THE 12 BEST RESTAURANTS FOR CLAM DISHES IN ATLANTA

piastra-modern-italian-cuisine-historic-marietta-square-georgia-seafood-medley-dinner-dish

By Malika Bowling | Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Article originally published on Atlanta.net’s ATL Insider Blog. View original article here.

Craving clams? Try one of these top Atlanta restaurant picks for the best clams around.

Atlanta’s great seafood restaurants may surprise you. Whether you like your clams them by themselves or as part of a delicious seafood stew, here are a dozen spots just in time for Clam Day on March 31.

  1. BeetleCat – This ship-themed restaurant features a lovely clam dish in its own unique sauce: beer, garlic aji amarillo butter. The clams pair perfectly with the tiki-themed cocktails.
  2. Double Zero – This Italian spot, in its new location in Decatur, serves clams in a tomato-fennel broth with smoked trout, cherry tomatoes and shaved fennel.
  3. Eight Sushi – Looking for clams with a twist? Try the surf clam with yuzu sauce at Eight Sushi.
  4. La Tavola – The lovely Virginia-Highland Italian destination offers a zuppa di pesce with clams, shrimp, fin fish, calamari and spicy tomato-shrimp brodetto.
  5. Lure – Get your clam fix with the Cassiucco Seafood Stew at this Midtown hot spot. The hearty stew is prepared with Georgia white shrimp, swordfish and clams.
  6. The Optimist – This Westside spot has three options: 1) Opportunist Plateaux; 2) Refuge Plateaux; and 3)The Starving Man Plateaux. These include a mix of oysters, lobster, crab, shrimp and clams.
  7. Piastra – Planning on hanging in Marietta? Head over to the Marietta Square and have the Tagliatelle Vongole at Piastra. This includes house-made pasta with little neck clams in a white wine broth with herbs. There also is Brodetto Seafood Stew with a mix of seafood including clams plus a spicy pork belly sausage.
  8. Portofino – The black spaghetti is made with Sapelo Island clams, white wine and pancetta. Portofino is not only a terrific date spot but has a lovely brunch, too.
  9. Ribalta — A simple yet elegant dish is the clams and spaghetti at this Midtown restaurant. It’s the perfect second course to share with your sweetie, the first being one of Ribalta’s incredible pizzas. Tip: The restaurant will validate parking for up to two hours in the deck next to it.
  10. Saltyard – Right off Peachtree Road in Buckhead this American style tapas restaurant features creative dishes like the lemon linguine made with Sapelo Island clams, parm broth and herbs.
  11. Saltwood – Located inside the Loews Hotel, Saltwood’s menu is surprisingly bold for a hotel restaurant. More traditional items are also available like the low country boil with sausage, clams and other seafood.
  12. Under the Cork Tree –They call them “almejas” at this Spanish tapas restaurant in Sandy Springs. I just call them delicious.

Malika Bowling is the author of Culinary Atlanta: Guide to the Best Restaurants, Markets, Breweries and More!, and founder of Roamilicious. Malika also has served as a judge at various culinary competitions and food festivals, including Taste of Atlanta. Her podcast, Just a Byte, can be downloaded from iTunes. Follow her on Twitter @MalikaBowling and Instagram.

 

/by