Red Snapper Seafood Restaurant - Cheshire Bridge

You can find the Red Snapper Seafood Restaurant at 2100 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324 - this is a two-story brick building that looks like it would house some insurance or realty company and not a restaurant. Parking is a bit weird and constrained - the lot in front of the entry gets filled up quickly - there's some additional spaces in the back but I'm not sure if they're supposed to be used or not - it may be a weekend thing (meaning if you take up all the spaces during regular business hours you may be at risk).

I've visited this restaurant many, many years ago - it's unclear to me if it had the same owner. I've always made fun of the name due to the unsavory location along Cheshire Bridge Rd, better known for strip clubs than restaurants - "Red Snapper" seemed to fit a different context, no? In any case, I don't have much of a memory of my previous visit. What got me thinking about this place again was  Jim Stacy's Get Delicious program where he featured the restaurant. I basically liked everything I heard - from Jim's dad extolling the fried shrimp on the traditional fried seafood platter to the interview of owners Jimmy and Somporn Veeranarong, Thai ex-pats that have brought a unique approach to seafood and Cajun cooking. After that I've been eager to try the ginger snapper, gumbo and fried shrimp and Red Snapper did not disappoint!

The exterior as mentioned in red brick with a wrought-iron railing, "The Red Snapper" in neon and a dark red awning with the address "2100" in white. It's a bit reminiscent of some of the restaurants you see in the NOLA Quarter. The interior has an cozy traditional bar (the only part of the restaurant that was familiar to me) and a dark dining room with traditional finishes, cloth napkins and tablecloths - it's not at all what you would expect. I started things off with a Moscow Mule, served in an appropriate metal cup. The menu has seafood, steak and chicken with combinations along with the traditional mix. I opted for the gumbo which I thought quite good if not exactly traditional - this is a peppery gumbo which I loved - don't expect the traditional sassafras earthiness you'd find in Louisiana.

We ordered various fried items - all were quite good. The batter here is more like a beer batter with the expansive breading found in tempura cooking - much lighter than you might expect. My Ginger Snapper was just delicious - everything from the tartness of the fish to the perfectly cooked sauteed shrimp makes this one of my favorite seafood dishes in Atlanta. In all we had a great time and everyone got their fill. I think this place is very solid with a few standouts - well worth trying.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)
 
 

Roux on Canton - Roswell Square, Roswell Georgia

You can find Roux on Canton at 946 Canton St, Roswell, GA 30075 on the Roswell Square. This is the second of our stops along the Square as a min-restaurant crawl as we explore Roswell.

Like the previous stop, the Salt Factory, Roux on Canton inhabits a bit of a brownstone storefront along the same side, just a few businesses South. This is a Canjun and New Orleans inspired restaurant with many of the classic dishes, heavy on the spice and file (sassafras root). A bit of creole, a touch of cajun, and the distinctive tastes of shrimp, crawdads and other water dwelling creatures.

The exterior has a few tables so you can make fun of the awkward clothing of the posers passing by as you sip on a cocktail. The interior has exposed brick, wooden beams and chalkboards much like the previous restaurant (Salt Factory) - not surprising as the building appears to have been build about the same time and in the same architectural style. It's a bit of a mirror to Salt Factory - this time the bar is to the right and the tables and boards above to the left.

The menu had beers and drinks on one side with food on the flip. I was happy to see several local craft including the very good Terrapin Golden Ale, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat and Eventide Dry Stout on draft. Today I selected the New Belgium Slow Ride IPA (not on the menu but available on draft). My companions settled into Moscow Mules.

The menu is divided into Starters, Plates and Mains. Continuing with our snacky-theme we ordered two sets of soft-shell tacos:

 Fish Tacos - blackened talapia with guacamole, cole slaw, feta cheese, and jalapeno lime aioli. These were quite good and savory. The fries were very good, twice fried.

Buffalo Shrimp Tacos - grill shrimp, guacamole, cole slaw, blue-cheese and avocado ranch - these came with a side of hush puppies - they were acceptable but would have been better hot.

The ambiance in general was quite a bit like Salt Factory - actually the menu was a bit similar as well. Next time I'll try something more substantial and go for more of the New Orleans theme with some traditional dishes like the shrimp and grits or jambalaya. It was also a bit late to be taking in the desserts or we would have hit on the beignets - it's been a while.

My biggest complaint has to do with the parking but, as I've mentioned previously, the city is supposed to be addressing that. Have fun finding a parking place and arrive early to give you plenty of time.

-- John

(shorter version posted to Yelp)