Nothing is more disappointing than going to an oceanfront restaurant, only to discover that the bland fish you're eating was frozen between being caught and being served to you. The best seafood is fresh, and prepared in such a way as to accent the natural flavors of the sea without overwhelming them. Presented in alphabetical order, here are the top ten seafood restaurants in Los Angeles.
Nothing is more disappointing than going to an oceanfront restaurant, only to discover that the bland fish you're eating was frozen between being caught and ... more
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1
Catch
Casa Del Mar, 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405 / 310-581-7714
Catch yourself in the redesigned dining room of Casa Del Mar and enjoy the views of the Pacific Ocean and its sunsets, the Santa Monica Pier and its famous Ferris wheel, and the cuisine of chef Michael Reardon. After many years with an uninteresting décor, the hotel space now has style and an elegant atmosphere. The eye-catching sushi bar in the middle of the room is covered with mother of pearl tiles. There are three seating options: at regular tables, some with tablecloths, others showing their dark wood surfaces; some higher tables designed for two; and, of course, at the sushi bar. As appropriate given the oceanside locale, Reardon emphasizes seafood with sushi and sashimi, and standout crudo such as tartare of scallops, kampachi served with aged soy and Xeres, or snapper in a lime jus. If you opt for an appetizer, try the octopus salad, hamachi, bluefin tuna or beef carpaccio with crispy garlic. Continue with the prawns, the Thai snapper with calamari aromatized with oregano, or skate wing served crispy on a bed of savoy cabbage with a bite of braised pork. If you prefer meat, we recommend the Kurobuta pork loin with apple gnocchi, the dry-aged New York steak with sautéed squash or the thyme-roasted chicken. Opt for the mango tarte Tatin, the lemon tart or the chocolate trio for an enjoyable finish.
2
Delzano's
179 N. Harbor Dr., Redondo Beach, CA 90277 / 310-374-7525
There is nobody named Delzano associated with Delzano's restaurant---it's a contraction of the names of partners David Letchworth and Rafael Solorzano. The duo behind Lou E. Luey's goes upscale with this stylish restaurant and bar which has an excellent location overlooking the Redondo pier and marina. Unlike many waterfront restaurants, there are numerous attractions besides the view---the seafood and pastas would be a draw even with a brick wall just outside. Highlights include ahi spring rolls; crab, spinach and artichoke dip; and sautéed scallops in white wine-lemon butter sauce. The sushi is also noteworthy: Solorzano worked in Hawaii and acquired considerable skill, reflected in some of his original creations. There is a good and reasonably priced wine list that includes many selections by the glass.
3
The Hungry Cat
Sunset + Vine, 1535 N. Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028 / 323-462-2155
Each time we eat at The Hungry Cat, we feel like licking our paws and whiskers with contentment. Occupying an industrial-chic space, David Lentz’s casual dining spot dedicates itself to classic seafood house fare. The nine-seat raw bar specializes in formidable seafood platters---the $150 “Hungry Cat” is a three-tier plateau that includes all the expected fruits de mer plus lobster, Dungeness crab, sea urchin and caviar. If you can pass up the sparklingly fresh raw oysters or littlenecks, or the plump, sweet peel-and-eat shrimp, we suggest starting with Chincoteague oyster chowder---a complex mélange of barely-poached shellfish, cream, mirepoix, smoky bacon, fresh rosemary and shredded cavolo nero. Or try the jumbo, meaty “pride of Baltimore” crab cake with aïoli, refreshingly accompanied by grapefruit segments, red onion and frisée salad. Fresh seafood entrées like rosemary-grilled trout with braised cabbage and apples round out the offerings, and meat-eaters can opt for a generous burger with bacon, avocado and blue cheese. Weekend brunch features choices like “crabby” Benedict or chorizo and eggs; and Lentz’s wife, Suzanne Goin of Lucques and A.O.C., contributes outstanding gravlax. Don’t miss dessert, including vanilla beignets with blackberry compote or ultra-rich chocolate bread-and-butter pudding. A short international wine list features almost two dozen by-the-glass choices, and the friendly, knowledgeable servers have been known to offer small sips to help guests decide.
4
Il Grano
11359 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025 / 310-477-7886
If you have been to Il Grano in the past, and return now, you will think that you have arrived at a different restaurant. The only thing that is the same is the name and, fortunately for our palates, the chef, Salvatore Marino. The door onto the street has even changed its placement, so imagine the rest inside. The room, completely redesigned in white and black tones, is now elegant and is a beautiful showcase for Marino's distinguished cuisine. We have to admit that Marino has learned the lessons of his family, two generations in the restaurant business, quite well. His way to start his preparations is with the meticulous choices that he makes of the ingredients he is going to use. They can only be top quality. All the vegetables are organic. Marino goes downtown himself to select the fish at the Japanese wholesale fish market. He follows the production of each season so everything can only be fresh; therefore the menu changes all the time. Then comes his know-how---and his heart, as he likes to say---to deliver onto your plate a very fine squid ink pasta in sea urchin sauce or the calf's tongue in parsley-basil sauce; a perfectly cooked Alaskan halibut in lobster-saffron sauce or a skate wing with black rice risotto in pea sauce. We like his innovative desserts such as the blood orange semifreddo or the poached pear. The smart Italian wine list includes hard to find and rare old vintages, as well as organic wines from Italy and California. There is a great business lunch---guaranteed in 30 minutes---that includes a first and second course plus dessert for $19.
5
Kincaid's Bay House
500 The Pier, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 / 310-318-6080
This attractive restaurant was the prototype in a burgeoning chain that brings seaside freshness to even non-coastal locations. This branch sports an ocean view, the perfect pairing for Kincaid’s huge assortment of fresh fish and shellfish. It’s easy to go overboard at the well-stocked raw bar, a dream for lovers of crustaceans and mollusks. Hefty cuts of nicely prepared beef are also on the menu, often served with imaginative sauces and sides. Service is youthful but expert, and the wine selections are refreshingly original.
6
The Lobster
1602 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401 / 310-458-9294
It took many years, but The Lobster has crawled back onto the L.A. dining scene after being closed since 1984, and its current shell looks a lot better than the old. A fixture at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier since 1923, the original Lobster was a dinky open-air seafood market with 30 seats. That space, much renovated and featuring a colorful aquarium, now serves as the lobby for a dramatic wood, glass and concrete restaurant that holds 150 people in the dining room, bar and sweeping terrace. You'd think that with five times more seating, the restaurant would be a lot easier to get into. Wrong. The drop-dead ocean view makes it one hot reservation. You might also think that since they can attract guests just with the view, management wouldn't put serious thought into the food. Wrong again. They hired Allyson Thurber, who cooked at the venerable Water Grill downtown, as executive chef. Thurber oversees a kitchen that turns out simple yet sophisticated seafood dishes, everything from plump crab cakes with toasted corn salad and citrus sour cream, to pepper-crusted big-eye tuna with balsamic-shallot reduction and whole roasted striped bass. Yes, there's lobster---steamed or grilled and in chowder and salad. You'll also find a good California-heavy wine list and friendly service. Thinking of dropping in just for a drink at sunset? Plan ahead. The happening bar scene gathers steam long before then, and keeps going until 1 a.m. on weekends.
7
Malibu Seafood
25653 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, CA 90265 / 310-456-3430
This funky little place is a genuine slice of California beach culture, straight out of the ’60s. Bring your own wine or beer, place your order at the counter and grab a table on one of the three levels of patios while waiting for your number to be called. We appreciate the unpretentious fresh seafood---fish ’n’ chips, grilled snapper, New Zealand mussels, Pacific lobster, poached salmon---at very reasonable prices. This is a great, laid-back spot to watch the sun set on another perfect day in paradise. To-go platters are also available.
8
Ocean Avenue Seafood
1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401 / 310-394-5669
When the King brothers branched out from their Long Beach home to the tonier climes of Santa Monica, they knew that their seafood expertise would be tested. The result was this wide-open, simply designed restaurant where the whole point was ultrafresh fish expertly prepared. While time has taken the cutting-edge diners to newer and more elaborate locations elsewhere, Ocean Avenue Seafood remains the finest in quality. Start with smoked trout, lobster taquitos or wasabi-crusted ahi. Some of the many fine entrées include Oregon king salmon, Chilean sea bass and sesame-crusted rare ahi in an Asian vinaigrette. There is also a helpful wine list that suggests fish and wine pairings.
9
Providence
5955 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 / 323-460-4170
If only these walls could talk. Over the years, starting with Le St. Germain, then Patina in its varied incarnations and now Providence, 5955 Melrose has seen its share of deals, movers, shakers and celebs. Paramount studio execs, Hancock Park affluents and Michael Cimarusti aficionados now flock to this address for seafood supreme. Water Grill downtown is no more for Michael and his wife, Cristina. Another familiar face is maître d' extraordinaire Donato Poto, who presided at Bastide and Primi. Personally, Cimarusti is an avid fisherman (a family tradition) but mostly practices catch-and-release---which you won't want to do with his dishes, once you have selected a few options from one of the menus (Market, Chef's or à la carte). Menus change often as you will only be presented with available fresh seafood. May we tempt you with an appetizer of peekytoe crab and chilled sweet pea soup? How about trying risotto with Japanese freshwater eel and shimeji mushrooms? Main courses of monkfish and octopus won't disappoint either. Meat-lovers need not despair since duck, pork, beef and other land animals are offered as well. Wine pairings are available, as well as saké and herb-infused drinks, which are a good option with the edgier selections. Conclude with a dessert from pastry chef Adrian Vasquez, such as the pineapple “torchon” with pain perdu and fennel ice cream, or the milk chocolate panna cotta with cocoa-coconut streusel.
10
Water Grill
544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 / 213-891-0900
In inland cities across the country, nobody ever thinks twice about having great seafood downtown, away from the sea. For the longest time, however, Los Angeles placed all its best seafood restaurants in a strip along the coastline. Happily for business folk and theater-bound diners who have made this restaurant the huge success that it is, Water Grill has made distance from local---and even foreign---waters no object in presenting the finest and freshest fish you can find. An ocean of money went into the dark, clubby, Art Deco dining room and bar, a sophisticated haven with New York-like energy. Freshness definitely comes at a price, as the bill can easily reach a staggering sum; but where else can you find spiny and Maine lobsters plucked straight from the tank and served out of the shell? The departure of chef Michael Cimarusti (now of Providence) worried some of the Water Grill's loyal customers, but running the kitchen now is David LeFevre, an innovative young toque who was Charlie Trotter's executive sous chef for nearly a decade and has traveled the world in search of intriguing new ingredients and techniques. His use of unconventional low-temperature cooking practices (such as cold-poaching, slow-roasting, slow-steaming) reflects his respect for the superlative-quality seafood he brings into his kitchen, resulting in dishes like slow-steamed Alaskan halibut with kalamata olive purée, and olive oil-poached Columbian River troll-caught salmon with sunchoke purée. The raw bar offers the finest delicacies from around the world. John Park's desserts are must-orders.
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