Pizza. That's all Folks!

 Folks Pizzeria

2937 Bristol Street A102

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

My friend Ed was back in town for the evening, and he's always eager to get together. Who can blame him? Katie and I are pretty awesome. I have known Ed since kindergarten, which was long ago. He's my longest-lasting friend, was a groomsman at my wedding, and I'm incredibly proud of his life's success. I'd, of course, never tell him that, so I thought I'd write it here since he's way too important to be bothered with my humble restaurant blog. Whenever he's back in OC, I try to find a fantastic place to eat. This time we met up at Folks Pizzeria in Costa Mesa. 

Folks is located in The Camp, across the street from the Lab Anti-Mall, and just down the road from South Coast Plaza. They took over the space that Old Vine Kitchen and Bar vacated when they moved next door for bigger digs. Folks Pizzeria has been open for over three years and has grown a loyal following. Unfortunately, they often have an hour or longer wait times on most nights and sometimes more on weekends. You can make reservations in advance through their website, the phone, or on their Yelp page. Make note that they are not open for lunch, only from 4 to 9pm daily.  

Run by Chloe Tran and Chef Joey Booterbaugh, they describe Folks as an artisanal restaurant that celebrates California's natural bounty of local ingredients. The menu they have curated is seasonal and built to share with the others at your dining party. Chef Joey left the fine dining scene in LA, with a brief detour to San Fransisco, to open this spot and has won praise from OC Register restaurant critic Brad Johnson, who named this spot as one of the best 75 restaurants in OC this year. My anticipation was building. 

The Folks menu is straight and to the point. They offer four red-based pizzas and four white pizzas. The pizzas are 14 inches across and easily feed two to three people. Pizzas are priced from $21 to $26, and there are eight toppings that you can pick from to customize your perfect pizza. Rounding out the menu are two salad options and a quintet of shareable starters. So let's see if all the hype is real for Folks Pizzeria. 

I'm a sucker for Meatballs ($18 plus a $3 upcharge for the jersey ricotta) and like to try them almost everywhere we go. These golf ball-sized meatballs came three to an order, which was perfect since there were three of us. They were incredibly tender, and if I was guessing, I'd say they were made up of ground pork and a little ground beef. They were served in a delectable pork cheek gravy with some basil, parsley, and chives for seasoning. The ricotta added a nice creaminess to this starter and was worth the extra three bucks. The grilled sourdough that came with this was an excellent vehicle for dipping into the excess red sauce. 

We had plenty of bread from the meatball appetizer and the pizza that was coming up next, but Katie added to our carb count by ordering this Bread and Butter ($11). This was the same crusty sourdough bread that came with our meatballs. However, it was paired with labneh brown butter, which I believe was made with yogurt. I was not really a fan. It lacked the creaminess I expected, and the flavor seemed off to me. However, Katie and Ed liked it, with Katie even going one step further, calling it addicting, so maybe it's just not my thing. 

Behold the Matterhorn of cheese, or at least that's what came to mind when this Chopped Salad ($18) was sat on our table. Under all that, finely grated pecorino was some soppressata, sheep's milk feta, olives, pickled chilies, almonds, basil, greens, and a wonderful oregano vinaigrette tying everything together. I liked the different textures and flavor boosts that this salad brought. It's not going to replace my usual Caesar salad, but it was nice for a change of pace. 

Pizza time! We went with the Pepperoni and Fennel Sausage ($25 plus $4.50 for the sausage). You can assume that this is a high-quality pizza made with great ingredients from the lack of grease. The crust held firm under all the toppings, and the slight char on the outer crust was not too obtrusive. They don't use an overabundance of cheese on their pizzas, instead allowing the toppings to be featured front and center. With all of our starters and the salad, we had just enough pizza for the three of us. 

Folks Pizzeria has two desserts on their menu, a burnt cheesecake and this Chocolate Budino ($11). This was actually two desserts in one. You get the budino, served in a jar and salted caramel flavored with creme fraiche whipped cream perched on top, and then you have a brown butter chocolate chip cookie served on the side. They are a perfect duo. The cookie was incredible, and I should have gotten one or two to take home. The budino was also good, although it was lacking in the salt area. Nice and creamy, with a muted sweetness to it. 

Folks Pizzeria was as advertised. It definitely belongs on Brad Johnson's top 75 OC restaurant list. The pizza here is good and not pigeonholed into a type like most people tend to do with pizza. It's a pizza all its own. Not New York style, definitely not Chicago or Detroit either. Let's just say it's a high-quality pizza that doesn't try to do too much except showcase excellent ingredients and the craftsmanship of the kitchen here. Even the sides were all delicious. We look forward to returning visits to try more of their sides and pizzas. Our server was pretty shy but efficient. As busy as they were, the food came out much more quickly than I had anticipated. It gave us a little less time to catch up with Ed, but with pizza this good, we weren't going to be doing a lot of talking anyways. 

Out of five scarecrows (because the city of Costa Mesa was home to a scarecrow and pumpkin festival every autumn for a while), five being best to zero being worst, Folks Pizzeria gets 3.5 scarecrows. 

For more information about Folks Pizzeria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.folkshospitality.com/ 

Stake Out at Ruth’s Chris

 Ruth's Chris Steak House

2961 Michelson Dr. 

Irvine, CA 92612

Anniversary time has rolled around again for Kaite and me. After seven years of marriage and 13 years together, we are not really into getting each other gifts. We prefer to splurge on dinners. As I write a restaurant blog and everything, I know you must be shocked. In my biased opinion, an anniversary calls for getting a little dressed up and going to a nice steakhouse. We decided to celebrate our big day at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Irvine this year. 

OC is home to the big five national chain steakhouses: Mastro's, Capital Grille, Fleming's, Morton's, and Ruth's Chris. The only one I have not reviewed up until now is Ruth's Chris. For me, the clubhouse leader is Mastro's, with Capital Grille and Fleming's following right behind. I have been to Ruth's Chris before, but it was long before I had met Katie. So it was time to find out where this steak house ranks among the big five. 

Ruth's Chris started in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1965. Ruth Fertel, a single mom, bought the existing, 60-seat Chris Steakhouse and was in business until a fire destroyed the restaurant in 1976. She needed a new location for her restaurant, but due to her contract, she could not keep the original restaurant name. So she just added her first name to it, and that's why they have the funky-sounding Ruth's Chris Steak House moniker. 

They are now in 21 countries and have over 80 restaurants open and operating, two of which are in OC, this Irvine spot, and another in Anaheim. This Irvine location is situated at the corner of Michelson and Jamboree, in the busy shopping plaza that also features North Italia, Lemonade, Houston's, and Mother's Market. Parking can be a little pain here, especially at meal times, so we always veer towards the parking structure behind the LA Fitness. 

This Irvine Ruth's Chris is open for lunch only on Fridays and for dinner from 4 to 10 most nights. The decor is much brighter than other high-end steakhouses, and the dining room is a little more lively. Appetizers hover around the $20 mark, while steaks start at $50 and climb from there. As in all high-end steak restaurants, sides are an additional charge. When we were visiting in April, they had a three course special promotion, my ribeye was $88, and Katie's filet and lobster were $74. I do not see it on their current menu, but keep an eye out for it in the future. Here's how this night shook out for us. 

Most high-end steak houses will start you off with a Bread Basket. Ruth's Chris was no exception. They feature a well-made sourdough with an ample supply of softened butter. As a result, the bread came out warm, allowing easy spreading. They also were not shy when it came to refilling the basket. 

Katie decided that we needed to start things off with an appetizer, so she selected the Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat ($19). These came four to an order and were topped with some romano cheese. They went out of the broiler smoking hot, and I almost burnt my hand moving the plate. I was not in love with these. If I had been blindfolded, I probably never would have guessed that there was crab in these. This was definitely misnamed, as it was more like mushrooms stuffed with crab cakes. The crab was not prominent as it was all filler. The romano cheese also detracted from what should have been the main focus, the crab. I'd skip these next time for sure. 

As much as I did not enjoy the mushrooms, this Caesar Salad ($14) got me back on track relatively quickly. Romaine hearts with plenty of shaved parmesan, garlic croutons, grated romano cheese, a couple of grape tomatoes, and a creamy Caesar dressing made up this straightforward version of a Caesar salad. This salad had just the right dressing, and the cheeses added great flavor. Not anything earth-shattering, but an excellent and enjoyable salad.  

Entrees are next, and Katie's selection, the Steak, and Lobster ($74), will start us off. This came with a six-ounce filet and a five-ounce cold water lobster tail. Katie has this habit of ordering her steaks medium well, which is not ideal. Big kudos to our server, who did not roll his eyes when she told him how she wanted her steak this evening. I did try it, and it was not too bad for being medium well. The lobster was fine on its own, maybe a tad overcooked. Nothing that couldn't be disguised by dipping it into the provided melted butter. 

I also upgraded my entree to the 16 Ounce Prime Ribeye and Shrimp. ($88). As is the custom at Ruth's Chris, this came to the table on one of their 500-degree plates and was still sizzling. They finish their steaks with plenty of butter and parsley. This steak was okay but lacked the wow factor for me. I expect a ribeye will be fatty, but this cut seemed to have a little extra. I eat the fat, so I had no issue, but if you are averse to it, you might want to get a filet or maybe the New York strip. The shrimp was a tad rubbery when I got around to trying it, perhaps because it was still cooking on top of the hot steak.  

With our meal, we also got Creamed Spinach and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. My favorite out of the two was the spinach. Nice and creamy, but a little on the rich side. If you eat spinach, the cream is the way to go. The mashed potatoes were bland, especially when billed as garlic. I did not detect any garlic used here, but their consistency was nicely done. Not too soupy and not too dry.  

Our last hurrah at Ruth's Chris would be dessert. Our meal included one dessert, and our server gave us the other one, a lovely gesture. The Creme Brulee was topped with various berries, which I allowed Katie to have. The creme brulee was okay but was rather lackluster once I broke through the sugary crust. I did not note the Mini Bread Pudding we were gifted with, but it also failed to impress. It was okay but could not match the butter cake over at Mastro's. 

Ruth's Chris kind of fell flat for us this evening. Except for the salad, everything else was just average, and in a high-end steak house, you expect more than that. When we left, we were pretty underwhelmed with the quality of the food here and the selection. They don't seem to have a signature item that would hook us. We did enjoy that they offered a prix fixe special, which helped keep the bill down a bit, especially compared to their competitors. One shining spot was the service we experienced. From the table decorations for our anniversary, the warm greeting at the front door, our servers' competency and friendliness, and the roving managers going table to table making sure all was well, the hospitality of the employees here was definitely first-rate. Unfortunately, the meal could not match it. 

Out of five pelicans (because this restaurant chain started in Louisiana, and that state is known as the Pelican State), five being best to zero being worst, Ruth's Chris Steak House gets 2.5 pelicans. 

For more information about Ruth's Chris Steak House, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ruthschris.com/

Super-Dooper Birria at La Super Birria

 La Super Birria

1041 West First St, 

Santa Ana, CA 92703

If there's any food having a bigger moment right now other than birria, I can't think of it. A mere few years ago you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that served birria. Now, a simple Yelp search of birria restaurants in OC returns plenty of results of places serving it. Birria has become so mainstream that Norm's had offered it for a while, and you can now get it even at El Pollo Loco. 

For those of you that are not yet up to date on the birria craze, and are not sure what it is, here's a quick crash course. Originally made with goat meat, most of the versions sold in the US are now prepared with beef. This dish comes to us from the state of Jalisco. It's slowly cooked as a soup or stew with chili and other spices thrown in the pot. It can be served as a stew or a taco filling, but as it has grown in popularity, there are many other ways to get your birria fix, as you will soon see.  

I had my first brush with birria back in 2017 at the delicious Burritos La Palma in Santa Ana. I have had it sporadically since, but it was a fateful night at poker that brought us back to Santa Ana to try another birria spot that popped up, La Super Birria. My good friend Angel was that guy at poker that suggested that we give this place a try. He loves it, and so far he has not steered me wrong when he suggests a restaurant. Let's see if his streak can continue.  

La Super Birria opened at the very tail end of 2018, just when the birria craze was in its infancy. Edgar, the so-called Birriamaster is the owner and head chef. He and his family are from Sahuayo, Michoacan Mexico, and he's bringing a taste of his hometown to the people of OC with their birria, handmade tortillas, and salsas. They must be doing something right because they now have four locations, one in Santa Ana, and others in Orange, Stanton, and Long Beach. 

Obviously, birria dominates the menu here. They offer it in tacos, quesadillas, mulitas, tortas, mixed with ramen, and even on a pizza. You can get items ala carte, or in a combo that gets you a drink and consomme for dipping your birria. This restaurant is a lot bigger than it appears from the outside, and we had no problem finding a table out in front of the restaurant on their makeshift patio in their parking lot. Let's see if this is some of the best birria in OC. 

Starting things off for us were a Red Taco ($2.99) and a Suavacito Taco ($2.79). To tell you the truth, I found both of these tasted the same. I know that the red taco came with a red tortilla, and was supposed to be a bit spicier. It wasn't, but I still enjoyed it. The tortillas tasted fresh and were pliable. The meat was not as soupy as I thought it was going to be. Good subtle flavor and is made even better with their salsa. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of their salsa. 

When I first saw this Birriamen ($11.99) on Instagram, I thought it was kind of just some fusion item to pander for likes. After Katie got this and let me try it, I am now a convert. It was really delicious. Even though I know the upcharge for this item is a little outrageous, I would not hesitate to get this on my next visit to Super Birria. It was very comforting, with a tinge of spiciness at the end of each forkful. It makes sense that this would work because birria is made like a stew, so this is more how birria was intended to be eaten. Definitely worth trying when you visit. 

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you have probably noticed my love for combo plates and meals. They help give you a better lay of the land when it comes to a restaurant, especially since I don't have the budget for multiple trips to the same restaurants, like professional restaurant reviewers. So, when I saw that Super Birria had a Birria Tour ($11.99) I knew I had to give it a try. It comes with a birria taco, red taco, quesabirria, and consomme for dipping. I already wrote my feelings about the red taco, and the birria taco was pretty much the same. Good flavor and both went well with the consomme. The consomme was a nice touch, as it gave the taco a flavor boost and a bit more moisture to the tacos. The clear winner of this plate was the quesabirria. The combination of the melty and crispy cheese and the birria was amazing. I loved the crispy parts of the cheese that hit the flattop, which added a very nice textural component. This was even better when dipped into the consomme. It took a lot of my willpower to go back in and order another one of these. 

I was pretty happy when we left La Super Birria, but I liked it even better as I was reliving our visit while I was writing this review. It's kind of rare when this happens, and it's usually a sign that we will make a return visit in the future. La Super Birria is one of the better spots that we have tried for birria and is a great spot to get your first taste of this trendy food or continue your journey to find the best birria OC has to offer. Right now I'd say this place and Navarro's Taqueria, also in Santa Ana, are the best we have had to date. I don't know what the future holds for the birria fanaticism that's going on right now, but I hope birria is here to stay.   

Out of five goats, (because birria was and still is made with goat meat in some places), five being best to zero being worst, La Super Birria gets 3.5 goats. 

La Super Birria does not have a website, but you can find out plenty about them from their Yelp page by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-s%C3%BAper-birria-santa-ana-2

Sealing Our Trip With a Devoted Kiss

 Devoted Kiss Cafe

8809 North Harborview Drive

Gig Harbor, WA 98332

It might be weird to most of you that our last meal in Washington was with my dental hygenist. Yes, I may not make regular trips to see my doctor, but I'm meticulous about going to the dentist every six months. It's easy for me because my dentist and my dental hygenist, Karilyn, are the best. It's more like seeing my friends, who just happen to clean my teeth and check for cavities. Totally normal, right? 

I was a little sad when I went in for my cleaning and checkup this past February and was told that Karilyn would be moving to Gig Harbor, Washington, and this was going to be the last time that she was going to be cleaning my teeth. We have always had a great time laughing and catching up while she worked, and I just sat there. Katie and I had planned this Seattle trip early in the year, and I promised Karilyn that we'd meet up with her and her husband while we were up in the Evergreen State. 

I had everything worked out perfectly. We checked out of our hotel in Seattle at 10am and could make it to Gig Harbor an hour later. That would give us plenty of time for a late leisurely breakfast and then drive back up to SeaTac for our 4pm flight home. Karilyn picked Devoted Kiss Cafe for our breakfast, a restaurant where she quickly became a regular customer. She boasted that she knew all the servers in her short time living here, but we saw no evidence of this. Like when she lived in Southern California, many people ignored her. Just ribbing you, Karilyn. 

Devoted Kiss has been in business for 11 years now. They are a breakfast/lunch spot with a spectacular view of Gig Harbor, which was quite breathtaking with its many anchored boats, tall trees lining the shoreline, and the sun playing hide and seek with some puffy white clouds. We were seated on the back patio, which was not as cold as I thought it would be on this 60-degree late morning. 

The menu at Devoted Kiss Cafe is focused on breakfast, but there are also plenty of choices for lunchtime. Soups, salads, a bunch of paninis, and other sandwiches are offered for those who are not big fans of breakfast. However, we all wanted to partake in the day's first meal, so we all got breakfast. Let's see if Devoted Kiss Cafe will send us back home happy and with our bellies full. 

Not the most giant or gooey Cinnamon Roll ($4.25), but this housemade roll got the job done. With enough cinnamon and icing, it was not too sweet, allowing the pastry portion to shine a bit more. Definitely worth trying if you are like me and like to have both a sweet and savory part to your breakfast. 

I knew I'd like Karilyn's husband when he ordered the Scratch Biscuits and Gravy ($13.95). Two Beecher's biscuits are bathed in a very well-made and rich peppered bacon and sausage gravy, with two eggs perched on top of the pile. In the 13 years of writing this review site, I can not recall such lumpy gravy, and that's not a complaint. This is real stick-to-your-ribs food. Unfortunately, he didn't finish this, but I don't blame him for wanting to savor it later in the comfort of their new home.  

Katie did not want to be left out of the biscuit bonanza, so she selected the Devoted Kiss Cafe Biscuit-wich ($14.95). When this was sat in front of her, I knew there was no chance that this would be a biscuit sandwich you'd be able to pick up with your hands. So instead, this is a knife and fork sandwich. This one utilized a split Beecher's biscuit with oven-roasted chicken, ladled gravy, provolone cheese, and an over-easy egg. The provolone and chicken are not your typical breakfast staples, but Katie found this one of the better breakfast biscuits she's had. 

In all the twenty-five years that Karilyn has been cleaning my teeth, I never imagined that she would have picked the Corned Beef Hash ($14.95) out of everything on the Devoted Kiss menu. She always seemed like a sliced grapefruit and two egg whites gal. This was another big plate. The house braised corned beef was cubed and mixed with potatoes, topped with two eggs, and finished with a drizzle of whole-grain mustard sour cream. Just like her husband, she only finished half of this meal. Katie and I were starting to get a complex, as we both had no problem completing our meals. Karilyn loved this, claiming she had partaken of this hash many times.  

I usually do not get breakfast sandwiches. Instead, opting for scrambles and benedicts. However, this late morning, I needed to try Devo's Favorite ($13.95). This sandwich is stacked with plenty of slices of Boar's Head ham, peppered bacon, sliced avocado, gouda, pesto, chipotle mayo, and an over medium egg, all sandwiched between two slices of wheat toast. This was so good that I didn't even mind that it was on wheat toast. The show's stars were ham and bacon, and the runny egg bonded nicely. I would have liked a little more chipotle mayo, but a very well-done sandwich. Their potatoes were pretty good, well seasoned, and tender. I like mine a little crisper, but still good. 

Devoted Kiss Cafe is a must-try if you ever find yourself in Gig Harbor. It's the kind of breakfast spot you wish you lived next to. Lucky for Karilyn, she now does live just a few blocks away. I enjoyed the little tweaks they used to make their breakfast items stand out, whether it was the whole grain mustard sour cream on the hash, the gouda and pesto being applied on my breakfast sandwich, or the use of chicken with the biscuit-wich. These nice touches help distinguish themselves from the other breakfast joints in town. Service was on point and friendly, and even though they were pretty busy, our food did not take too long to come out. I will miss my two visits with Karilyn every year, but I'm thrilled that she and her husband have found where they want to live. 

Out of five long-distance dedications (because Gig Harbor was where radio personality Casey Kasem lived until he died in 2014), five being best to zero being worst, Devoted Kiss Cafe gets 3.5 long-distance dedications.  

For more information about Devoted Kiss Cafe, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.devotedkisscafe.com/

A Friendly Meetup 4 Years in the Making

 Anthony's HomePort

1726 West Marine View Drive

Everett, WA 98201

Eagle-eyed readers of this blog have probably wondered why we haven't made it out to Corona too much in the last four years. Our good friend Anthony, no relation to the restaurant I'll be reviewing, and his mediocre wife Sabrina lived in Corona. We'd often find ourselves visiting them and trying to find some great places to eat in their former hometown. Unfortunately, they moved to the Pacific Northwest four years ago, which is why our Corona visits have dropped significantly in the last few years. 

We were nearing the end of our Seattle trip but made the trek to see our good friends Sabrina and Anthony's new house in Marysville, about an hour north of Seattle. Even though it had been a few years since we have seen them, the four of us just picked up like no time had passed. After a tour of their house, and way too much laughter, it was time to pick a restaurant. Since they know the area, I let them choose where we should go, and they steered us towards Anthony's HomePort in nearby Everett. 

I didn't know it at the time, but Anthony's is a pretty large restaurant company. They were founded in 1973, as a steak and lobster restaurant in Bellevue, Washington. Then three years later the first Anthony's HomePort opened its doors on the waterfront in Kirkland, Washington, with more of a focus on seafood. In 1984, they solidified their seafood reputation when they started their own seafood company, supporting local fisheries and serving the freshest seafood possible. 

They now have restaurants in Idaho and Oregon as well, most under Anthony's name, but some are other concepts. This Anthony's in Everett is situated overlooking Port Gardner Bay and offers brilliant views of the nearby islands. We arrived at 7pm on a Friday and were met with about a twenty-minute wait for a table. Thanks for making a reservation, Sabrina. Not the first time she has dropped the ball. 

Anthony's menu is divided into small plates, chowders, salads, seafood favorites, daily features, steaks, and shellfish offerings. Entrees range between $23 to $75 for their salmon medallions from the Copper River. Why the high price for this salmon? The salmon from this area is known as the wagyu of salmon because it has a more buttery and succulent texture than other varieties of salmon found elsewhere. A little rich for my blood, but I was excited to give Anthony HomePort a try, and of course continue finding out about how life had been going for our friends since their move up here. 

Any seafood restaurant worth its grain of salt will start you out with some Sourdough Bread for the table. The folks at Anthony's were really good about making sure that we always had bread on our table. I think they refilled it two times, for a total of three loaves. This first batch that is pictured here was a tad on the darkened side, but the others were not like this one. It was still a very good sourdough, thick-cut slices with a subtle sour taste to it. The butter was very creamy and served at room temperature for easy spreading.

Both Katie and Anthony started with an appetizer. Katie selected these Hawaiian Ahi Nachos ($16). This quintet of nachos started off with a taro chip as its base and then the cubed ahi was placed on top with a wasabi aioli drizzle. Katie liked the little wrinkle of the taro chip, which added some stability when bit into. The ahi was fresh, but the wasabi aioli could have packed a bigger punch of flavor than it did. 

Anthony went with the Appetizer Oyster Sampler ($26) to start things off for him at his namesake restaurant. I did not take the time to write down the six varieties of oysters that they gave us this evening, but I can tell you that they were some of the freshest, cleanest tasting oysters I have ever had. With the two that I had, I could really tell the difference between the two, something I have not really experienced before.  

Sabrina and I went with soup and salad for our first course. She had a cup of Anthony's Award-Winning Clam Chowder ($8). This New England-style chowder had plenty of potatoes and bacon included, but from across the table where I was sitting, it seemed a little on the thin side. Sabrina seemed to like it well enough though, but she is wrong quite often though. I had the Classic Caesar Salad ($8) which was delicious from my first bite until my last. This salad used traditional romaine, croutons, a healthy sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and a liberal amount of Caesar dressing. Each piece of lettuce was nicely dressed with just enough dressing. It was almost like they had applied just the right amount of dressing on each piece. Very nicely done. 

Entrees are up next, and we might as well start with Sabrina's first, the Crispy Panko Wild Alaska True Cod Fish and Chips ($23). These three pieces of cod were fried with a panko coating, which was a nice deviation from the heavy beer batter fish that seems to be the trend of late. The panko provided a nice crunch when bitten into and let the cod stand out a bit more due to the lack of grease with this version. The tartar sauce was nicely done, with a good flavor to it and the thickness was on point. This plate was rounded out with ginger slaw and french fries. 

Sabrina's much better half, Anthony, selected the Fresh Alaskan Chargrilled Halibut ($44). The fish was spice-rubbed with a lemon beurre blanc sauce and finished with chive oil. The piece Anthony gave me was moist and delicious. The sauce really kicked this up a notch.  This was accompanied by some broccolini and champ potatoes, which are mashed potatoes with scallions and milk added. Both sides rocked it. 

Katie felt like treating herself with Dungeness Crab Cakes ($49). The two crab cakes were slightly larger than a baseball in circumference, but she felt they could have been filled with a little more crab for the price. To their credit, there was not a lot of filler binding these together and the crab that was here was fresh and flavorful. The outer breading was crunchy and she liked the unique ginger plum sauce that lined the bottom of the plate. She was also a fan of the almond basmati rice pilaf and the broccolini. 

I definitely had the clunker entree of the evening. I had the Macadamian Nut Mahi Mahi ($34). I did not get the full description of this plate, but it doesn't really matter because this could best be described as bland. It really lacked any kind of sauce and was only made better when I asked for some tartar sauce from the kitchen. The fish was overcooked and the mango? salsa and large macadamia nuts covering this were no help. The rice and broccolini were fine, but by the time I had gotten to them, I had checked out. 

Dessert was our last hurrah, and we split two between the four of us. The Homemade Cherry Buckle ($12) utilized some local cherries in an almond crust topped with vanilla ice cream. Truth be told, I'm not really a big fan of cherries, and these ones were a little too tart for me, but everyone else enjoyed this. I did like the almond crust and that they used plenty of good vanilla ice cream topping this. The four of us had been on a cruise together a few years back and we had ended all of our nights with a warm chocolate melting cake, so it was with some sentimentality that we tried the Melting Chocolate Cake ($13) here at Anthony's. This baked-to-order chocolate cake has a creamy truffle in the center and is topped with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. I would have liked this a lot more if we had gotten it without the raspberry sauce, which really overpowered here. 

For the most part, Anthony's HomePort had some flashes of promise, but I left here a little disappointed. The fish and chips, oysters, caesar salad, and halibut were all pretty stellar, but my Mahi was below average, and the desserts were not the grand finish I was hoping for. Anthony's kind of resembled most restaurants that I have experienced that overlook a body of water. You pay for the view, and the food is usually a secondary thought. That's the vibe I got here. I also felt their price point was a tad too high, but in these times I don't really fault them for that. The service on this evening was kind of all over the place. We were left alone for stretches at a time, but as the night was ending and the restaurant was clearing out, our server was around more to clear the restaurant sooner, which I totally understand after a long day. She also might have been wanting to get rid of Sabrina, just like the rest of us. Sorry S, I had to get one more in here since we don't see each other nearly enough. 

Out of five oil rigs, (because Patrick Duffy attended high school in Everett, and he was on Dallas, a show about an oil-rich family in the 70's, and 80's). five being best to zero being worst, Anthony's HomePort gets 2.5 oil rigs. 

For more information about Anthony's HomePort, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.anthonys.com/