Surf's up in Yorba Linda?

 

Seasurf Fish Co. 

18401 Yorba Linda Blvd. 

Yorba Linda, CA 92886

I admit I was not overly excited about going out to eat with my parents. After a month or so of not seeing them, Katie and I made plans to drive up to Yorba Linda for a visit. My lack of enthusiasm had nothing to do with my relationship with my parents, but rather their choice of restaurant that they wanted us to eat at. They excitedly picked this new seafood restaurant, Seasurf in the newish Yorba Linda Town Center, which is pretty close to their house. 

The Seasurf menu did not really take hold of me when I checked it out online. I was at a loss for what to order when I was perusing the menu before we were going to be having lunch here on a recent Sunday afternoon. I decided I'd look at the pictures on their Yelp page, and just go with what seemed to be the most popular. I'm not sure if I was just not in the mood for seafood, or if I was just being difficult. If I'm being honest, it was probably a combination of the two. 

Seasurf has two locations, this Yorba Linda spot, which opened for business in January, and a location little farther south in Del Mar, which has been serving customers since 2017. Both locations get high marks from Yelp reviewers, as they both have four and a half star ratings. Their website states their mission statement as wanting to serve high quality and flavorful seafood in a fast-casual setting, at a reasonable price point. 

The Seasurf menu is pretty ambitious for a fast-casual spot. My unofficial count has them offering close to 50 items. These include burritos, tacos, bowls, grilled fish options, poke bowls, sandwiches, and their specialties. Prices average around the $12 mark, with a lobster pasta dish being the most expensive thing on the menu at just shy of $17. Ordering is done at the register, and then the food is brought out to your table. Let's see if my apprehension about Seasurf was warranted, or would I be pleasantly surprised. 

As I usually do in a seafood restaurant, I have to give their version of clam chowder a try. At Seasurf that means I ordered their Fisherman's Wharf Clam Chowder ($3.99). This creamy chowder contained both baby and sea clams, cubed potatoes, onions, and celery. This was a pretty solid effort. I liked the creaminess of the chowder, the clams were prevalent, but not overly fishy, and the celery and potatoes added just enough texture to not distract from the clams. A few more clams would have been appreciated, but this was a nice start to my meal. 

My niece Kaylie was eating with us this afternoon and wanted to give the Guacamole and Chips ($4.99) a whirl. Kaylie is not a very adventurous eater, as you will see in a bit, and she was absolutely shocked that Seasurf dared to dress up their guacamole by adding some corn, tomatoes, and red onions. She likes more traditional guacamole. She ended up picking around the corn and other things and ended up enjoying the guacamole underneath. I thought it was okay, but I wish they had decided to dress up the avocado with more spice and maybe some jalapeno. It came across as a little on the dull side for me. The chips were nicely fried though and tasted pretty fresh.   

My mom is very predictable when it comes to seafood restaurants. She will always steer towards fried fish. She's also a light eater, so if there's a kids menu she will try to order off of it. She checked off both of those boxes by getting this Crispy Fish and Chips ($4.99). This little meal comes with two fish sticks, fries, and a side of tarter sauce. I assume the fish was cod just like their regular order of fish and chips. It was fried nicely, with a good batter surrounding it. I did not try the fries, but no complaints from my mom, who finished everything, which is kind of rare for her. 

As I mentioned earlier, I was kind of at a loss as to what to get at Seasurf, so I left it to the fate of what Yelpers thought was the best item on their menu. Most people raved about the North Shore Garlic Shrimp ($14.99), so that's the direction I went in. This peel and eat shrimp was a good choice. I got six pretty good-sized shrimp that came with an excellent ginger garlic sauce, a scoop of rice, and an Asian cucumber salad. I usually like the shrimp already peeled, but the sauce on the outside of this made it delicious. I'll ask for an extra side of it next time. I'm not usually a cucumber fan, but this salad was a nice side to go alongside the sweet and briny shrimp. The rice was fine on its own, but I used it mainly to sop up the excess sauce, as I did not want to waste a drop. The Yelpers got this one right, this was an excellent choice.  

Katie is up next and went with the Mahi Mahi ($13.99) one of six options from the grill section of the menu. They offer three different seasoning choices and Katie went with the garlic butter. Not the most photogenic of all the fishplates I've snapped a picture of, but it ended up tasting pretty solid. The fish was moist and had a slightly sweet taste on the back end of each bite. This usually comes with rice, but Katie asked for double ponzu greens with tomato relish and they were happy to oblige. She left Seasurf pretty happy with her meal. 

Another happy camper was my dad, who ordered the Blackened Jumbo Shrimp Alfredo ($14.99). This came with fettuccine as the noodle and garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, and cajun seasonings all mixed with a wine cream sauce. My dad called this the perfect amount of heat, which was present but did not overpower the rest of the dish. He was also pretty pleased with the price point here, as he was glad it, "did not break the bank." 

As I mentioned earlier, my niece Kaylie is not very adventurous when it comes to food. This was not only her first time having clam chowder and trying a bite of Katie's mahi-mahi, but it was also her first time ordering poke. Come on, live a little Kaylie. She got the Spicy Poke Bowl ($10.99) here at Seasurf. The cubes of ahi were marinated and tossed with yogi Sriracha for a tinge of spice, then rice, pickled cucumber, avocado, and nori were added to the bowl. This was a fairly generous sized bowl, which Kaylie had no hope of finishing. She was not really a fan of the texture of the poke, and I'm not really sure why she ordered this in the first place. I thought it was good but wished for a little more spice. The bowl featured fresh produce and fish, which is what you most want most when eating poke. I don't think Kaylie will be having poke again for a while, at least until her tastes mature a bit.  

Even though Kaylie was less than enthused about her meal, my apprehension about Seasurf was unwarranted. I actually was pretty impressed with what I tried here. The flavors were vibrant, the serving sizes were generous, which is something you don't often expect at a seafood joint, and the price point was manageable, even for my dad, who always keeps one eye on how much money is escaping his wallet. I still enjoy Slapfish more, but Seasurf will due when you want a more straight forward, casual seafood experience. 

Out of five bales of hay, (because this restaurant started in Del Mar, home of a horse racetrack, where I'm sure they go through their fair share of hay), five being best to zero being best, Seasurf Fish Co. gets 3 bales of hay. 

For more information about Seasurf Fish Co., head to their website by clicking here: https://www.seasurffishco.com/

New Menu Items at Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill

Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill

25482 Marguerite Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Fish seems to be everywhere these days. Looking through the coupons we receive in the mail, it seems like almost all fast food and casual places are really pushing the fish items on their menus. Even the supermarkets feature fish on the front pages of their ads. Of course this happens every year during Lent. The time of year when an estimated 78 million Catholics forgo meat on Fridays, and instead turn to seafood. This has to be a big time of year for restaurants that are always about seafood. So it makes sense that fish focused restaurants roll out new or special items to entice diners during their busiest time of  the year. We were recently invited to try some new items at one of our favorite fast casual seafood restaurants, Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill.

I guess it has been a long time since we had been to Rubio's. Before we moved at the first of the year, we were regulars at the Rubio's by our old place. Now that we are all settled into our new digs, we have been busy exploring the restaurants in our new area. It's now time to turn our attention back to some of our old favorites, like Rubio's.

Things have changed a little at Rubio's since our last visit. Food doesn't come on paper plates anymore, and they have real utensils. Not only is this classing up the joint, but it's also all part of Rubio's commitment to be socially responsible. Whether it is using sustainable seafood, printing menus on recycled paper, or becoming more involved in the community, Rubio's really wants to improve the quality of life in the communities that they serve, as well as provide quality food. By getting rid of the paper plates, they are helping keep the landfills clear. They are also focused on bringing us high quality seafood, like Regal Springs tilapia.

Regal Springs is a company based in Indonesia that wants to produce the best tasting tilapia in the world, but wants to do it in a responsible way. These tilapia are grown in deep reservoirs in Mexico, Honduras, and Indonesia. The fish are only fed the highest quality of food, and the water is monitored to insure that it is free of chemicals and contaminants at every stage of the operation. Rubio's had introduced  the Regal Springs Tilapia Taco earlier, and it was such a hit, they decided they had to use this special tilapia in other menu items. So Rubio's co-founder, Ralph Rubio, and his culinary team got to work on creating two new dishes utilizing the tilapia. Let's see what we have been missing at our local Rubio's of late.

All this build up about the tilapia, and we start off with the Guacamole and Chips ($1). In the five years that Katie and I have been together, I have not known her to miss out on ordering guacamole at Rubio's. Their guacamole is very natural, not overly seasoned, and goes great over the tortilla chips that are prepared fresh daily. I always manage to steal a little guacamole for my tacos, but that's my secret.

See I told you we would eventually get to the tilapia portion of this post. I'm not much into salads, and this would be Katie's first time having a salad at Rubio's, but it will not be her last after having this Chipotle Orange Salad ($7.79). This salad combined spring and butter lettuce, fire roasted corn, avocado, black beans, mandarin oranges, your choice of grilled or blackened Regal Springs tilapia, and finished with a chipotle orange vinaigrette. Katie really liked the contrasts in this fresh salad. She went with the blackened tilapia here, which went nicely with the cool citrus dressing. The tilapia was prepared well, very tender, and they were very generous with the amount used in this salad. Katie also wanted me to mention that she enjoyed the numerous layers of textures in this as well. Even though I am not much of a salad guy, I could not resist poking my fork in her bowl to have a few bites of this salad.

I believe that burritos are definitely one of the hardest foods to photograph well. They almost always look the same, and they never look as good as they taste. This Regal Springs Tilapia Burrito ($7.69) definitely tasted good. I was a little unsure that this burrito would fill me up, but it was jam packed with guacamole, Mexican rice, fire roasted corn, cilantro, onion, red and green cabbage, a creamy chipotle sauce, and of course Regal Springs tilapia. With so many ingredients used in this, I was a little afraid that the tilapia would get lost here, but it definitely made its presence known. I lamented the fact that I did not get the tilapia blackened, but the Diablo Salsa, from Rubio's great salsa bar, provided more than enough heat to satisfy any heat seeker.

Since we were here, we also had to try the item that got Rubio's creative juices going with their tilapia obsession, the Regal Springs Tilapia Two Taco Plate ($7.69). I thought I was going to miss the crunch of the Original Fish Taco, but that was not the case here. The great flavor of this taco was guaranteed with the inclusion of a creamy chipotle sauce, salsa fresca, a Serrano slaw, and of course the Regal Springs tilapia. The grilled fish option provided a nice smokiness to the fish, that was not as evident in the burrito. I was a little sad that I had to share the other taco with Katie, as I could have made quick work of both of these tacos.

After this little nudge to come back to Rubio's, I am sure we will become regulars at our new location in no time. I definitely noticed that this location did a booming carry out business during our 7PM visit. I also noticed that the employees here made the rounds to all the customers in the dining room, asking if we needed anything, and if everything was all right. Kind of made you feel like you were eating at a full service restaurant, while not paying for it. At this time of year, when everyone is looking for seafood, it's good to know that Rubio's is doing things the right way, and making food that tastes great too.

We would like to thank everyone at our local Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill for making us feel so welcome, and providing us with a great meal. We would also like to thank the fantastic Danielle Solich for this great opportunity to experience these new menu items at Rubio's.

For more information about Rubio's, including your nearest location, click here: http://www.rubios.com/

Fish Camp, Seafood That's Off the Hook? - CLOSED

Fish Camp

16600 Pacific Coast Highway

Huntington Beach, CA 92649

It used to be that you could only get fish at fancy restaurants—places with white tablecloths, waiters dressed in bow ties, and prices that you had to take out a second mortgage to afford. At least, that was the way it seemed to me while growing up. The only fish we ever ate when we were young came from the freezer or H. Salt Fish and Chips.

Times have definitely changed. Since starting this blog, I have written about several casual fish restaurants. Slapfish is a casual seafood restaurant and one of my favorite restaurants in OC. Spike's Fish House opened in RSM last year. Boneheads is also a pretty solid fast fish restaurant with a great Peri-Peri sauce. Almost every other shopping center now features a fish taco place to help squelch your fish cravings. We recently became aware of another casual seafood restaurant to try in Huntington Beach,  so we made the trek up to Surf City to try out Fish Camp.

Fish Camp comes to you from the same restaurant group that gives us King's Fish House.  I have always enjoyed my numerous trips to King's Fish House, as you can read here. Fish Camp is King's answer to the casual seafood craze that has taken over lately. Opened in 2010, Fish Camp strives to deliver fresh seafood at more affordable prices. They recently revamped their menu to simplify and allow customers to personalize their dining experience. Customers now pick their favorite fish, select how they want it served (sandwich, salad, plate, or taco), and then choose a preparation style: grilled, crusted, blackened, BBQ spiced rubbed, and a la plancha. All these choices work out to over 700 combinations you can partake in. That is almost two years of dinners before you must have a repeat dinner.

We arrived at Fish Camp at 6pm on a Wednesday night. The restaurant has a cabin feel, lots of wood, and a lovely large patio off the dining area. Right near the registers is a nice-looking fish counter where customers can buy seafood and take it home to cook it themselves. There was a little backup of people at the register, but that is understandable, given that so many choices exist. It also gave me some extra time to figure out what I wanted for dinner. After ordering, guests are given a pager, and the food is brought to their table. Let's see what came out of the kitchen for us.

One of the things we love about King's Fish House is the bread, which is the same bread here. This Half Loaf of Sourdough Bread ($1.25) is a great way to start your meal. This came out warm, with butter packets. I could have eaten this all by myself, but I would have felt bad doing that to Katie.

I am a sucker for crab, so it was natural that we try the Fish Camp Crab Cakes ($7.95). These two crab cakes were good sized for being listed on the small plates section of the menu. They were not greasy, but the crab could have been more prominent in these. These were paired with a cocktail sauce and a tarter sauce. The cocktail sauce was okay, but the tarter sauce was where it was. It went very well with this crab cake.

There was a little chill in the air the night we were here, so some New England Clam Chowder ($2.95) was in order. I like my clam chowder a little thicker, but this flavor was spot on. I crushed up some of the crackers to thicken this soup. There were a good amount of clams in this chowder as well.  The chowder ultimately did its job of warming me up.

Now for the main event, the entrees. Katie had a little trouble deciding what to get here, but she finally settled on the Blackened Mahi Mahi ($16.50) served with a Remoulade sauce. Katie had one issue with this fish: it needed to be cooked thoroughly. The ends were cooked well, but the middle was a little raw. Nonetheless, the blackening seasoning was perfect on this fish, and the portion size here was generous. The fish plates come with two sides. Katie selected the Jasmine Rice and the Stir Fry Veggies. She felt the vegetables were fresh and prepared well, while the jasmine went well with the soy sauce on the table.

Fish Camp offers its Camp Favorites portion of the menu for those who do not want to make too many decisions. Seven items for the people who want to take the easy way out, like me. I was immediately drawn to the Wild Parmesan Crusted Sand Dabs ($12.95) for some reason. This plate came with three pieces of fish, which were fried pretty well. I really liked the flavor of this, and the Parmesan really did not overtake the sand dabs. They could have used more sauce on these, but the capers helped ramp everything up. I had the Cheesy Grits and the Fresh Sauteed Spinach for my two sides. I am not a grits connoisseur, but I found these flavorful, and the texture was right on for me. The sauteed spinach was a tad overcooked but very full of flavor. A good plate of food.

We were full but got talked into having dessert by our food runner. We settled on the Banana Pudding ($4.45). This good-sized dessert featured smooth banana pudding, whipped cream, sliced bananas, and a couple of Nilla wafers. The pudding was a little light on the banana flavor, but the sliced-up bananas made up for that. I would have liked more Nilla wafers in this, but it was a solid dessert.

You can add Fish Camp to the growing list of good casual seafood spots in OC. I really enjoyed our time here. From what I can gather from the menus of Fish Camp versus King's Fish House, you can expect to pay about four to five dollars less per plate at Fish Camp. I did not notice a big difference in the serving sizes of the plates at Fish Camp either. We had a few minor hiccups with the food, but nothing would prevent us from returning if we were in the area. The people at the counter were accommodating in ensuring customers got exactly what they wanted, while the food came out reasonably quickly and with no temperature issues. We left Fish Camp having a good seafood dinner without withdrawing from the bank.

Out of five schools (because fish swim in schools, and the fish probably look forward to going to camp), five being best to zero being worst, Fish Camp gets 3 schools.

To check out the Fish Camp website, click here: http://www.samsfishcamp.com/

SlapFish Has Got Us, Hook, Line and Sinker - CLOSED

SlapFish - A Modern Seafood Shack

19696 Beach Blvd. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

I am one of the last OC food bloggers to make it to SlapFish. Not that I haven't wanted to go before now. I have heard good, no make-that-great things about them. We have not been able to make it up to HB to see the big deal. So we finally had a free Sunday to drive up to try them.

Casual fish restaurants are opening up all over. Spike's Fish House, California Fish Grill, Boneheads, and SlapFish have all sprung up recently. This is a trend that I can really get behind. It used to be that seafood had to be served in fancy restaurants with great ocean views and big price tags attached to the meals to help pay for that view. I can only ever recall having fish from H. Salt or in TV dinners when we were growing up. I always thought more people would like fish if exposed to it early. These restaurants are trying to encourage this by making fish more readily available to everyone, which is good for all of us.

For those of you who have yet to learn about SlapFish, they started as a food truck, and earlier this year, they set up shop in a Huntington Beach shopping center about a mile away from the ocean. SlapFish is run by two guys who genuinely love the sea. Chef Andrew Gruel and Jethro Naude want to serve fish responsibly, so they are committed to sourcing only Eco-friendly and well-managed seafood. They work closely with the Aquarium of the Pacific and other agencies to prevent overfishing and harmful fishing practices. They believe sustainable fish taste better, so I was excited to see if this was true.

We got to SlapFish at about 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. The ten-table restaurant was packed with people just finishing up their meals. Ordering is done at the counter, and the menu is posted on large chalkboards above the register. The menu rotates based on what is available at a specific time. They update their menu every month or so. Food is then brought out to your table by the staff. Enough talk; let's get to it!

Right after ordering, I made a beeline for their condiment bar. This is where they have their tarter sauce, hot sauces, and the sauce on the right, the "Awesome Sauce." We had ordered some items that already came with these sauces, but I like adding a little extra sauce to everything, so we got more. The awesome sauce was very good. It was like a Thousand Islands dressing in color but very subtle. I really liked it.

I needed to post two pictures of this Major Crunchy Fish Sandwich ($8.95) because I could not get the whole thing in the picture. This thing was massive. I really enjoyed this sandwich. It's one of the best fish sandwiches I have had. This sandwich had fried golden hake, pickled onion, and their awesome sauce. Katie thought this was good but very rich. I liked the crunchiness of the outer portion of the fish. It had a great crunch without being overly greasy. The fish was very fresh and had an appealing flavor. The brioche-buttered bun is also worth noting here. Went very well with the sandwich, and it held up to this big hunk of fish admirably.

One of the most popular dishes on their menu when we were there was the Chowder Fries with Bacon ($5.95). This simple dish should be copied by more restaurants. They take their creamy clam chowder, pour it over French fries, and then add crumbled bacon. Surprisingly, the fries stayed somewhat crisp while we were eating this. The clam chowder was very creamy but did suffer from a lack of clams. I would definitely get this again.

We had a seat right near the register, and while we were there, I noticed almost all the orders included $1 Fish Tacos. Every day from 3pm to 5pm, they offer dollar tacos, and lots of people were taking advantage of this deal by ordering six at a time. I was reserved and only ordered one. They used the same golden hake in the tacos they used in Katie's fish sandwich. I was first amazed at how much fish they put on this. I am used to their minuscule amount at Rubio's and Wahoo's. I was also impressed with the attention to detail they used to put this dollar taco together. You can see it in the picture above. A light avocado spread, pickled red onion, and a lemon aioli accompany the fish in this taco. This fish taco had great, deep flavors. Really a good value for a buck.

We are suckers for crab cakes, so when we saw SlapFish's version, the Griddled Clobster Cake ($6.85), on the menu, we knew we would be ordering it. This cake was made of crab and lobster and served with a chipotle slaw and herb aioli. I liked the big hunks of meat on the cake; there was only a little filler here. The sauce was mellow, and the cake had a little citrus kick. The slaw was well made, and I could not stop eating it until it was gone.

We last tried the XL Firecracker Fish Burrito ($8.25). This burrito was stuffed with cod, avocado, black beans, cabbage, and rice. The burrito could have been wrapped better. I cut it in half to snap pictures of the inside, and it fell apart. This burrito was big and had many layers of flavor. I did not get the spiciness until I was halfway done with the burrito. This burrito needed a little more liquid, so I added more of the "Awesome Sauce" to it, which made it better.  I would skip the burrito on my next visit. This was not the best vehicle for the fish, and without eating this filling burrito, I would have more room to eat other things on the menu.

I guess you can tell that we really liked our trip to SlapFish. I might have liked this even better than Katie. The fish was very fresh, and its preparation really brought out big-time flavors. Be advised that the menu items here may only sometimes be available due to the time of year and availability. Still, if this visit was any indication, you can find something you like here. The girls behind the counter were charming, and even after we ordered, they ensured we got all our food and checked back on us to ensure everything was okay. SlapFish is a testament that seafood does not have to be expensive or served only in fancy restaurants. Thanks for bringing delicious seafood to the masses, SlapFish.

Out of five oil wells (because the city of Huntington Beach, where SlapFish is situated, was first known for the oil under the town, and thus, the teams from Huntington Beach High School are still called the Oilers), five being best to zero being worst, SlapFish gets a strong 3.5 oil wells.

For more information on SlapFish, click here: http://slapfishrestaurant.com/index.php

Casting Our Line at Spike's Fish House

Spike's Fish House

30465 Avenida De Las Flores

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

It has been four months since Katie has moved to Rancho Santa Margarita. I admit I was a little worried when she moved to the outskirts of OC. I was of course not worried about her safety. RSM is one of the safest cities in America. A city where a major crime can be classified as skateboarders congregating in a park, or two residents fighting over laundry at a laundromat, both of these from the actual police blotter on February 2nd and 4th. What I was really worried about was finding places to eat. RSM always seems so far away from everything, it can take forever to get anywhere from there.

Luckily, since her move four months ago, it has been announced that Bruxie and Mi Casa were coming to town. Really looking forward to these places opening so close. I was also intrigued by this place, Spike's Fish House. Opened in late 2011 by Pasta Bravo founder Tim Aspel, Spike's Fish House is his response to the anti-carb and gluten free hysteria that has taken over in the last few years.

Consumers must appreciate his efforts, because there are now two locations of Spike's, (this one in RSM, along with a location in nearby Laguna Niguel). Fast casual fish places have dotted the OC landscape here and there recently. Boneheads, California Fish Grill, the now defunct Corner Fish Grill, and also fish taco stalwarts, Wahoo's and Rubio's are all trying to get their fair share of the your fish dollars, or should I say sand dollars? Okay I will stop with the bad puns for now, sorry. It is worth noting that Tim opened this location of Spike's right next to a Rubio's. Not afraid of the competition at all. Let's see if Rubio's has any reason to be nervous about Spike's.

After ordering at the counter the food is brought out to your table. First to arrive was Kevin's selection, the Shrimp, Fish and Chips. I was surprised by the very generous size of the battered cod served with this. Two very large pieces, along with three shrimp, and sides of fries and Cole slaw rounded out this plate. Kevin seemed to have enjoyed this meal, as was evident by the quickness in which he inhaled it. All that remained was the Cole slaw, which he admitted to not being a fan of. Not that this one was bad, he just does not like any Cole slaw.

Sara really had no idea what to get here, so after some prodding/heckling on my part she settled on the Panko Style Tilapia Bowl. Joining the fish in the bowl was white rice and vegetables. At Spike's there are five sauces to choose from when getting your fish. She selected the Spike's Sauce, a slightly tangy sauce, that was a little too thin for my taste.

Katie was very excited by her pick, the Basa Bowl. She chose to have the fish prepared Cajun style, and was very surprised by the freshness of the fish here. The veggies were equally as fresh, and she is excited to try Spike's again.

The night we were here they were running a special on Basa Tacos, so that is what I went with. At Spike's the tacos come with cabbage, pico de gallo, and spikes sauce, which is a little tangier than most sauces that come in fish tacos. I opted for flour tortillas instead of corn, and chose french fries as a side item. I liked the tacos a lot, but felt they needed less of the pico de gallo. Too many tomatoes in it. The fish itself was flaky, with a good flavor. I would probably ask for their creamy tarter sauce on my next visit here. The Spike's sauce just did not do it for me. The fries were pretty average.

I enjoyed the trip to Spike's. It felt good to eat a lighter/healthier meal for a change. I would describe Spike's as a build your own meal place, like a Chipotle, but without serving mediocre food. Pick your style of meal; bowl, salad, wrap, or sandwich, then you choose your favorite fish out of the usual eight offerings. Finish it up with the sauce of your choice. With all of these options, you can have schools of different meals for awhile. Prices on the menu average out to be around $11 per meal. Not crazy bad, but not exactly cheap either. When we arrived here at 7 on a Thursday night there was definitely a steady stream of customers through the doors. Service was pretty quick, and the restaurant was well maintained. When we were leaving, I glanced over to Rubio's, and they were much busier than Spike's. It might take some time for Spike's to battle the big fish chains, but they are headed in the right direction.

Out of five fish hooks, five being best to zero being worst, Spike's Fish House gets 3 fish hooks.

For more information on Spike's Fish House, click here: http://spikesfishhouse.com/

King's Fish House to the Tower or the Throne?

King's Fish House

24001 Avenida De La Carlota

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

In Katie's family I kind of have a reputation. They take me to one of their favorite restaurants, I blog about it, and they are never satisfied with the results. They think that I am very picky, and a very tough critic. I think the reason they should be upset is that they have been eating at average places all this time. I am of course kidding, (I am not really, but I want to still be invited out with them!).

So, on this outing with the family we headed to King's Fish House. King's is a casual fish restaurant. They operate twelve locations, and three of them are located in our fair county, (the other two in OC are Orange and Huntington Beach). The vibe here at King's reminds me of a Lucille's BBQ restaurant. Although King's is a chain restaurant, you do not get that kind of vibe here. Let's check out what came out of the kitchen.

No bread basket here, but we were served this bread plate. This sourdough loaf was served warm, and had a great flavor. I could have eaten the whole loaf by myself.

I snapped this picture, just before Dennis dug in. He always goes for a cup of New England Clam Chowder when he comes here. He described this chowder as good, with just the right amount of spice. Plenty of potatoes and clams for his taste, and he liked the fact this was not as creamy as other chowders he has had.

The dinner salads were basic, but fresh. They are not going to wow you, but the blue cheese dressing for some reason this night caught my attention. It had more blue cheese flavor than most, and held on to the lettuce well.

Now on to the main entrees. We will start it off with Katie's selection, the Mediterranean Swordfish. This fish, caught off the California coast, was paired with a tomato fennel relish and Greek yogurt.sauce. This fish was very meaty, almost like a steak. The yogurt sauce was creamy and complimented the fish nicely. Also served with this was a sauteed orzo, which according to Katie, really balanced this meal out perfectly.

The patriarch of the family had the Mexican Shrimp and Wild Alaskan Scallops on a Skewer. Dennis enjoyed the portion size of this plate, and felt the shrimp and scallops were cooked well. For his two side items he went with Steamed Jasmine Rice and Macaroni and Cheese. The rice was average in his opinion, and the mac and cheese was a little on the dry side. Not the cheesiest macaroni we have had.

Not too different of a plate was Lynn's dinner, the Farm Raised Mexican Shrimp. Lynn echoed Dennis' comments about the portion size being good, and the shrimp being cooked well. She went with the Macaroni and Cheese as well, but also had the Sauteed Fresh Spinach. The spinach was the best side of the night for us. It was maybe sauteed with garlic, which really gave it a nice flavor.

After much deliberation I had the Parmesan Crusted Rockfish. I was very happy with the serving size of this entree. Four very well cooked pieces of fish, more than satisfied my appetite. My one complaint would be the lack of lemon butter on this. For some reason it was poured on the plate, rather than having it placed atop the fish. I should have just asked for more sauce, but I just made due. The Cole Slaw was decent here, but the mashed potatoes were flavor challenged. Next time I will opt for the baked potato.

King's Fish House is a pretty safe bet for a chain seafood restaurant. They are definitely better than Red Lobster, and on par with Bluewater Grill. The prices were a little on the high side, but the portion sizes make up for that a little bit. The sides here need some help. Besides the spinach, and maybe the Cole slaw, we were not too crazy about them. Service was straight forward and good. We sat out on the heated patio this night, and were quite comfortable. King's Fish House puts a halt to the run of mediocre restaurants that Katie's family has taken me to. I guess I will be invited to at least one more dinner, (I hope!).

Out of five Elvis's, (because of course you can not hear the name king, and not think of him), five being best to zero being worst, King's Fish House gets 3 Elvis's.

For more information on King's Fish House, click here: http://www.kingsfishhouse.com/index.html