By Megan Gaffney
Athens is a landlocked city that is not known to be of great wealth, but somehow has some great eclectic restaurants for its small size. There are many hidden gems in this town that are crammed into small buildings, but hold such vibrant life and flavors. Seabear Oyster Bar is one of these small restaurants that packs a punch with their dishes. Being an oyster bar in a landlocked city usually doesn’t mean much and is not a tempting idea for most people, but there is nowhere else I would rather go for seafood in Athens.
The outside eating area had six tables with laughing and chatting people as I walked into the entrance to find a hostess. She weren’t hard to find considering the inside only had another few tables and a bar, but every seat was full which was a good sign for a restaurant. Even the décor that seemed a little simple at first seemed a little simple was a nice and classy representation for the restaurant that gave a great ambiance of being by the sea while refraining from cheesy decorations. While waiting for a table, which did not take nearly as long as I had expected, my roommates and I went up to the bar to try some of the oysters, since it is part of their name. The collection of six different types of oysters were all reasonably priced at about $3.50 each and the servers were very knowledgeable about the brine, flavors, and sizes of each oyster when trying to decide which to order. In the end we had one of each then ordered a second round of the Prince Edward Island oysters because of their good liquor and reasonable size when eating.
After we enjoyed a few rounds of oysters, maybe even a few too many, we were taken to our table, which was just as simple as the rest of the restaurant, but gave a beach feel by the wooden tables and the beach beverages that were offered. As my drink arrived in a tiki head cup and I took my first sip, my mind transported to the beach and I was even more relaxed than I was when I first walked in.
While the menu consists simply of a few main items that don’t change very often, there was a wide array of seafood types from lobster roll, to mussels to a mind blowing crab and shrimp cakes. Even for people who don’t enjoy seafood but get dragged to dinners with their roommates, aka one of my friends, they have a great grilled cheese. Not only were the ingredients and meals so fresh tasting, they also have some local relationships that make it completely Athens. The bread comes from a little place called Independent Bakery and desserts are from Kiki’s Pies. These little touches bring the community together and help all businesses around Athens.
As far as my actual meal goes, I had the lobster roll and the crab and shrimp cakes. Now this was a lot of food that was rich on top of all the oysters that I had already had, so I split both with one of my friends who loves food just as much as I do. We both tried to eat slowly to enjoy every bite, but it was too good and we practically inhaled our food. Regardless of how full we were, we still wanted more. The crunchy bread of the lobster roll stayed toasted perfectly, but also held the chervil mayo that covered the lobster. Also, they do not joke when they say a lobster roll, there was no B.S. filling, but instead was just lobster making it rich, flavorful, and something that I want to eat for the rest of my life. The crab and shrimp cakes also were packed and covered in an equally delicious remoulade sauce. The breading was extremely crisp and gave enough spice to the crab and shrimp to enhance the flavor without masking any of the meat. With two cakes coming out on the plate, it was the perfect size to split, but still have the chance to enjoy every last bite.
Now that I have added this restaurant to one of the places that I will frequent in my final few weeks in Athens, I have also found that the owners of this fine establishment, Executive Chef Peter Dale and Hugh Acheson, also own The National, Condor Chocolates, Maepole, and Five & Ten. These brilliant entrepreneurs have truly created an indulging experience in food. Because of them, there is now an obvious option of where to take out of town people to eat: Seabear Oyster Bar. My senior year bucket list of restaurants to try will now have these places moved to the top of the list and while my stomach will love me, my college bank account may not.
Photo courtesy of Yelp.
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