Ford Fry

The Optimist Fish Camp & Oyster Bar
Atlanta, Georgia

I walked in and the first thing I saw were the words, “Country Ham” in navy blue and yellow, painted on a white wall. The restaurant had been converted from a previous slaughter-house and the words preserved. Country ham is one of those Southern mainstays, and I knew immediately this was a place I would love. I had driven from the coastal plains of Southeast Georgia, about 200 miles, to the big city of Atlanta on a business trip to meet a good friend. We had done our research, and of all the fine places to dine in the notorious A-T-L, had naturally settled on what the restaurant’s Twitter account classifies “A beach-food experience for landlocked Atlantans.”

While we waited on our table in the main dining room, we sat at the Oyster Bar and tried just about everything–East and West coast oysters of every variety, snow crab & lobster knuckles, oyster crackers and salt & vinegar chips. The oysters were served with fresh horseradish and a mignonette sauce (a sauce of vinegar and shallots, typically served with raw oysters). The mignonette sauce was so bright and fresh, it would awaken even a sloth.

You can’t have oysters without a cold beer, so I took the chance to try the one in a red can with a lighthouse pictured on the front—Cisco Brewers Sankaty Light from Nantucket, MA.

This oyster was served over warm “coals,” roasted in a wood-fired oven with parmesan cheese and bacon at $3 a pop. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

The Opi Salt & Vinegar Chips were crunchy…the perfect bar food.

Next, let’s talk about the snow crab claw & lobster knuckles in a chili-lime butter bath. It took a little work, but once I got my hands on the cracking tool, we were good to go. Who wouldn’t want to eat something presented that beautifully?

THE FOOD:

Corn milk hushpuppies, served “beignet style” along with cane sugar butter – $6.

An inside peek at the corn milk hushpuppies

Wood roasted beets,pickled beet vinagrette, blue cheese and pine nuts – $6

Cornmeal crusted haddock, brussels sprouts, bacon, pepper jelly – $25.

Fish & chips, beer battered haddock, malt vinegar aioli with shoestring fries- $20. The fish was huge, crispy and delicious. There wasn’t a single fry left on my plate.

I’m about to make a big statement. This is the best bread I’ve ever put in my mouth. The bread is the last thing I thought I’d be writing about, but it would be a pure injustice not to mention it’s light, airy texture, salted incredibly.

Fried clam roll, lemony mayo, kimchi vinegar, pickles – $9. One word: AMAZING. Soft bread, crunchy goodness and the peppers rock!

Spicy Spanish octopus, saffron aioli, olive – $13. It was my first experience with octopus. It was spongy in texture and chewy. The taste I remember most is the flavor of pancetta.

Seared yellowfin tuna, charred octopus, crispy potato salad, harissa – $28.

I experienced food at The Optimist like I have never experienced food before…intense flavors with no detail undone when it came to presentation. Every encounter I had with staff members was pleasant, from the hostess taking notice of my black dress and providing me a black napkin, the bartender who told me he even spent his days off there, to the manager who described the place as “one big house.” I could tell our waitress Jenn, genuinely enjoyed her job and was very knowledgeable about the menu.

THE ATMOSPHERE:

Exposed brick and a weathered hostess station at the entryway.

Nautical photos in the Oyster Bar

The original slaughter-house flooring in the Oyster Bar. Isn’t this an inviting place to have a drink?

Every once in a while, your life crosses paths with someone special. Lenae is my dear friend and soul sister and this was the first time we’d seen in each other in over a year.

The Oyster Bar

The fabulous bar area inside the dining room.

The Optimist has indoor and outdoor seating.

Lenae Sneed all dolled up for her night on the town!

Seating outdoors near the putt-putt course.

Lighting outdoors on the patio.

Outdoor seating

From the fonts to the colors, The Optimist nails oceanic decor.

Me (left) and Lenae (right) at the Oyster Bar.

My dining buddies, Lenae and Harper Sneed – quality people.

Harper feasting!

Me, happy as a clam in the dining room.

Some Kinda Good is all about good food and good company, and when the two are combined, that’s a life well lived. The Optimist is a breath of fresh air for the city life, a nautical escape. My friend Harper said it perfectly, “That wasn’t just going out to dinner, that was the best two-hour dining experience of my life.”

Some Kinda Good is one. Happy Blog-iversary to me!

I began blogging at a time in my life–the year was 2011, the month was November–when I needed to be fully engaged in something. It’s amazing how the landscape of your life can change in a year’s time, and who would’ve thought blogging about crab legs and barbecue would’ve filled a hole I never knew was missing?

Blogging allows me to combine many of my favorite things like eating, food and cooking but also writing, taking pictures, being on camera and sharing my personality and passion for coastal culture and the South. I really didn’t have any expectations when I set out to blog, other than not being one of those people on Facebook that share nothing but food pictures–because unknowingly, I was that girl for a long time. The moment became very real to me when a friend commented on one of my food pictures with this: “Facebook: Rebekah’s Food Diary.” I thought, ‘Wow, he’s right. There’s a better way.’

Enter Some Kinda Good.

coral — *Some Kinda Good’s* original design by my friend, Amanda Hudson.

With a background in web writing and PR, I had all the skills in place. I set out to learn WordPress and gathered up some photos of the food I’d cooked. Not surprisingly, I had plenty of content at the ready, as though it had been stockpiled for its moment in the sun.

Some Kinda Good has evolved over the year, and I’m kind of embarrassed at some of my earlier posts. You’ve got to start somewhere though. As one of my favorite quotes says, “The expert in anything was once a beginner.”

SKG_FacebookCover — *Some Kinda Good’s* current design by my friend, Tori Sprankel.

Throughout the year, I’ve built relationships with restaurant owners, food and beverage connoisseurs, food writers and other bloggers. I’ve gotten to meet notable cookbook authors, culinary producers, well-respected chefs and colleagues at food & beverage public relations firms throughout the Southern seacoast. I’ve also subscribed to Bon Appetite Magazine and become a sort of amateur kitchen expert among friends and family. I’ve worked with ingredients I once considered foreign like, heirloom tomatoes and pimiento-cheese. I’ve sampled restaurant dishes I thought I would never order like fried chicken and waffles or an open-face whole egg omelet topped with goat cheese, sautéed shrimp, spiced pecans and arugula….for breakfast!

I’ve learned to be true to me, that you can’t pursue a food trend because it’s a trend. When I did that, I only did it for the sake of being popular, to show that I too was up-to-speed with food on a stick, kid food for adults and all things local and organic. While it was fun to experiment, those ventures lacked passion.

And we all know without passion, the fire dies.

All along, my philosophy has been guided by one thought from Julia Child who said, “Find something your passionate about, and keep tremendously interested in it.” I’m a firm believer that it’s never too late to do the things you love, and when you do the things you love, success comes.

*Some Kinda Good* was ranked #2 on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs September – November 2012.

These are the successes I’m celebrating…a few highlights from my year in the blog-sphere:

Most Popular Posts:

Most Searched Post:

Ina Garten Takes French Toast to New Heights

Favorite Search Term:

Faulk Some Kinda Eating

Accomplishments:

Held #2 spot on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs: September – November 2012
Currently ranked #3 on Urbanspoon’s Leaderboard of Top Georgia Food Blogs
Featured as an Editor’s Pick of the Day on Bloggers.com
Featured as a Tweep of the Week on Atlanta Dish, the company blog of Melissa Libby & Associates
Becky Sue Hits the Big Time: Special feature on Kudzu Dad Blog
Featured in numerous editions of Paper.li, an online newspaper

Paperli4_30 — My *Farmers Market Fun and One Souped-Up Strawberry Shortcake* post was featured in The Atlanta Moms Daily on April 30, 2012.

Relationships I’ve Built as a Result of Blogging:

I got to meet Nathalie Dupree (bottom right) at the Inaugural Saint Simons Island Food & Spirits Festival in September 2012.

Without sounding too much like I’ve won a Grammy, I couldn’t celebrate my successes without acknowledging a few special folks:

Thanks to my mom and best friend Charity, who without fail were always the first to comment on my posts, even when the content lacked interest or when no one else cared. Thanks to my graphic designer friends, Amanda and Tori for giving my blog the exact look and feel I envisioned, as it progressed throughout the year. To Angela and Jennifer, my other best friends, thanks for all your encouraging words…your affirmation often kept me going. To my former co-workers and friends in the PR department at Floyd Medical Center, your belief in my abilities blows my mind. Thank you for your constant reassurance, for calling me out when my posts aren’t well beyond expectations and for holding me to the Class of Style standard.

And finally, my favorite Twitter friends: @Golden_Isles, @VisitSavannah, @ClassicGeorgia, @Grocerize and @ChefCourtney13–y’all are always faithful to retweet my posts and I’ve gained many followers as a result of your influence. Thank you, really.

With nearly 15,000 hits and a healthy following through social media, I’m pretty stoked. Not too shabby for my first year in the blog-sphere. Some Kinda Good is bringing my dreams to life. Maybe year two will include The Cooking Channel or Food Network. Dream big or go home!

Follow @SKGFoodBlog on Twitter or find me on Facebook.