Chef Shane McIntosh, executive chef and owner of Ocean Catering Company, opened his first dine-in concept, Ocean Market, on March 10 in downtown Atlanta. The new eatery features a grab-and-go-style lunch and snack menu tailored to busy professionals, area residents and more.
Located in the same building as Ocean Catering Company headquarters, the new 1,400 square-foot storefront features butcher-block counter tops and a small dine-in area, complete with eat-in bar seating and a community table in the center of the intimate eatery. Industrial design elements like stainless steel drink coolers and Edison bulb light fixtures give the space a modern feel, while custom details such as handmade server aprons and hand-crafted outdoor dining furniture add a touch of European chic. During warmer months, diners can take advantage of the outdoor, Parisian-style bistro seating to enjoy coffee, lunch or snacks while people-watching along Peachtree Street or taking advantage of Ocean Market’s wireless Internet.
The restaurant’s menu features a variety of reasonably priced lunch fare available for dine-in or takeout, from fresh salads and soups to traditional and panini style sandwiches and delicious crepes. Ocean Market’s not-so-traditional sandwich selection includes twists on classics and plenty of vegetarian-friendly options. The Kinda BLT — sliced pancetta, roasted garlic aioli, crispy lettuce and fresh tomato — and the DLT – What!? — a vegan version of the BLT that is served with toasted dulse seaweed, ground gomashio, crispy lettuce, fresh tomato and garlic aioli — offer diners an alternative “BLT” experience. Panini-style sandwiches like the Greatest Grilled Cheese Ever!!!, a smoked Gouda, triple crème Brie and homemade spiced pimento cheese grilled cheese sandwich, and the PB&J Panini, a toasty combination of fresh pear, Brie cheese and jambon served with creole mustard and arugula, will delight those looking for a hot lunch.
Made fresh daily on premise are soups, such as Chef Shane’s African peanut or potato and parsnip soups, seafood bisque, roasted corn chowder, and white bean and turkey chili. Salads offerings include the Dirty South Bread Salad — mixed greens with Heirloom tomatoes, thick croutons, steamed crab and seared crawfish tails tossed in basil pistou — and the Roasted Beet Salad — roasted beets, fresh segmented oranges on a bed of mixed greens tossed in citrus vinaigrette and topped with fresh goat cheese and basil — and more.
A variety of crepes, both sweet and savory, round out the Ocean Market menu. For those with a sweet tooth, Ocean Market’s Berries and Crème and Apple Crunch crepes can serve as the perfect ending to any lunch or are an ideal mid-day snack.
Chef Shane McIntosh, executive chef and owner of Ocean Catering Company, started out washing dishes in the late night blues bars of Memphis, Tennessee when he was just 14, and quickly moved on to the tough, exacting school of classic French cuisine. By age 20, Chef Shane took over ownership of the Babylon Café, a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, which instilled the basics of using seasonal ingredients and local offerings. He then went on to study a variety of flavors and techniques in restaurants such as the Automatic Slims Tonga Club, The Main Dining Room of the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco and the James Beard House in New York City. In 2002, Chef Shane launched Ocean Catering Company,
