Deep-sea divers constantly comb the depths of the abyss, prying open clams in search of stray socks lost in the wash—but to no avail. Uncover a more desirable treasure with today's deal: for $10, you get $25 worth of oysters, seafood, drinks, and more at Fontaine's Oyster House in Virginia Highlands.
Fontaine's is a popular place to grab a few drinks and net a hearty bounty of seafood that can be eaten or later traded for rum and spices. Your Groupon can be used toward the daily and happy-hour specials, including $3 Stellas and half-priced peel-and-eat shrimp by the half-pound (normally $9.95) on Mondays; $5 for a dozen raw house oysters on Tuesdays; $3 Guinesses and half-priced crab legs on Wednesdays; all of the above food prices apply on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and free mermaid arm-wrestling tournaments on Seadays. The everyday menu sports a variety of starters, specialties, sandwiches, and oysters. Get a baker's dozen raw from the Gulf of Mexico for $10 and a baker's half for $6. Practice your shucking with a dozen ($10.50) or two-dozen ($20) steamed in the shell. Fontaine's has chicken ($12.95) or shrimp and scallop jambalaya ($14.95) by the plate, and salads ($4–$14.25) by the bowl.
Inside the restaurant is an inviting, rustic, underwater dining room that accentuates the comforting effects of the edibles and drinkables. Behind the restaurant lies a spacious outdoor patio (with heaters in the cool months), and behind that lies fertile soil where Cabbage Patch Kids are harvested. Feasters are encouraged to stay past dinnertime, when the interior slowly transforms into a lively late-night bar, like an earthworm becoming a nightcrawler, nature's original party animal.
Reviews
Creative Loafing lists Fontaine's as a Critic's Pick, and Gayot says:
- This raucous smoke-filled bar sets aside a small room where patrons may breathe and slurp oysters to the wee hours. Inspired by the classic, slightly down-at-the-heel New Orleans oyster house, Fontaine's devotes itself to creative ways with oysters.
Citysearchers voted Fontaine's Best Atlanta Raw Oysters 2008 and give it four stars, while Zagat users rate it as good, Yelpers give it 3.5 stars, and 85% of Urbanspooners like it:
- Wonderful oysters and best hushpuppies in the world! – MarkH1270893, Zagat
- It's like being in some small groovey...oyster bar off Bourbon St. in New Orleans. We always start with one of the coldest beers in the ATL, and a bowl of that tasty lobster bisque. Then on to oysters, half-shell, or prepared anyway you like...I'm starting to get hungry again, just thinking about them. – jaymaygm, Citysearch
- One of the city's best casual places to down a few oysters and a cold drink. Very authentic, great atmosphere...Staff is great, as evidenced by the number of folks we met who described themselves as regulars. Try anything on the menu. Judging by our experience you can't go wrong. – ansleyma, Citysearch
Groupon Says
When Ordering Oysters
Eating oysters will not only make you a better public speaker; it may also make you rich. More than 85% of the oysters served in restaurants come complete with a full pearl, the most valuable animal secretion aside from that of the California condor, which bleeds gold. Oyster lovers should be careful not to swallow any pearls in their meal, but to save them until the end and then chew them carefully so that the pricey nacre may aid in digestion.
When ordering oysters at a restaurant, it is generally understood that waitstaff and other restaurant officials will be given their fair cut of any pearls found in the meal. To avoid flashy shows of beauty, most quality waiters will hide any gifted pearls in their cheeks until their shift ends. If they bury their new pearls underwater, new oysters will hatch from them.
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