Tag Archives: fish

Swim with Sharks at the Georgia Aquarium

Only one place can boast as the world’s largest aquarium and have a months-long waiting list for one of its exhibits- and that’s the Georgia Aquarium. Safe to say it’s one of Atlanta’s most popular destinations, pulling in millions of sightseers from around the world, and drawing even the likes of celebrities to its 550,000 square feet facility. It boasts a whopping eight million gallons of aquatic life, including over 100,000 exotic mammals from 500 different species.

Local visitors and tourists alike are overcome with wonder and excitement when exploring the scenic paths of more than 60 exhibits – with the main attraction being the Ocean Voyager. The Ocean Voyager exhibit houses thousands of fish including whale sharks, zebra sharks, sawfish, bowmouth guitarfish and humphead wrasses. Offering a swim and dive program, novice guests can take a dip with these gentle giants as their voyage with the largest fish in the world comes complete with mask, fins, booties and wet suit to round out your scuba gear. Skilled water enthusiasts can take an even bigger plunge as certified divers can journey underwater. If being hands-on isn’t your thing, watch all the action through a picturesque window.

Such an adventure is bound to work up an appetite for Café Aquaria – the resident eatery – which serves up traditional classics like burgers and fries, pizza and ice cream, or onsite catering from Wolfgang Puck, where you can gaze into an eye-popping backdrop of fish. It also hosts special events from weddings to Mother’s Day brunches. What other restaurant allows you to swim or just eat Wolfgang Puck in the company of sharks?

Brownstown Jazz classes up Bed-Stuy at Sankofa Aban

Imagine you are transported to a 1930s jazz venue listening to some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world. Such an experience is only a subway ride away at Sankofa Aban in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Here is a place where you can listen to great musicians from the Bed-Stuy jazz scene, while enjoying a complementary fish fry dinner and some wine. Stick around late Friday or Saturday nights for Open Mic. night for the opportunity to perform with these great talents!

Dive right in! Penguins, otters, whales & more at the Shedd Aquarium!

The John G. Shedd Aquarium, a not-for-profit institution dedicated to public education and conservation, cares for more than 32,500 animals representing nearly 1,500 species from around the world. Beautifully situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, Shedd Aquarium welcomes more than 2 million guests annually.

Animals connect you to the living world, inspiring you to make a difference. From whales to snails, tarantulas to turtles, you’ll meet creatures from aquatic habitats around the world. Explore Shedd’s Abbott Oceanarium, where you can get face to face with beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, sea lions and penguins. Polar Play Zone is a permanent exhibit where kids and their families can play, pretend and discover through hands-on activities. See the aquatic show, starring the dolphins, belugas and more, and don’t miss the “Jellies” special exhibit. Then meet some of Shedd’s critters up close during live animal encounters in the Waters of the World galleries, talk to a diver in the 90,000-gallon Caribbean Reef, take a walk through a flooded forest in Amazon Rising and watch sharks overhead in Wild Reef. And visit Granddad, the oldest fish in any aquarium or zoo! Two million annual visitors can’t be wrong: Shedd Aquarium is the “must-sea” destination in Chicago! Click sheddaquarium.org for more information.

The Publican

Featuring pork and fish/seafood preparations, the menu is best described by Kahan and Huston as “pristine product, simply prepared,” an approach to food Kahan has long espoused in all of his kitchens. The Publican boasts the simplest cuisine of all three properties, each dish stripped of adornment and containing only essential ingredients. The menu is presented in sections: Fish, Meat and Vegetables, each laid out from lightest to heaviest fare.

Pristinely fresh oysters, hand-selected for the restaurant from purveyors with whom the culinary team has formed partnerships over the past year, anchor the fish portion of the menu. From classic Belgian-style mussels to seafood stew to wood-roasted whole fish, the seafood is simple and straightforward yet eclectic in presentation.

Meat dishes center upon pork, all certified organic and sourced from Dyersville, Iowa. Anchored by a wide selection of housemade terrines and charcuteries, the menu changes daily to reflect the seasonal availability of products. Other hearty dishes, again, presented simply and stripped of adornment, include such seasonal items as black and white sausage, steak tartare, pork shoulder and pot-au-feu. Kahan and Huston plan to make the wood-roasted chicken a signature, “… with the best frites in town,” boasts Kahan.

A selection of vegetables rounds out the menu, including such seasonal items as daily aïoli, roasted broccoli, pine nuts and Italian buratta and cauliflower sformato with Marcona almond romesco.

Strong architectural lines dominate the space, which is large, airy and awash in earthy colors. Guests enter The Publican through a glass-enclosed vestibule, its 10-foot-high ceiling offering a glimpse of the restaurant’s 13.6-foot ceiling. Inside, the spacious interior is dominated by a large walnut communal table designed to recall 16th Century European banquets. Set up in racetrack fashion, the banquet table seats upwards of 100 people, side by side.

At the center of the banquet table stands eight English pub-style three-tiered cocktail tables where guests can stand, leaning comfortably on one level, with their beer and food resting on the other tiers. This interior space is large enough for guests who are waiting for tables or visiting the restaurant just for a beer and a bite. Against the east wall stand a series of four-top walnut banquette tables set up on platforms and privatized by table-height swinging doors.

The walls and ceiling are wrapped in a material reminiscent of antique pressed tin. Across the front of the space, 10-foot cafe-style doors open out onto the street. At the back of the restaurant, a partially open kitchen offers a view to the culinary action.

Balena

The Bristol and Boka Restaurant Group have teamed up for this rustic Italian restaurant in the Landmark space in Lincoln Park, where a wood-burning grill and roasting spits work hard to turn out dishes such as cherry and duck bruschetta, whole grilled fish, pizza and panzanella.

Simply Divine at Devon Seafood

In the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast and two blocks of the Magnificent Mile, Devon Seafood is the MidWest’s answer to the freshest daily catches, delicate flavors and all the wine you could want. With over 600 wines and Champagnes on the menu, including plenty of rare boast-worthy bottles, there’s absolutely no risk of not finding the perfect accompaniment.

Whether it’s Maryland style jumbo lump crab cakes, ahi tartare with fresh asparagus and herbs or scrumptious Georges Bank scallops, Devon Seafood has been mastering its changing menus since opening in 2006.

The chic interior competes with the “oohs” and “ahhs” gushing about over the cuisine. Looking like it could very well be an interior design boutique or hipster furniture shop with its lush velvet chairs, feather covered lamps, stone covered walls and perfectly colored wood floors, guests work up an appetite just by checking out the place’s digs.

When the plates arrive, however, it’s all about the catch of the day and yet, you’ll probably be back for the catch of tomorrow as well. For that, one has to thank executive chef, Scott Barrows. Thank you, thank you very much.

Get Saucy at Vesta Dipping Grill