My husband and I went on a date a couple weeks ago...

My husband and I went on a date a couple weeks ago to The Optimist, and I loved it! The atmosphere is super chic but relaxed. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. The food was very, very good.

Here's what we had:
Shell on GA shrimp a la plancha for our appetizer. This was amazing. Garlicy, creamy, seafoody sauce over succulent shrimps and perfect toast. How do they get it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside?!

My husband got the fish and chips with hushpuppies as a side. He didn't like how thick the fish's batter was, but I thought it was okay. I like the faint scent of beer you got right before biting in. Hushpuppies aren't usually my thing. These ones were sweet, which was cool.

I got the NC flounder with a side of assorted mushrooms. I enjoyed it all, but by the time I was getting full, the mushroomy taste and the fishy tastes started to overwhelm me. I guess that meant it was time to stop stuffing myself!

I'm looking forward to visiting again, and then I think I'll have a better idea of the Optimist. I'm suspicious that the chefs might be trying too hard with some of their dishes, but then again, I'm not terribly familiar with fine dining. Keeping with some of the simpler recipes might be a good idea for me next time, except for that shrimp a la plancha! Can't go wrong with that!

The restaurant was quite loud. There were many interesting looking people, and I enjoyed surveying the room looking at the groups at the bar, the bachelorette parties, and the couples on dates. This would be an excellent place for a classy night out with a date or a group.