Fresh on the Scene: Drift Fish House, Amer, Rising Son, and Hajime

The early word from veteran dining critic Christiane Lauterbach
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Drift Fish House
Oysters at Drift Fish House

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo

Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar
When it comes to providing East Cobbers with quality spots for dinner dates, no restaurateur does a better job than Doug Turbush. The latest from the chef-owner of Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar is hooked on seafood. Looking for impeccably sourced oysters? A sweet little lobster roll with fries? A boozy house punch? It’s all here in a breezy dining room, where diners can chow down on fries smothered in clam chowder gravy and ice cream sundaes with salted caramel. 4475 Roswell Road, Marietta, 770-635-7641, driftoysterbar.com. 

Rising Son
Breakfast Flatbread at Rising Son

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo

Rising Son
When Hudson Rouse and his wife, Kathryn Fitzgerald Rouse, opened this earnest meat-and-three in Avondale Estates, the crowds came flocking, drawn to hearty breakfasts and Southern lunches that include fried chicken, country vegetables, and wholesome grain bowls. Start the day with an Angus Brown—two griddled pork chops, two poached eggs, cheese grits, a biscuit, and a grape soda—or take a lunch break over a perfect trout fillet with broccolini casserole and kale. Cocktails are available, but we’re just as happy with a nonalcoholic fresh limeade with ginger root. 124 North Avondale Road, Avondale Estates, 404-600-5297.

Hajime
Finally, a full-service restaurant with normal business hours that doesn’t treat ramen like a rare delicacy. The owners of Suwanee ramen hotspot Umaido recently opened this second concept next to the Tara movie theater, where housemade noodles come floating in assorted broths like tonkatsu, honey miso, and wasabi shoyu. Japanese snacks like dumplings and rice bowls are also available, but don’t let them distract you from the restaurant’s signature dish. A liquor license is still pending. 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road, 470-428-2388.

Amer
Bling Machine at Amer

Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore

Amer
Tiny and moody with a dimly lit room in the back, this narrow sliver of a cocktail bar is the intimate watering hole that Inman Park needs. Drinks are organized by their architecture (shaken, built, sodas, and stirred) and mixed with a number of esoteric European aperitifs, Italian bitters, and gorgeous reductions. Ask Shanna Mayo, fresh from the Luminary, to recommend a magical concoction like the Bling Machine (a vodka-fueled doozy with orgeat and Gifford Crème de Framboise) or the Euro Reviver (gin, Cocchi Ameri­cano, Dimmi, Salers, and absinthe). 299 North Highland Avenue, 404-600-5895.

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