We began to look over the menu and decided to get some soup and an appetizer to share. We ordered the Sherry Crab Bisque, which was a rich cream broth highlighted with sherry, red and green peppers and lots of crab. This bisque was outstanding! Each bite had the perfect combination of all the elements, it was smooth and just out of this world delicious! We all really liked this, but I think it was I who was the biggest fan, as I wouldn't let the waitress take the bowl until I soaked up every last drop with the bread that was on the table.
We considered getting the Barbecue Shrimp for our appetizer, but when we asked the waitress about them, she said that they were quite spicy. While my dad and I would have been okay with this, the frightened look in both my mom and sister's eyes made it clear that we needed to pick something else; so we decided on the Oyster's Rockefeller. I have always loved Oyster's Rockefeller, I even went as far as to make them at home once (and almost lost a finger in the process), so I was eager to try this version. My dad is more of a raw oyster fan, but since the oysters were from the Gulf of Mexico (he won't eat raw from what he refers to as "warm waters") he thought that the Rockefeller sounded like a good idea. There are many versions of Oysters Rockefeller, some include bacon, some include a heavy bechemel sauce; but these were very simple and light. The topping was just a combination of spinach, butter, celery and onions, but they were seasoned just perfectly, and I felt that they were one of the best versions that I had ever had. The topping didn't mask the flavor of the oyster, and the spinach was nice and tender. We had only gotten an order of four oysters, but we were all wishing that we had gotten more.
Mom was in the mood for some fish, and since the Catch of the Day was Salmon, she decided to get the Catch just simply grilled. She also got her choice of two sides and chose a garden salad and the jambalaya. When her plate came out, the fish had nice grill marks on it and it was very good in size and served with a slice of lemon on the side. She took a bite and discovered that it was very dry, which meant that it had been overcooked. She didn't bother sending it back, but she said that even if it wouldn't have been dry, that the flavor wasn't anything special. Her side salad had come out before the entrees, and it was really small, but it did include dark greens and not just iceberg lettuce. She liked the flavor of the jambalaya, but once again was perplexed by the small portion. All in all, she probably had gotten about 1/4 of a cup of the rice, while her fish was a really large portion. Over the course of our meal, we noticed that this seemed to be the pattern, huge entrees and small sides, which really makes no sense when looking at it from the cost perspective of the restaurant!
At first, my sister and my dad were going to order the same thing, but ultimately, they decided to order two things and then share bites. My sister ordered the Carpetbagger Steak which was a filet mignon topped with fried oysters and a Bearnaise sauce. She chose the side salad and the Brabant Potatoes, which were basically just potatoes cubed and roasted. When her plate came out, it was quite the sight to see. The steak was quite large, and was cooked to a perfection with a pink middle. The crispy oysters and the Bearnaise sauce were both excellent and plentiful. She tried each element on their own, but said that it tasted best when some of each were all featured in a bite. She was very happy with her entree, and while she ate they potatoes, she didn't think they were anything special.
I had a hard time deciding what to order, but I just kept coming back to the Veal Lafayette, so I decided when in Athens, do as the Athenians do! When my plate was served, I couldn't believe how huge the portion was! There were three large pieces of veal had been pounded thin, lightly battered and then sauteed, they were then topped with a cream sauce that was laced with crawfish tails, dill and sherry. I had never had crawfish before this, but upon my first taste I decided that I had been missing out! The tails were so sweet and tender, and when mixed with the sherry and the cream, it became a delicious sauce. The veal was nice and tender, and tasted wonderful smothered in the Lafayette sauce. For my sides, I chose the Dirty Rice and the Green Beans. I hadn't had dirty rice in a very long time, but my first bite was as good as I remembered. This version was speckled with ground beef and onions, and the seasoning was salty with a touch of spice, making it just perfect. But the real stand out of the sides was the green beans! The beans had been slow cooked with bacon, and well, bacon makes everything better! But seriously, the beans were so tender, they just melted in your mouth, and the salt from the bacon gave them just the right amount of seasoning. I gave my dad a bite, and declared that he should have ordered the green beans, which coming from my dad, is a big deal!
Like my sister, my dad wanted some red meat, so he ordered the Uptown Stuffed Filet. The meat was stuffed with blue cheese and then covered in a port wine sauce. Like my sister's steak, his too was cooked perfectly, making it extremely tender and juicy. My dad loves blue cheese, and the addition of the cheese to this steak did not disappoint. The port reduction sauce tamed the tangy blue cheese just a touch, making it a wonderful compliment to the dish. Like my sister, he too had gotten the side salad and Brabant Potatoes for a side (so boring!). He really enjoyed his meal, and after he and my sister swapped bites, they decided that they each preferred the dish that they had ordered to the other one, so I guess it worked out just fine!
I wasn't really in the mood for dessert (shocking I know), but my mom and sister really wanted something sweet to end the meal, so I told them to just go ahead and pick something and I would try a bite. Well, they picked something that I probably wouldn't have chosen, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, but I was willing to give it a try. Well let me just say, they made a wonderful pick, the pie was so good! I was a bit hesitant at first because I am not a fan of pecan pie, but this had just a small layer of the pecans on top of the sweet potato filling, and it really complemented the filling just perfectly! The pie was topped with some Chantilly Cream (a type of sweetened whipped cream, in this instance, vanilla) and was truly heavenly. It is very similar in taste to a pumpkin pie, in fact, I am not sure I could tell the difference if I didn't know what I was eating. Both my mom and my sister thought that this was the best dessert ever, and started thinking about how they could recreate it for Thanksgiving!
While this meal didn't top our meal from the previous night, for the most part, it was a really good meal. While we did find some faults (overcooked fish and skimpy sides) we did experience some of that Cajun flavor that we were looking for. Athens is a small town, and I would reckon that this is one of the better restaurants in town, and if I did find myself there again, I probably would find my way to Harry Bissett's, if for nothing else, just to eat bisque and pie!
Harry Bissett's Bayou Grill
1155 Mitchell Bridge Road
Harry Bissett's Bayou Grill
1155 Mitchell Bridge Road
Athens, GA 30601
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