Slapfish
19696 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
After four years of doing this blog, I often wonder if the great restaurants we have visited continue churning out fantastic food. With a growing list of reader's tips and critically acclaimed restaurants, visiting a restaurant twice has become increasingly rare. We exchanged our Ducks ticket in Huntington Beach the other day, and I wanted to share one of our favorite seafood places with my parents. So we took a trip down Beach Boulevard and introduced them to Slapfish.
Our first trip to Slapfish was only a year and a few months ago. It seems like it has been longer, though. You can read about our first experience here. By now, you probably know the story of the Slapfish. It's the brainchild of Chef Andrew Gruel and Jethro Naude. They started this business as a food truck, but graduated to a brick and mortar restaurant in the early part of last year. They are passionate about serving sustainable seafood, claiming it tastes better, which they prove with almost every plate from their kitchen.
The big news at Slapfish is that they are expanding. Franchising will happen in a big way, and they hope to open 500 restaurants over the next ten years. Those are lofty goals, but their food may warrant it. The first franchises are expected to open in of all places, the Middle East, early next year. A little closer to home, there are rumors that they have been looking at locations in Newport, Irvine, and Costa Mesa, all of which will help cut down on my drive time to their Huntington Beach restaurant, meaning more frequent trips to Slapfish.
Slapfish is located in the Newland Shopping Center, between Yorktown and Adams on Beach Boulevard. We arrived just after 4PM on a Sunday after watching my beloved Jaguars go down in defeat to a much superior team. (at this point, a high school team might be superior to the Jags, but I will still stand by them, no matter how many ulcers they give me). So, I was ready to drown my sorrows with some great seafood. The guys at Slapfish keep things casual by having guests order at the counter, and then the food is brought to your table. Let's see what this visit to Slapfish brought our way.
For as long as I can remember, I have known my Dad to enjoy a good clam chowder. So, it was no surprise that he would start with the Clam Chowder ($5.50) here at Slapfish. This creamy concoction is filled with nice-sized clams, a very creamy and flavorful base, and bacon crumbles for good measure. I could tell he liked this because it was hard for him to part with too many spoonfuls.
As much as my Dad enjoys clam chowder, my Mom loves fish and chips equally. The Fish and Chips ($9.00) here at Slapfish made her happy. The fish here is not overly greasy but does not sacrifice flavor. The breading was crunchy but not excessively thick, making this a lighter-than-usual fish and chips plate. The fish inside was flaky and flavorful, while the fries were also to her liking. I would not hesitate to get this again on future visits here.
Katie and my Dad got the Ultimate Fish Taco ($5.50), which helped reduce my writing in this review. Thanks guys. At Slapfish, they offer this taco with either seared or fried fish. Both of them got this seared. After trying the fish and chips, I would have gotten this breaded. I always like a little crunch to my fish tacos. The fish here was done nicely, with just a hint of spice. They were generous with the fish they placed in the corn tortilla. Joining the fish inside the tortilla was cabbage, radish, a little cilantro, pickled onion, a light amount of avocado spread, and the requisite white sauce. All of these worked very well with each other, making this one of the best fish tacos either of them has had.
When I checked out the menu at Slapfish, one thing really jumped out at me, the Lobster Dog ($12.00). Yes, you read that correctly, lobster dog. When I ordered this, I did not know what to expect. Maybe they would place lobster on top of a hot dog or sausage, but no, this was a bratwurst made out of lobster. Very unique. This bratwurst was topped with onions, peppers, and their awesome chipotle aioli sauce. The lobster did get a little lost here. I am more of a purist when it comes to lobster; just give me melted butter, and I will be a happy boy. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this though. It was rich, with the majority of the flavor coming from the toppings on this. I would probably get their shrimp and lobster grinder on my next visit here.
I am looking forward to the expansion of Slapfish because they are always showing off their specials on Facebook. Almost every time I open Facebook, I come face to face with another special they are running. They offered these Surf and Turf Nachos ($12.00) as their day special during our visit. I am always a fan of nachos, and when I heard that these had pork and lobster, I was in. There was a cilantro lime cream, pickled habaneros, and lobster sauce along with the pork and lobster. These were so good. The pork was done right for a place specializing in seafood; the lobster was more plentiful than I would have thought, and the sauces and textures came together nicely. I would have liked a few extra chips on the side, but other than that, I could find no fault with these nachos.
Our second trip to Slapfish was even better than our first. My parents really ended up enjoying this restaurant as well. We saw them for our customary Monday night dinner the next day, and they both brought up how much they enjoyed Slapfish. Whenever someone asks me about seafood in OC, I ask if they have been to Slapfish. I tell them they must get there as soon as possible if they still need to. I like that they change their menu depending on what's available, so you always know you are getting the freshest stuff. Some may scoff at paying five dollars per taco, but these differ from chain-fish place tacos. These will fill you up, and you know you are getting good seafood done right. Glad we had the opportunity to revisit Slapfish. Now, we are just waiting for their OC expansion to begin and hoping that they pop up closer to us.
Out of five sugar beets (because Slapfish is located in the Newland Shopping Center, which used to be part of the Newland Ranch, which grew sugar beets, among other things, in the early 1900s), five being best and zero being worst, Slapfish gets 3.5 sugar beets.
For more information about Slapfish, go to their website here: http://www.slapfishrestaurant.com/
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