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The look clings to your senses like a cheap suit – all glitz and glam, no pith. If Pamela Anderson somehow morphed into a seafood restaurant (and she might...) she would look like Aquaknox, the latest addition to the Terminus Building in Buckhead.

Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
The John Dory fish is one of the best dishes at Aquaknox.
Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
An orchid in the glass wine room with water running down the walls is one of the flashy touches from Orlando-based e-Brands Restaurants.
Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
Top off the meal with a maple walnut tart.
Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
The steamers also are recommended at this fish house serving 'global water cuisine.'
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A flashy new fish house serving "global water cuisine" amid its 13,000 square feet of showy exterior highlighted by blue ocean hues and a water-encased walk-in wine tower, the whole thing makes more sense when you realize that Aquaknox is part of Orlando-based e-Brands Restaurants, LLC, and has an older sister in — where else? Vegas. e-Brands has stretched itself to 16 restaurants in six states, including the swanky David Burke Las Vegas. Just entering the dining room made me feel as if I had undergone plastic surgery.

Then again, maybe not. Maybe it doesn't make sense. What the heck is "global water cuisine" anyway? Did someone copyright the use of the word seafood? Will we be eating kelp? Plankton?

I digress. On point: I admit that my first look at Aquaknox left me cold and, er .. clammy. The chintzy flowing curtains between the tables; the intimacy of 275 seats plus private rooms to add another 500; the brushed metallic columns in the dining room – the only thing I really like about the look is the view it offers of ever-changing Peachtree Street.

Since A plus B usually equals C, I was expecting the same sort of superficiality from the kitchen. A quick read of the menu didn't offer much solace — amid more interesting offerings of Jonah crab claws and New England style-steamers were the usual: various shellfish cocktails, sashimi trios, mesquite grilled king salmon, heirloom tomato salad in winter. The vibe is so five minutes ago.

But taste never goes out of style, and what began to arrive at the table had me pleasantly surprised. Dish after dish, whether it was a simple salad of exquisitely fresh butter lettuce in a fresh-faced herb-laden vinaigrette or well-procured beausoleil oysters to dip in a tangy mignonette, the whole experience began to improve dramatically. Tucked away from the fray (Warrick Dunn was actually seated a few tables over on one evening) it was becoming evident that a good meal wasn't going to be as out of reach at Aquaknox as I had suspected.

Executive chef William Sigley is certainly no stranger to the whole Vegas thing — he opened Todd English's Olives in the Bellagio and worked with Wolfgang Puck for six years. While his menu isn't exactly the most original of offerings, he delivers. A peasant's dish of clam steamers, served in a big white bowl with lots of buttery garlic broth, tastes like a bowl of summer in Rhode Island — meaty clams surrounded by lots of tasty broth for dipping bread.

A slice of John Dory, fleshy and white, offsets the sweetness of lobster succotash with bits of corn in a sweet corn broth; snapper gets all dressed up sitting atop thin slices of fingerling potatoes, peas and pancetta. Meats fare well, too — a juicy filet laced with madeira and mustard is a pleasant diversion from things with fins.

At each turn, a young but generous staff seems at the ready. Hardly old enough to have that relaxed sense of knowledge that comes with years of turned tables, they often seem a little too staged, perhaps even rehearsed. But effort speaks loudly.

Besides naming all eight — or was it nine? — herbs in a salad's vinaigrette, our waitress steered us toward goodies we might otherwise have overlooked — like a buttery crusted maple walnut tart with burnt honey ice cream in a sherry reduction laced with white raisins. Many of the desserts shine, actually; equally as good was a prettily layered lemon cream in between almond lace cookies and macerated citrus segments.

So Aquaknox might look like bimbo, but in its crazy water world, Pamela Anderson can actually act.

Food: Seafood

Service: Well trained, though a little stiff

Address, telephone: 3280 Peachtree Road, Ste 200, inside the Terminus building, 404-477-5600

Price range: $$$ - $$$$

Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club

Hours of operation: Open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Open for dinner nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m (Saturdays until 10:30).

Best dishes: Cocktail trio, clam steamers, John Dory, snapper, maple walnut tart,

Vegetarian selections: Beet salad, butter lettuce salad, heirloom tomato salad, veggie sides of spinach and pommes frites.

KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.
Very good: Merits a drive if you're looking for this kind of dining.
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss.
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria may be rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$$ means more than $75; $$$$ means $75 and less; $$$ means $50 and less; $$ means $25 and less; $ means $15 and less. (The price code represents a meal for one that includes appetizer, entree and dessert without including tax, tip and cocktails.)