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Archive for Lobster roll

Water Grill Santa Monica

Sep13

Restaurant: Water Grill [1, 2]

Location: 1401 Ocean Ave. Santa Monica. 310-394-5669

Date: July 27 & August 11, 2013

Cuisine: Seafood

Rating: Nice upgrade, if a tad pricey

_

Years ago, Ocean Avenue Seafood was a staple on our “quick dinner” rotation, particularly before movies and the like. It served up classic San Francisco style seafood. But recently, was feeling a little long in the tooth, having not been updated in (as far as I know) nearly two decades. This year the owners rebooted it as a Westside branch of their downtown Water Grill, which itself has gotten drastic revamps in recent years (having once been very formal — albeit excellent — and now is much more casual).


The interior has the same layout, but got a new “hard surfaces” redo in keeping with the times.


They served up yummy hot bread quickly, although the staff kept us waiting for 20-25 minutes before visiting for either drinks or food orders (the waiter later made up for this by comping dessert).


The menu has been updated with a more contemporary flair.

2001 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 89. A lovely mix of green apple, melon and muscat notes are followed by relatively big and still quite tight and fresh middle weight, taut, muscular flavors of considerable tension and breed. The minerality is almost pungent it’s so strong and this finishes firm but with fine richness and palate coating sap.


Heirloom tomato salad. Avocado, watercress and blue poppy seed dressing.


A “custom” raw plate with a half-dozen oyster sampler, four wild jump mexican white shrimp and a whole uni (sea urchin). The sauces include classic cocktail, horseradish, lemon, and mignonette as well as a new slightly sweet Japanese-style sauce that is kin to sunomono marinade.


A close up of the uni.


And a seafood tower (for 2 people) with an assortment of fresh raw bar seafood.


A softshell crab salad special.


Wild Alaskan Sablefish (black cod) with lobster and oyster mushrooms, port wine reduction.


Lobster roll, classic New England style. There is also an option for Connecticut style (with butter instead of mayo). This was a great lobster roll, and I’ve had plenty of ’em (being a favorite of mine).


And here it is, the Connecticut style! I liked the New England a bit better.


Classic fish and chips.


The dessert menu, in this case on the house as they took awhile to get to us at the beginning.


Banana Chocolate Sundae with chocolate covered corn flakes.


Coconut panna cotta with passionfruit and chili. This was right up my alley, very much like one of those weird (but I love them) Chinese custards. Nice rich coconut flavor and a little bit of kick.

Overall, while the delta between Ocean Avenue Seafood and Water Grill are at some level superficial, I’m pleased with the change. I could care less about the new louder interior, but the menu is larger with more of a fusion flare. This nicely updates it and elevates it over the fairly common (in Santa Monica) raw bar food. It remains pricey, as it was before, but the dishes were very tasty.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. The Hungry Cat chows Santa Monica
  2. Fraiche Santa Monica
  3. Fraiche Santa Monica part deux
  4. Ocean Avenue Seafood
  5. Finally, Modern Dim sum in Santa Monica
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dessert, Lobster roll, Ocean Avenue Seafood, Restaurant Review, Santa Monica, Water Grill, watergrill

Jackson’s

Nov30

Restaurant: Jackson’s

Location: 11927 Democracy Drive. Reston, VA 20191. (703) 437-0800

Date: November 26, 2011 & 2017 — yes same day, 6 years apart

Cuisine: American

Rating: Solid mid-sized chain offering

_

Back “home” in DC we wanted a quick and easy meal and so headed out to Reston to this reliable place. I reviewed Coastal Flats last year, another member of the same small chain.


This is one of those well done (but not earth-shattering) mall places. It seems that good malls these days aren’t going with the giant chains or with one-off restaurants. they must feel the need for a little more stability in their business relationships.

1A0A7107
This vast interior all decked out for the holidays.


The menu.

1A0A7111
They have these donut-like rolls which are pretty delicious.


This was billed as an “perfect margarita” and actually, it was pretty good. Not quite as good as my own, but not bad at all.


A mojito.


“Lobster and ham mac and cheese.” Pretty good too. The ham made it.


A special salad. Fried oysters, blue-cheese, salad.


A simple green salad.1A0A7112
Salad with grilled salmon. Didn’t skimp on the salmon.
1A0A7119
Lobster Club salad. Not bad at all.


Grilled cheese for my son.

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Simple pasta for my son 6 years later.


Fried grouper, fries, and cole slaw. This was a tasty fried fish, nice and crispy. This chain has an unusual but very good slaw, chopped, with a bit of peppery bite.


Crab cake roll with a side of butternut squash.


And the platter version, two crab cakes with fries and slaw. The cakes a pretty good, with big lumps of crab. It does have a little breading (obviously).


Sautéed spinach.

Lobster roll with corn on the cob. No shortage of lobster here! They claim it’s all the meat from a 1.5 pounder. Looks like it.1A0A7115
Same lobster roll, 6 years later.

This isn’t really chef driven cuisine. It’s basically comfort food. But it is well done.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Coastal Flats
  2. Ocean Avenue Seafood
  3. Quick Eats: Houstons
  4. Room with a Vu
  5. Quick Eats: Mon Ami Gabi
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Blue cheese, Coleslaw, crab cakes, Fish & Chips, Jackson, Jackson's, Lobster roll, Restaraunt, Restaurant Review, Reston Virginia, Salad, ThanksGavin

Ocean Avenue Seafood

Nov08

Restaurant: Ocean Avenue Seafood

Location: 1401 Ocean Avenue. Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310-394-5669

Date: November 5, 2011

Cuisine: Seafood

Rating: Good, but overpriced

_

I’ve been going to Ocean Avenue Seafood for probably fifteen years, but while it was once a staple in our rotation it’s been a few years. OAS offers classic American seafood right above the bluffs overlooking the Pacific.


The have both an extensive ocean view covered patio and a clubby inside.


The menu.


Fresh baked sour dough bread.


A green salad.


A sampler of six various Pacific oysters with cocktail sauce, horseradish, and mignonette sauce. Each of these six were different, but all were good.


Their clam chowder. It’s not as goopy creamy thick as I ideally love, but it did have a nice bacony flavor.


Grilled salmon with mash potatoes and asparagus. Pinot noir reduction. My wife is a connoisseur of salmon, and she likes this one.


Lobster roll. The fries and slaw were good. And while this roll had lots of lobster it was somehow lacking in flavor.


Expresso so I can stay up through the movie we are going to see.

Overall Ocean Avenue Seafood has a lot of competition. Both the Blue Plate Oysterette and the Hungry Cat have very similar cuisine and are located nearby (the Blue Plate about a block away). Both are a little less expensive than OAS and a little more “modern.” OAS does have more different types of fresh fish if that’s your thing, they have 7-10 grilled fish at all times. Just depends what you want.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Blue Plate Oysterette
  2. The Lobster claws at the pier
  3. The Hungry Cat chows Santa Monica
  4. Picca Potency
  5. Villetta – More Italian in Brentwood?
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Clam chowder, Lobster roll, Los Angeles, Ocean Avenue, Ocean Avenue Seafood, Pacific, Pacific oyster, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Restaurants and Bars, Santa Monica, Santa Monica California, Seafood

Quick Eats: Coastal Flats

Dec03

Restaurant: Coastal Flats

Location: 7860-L Tysons Corner CenterMcLean, VA 22102(703) 356-1440

Date: Nov 30, 2010

Cuisine: Southern Coastal American

 

This place is part of a small local chain of one-off’s. That is, each restaurant in  the group has a different name and menu. While they’re slightly commercial, they do a good job. Everything is tasty and reliable. Not innovative or fancy, but good. In a world dominated by chains the complete one-off restaurant is dying at the midrange level. In particular, they seem unable to secure leases in these coveted mall-type spaces. Probably the mall authorities are unwilling to take a risk. However, not all chains are totally evil — just most! — you know who you are Olive Garden et all!

The menu. Not so disimilar to the little non-chain Eastern Shore places I remember as a kid, just bigger and more internationalized.

Crab cakes, with cous-cous. I didn’t try the sandwich, but the cous-cous was very tasty, with a slighly sweet flavor.

A grilled salmon sandwich, not on the menu, but they improvised.

The lobster roll. This was GOOD. The corn was very sweet, and the lobster tender and fresh. The fries were excellent too.

The remains of the fried grouper my two-year-old enjoyed. He was particularly partial to the applesauce.

I love tartar and cocktail sauces with my fries. This tartar, i have to say, was one of the best I’ve had. There were capers, and an excellent lemony tang.

The flour-less chocolate waffle is awesome.

The commercial-style decor. Nothing wrong with it, but not a lot of character either. Service is always very good at these places, in that way that tells you they have a formal staff training program.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Mon Ami Gabi
  2. Quick Eats: Brunch at Tavern
  3. Quick Eats: La Cachette Bistro
  4. Quick Eats: Pizzeria Mozza
  5. Quick Eats: Piccolo
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: chain, Crabcake, Dessert, Food, Lobster roll, lunch, Restaurant, reviews, side dishes, Southern Food, United States, vegetarian
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