Atlanta Fish Market

It's hard to miss this place, and you really don't want to. It's a great mix of whimsy outside (there's a 65-ft. copper fish standing on its tail out front) and serious seafood inside -- some of the best you'll find anywhere. Like the Buckhead Diner , the Atlanta Fish Market is simultaneously glitzy and informal. You'll want to dress up, but not too much. Housed in a brick building inspired by a 1920s Savannah train station, it has a dramatic interior with a soaring ceiling, plush leather booths, and distressed pine tables; there's also an enclosed porch that feels very beachy. The 15-year-old interior just had a noticeable refresher.

The menu is vast, and the seafood as fresh as it's possible to get. To some folks, seafood in the South means fried, and the fried dishes are okay, but the other preparations are exceptional. There are several daily specials and a list of at least a dozen fresh-catch items that can be ordered charbroiled or Hong Kong-style, spiked with soy sauce, ginger, and scallions. You'll also find steaks and chops, as well as a vast number of appetizers, many almost large enough for a meal.

A Buckhead fish Tale

Traveling down Pharr Road in Buckhead, it's pretty hard not to notice the huge fish sculpture outside the Atlanta Fish Market, one of the city's finest seafood restaurants. The fish, which is perched on its swooped tail and appears to be about to leap over the restaurant, caused quite a commotion when it was first proposed. Although the restaurant was enthusiastic about its construction, many folks in the surrounding neighborhoods were not exactly hooked on the idea. Despite protests, the project was approved, and the enormous creature, which resembles a cross between a salmon and a trout, was unveiled in late 1995. Here are some fish facts about a sculpture that, like it or not, is on its way to becoming an Atlanta landmark:

• The fish is about 65 feet high and weighs 50 tons.
• Measured from head to tail, it's 100 feet long, about the size of a large whale.
• It sports more than 600 copper scales, 3 1/2 feet each, which will age to a patina over the years.
• Made of solid copper and steel, it is supported by a welded-iron infrastructure that is connected to a 35-foot-deep steel-and-concrete casing.
• Cost was in excess of $360,000.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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