Omnivore Atlanta

OK, it’s not the most elegantly plated lunch I’ve ever had, but it’s the best fried catfish I’ve encountered in many years. This — two crispy filets of catfish, four jumbo shrimp, red potatoes and corn on the cob — is “meal #1″ at Crawfish Shack Seafood (4337 Buford Hwy., 404-929-6789).

The tiny restaurant has drawn raves from the critics on Yelp since its opening last October. Adding to its fascination is the background of the family that operates it. They are an all-American blend of Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese.

The owner is the son of the family and he was born and raised in Georgia. He loves Cajun seafood, which blends perfectly with the spicy and seafood-heavy cuisine of his family’s Asian heritage. So you get a uniquely spicy crawfish boil that is used with everything from the corn to snow crab legs. Meanwhile, the owner’s mother whips out spring rolls to go with your crawfish and fried oysters, just in case you’ve had your fill of her perfect hushpuppies.

Read more about it later this week in Grazing.

Bookmark to:

GAME ON: Most sports bars have a strong “no women allowed” vibe and truthfully aren’t the kind of place that women would want to set foot in anyway. This Buckhead hangout, however, is not your ordinary sports bar. Calling itself an “upscale sports restaurant,” the tasteful décor includes a lot of wood and televisions, as well as a see-through screen near the waitress stand that looks like something out of the Jetsons. Cigar aficionados will love the independently owned Buckhead Cigar Lounge featuring a 300ft Walk-in humidor, large flat-screen TV’s, leather sofas and dining area where you can enjoy Dantanna’s full menu.

DRINKING GAMES: Unlike other sports-centric establishments, Dantanna’s takes its wine seriously and has a 100 bottle list with 50 by the glass. If you opt for a mixed drink, go with something made with one of the freshly squeezed orange, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon and lime juices.

SURF AND “TURF”: Seafood and meat reign supreme. The menu showcases fresh seafood, organic and aged beef from Creekstone Farms, naturally raised Springer Mountain chicken and free-range Niman Ranch pork. The quality of the seafood could be better, so play it safe and order a beautiful filet with mashed potatoes, a bacon cheeseburger on a nice egg-based bun or an order of crispy buffalo wings served with blue cheese crumbles and dressing.

Dantanna’s, 3400 Around Lenox Road. 404-760-8873. Mon.-Sat., 11:30a.m.-2:30a.m.; Sun 12p.m.-2:30a.m. www.dantannas.com.

(Photo courtesy Dantanna’s)

Bookmark to:

The view from inside a Hawaii offshore aquaculture cage

(Photo by NOAA)

The same havoc wreaked by multinational corporations on the way we grow food on land is poised to spread to the seas. Many people realize the harm current agricultural practices have on our health, environment and food quality. Less well-known is the push from the U.S. government to legalize and open public waters to offshore aquaculture, a potentially harmful and financially risky solution to our seafood issues. In a recent report, “Fishy Farms: The Problems with Open Ocean Aquaculture,” nonprofit consumer organization Food & Water Watch examines the government-supported program and its frustratingly widespread pitfalls.

Over the past 20 years, Americans’ affinity for seafood has climbed. Touted by medical experts as full of health benefits, and with more varieties of fish available in supermarkets, American’s seafood consumption has increased by 25 percent.

To satisfy consumer demands for all things fishy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is trying to maximize seafood production while finding a way to cut our $9.2 billion seafood trade deficit and relieve the heavy stress on our seriously depleted wild marine fish populations. As is his way, President Bush places his faith in human ingenuity and has been pouring money into risky and unproven technologies without re-examining our current processes.

One of the solutions proposed is open water aquaculture, a completely new practice of fish farming that involves growing huge numbers of fish in nets or cages far off the coast. The government has spent more than $25 million supporting four experimental open aquaculture fish farms and funding research into the technologies. Yet despite the funneling of millions of tax dollars and millions more of private investment into the industry, open water aquaculture has failed to show that it is an environmentally sustainable, financially viable, or technically possible practice on a commercial scale. (more…)

Bookmark to: