Santa Monica Seafood
Monday, October 25, 2010 at 11:27AM One of the things that excited me most about moving to Los Angeles was the abundance of great produce and seafood that West Coasters have available to them. We experienced this first hand with a visit to Santa Monica Seafood, a hybrid market/cafe in...well, Santa Monica. We met a college friend of Mark's at the purveyor of all things gourmet a couple of weekends ago and the seafood lover in me giggled like an 11-year-old at a Justin Bieber concert (I barely know who this is, but I understand the young'uns go nuts for his...singing).
It's not a huge space, but it makes its purpose clear - this is a seafood mecca. The Wilshire Boulevard location is modern and bright and sunny, but Santa Monica Seafood and the Deluca family have been supplying the Los Angeles area with a fresh and extensive selection of seafood since 1939.
For the last few years, I've been pretty much confined to the Whole Foods' seafood display case, so the gorgeous layout at SMS was quite the treat. While waiting for a table at the cafe, I wandered around noting all the items I intended to purchase after our meal. The market smartly offers a variety of items to elevate your seafood purchase - gourmet cheeses, wines, spices, oils - I could have easily dropped a wad of cash had Mark not been around to reign me in.
Once we were seated, I had trouble narrowing down my selection, because everything on the menu looked appealing. We finally decided to share an order of the popular Ahi tuna tartare starter, which was prettily presented with avocado, cucumber, tomato, chili sauce, and basil, topped with a balsamic reduction and served with pita chips (below). While the flavors were not as bold as I would have liked, they combined well, and the texture of the tartare was spot-on, silky and melt-in-your-mouth fresh.
For his entree, Mark ordered the spicy tuna burger sliders, which paired soft rolls with ground tuna patties, avocado, tomato, lettuce, spicy mayo and sweet pickles. He thought they were very nice, which says a lot, considering that Mark's not really a big seafood guy.
For my part, I got an entree-sized portion of the steamed Mediterranean mussels, which were served in a fragrant broth of white wine, tomatoes, and garlic, and were accompanied by a couple of slices of grilled ciabatta. I wasn't blown away by the broth, which was nice but a little underseasoned, but I didn't have to be - the mussels stole the show, plump and juicy and as fresh as can be, and the grilled bread was a great touch.
The preparation of the food was pretty traditional, nothing especially exciting, but maybe that's the point - the quality and freshness of the seafood really came through in each dish. And that made me excited to do a little shopping afterwards (we picked up some wonderful black cod filets). I think Santa Monica Seafood can count on seeing me for weekends to come.
Los Angeles, Market, Seafood in Reviews: On The Town
Reader Comments (3)
If you're in Santa Monica also check out Fritto Misto and Ninjin near 6th and Colorado. We used to live across the street and really liked both. Fresh pasta at Fritto Misto and pretty cheap, no frills sushi at Ninjin.
Thanks, J! I love all of your tips! We actually HAVE been looking for cheap, no frills sushi, so we'll definitely have to check out Ninjin.
My sister swears by Sushi Karen in Culver City for a similar vibe and it's not as far away from you as Santa Monica. Also recommended is the burger at Father's Office in Santa Monica or the new and easier to get in location in Culver City. Cheap and good thai food can be found at Mae Ploy on Sunset in Silverlake. Fred 62s and the 101 are fun hipster-liike diners. Authentic mexican at El Tepeyac (dicey neighborhood but tasty) and La Cabana (westside). Wow, I'm hungry now.