We waited for Brian to arrive, piled into his car and headed to Houston's on Lenox Ave. in Buckhead. Once we arrived we noticed groups of people milling around the front door. Thinking the place is packed, as usual, we asked the valet attendant if he could check the wait time. He came back with the disappointing news of 45 min. to an hour. We chose not to wait and headed over to the Atlanta Fish Market on Pharr Rd. in Buckhead, home of the giant metal sculpted fish which has become as big an icon in the city as the big chicken at the KFC in Marietta.
The restaurant is all about fresh seafood. The menu is 95% seafood with just a tiny small section dedicated to those carnivores that can't manage to adjust to the "When in Rome" attitude when dining at a restaurant dedicated to the bounties of the sea........you're missing out people!
We began our feast with a raw oyster sampler consisting of four types of oysters from the North Atlantic area, Blue Point being my favorite. Other regions included were Prince Edward Island, Island Creek, MA and Pickle Point, MA. In addition to this sampler appetizer we also indulged in fried Blue Point oysters. Crispy, light and fried perfectly with a nice spicy remoulade sauce for dipping.
Our next round included two salads to share between the three of us.... the Atlantic Fish Market "Chopped Salad" and the iceberg wedge salad. The Chopped Salad was a mix of greens and veggies finely chopped and tossed with a creamy basil ranch dressing. The wedge salad was nicely prepared with the lettuce wedge leaves separated so the spiced creamy blue cheese dressing filled the crevices so every bite was coated with this flavorful goodness. Diced tomato and bacon adorned the leaves for added flavor and texture. I thought the wedge salad was tops in the salad category.
Our main entrees arrived. Brian ordered the flounder stuffed with a seafood combination of shrimp, crab and scallops mingled with mushrooms and moistened with a white wine sauce. It was delicious. Debra's delight was the jumbo sea scallops sauteed and served on a bed of spinach nestled in a bath of their signature Hong Kong sauce. This Asian inspired broth was a nice blend of sherry, soy, ginger and julienned scallions. My meal included two smaller fillets of Chilean Sea Bass and Atlantic Salmon both prepared in the Hong Kong style and served on top of a bed of sauteed spinach as Debra's scallops were and as equally delicious. The spinach served a meaningful purpose as a sponge to absorb the broth and add flavor.
After all this, we had no room for dessert, but maybe next time.
Pictures from top to bottom are:
AFM's "Big Fish"
Salmon and Sea Bass with Spinach and Hong Kong Sauce
Iceberg Wedge Salad
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