The Oceanaire Seafood Room

Judy Woods, Grady JOUR5590 Food Critic Extraordinaire

If you’re planning a date night at Oceanaire (more formally known as The Oceanaire Seafood Room), make sure to bring your appetite and your wallet. The oversized menu (and I don’t just mean number of food options, this sucker is almost a foot and a half tall) provides a plethora of sumptuous seafood dishes that are sure to please even the pickiest of palates. But the steep price tag might make you and your bank account want to jump overboard

The opulent décor of this upscale eatery is set to look like a luxury ocean liner (think QE II with a 1950s feel). It’s hard to miss the extravagance that surrounds you as you take in the plush furnishings. But walking into the luxuriously spacious dining room, decorations aren’t necessarily the first thing that one might notice, but rather the well-appointed staff. Each staff member is expertly dressed in a crisp, white jacket, long white apron and sharply tailored black slacks.

The entire restaurant is staged with square, wooden tables, all generously spaced around the center of the room, covered with soft, cream-colored linen tablecloths. And, for more intimate gatherings, the walls are lined with comfortable, brown-leather, high-bench rounded booths.

Having a rather retro look, this restaurant has an extravagance that screams “expensive.”

But the aroma that tickles your taste buds is enough to make you forget the steep price tag – for a little while, anyway. With such tasty fare as broiled shrimp scampi, fried oyster Po’ boy sandwiches, pepper seared Ahi tuna fillets and sweet and sour Mahi Mahi, it’s easy to see why this place has been called the “luxury liner” of seafood restaurants by some of Atlanta’s self-proclaimed foodies.

If appetizers are of utmost importance, you'll find the essential shrimp cocktail – along with crab cakes, steamed mussels and eastern shore crab soup. Or, if you’re looking to the lighter side of the menu, there are several salad options to fulfill your daily veggie intake; including iceberg lettuce wedge, Caesar salad, or sliced tomato and red onion salad.

“Ultra-Fresh seafood” is the restaurant’s slogan of choice. According to Oceanaire’s website, that means, “the tuna you order tonight may well have been swimming yesterday afternoon.” I have to say after tasting several menu items the cuisine definitely lives up to the hype.

Being the traditional southern girl that I am, I had to sample one of my favorites - good ole’ fashioned fish & chips. I was not disappointed. The tender, flaky fish surrounded by the extra-crispy outer coating quickly made me realize that this was no Long John Silver’s fare I was noshing on. The sweet scent of thinly sliced homemade French fries, paired with the sizzling Pacific-caught cod had me salivating before the plate even hit the table.

I chose to finish off my high-sea feast with a little something to tantalize my sweet tooth. The menu offers several options that are sure to tempt anyone’s taste buds, including lemon ice box cake, cherry brown betty and my personal favorite, key lime pie. The thick, tangy lime filling mounded with a huge dollop of real whipped cream sent me into a sugary heaven.

All in all, Oceanaire does not disappoint with its super-fresh seafood selections, gorgeous atmosphere and chef-prepared cuisine. But if you’re looking to keep your pocket book in check, you probably want to think twice before stepping inside this seafood dreamland.

Though the provisions are clearly out of this world, the hefty bill might just make you lose your lunch. The least expensive items start around $30 and go as high as $70, that’s not including appetizers and dessert. So, if pennies count, you may want to start saving your change for this little outing.

www.theoceanaire.com