice of snapper would you expect for nine bucks?

The best deal are the tacos. You have a choice of chicken, shrimp or Tilapia. Had the selection been something like Cod or Mahi-Mahi, I would have gotten one fish taco, but I’m not the biggest fan on Tilapia. I really enjoyed both the chicken and shrimp tacos. The Peri-Peri sauce, slightly sweet and slightly spicy was perfect in both tacos. The three for nine bucks deal is plenty, especially with the sweet potato fries I chose as my side.

I really like the clean look of the restaurant and the fresh taste of the seafood at Fishook Grille. The creative fish toppings are another standout. Think Mango-Apricot Salsa an Mediterranean Tepenade. Prices are reasonable for lunch and super inexpensive for dinner. Also, there’s a Tuesday lunch special of the an entree + drink for eight dollars.

660 Crossville Road
Roswell, GA 30075
770-650-6770
Fishook Grille Website

Scallop, chick pea pannise, pickled blackberries, foie emulsion. My friend, Sean, dining with us, describes these as “pillows of heaven.” I think that about says it all.

Sausage and eggs, peanut cake, mint lime cilantro. This is not quite what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. Not only is it pretty and colorful but a tasty treat.

Beef heart, fig, raw beet, mushroom, evo, smoked salt, micro greens, caramelized quail egg. I’m an adventurous eater, but even I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give this one a try. However, after seeing it ordered at other tables, we put our order in. I thought the egg and heart played off each other well and this one of the more substantial, sharable plates out of the group.

Pork belly, tomato leather, clams, clam and belly liquor, fennel, chive and radish. Never having heard of “tomato leather” I asked Chef Justin what exactly it is. He explained it is simply the skin of the tomato baked in the oven, firming it up a bit.

Josh always makes up tasty cocktails to pair with meals. This night was no different with the Watermelon Splash as well as his creative variation on a Manhattan and a Martini. And they were both quite potent.

Other menu items were the Kumamoto oysters, Kampachi, and Tuna Tartar. We tried everything and were amazed by the quality of the food. However, my favorites were the Sausage and eggs, Kumamoto oysters and Scallops. I loved that so much thought was put into the complimenting ingredients like the chick pea pannise, pickled blackberries, foie emulsion that accompanied the Scallop. It is truly a treat to get to sample these guest chef menus. And no Sunday is the same with a different chef and / or menu each week.

A couple things to keep in mind with these dinners:
The restaurant is crazy busy between 7:30 and 9, so it can be difficult to find seating. Reservations are not taken.
The regular menu is not available. You can only order off the special Guest Chef Menu.
Prices are around $8 per small plate, but plan on ordering 4 – 5 per person to get filled up.

To be in the know about these dinner, follow Bottle Rocket on Twitter or be their Facebook Fan.

Ingredients:

4 each 5-6 oz. skinned salmon fillet
24 each 26-30 count peeled shrimp
4 each Bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 10-15 minutes)
8 each Fresh pineapple half moons (super sweet variety)
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Sweet chili sauce (choose your favorite brand, but make sure it is
sweet)

Note: Sweet chili sauce is usually found in the Asian specialties
section of your local market. It should not be confused with the
thicker tomato version of chili sauce

Preparation:

Brush both sides of salmon with olive oil and season with salt and
pepper.

After soaking the skewers, slide 6 shrimp onto each skewer, leaving
room on either end. Brush both sides with olive oil and season with
salt and pepper.

Cut the fresh pineapple into slices approximately half inch in
diameter and then cut in half. Brush both sides with olive oil.

On a medium heated grill, place the salmon flesh side down. Grill
approximately 6-7 minutes per side or until the fish reaches 150
degrees.

Grill shrimp approximately 3-4 minutes per side or until 150
degrees.

Grill pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side or until there is good
carmelization.

Brush all items generously with the sweet chili sauce.

To serve, place the pineapple at the top of each plate and
crisscross. Top the pineapple with a scoop of your favorite rice.
Crisscross the salmon and the shrimp skewer on top of the rice.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with your favorite vegetable.

Serves 6
Source: Red Lobster