Sep 25, 2017

The Optimist, Atlanta Georgia

One of THE Best Meals I Have Ever Eaten.

The Facts:

CUISINE: Seafood – High End Seafood and Raw Bar.

LOCATION: 914 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, Georgia

I love to eat and I LOVE seafood. But it’s so very hard to put those two things together in a restaurant. I have no idea why, but really REALLY good seafood restaurants seem to be rare.

The Optimist is one of those rare gems. Not only an amazing seafood restaurant but literally one of THE best restaurants I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

It was a dinner for two and being hungry we decided to just go for broke. Started out with She Crab Soup and the Prawns appetizer that sits up on the bread and the ridiculous sauce. Un-freakin-believeable. Both the soup and the prawns.

Then I went with a crusted halibut while my friend went with a fresh scallops dish with both of them just cooked to perfection, full of flavor and enjoyable. We also picked up an order of the hush puppies because our waiter told us they were the best ever along with an order of their grilled zucchini squash. The hush puppies are served beignet style and they are, without a doubt, the best hush puppies I have ever had.

But here’s what really set The Optimist apart for me. The zucchini. Weird right? The zucchini was grilled to perfect and seasoned perfectly. They put as much effort and care into the vegetables as they did the main course. That’s impressive and very rare to find in a restaurant. The vegetables are usually the afterthought and something to dress the plate. These guys made sure the vegetables stand on their own.

In fact, I believe a vegetarian could make an outstanding meal with the hush puppies and multiple vegetable sides. How many times can you say that about a seafood restaurant?

The Optimist is not cheap, it was around $165 for the two of us, including cocktails, but for a meal like this, WELL worth it. If you have a special occasion or just want to have some really good seafood, head to The Optimist.