Pêche Modern Coastal, the seafood restaurant that opened earlier this year in the Forum Peachtree Corners, knows how to make a good first impression.
As soon as diners enter the place, they see a beautifully lit double-height bar filled with bottles that glitter enticingly. The rest of the decor is subtle, neutral and calming, and while most tables usually are filled, the volume doesn’t seem to get out of control.
The menu gets off to a strong start, too. There are plenty of chilled appetizers to choose from, including oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, lobster and two different sizes of seafood towers. There also is caviar service and a croissant loaf, both of which are lovely, but probably shouldn’t be ordered together.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
The croissant loaf is even more decadent than it sounds. It’s essentially six butter-soaked croissants, artfully mashed together in a loaf pan and served with honey and sweet, whipped fig butter — more like an indulgent dessert than bread service.
It might seem a little out of place, but it’s a fun, delicious crowd-pleaser.
The caviar service, on the other hand, fits in perfectly with the white tablecloths, imposing bar and sea-glass-color palette of Pêche.
The preparation of the dish mostly is traditional, but, instead of Russian-stye blinis, you scoop the roe onto house-made hailey cakes, the tangy little sister to cornmeal-based johnnycakes. At $65, our one ounce of Pêche reserve caviar was fresh, deeply savory and properly served ice cold — perfect for a special occasion, but approachable, thanks to the playful hailey cakes.
Credit: Peche Modern Coastal
Credit: Peche Modern Coastal
From the raw bar, we ordered some excellent beau soleil oysters from Canada that helpfully were recommended by our server. Pêche does a nice job with its raw oyster service, which comes with sturdy saltine crackers, Tabasco sauce, and tasty mignonette and cocktail sauces made in-house. The fun, decidedly old-school crab Louie featured plenty of huge hunks of crabmeat.
Paired with a solid list of relatively traditional cocktails, the first half of a meal at Pêche is likely to be filled with hits. It’s hard to go wrong with such creative dishes as the beet cannelloni, where the pasta is swapped for very thinly sliced beets, or the hailey cakes with smoked salmon and an everything-spiced schmear — reminiscent of a deli bagel.
Credit: Peche Modern Coastal
Credit: Peche Modern Coastal
The second half of a meal at Pêche comes with a little more uncertainty. Our main dishes seemed to be hit-or-miss in the execution department, and, on one visit, our server went missing in action as the restaurant wound down for the night.
There still were plenty of bright spots, though. The Pêche Pontchatrain, a Cajun-style fish, shrimp and crab dish, achieved an excellent balance between the delicate richness of red snapper and the buttery, heavily spiced sauce.
Halibut Oscar was another surprisingly traditional dish that worked well, with a slab of the hearty white fish resting on a generous serving of lump crab and a savory-sweet yuzu cream sauce.
The lobster roll was solid, and a good value at $30, thanks to the french fries and fresh green salad served alongside it.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
However, the saffron scallops turned out to be a disappointment. While the scallops were expertly cooked, you only get three for $41, and the bulk of the dish, a golden saffron risotto, desperately needed salt. Its drabness weighed down the rest of the plate.
Another miss was the seafood bouillabaisse, which was completely forgettable, aside from the striking, black-squid-ink linguine noodles.
The same could be said of the strawberry cheesecake on the dessert menu.
However, a carrot toffee pudding was excellent — the kind of dessert you can’t stop eating, even if you’re painfully full.
As for Pêche’s key lime pie, its citrusy flavor was excellent, but the crustless concoction needed a bit more texture.
Despite some uneven execution and service hiccups, Pêche’s local ownership appears to be adaptable and invested in the restaurant. For example, Raquel Stalcup, one of the owners and the restaurant’s director of operations, said the Pêche Pontchatrain started out as a special, but proved so popular that it was added to the regular menu.
Stalcup said she and her partners started Pêche because they live in the area, but couldn’t find the sort of sophisticated seafood restaurant they craved.
A little more attention to detail could help the restaurant grow into a dining destination, instead of just a nice neighborhood place.
PÊCHE MODERN COASTAL
2 out 4 stars (very good)
Food: upscale seafood
Service: mostly excellent; occasional lapses
Recommended dishes: croissant loaf, caviar service, crab Louie, hailey cakes, beet cannelloni, Pêche Pontchatrain, halibut Oscar, carrot sticky toffee pudding, key lime pie
Vegetarian dishes: croissant loaf, hummus, beet canneloni, burrata and peach, truffle pasta
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $$-$$$$
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays
Parking: free lot
MARTA: no
Reservations: recommended
Outdoor dining: yes
Takeout: in-person and call-in orders only
Address, phone: 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners. 770-674-1098
Website: pecheforum.com
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
