Serpas

Of the many reasons to come to Serpas – great chef, reasonable prices, hip neighborhood – the flash-fried oysters are what will bring you back.

This phenomenal delicacy puts a light, crunchy envelope over the salty, sea-kissed bivalves inside. You will dream about these oysters.   Chef Scott Serpas grew up in south Louisiana, where people regard eating oysters with nearly the same reverence as the Blessed Virgin. And Serpas got his start in restaurants in the kitchens of New Orleans, where restaurants that serve bad food quickly go out of business. He got his formal training a Delgado’s Culinary Institute, hopped around New Orleans and Texas, before landing in Atlanta. He’s made a name for himself in the Peach State at Two Urban Licks, Sia’s in Alpharetta and Mitra in Midtown. You may have seen him on Food Network’s “$40 a Day with Rachael Ray” or Fox’s “Good Day Atlanta.”   And let’s face it, in this economy, Serpas has got to have a lot of confidence (and guts)  to open a restaurant. This one is nestled between the King Historic District and Inman Park in the hip, award-winning Studioplex. The “sexy industrial” space includes a cotton blossom wall mural, an homage to the fact that it was a cotton storage facility in 1900’s. From the spacious patio, you can enjoy cocktails, dinner and a lovely view of the Midtown skyline.   Serpas has kept his “true food” menu tasty and affordable, featuring classic comfort cuisine, fresh hand-crafted ingredients with Louisiana, Asian and Southwestern influences.   Burger aficionados savor Serpas’s juicy and hefty double cheeseburger, with gourmet take on a certain chain’s special sauce, and succulent boneless short ribs accented with horseradish-flavored cottage cheese. The addictive eggplant hush puppies are dusted in bread crumbs, fried and accented with blue cheese and red gravy, aka tomato sauce.. The Texas crab toast adds chipotle aioli to toast points topped with crab,. Serpas puts a twist on pigs in a blanket by wrapping flaky puff pastry around Louisiana and ouille sausage and herbed cream cheese.   Serpas now considers Atlanta his home, and to prove it, volunteers his time with such non-profit organizations as Share Our Strength, the American Liver Foundation, Camp Twin Lakes, the March of Dimes, Dining Out for Life and the James Beard Foundation. He has also participated in cooking classes at the Kroger Cooking School, Cook’s Warehouse.

- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Diane Loupe

A resident of Decatur, Ga., and a native of New Orleans, Diane has a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She has worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Yale Medical School. A freelance writer and editor, her work has appeared in The Sunday Paper, Women's eNews, the Agnes Scott College alumni magazine, eSchool News, and PTO Today.