The run-down exterior had me expecting wobbly, vinyl-covered tables and styrofoam plates heaped with fish fingers and fried potatoes — but once you walk through the heavy, commercial-grade glass and steel door, everything changes. Chandeliers dangle from a black suspended ceiling. The warm red walls are decorated with framed silk tapestries of Thai dancers. Lighted curio cabinets display crystal models of the Thai king’s royal barge. In the subdued light, the tables — draped in white cloth, not vinyl — look positively elegant.
That touch of Thai extends to the menu, where, along with the signature grilled red snapper “touched with lemon butter,” we found Snapper Siam (a fillet buried under mildly spicy lump crab meat) and Shrimp Massaman (medium-sized shrimp bathed in a mild coconut curry, served with rice, potatoes, and cashews).
Taken by surprise — we actually went to the Red Snapper because we were Thai’d out from consecutive nights at King & I and Thai on Tenth — we found ourselves ordering the Snapper Siam and Shrimp Massaman. Good choices! The snapper was not fishy at all … and the massaman curry was creamy and sweet.
Prices were a bit high — we wouldn’t want to drop twenty-five bucks a head every night of the week — but, as a spot for an occasional treat, the Red Snapper definitely delivers.
One note: Clyde and I are in our mid-forties … and by walking in the dining room, we lowered the average age of Thursday night’s Red Snapper diners to, oh, eighty-five or so.
I’m not sure why the place appeals so strongly to Atlanta’s octogenarians (The friendly, flirtatious staff, perhaps? Or the retro-plushness of the red walls and dim lighting?) — but appeal it does, because every other table there was packed with folks discussing hearing aids, pacemakers, and What To Do About The Black President.
Typical Midtown this ain’t — so if you’re interested in seeing and being seen by folks under fifty, order your fish at Silk instead.
It is really a little jewel. But there is a secret about Red Snapper: Nobody ever pays full price. They subscribe to every discount “book” and advertise in every available rag. The coupons are plentiful and many of its regular patrons are the coupon clippers. I have even had waiters return my coupon or refuse to stamp my discount card, encouraging me to use it again on a second trip before it expired. I dutifully went back again.
Now THAT’S a great tip! Thanks — I’ll keep an eye out for coupons!