Kodiak Seafood in Yuma Foothills

The word on the street and in the blogosphere is that Kirk is due back from somewhere overseas soon. Until then, it is Cathy (from San Diego) and, today, ed (from Yuma) posting at mmm-yoso. You are warned.

Kodiak's location is now a good Thai restaurant. 

Most of Yuma (such as it is) stretches south from the Colorado River, spreading out from the streets that once funneled north/south and east/west traffic through town.  In 1967, a local entrepreneur started selling extremely cheap lots 12 miles east of the city.  At the time, many people thought he was a fool, but after his first million dollars, people's minds changed.  The Foothills (which is what his development is called) is now a thriving but largely unincorporated part of the city of Yuma.  Its population varies from 10,000 to 40,000 depending on the season, and housing out there ranges from shabby trailers that would seem to date from 1967 to some of the most exclusive residences in Yuma County.  Up until recently, The Foothills has been devoid of good and interesting restaurants, but over the last few years, more worthwhile eateries have begun to appear.

A wonderful example of this is Kodiak Seafoods, a tiny restaurant (about 10 small tables) located in the shopping center anchored by Fry's grocery store on Fortuna Blvd at the freeway:
It is a no-frills restaurant with a limited menu, and fishing paraphernalia and photos covering the walls (the family fishes commercially every summer in Alaska): 
We first heard of it as the "new" fish n' chips place. Indeed, the fish and chips there is excellent ($9):

The two perflectly fried filets of Alaskan cod sit atop crunchy sweet potato fries, which are (imho) the best side available at the restaurant.

On that same visit, we were able to get something not regularly available -- an order of crispy fried ocean perch ($10) (here pictured with the regular french fries): 
Even though this is a modest little restaurant where you order at the counter and wait for them to bring  your food and water or soft drinks, it is possible to enjoy some of the finest wines in the world here.  How is that? Well, you just have to bring the fine wine with you. Since this little place has no liquor license, one of the strange laws of the state of Arizona allows customers to bring their own beer or wine (and no, that is not the only strange law of the state of Arizona).  So on Tina's and my most recent visit to the restaurant, we brought in a set of stemless wineglasses:

and one of our favorite local wines so that we could complement our seafood dinner with an appropriate beverage:  
  
When I say local wine I don't mean to imply that anyone grows wine grapes in Yuma County.  Miraflores winery, located in the Sierra foothills, is owned by a local Yuma physician, Dr. Victor Alvarez.  While the winery is most known for its outstanding red wines (I love the Zinfandel and the Bordeaux style blend), the Pinot Grigio is quite good, with balanced pinot grigio flavors, mineral undertones, and a smooth and slightly creamy finish.

We almost always begin our dinners with a side salad ($1), which, as you can tell from the pictures below, consists of a generous helping of fresh baby greens, baby tomatoes, and some other fruit or vegetable accent:

 
 
Although the dressings are most likely store-bought, they are of good quality and complement the salads nicely.

In addition to the great wines available, the most important reason why Tina and I love to come out to this restaurant is the wonderful grilled fish.  Sometimes swordfish is available:

Often they have mahi-mahi: 

Just look at how moist and juicy that piece of fish is.  In fact it is the chef's ability to serve flame grilled fish at exactly the right degree of doneness that makes the all the fishes here so delightful.

For example, this piece of halibut certainly looks nice with the char marks from the grill:

But the tender and moist bites of the fish are even more succulent: 

The restaurant also allows the customer to choose from various seasonings (that are, I believe, crafted in house) including Caribbean jerk, Cajun, teriyaki, lemon pepper, Southwest, garlic and herb, and their favorite, Kodiak seasoning.  If you look carefully at this nicely grilled piece of salmon, you can see all of the herbs and spices that go into the Kodiak flavor: 

As with the halibut, you really appreciate the grill master's skill when you look at and taste each wonderful bite of the fish: 

That last picture brings me to another point about this place; Kodiak Seafood keeps trying to get better.  On our most recent visit, Tina and I were blown away by the new tartar sauce being served.  Unlike previous versions, the new tartar sauce is flavored with a large quantity of fresh dillweed, bits of old school dill pickle, and finely diced onion.  It was so good, I wish I had a picture of it for you.

The grilled fish options range between $10 and $13 and come with a starch or veggies. Chicken breast and ribeye steak are also on the menu -- but I have no idea how they taste.  In season, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday usually for dinners only.  It is often closed in July and August while the family goes fishing. Call before driving all the way from downtown Yuma (or San Diego). Well worth the trip.

Kodiak Seafood Company, Foothill Fry's Shopping Center, 11274 South Fortuna Road, suite C-1, Yuma, 928-345-0433.

Comments

[bill]

What a nice little fishy joint.
I wonder if making tartar sauce with thick yogurt would be noticeably different than mayo.
I never thought about putting dill into tartar sauce now I've got to try it.

[Carol]

I love places like these.

[Melissa]

Thanks for the post. Hawaii has BYOB for places w/o a liquor license, too. I didn't realize that was strange.

[Cathy]

Yuma doesn't seem so desolate with a place like this for dining. The grilled fish looks *really* good as do those sweet potato fries. Dill always goes with fish in some way. Tartar sauce with dill is the only kind I buy.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Yeh, bill, it is a fishy joint. Don't know about yogurt in tartar sauce, but I'm old school. It really is a pleasant place to eat, and the fish there is very well done.

OK, didn't realize other states have this same law, Melissa. I think it is strange because it is the opposite of CA, where you can only BYOB to places that have a liscence. It is limited in AZ only to small establishments (less than 50 or 60 seats, I believe).

Thanks Cathy. I usually make my own tartar sauce with capers, red onion, & mayo. But I want to try making a dilly version.

[foodhoe]

who would expect to see such gorgeous looking seafood out in yuma! here we have byob, but they charge you $20+... anyways I love the variety of seafood, it looks well prepared and delicious.