Pier 213 Seafood reels you in with freshness

Service: still working out the kinks; be patient on crowded nights

Best dishes: crab claws, crabcakes, po’ boys

Vegetarian selections: limited, a few sides and a salad

Price range: $-$$

Credit cards: all major credit cards

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays

Children: welcome

Parking: can get tight; be careful about parking in neighboring lots

Reservations: no

Wheelchair access: yes

Smoking: no

Noise level: low to medium

Patio: yes

Takeout: yes

Address, phone: 35 S. Marietta Parkway, Marietta, 678-290-8170

Website: www.pier213.com

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If there is one thing I’ve learned from the scores of gangster movies I’ve watched in my lifetime, it is this: You can’t become the kingpin unless you control distribution and supply.

Well, it seems that may be true for the restaurant business as well.

At its core, Marietta’s newest seafood restaurant, Pier 213, is a crab shack with a relaxed menu that focuses on simply prepared grilled, fried and boiled seafood. Originally opened as a fast-casual concept, Pier 213 recently took a turn for the more formal. Whereas diners originally ordered at the counter, now the dining room is exclusively full-service. For now, takeout orders are still given at the front counter, but expect to see that area converted to a bar with high-top tables in the coming months.

And you probably don’t realize it, but many of you have eaten their crab before.

A joint venture between Tom Richardson and his wife, Kammie, as well as her brothers Kevin and Sean Sakprasith, the family also owns the Irvington Seafood Co. just outside of Mobile, Ala., and they have been supplying crabmeat to some of Atlanta’s finest dining establishments for more than six years. Since the closing of Tom’s Folly, his most recent restaurant off of Howell Mill, Richardson had his eye on a location just off of the Marietta Square. Given the family ties to the wholesale seafood business, it was only natural to take advantage of such a direct supply line of fresh product.

While Irvington Seafood doesn’t supply all of the product served at Pier 213, it supplies all of the restaurant’s crab and oysters. They claim to serve the freshest crab in the metro Atlanta area, and as I’m stripping hunks of blue crab from the Pier 213 crab claws ($10.99), I have a hard time arguing with them. There isn’t a hint of that fishiness that so often accompanies crab that is just on the wrong side of fresh. These little, lightly seasoned and cornmeal-battered claws take me right back to the beachside crab shacks in the Flora-Bama stretch of the Gulf.

Similarly, my wife — not the biggest crab fan in the world, and very sensitive to any fishy flavor — has nothing but compliments for the crabcake appetizer ($7.99). The loosely bound patty offers a good ratio of meat to binders, which, in this case, appear to be more mayonnaise-based and very light on the breadcrumbs, giving the cakes a smoother consistency than most. The flavors were spot on, and this plate stands out as one of the more refined on a menu of mostly casual dishes.

Throughout the menu, the freshness of the seafood allows the simple preparations to work. My grilled fish tacos ($6.99), dressed simply with jicama slaw and a hint of spicy aioli, work because the freshness of the lightly salted and grilled fish fillet shines through. The richness of the sides of Cajun-style dirty rice and crispy fried hush puppies balances the light touch of salt, pepper and lemon on our grilled tilapia plate ($6.99).

Because so much of the menu is sourced fresh from the Gulf, availability of some dishes varies. I regret I missed out on the daily specials of the blue crab boil ($4/pound) or the crawfish boil ($4.50/pound), both served low-country style with corn and potatoes. On both of my visits, the blue crab hadn’t come in yet, and one evening I sadly watched as the table next to me finishes off the last of the crawdads.

I’m a big raw oyster fan, with a strong preference for the Eastern oysters out of Apalachicola Bay. Part of loving raw oysters is looking past — or chewing through — the disconcerting slimy texture, instead focusing on the briny, sweet flavors of the ocean. Unlike some, this texture barrier has never been a problem for me. But my plate of baked oysters ($13.99) proves to be more than even I could handle.

Freshly shucked, and grilled on the half-shell with a dollop of Parmesan, butter, garlic and herbs, these should be a no-brainer for me. But I can describe what arrives as only shocking — nearly all of my dozen would rank as the largest oysters I’ve seen in my life. Some needed to be cut into three pieces. Even chilled on ice, these would be tough for even the most seasoned shucker to suck down. But these are heated through, not so cooked down that they have given up any moisture, and the unappetizing mouth-feel of warm, oversized oyster was too much. A little longer on the grill, or more reasonably sized oysters, and I’m sure I would have left no shell unturned.

Though there are still a few kinks to work out, Pier 213 succeeds by serving seafood as fresh as you’d expect at a fine-dining restaurant, but in a casual, neighborhood environment. If you are in the Marietta area and want some fresh, Gulf Coast seafood, Pier 213 is worth a stop.