Insider Tip:
Atlantic Seafood Company has a complete sushi bar and also serves the delicacy in the main bar and dining room. Dishes include nigiri and sashimi, 16 different types of rolls and 14 additional “chef creations.”
The restaurant has monthly wine tastings with select wines and small bites for $15. Space is limited to 30 people.
Inch close enough to the lively open kitchen at Atlantic Seafood Company, and you might hear reggae-infused rock by 311, the island grooves of Bob Marley or savory sounds of G. Love & Special Sauce. Such tunes inspire chef Nick Carpenter, a self-described "failed musician," who creates melodies of a different kind in the open culinary setting of this Alpharetta restaurant.
This story originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of Living Northside magazine.
Encased seafood at the front of his kitchen give guests a choice of salmon, monkfish, grouper, sea bass and a variety of other fresh finds. Carpenter and his sous chefs then orchestrate a symphony of oceanic flavors for diners to see.
To tantalize, there's peppercorn-crusted tuna au poivre served with shiitake-scallion potatoes, sautéed spinach and a cognac cream sauce; and halibut panzanella prepared with cherry heirloom tomatoes, lemon crouton and a lemon butter caper sauce.
During a recent conversation, Carpenter gave us a preview of his culinary delights this holiday season.
Living Northside: What’s been one of your most surprising creations in the kitchen?
Carpenter: I started playing around with chargrilled oysters about a year ago, and I've come up with a bunch of different [recipes]. They've caught on, and it's gotten so crazy that I go through 20 cases of oysters a week now preparing all of the different chargrilled styles. The one we call Nick's Famous Chargrilled is probably the most popular, and it's the first one I came up with. We take butter, and I infuse it with cayenne pepper, bacon fat and actual bacon. I add a little of chives, some white wine and some other seasonings. And then we throw the oysters on the grill. I have a little blackened seasoning that I put on it. Then I throw on my butter and let that melt down, and throw on some Parmesan cheese. They're just amazing.
What can customers expect during the first part of the holiday season?
I'll definitely be doing something with a butternut squash risotto. When I think of butternut squash, I think of Thanksgiving and comfort. I do a lot of comfort foods with a more Southern approach to Thanksgiving. We're closed on Thanksgiving, but we'll probably do a prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving week with a nice winter-style salad maybe with some fresh berries and a warm bacon vinaigrette. A lot of warm flavors and foods come out of the kitchen at that time of year. Our soy-honey glazed sea bass is going to be very popular. We use a wasabi beurre blanc, so you get that heat and warmth. The sea bass is lightly dusted and pan seared, and topped with a soy-honey glaze. It comes with a sticky rice cake.
How do you put your own personal touch on the menu?
I try to do things I know my guests are going to like. I let my staff try it first and if they like it, I know the guests are going to like it. Usually when I go out of town, I get ideas from other restaurants, and I'll come back and put my own spin on it. Some people are kind of squeamish when it comes to seafood and afraid to try it. So I try to [add] an interesting, cool approach to it. I try different styles, because I don't have one set style. … I just play around and keep tasting it until I find something that's good.
2345 Mansell Road, Alpharetta. 770-640-0488. atlanticseafoodco.com
