Sustainable seafood restaurant to open at Avalon next week

Chef and restaurateur Marc Taft

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Chef and restaurateur Marc Taft

The first of Chef Marc Taft's several in-the-works projects is set to open next week.

Brine Seafood Shack will open April 13 at Alpharetta mixed-use development Avalon after the initial announcement about its opening at the end of 2016.

The menu, created by Taft and Brine chef de cuisine David Connolly, previously of Two Urban Licks and Tap in Atlanta and Michelin-starred Spiaggia in Chicago, includes dishes such as tuna poke with avocado, yuzu, soy and taro;  clam rolls on brioche with lemon-caper tartar; and grilled fish, lobster rolls, fish stew, clam fritters, fresh oysters and fish tacos.

“We’re bringing a vacation vibe to the dining experience,” says Taft. “I’ve spent a lot of time on the West Coast, where they really know how to make the most of a relaxed atmosphere and fresh, delicious seafood. That’s our model for Brine.”

Upstairs, diners will find a rooftop bar, serving tiki-style craft cocktails under a retractable roof; the downstairs space will feature a raw bar and classic boat drinks. A walk-up window inspired by New England clam shacks will offer takeout, soft serve ice cream, milkshakes and cocktails, wine and beer.

The Cape Cod-meets-Santa Monica seafood menu will follow the sustainable practices outlined by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, the nonprofit dedicated to helping consumers and restaurants to make choices that result in healthy oceans.  Much of the seafood from New England, the West Coast and the Gulf region will be geo-tagged so Brine chefs know where the fish was caught.

Brine is the latest concept from Taft's Southern Fried Hospitality restaurant group. In addition to farm-to-table restaurant Chicken and the Egg, which he opened in Marietta in 2011, Taft is also set to open FEED – Fried Chicken & Such at The Battery Atlanta adjacent to SunTrust Park in May and CO-OP Community Table + Bar, FEED and an unnamed burger concept scheduled to open April 2018 in Forsyth County's HALCYON Development . The company also plans to expand its consulting services to both restaurants and hotel food and beverage operations.

Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar is also scheduled to open in Avalon on April 13 as part of the development's second phase expansion , in addition to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, MF Bar and Rumi's Kitchen.

Avalon's Phase I openings including Farm to Ladle, which also has a Ponce City Market location and Cafe Intermezzo, which has locations in Dunwoody and Midtown Atlanta.

Avalon, 2200 1st St., Alpharetta. 470-226-2190, brineseafood.com

See the dinner menu here:

ajc.com

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

icon to expand image

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

MORE: