Dining Out
11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
Oysters and shrimp, $6.75-$22; starters, soups and salads, $8-$19; po’ boys and sandwiches, $10-$14; entrees, $15-$42; sides, $4-$6.
10360 Alpharetta Hwy., Roswell, 770-993-5922, www.hugosoysterbar.com.
Hugo’s Oyster Bar brings a new casual Southern seafood concept to Roswell from Rich Clark and chef Jon Schwenk, the partners behind C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar in Vinings.
The look: Located in the old Slope's BBQ building on Alpharetta Highway, the painted brick space is decorated with New Orleans-style gas lanterns, Delta-inspired art, colorful murals and vintage tin ceiling tiles. Several cozy dining areas offer seating at booths and tables covered in white tablecloths and butcher paper, and a spacious L-shaped bar makes an inviting perch for a drink or a meal.
The scene: One sunny Saturday afternoon, the small tables on the narrow front porch were filled with parties sipping wine and sampling all sorts of seafood dishes. Inside, several couples at the bar were drinking beer and feasting on oysters on the half shell and peel and eat shrimp.
The menu: Beyond the raw bar, there's hot garlic-style blue crab fingers ($12) and mini crab cakes with Creole tomato-olive relish ($12.75). Find New Orleans flavors in seafood gumbo ($6) and crawfish ($11.75), shrimp ($12) and oyster ($13) po' boys served on Leidenheimer French bread. Entrees include grilled redfish with fried mac'n cheese and sauteed radish greens ($21) and Parmesan-crusted Gulf grouper with garlic spinach and tomato chive oil ($24). Steak lovers can choose from an 8-ounce filet ($26), 14-ounce New York strip ($29) or 22-ounce bone-in ribeye ($42).
The drinks: The bar menu features a selection of classic cocktails annotated with a bit of history, including a Sazarac ($9), a Pimm's Cup ($8), a Bourbon Smash ($9) and a Ramos Gin Fizz ($10). Wines by the glass, carafe or bottle are marked with ratings from Robert Parker, Wine Enthusiast or Wine Spectator, plus "Jon & Rich's Favorites." A recent draft beer list featured Abita Amber ($5) and Boulevard Tank 7 ($5).
The extras: For dessert there's locally made Honeysuckle gelato and sorbet flavors like chocolate hazelnut, blueberry cobbler, watermelon lemon, and Concord grape. Look for brunch on the weekends with the the likes of Oysters Benedict and Hugo's house Bloody Mary.
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